Book reviews: A Walk in the Park
What a handy and original little gem of a book A Walk in the Park is. Part nature guide, part travelogue, it is the brainchild of award winning journalist and editor, Roxanne Reid. It has a very user-friendly format. Each chapter covers one national park. Chapters open with summary paragraphs providing background and geographical information about the destination in question. Underneath this section, Reid lists accommodation options and other facilities. Useful information such as whether you will have cell phone reception, or find a fuel station or shop, is included here.
Hard facts are followed by highly entertaining anecdotal narratives, similar to what one might read in a local travel magazine. These stories not only describe her personal experiences and interactions with fauna and humans, but also all sorts of interesting environmental, historical and cultural information. Reid writes in a chatty and accessible way. She is honest about her likes and dislikes and doesn’t beat about the bush. If she found services or facilities below par, she lets you know about it. In the same vein, when a personable guide or game ranger, or particularly well-organised tour have delighted or impressed her, she’ll sing praises. I found Reid’s candour and self-deprecating humour disarming. Her writing style made me trust her opinion, even when I realised we might not always share tastes or sensibilities. I certainly learnt a great deal about each place and area she visited.
The imaginative lists of recommended activities in and around the parks provided at each chapter’s end are also a wealth of information. Contact details are provided where necessary.
A well-priced, helpful and fun guide for adventurous spirits.
Sawubona
This is a guide book with a difference. The joy of A Walk in the Park is the stories that Reid attaches to each of the national parks she visits. These are stories of her own trips involving interesting characters, some of them people, some animals and even a few that are trees. It will get you itching to travel and that’s more important by far than knowing what to pack.
Leisure Wheels
Reid shuns the tourist’s approach of hopping from one attraction to the next. Through the characters she meets, she endeavours to turn her readers into travellers, soaking up the wisdom and outlook of people in different milieux.
Such as Judy Dixon, biologist and teacher, who takes people on starlight strolls along the beach at Sedgefield, part of the Wilderness National Park in the Garden Route. Among the surprises of marine life is that the male paper nautilus gets to have sex just once in his life, then his penis drops off, his value to mollusc society over.
Or Ramolefe ‘Leopard Man’ Moatshe, who got his nickname at the age of 60 after a leopard attacked him and his gun jammed. In the deadly hand-to-paw combat that followed, the two tumbled down a hillside. To find out how that story turns out, you’ll have to get your own copy of this highly entertaining book. It’s packed with ‘joy diary moments’ that remind us how privileged we are to have all these parks on our doorstep.
Getaway
Important bits of information are slipped into the text that reads more like a story than a guide book about South Africa’s best parts. While maintaining a humorous and conversational tone, the book delves into Reid’s encounters with the people who live and work around the parks, making the landscapes more than just places to look at wildlife and vegetation. Her tendency to stay clear of the beaten track will make first-time travellers eager to experience the beauty and diversity of the country’s national parks and encourage return visits from people who have visited the places before.
The Citizen
A great book to plan (and take) for your next road trip [in South Africa]. The information provided is up to date and factual. There’s also a list of ‘more things to do’ at the end of each area, so you’ll never be at a loss for something to do. As well as being informative, Roxanne relays her experiences whilst doing the research for the book. These encounters make for entertaining reads and I found some of them to be quite humorous as well as very interesting.
The book will make a good gift for both locals and tourists. There are plenty of web links for the different areas (very useful for planning a trip) so no doubt you will enjoy reading it en route to your destination or any other time.
Gearguide
An essential companion for anyone who wants to make use of the many wildlife sanctuaries we have at our disposal.
Country Life
When reading Roxanne Reid’s book one cannot help but feel inspired to pack up and hit the long road into the bush.
The Herald
Roxanne Reid returned with hundreds of ideas from her 10-week trip from the Kalahari to the Limpopo. How does foeifie-sliding among Tsitsikamma treetops grab you? Or maybe 4x4 trekking up the stomach-churning Pienaar’s Pass in the Karoo? The reader also bumps into colourful characters such as Bushman tracker Xau, who says lifting your shirt up above your head is key to standing up to a charging lion, or Leopard Man Ramolefe Moatshe who relates how to beat the beast in single, hand-to-claw combat.
Drive Out
Reid’s rendition of her travels is very well documented, her humorous stories and experiences are informative and the book is an enjoyable read. This is certainly one book that we will keep in the Landy.
