Who, What, Where, How, When, ...
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I grew up in Fish Hoek, one of Cape Town's windy southern suburbs, so I guess it's only appropriate that it has taken me many years of "blowing in the wind", as a good friend of mine calls it, going from being a soldier to selling real estate, to
Wildlife photographer Landscape photographer Safari specialist Privately guided safaris Africa outdoor travel blog
manufacturing jewellery, to , and then qualifying for, and spending six years in the financial world as an investment adviser, before heading off in November 2003 on the exciting path that has led me to the here and now.
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Admittedly I gained a lot of valuable and varied experience in taking this interesting route, but all the while there was a mysterious inner voice telling me this wasn’t where I belonged, and wasn’t what I was supposed to be doing. What I can say with certainty, is throughout that period in my life, I experienced restlessness inside that I couldn’t quite put my finger on.
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It was as if I was searching for more meaning, feeling I was stuck in some sort of surreal bubble, and knowing I was not living my truth. In hindsight, I think I was also bored, and yearning for adventure.
“Life is either a daring adventure or nothing at all” - Helen Keller
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A quote that I personally relate to, and had been hanging onto for many years,
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... so what was I doing?
Enter "Creating Dust" - an idea born back in 2003, when I finally gave in to that inner voice, turned my back on the corporate world, and did what any normal person in my shoes would have done at the time, drive across the Makgadikgadi Pans in Botswana to take up a management position, at a tenth of the salary I was earning, in a lodge surrounded by a lot of dust; it seemed like a perfectly good idea back then, and in hindsight, I believe it was.
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Over time the name stuck, and has grown into one that for me conjures up literal images of dust being kicked up as one explores and travels the world; going on adventures; gaining and sharing experiences. As fortune would have it, I've been able to kick up a fair amount more "dust" since that day. You'll find some of those adventures listed below.
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Along the way I’ve been an expatriate; learned to navigate, negotiate, investigate, literate, illustrate, hyperventilate and meditate; at times needed to dodge coagulate; had cause to call a mate, and on the odd occasion used bicarbonate - clever stuff that !
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I’ve swapped stories with some pretty amazing people too, lingered longer with more than a handful, and come away the richer for the friendships.
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Africa is my home, and through its myriad cultures, spectacular landscapes, the most diverse fauna and flora, unique challenges, and vibrant pulse, has grown even closer to my heart.
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I've also had the privilege of seeing Africa reach out and touch
many others who have travelled from all corners of the globe to experience her, and so it feels natural for me that Creating Dust has evolved into a platform from which I can share Africa (mostly) through travel and adventure, writing and photography.
Past adventures ...
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Spent over eight years, on and off, in various management positions at safari lodges in the most beautifully wild places in , Malawi, Rwanda and South Africa.
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Became inspired to join a never-ending photographic journey.
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Been tossed around in a l flying myself from the Cape, around Botswana and to Durban and back a few times.
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Dodged an overly-playful wild boar and numerous other critters while mucking out cages at a volunteer wildlife and in Greece.
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Over-landed from Cape Town to Kampala and back.
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Taken the 1300 kilometre dirt up the western side of Tanzania.
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Spent time with in Rwanda.
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Sought out the Nile River’s source in Uganda.
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Floated my vehicle and worldly possessions on top of three fishing dhows in order to cross the Ruvuma River into northern Mozambique.
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Spent a wonderful three months in Germany.
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Popped into the UK on the odd occasion for tea with family.
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Converted my Land Rover Discovery 1 into a bespoke overland adventure vehicle ... for further adventures.
Enjoy the journey ...