What differentiates this book from the typical tourist guide is that it’s written as a story. It includes experiences like a walk in the Kalahari desert with a San tracker with a ‘gazillion-gigabyte memory’ or the story of the 80-year-old Leopard Man who is possibly South Africa’s only survivor of a barehanded fight with a leopard. You’ll keep on reading to discover the adventures behind chapter names such as ‘Prozac for the soul’ and ‘Vulture burgers’.
Land Roving
This is one for those who love the great outdoors and who want to find those extra-special places that lie off the too-well-trod tourist routes.
Simply Green
Hard facts are followed by highly entertaining anecdotal narratives, similar to what one might read in a local travel magazine. These stories not only describe her personal experiences and interactions with fauna and humans, but also all sorts of interesting environmental, historical and cultural information. Reid writes in a chatty and accessible way. She is honest about her likes and dislikes and doesn’t beat about the bush. If she found services or facilities below par, she lets you know about it. In the same vein, when a personable guide or game ranger, or particularly well-organised tour have delighted or impressed her, she’ll sing praises. I found Reid’s candour and self-deprecating humour disarming. Her writing style made me trust her opinion, even when I realised we might not always share tastes or sensibilities. I certainly learnt a great deal about each place and area she visited.
The imaginative lists of recommended activities in and around the parks provided at each chapter’s end are also a wealth of information. Contact details are provided where necessary.
A well-priced, helpful and fun guide for adventurous spirits.
Sawubona
This is a guide book with a difference. The joy of A Walk in the Park is the stories that Reid attaches to each of the national parks she visits. These are stories of her own trips involving interesting characters, some of them people, some animals and even a few that are trees. It will get you itching to travel and that’s more important by far than knowing what to pack.
Leisure Wheels
Reid shuns the tourist’s approach of hopping from one attraction to the next. Through the characters she meets, she endeavours to turn her readers into travellers, soaking up the wisdom and outlook of people in different milieux.
Such as Judy Dixon, biologist and teacher, who takes people on starlight strolls along the beach at Sedgefield, part of the Wilderness National Park in the Garden Route. Among the surprises of marine life is that the male paper nautilus gets to have sex just once in his life, then his penis drops off, his value to mollusc society over.
Or Ramolefe ‘Leopard Man’ Moatshe, who got his nickname at the age of 60 after a leopard attacked him and his gun jammed. In the deadly hand-to-paw combat that followed, the two tumbled down a hillside. To find out how that story turns out, you’ll have to get your own copy of this highly entertaining book. It’s packed with ‘joy diary moments’ that remind us how privileged we are to have all these parks on our doorstep.
Getaway
Important bits of information are slipped into the text that reads more like a story than a guide book about South Africa’s best parts. While maintaining a humorous and conversational tone, the book delves into Reid’s encounters with the people who live and work around the parks, making the landscapes more than just places to look at wildlife and vegetation. Her tendency to stay clear of the beaten track will make first-time travellers eager to experience the beauty and diversity of the country’s national parks and encourage return visits from people who have visited the places before.
The Citizen
A great book to plan (and take) for your next road trip [in South Africa]. The information provided is up to date and factual. There’s also a list of ‘more things to do’ at the end of each area, so you’ll never be at a loss for something to do. As well as being informative, Roxanne relays her experiences whilst doing the research for the book. These encounters make for entertaining reads and I found some of them to be quite humorous as well as very interesting.
The book will make a good gift for both locals and tourists. There are plenty of web links for the different areas (very useful for planning a trip) so no doubt you will enjoy reading it en route to your destination or any other time.
Gearguide
An essential companion for anyone who wants to make use of the many wildlife sanctuaries we have at our disposal.
Country Life
When reading Roxanne Reid’s book one cannot help but feel inspired to pack up and hit the long road into the bush.
The Herald
Roxanne Reid returned with hundreds of ideas from her 10-week trip from the Kalahari to the Limpopo. How does foeifie-sliding among Tsitsikamma treetops grab you? Or maybe 4x4 trekking up the stomach-churning Pienaar’s Pass in the Karoo? The reader also bumps into colourful characters such as Bushman tracker Xau, who says lifting your shirt up above your head is key to standing up to a charging lion, or Leopard Man Ramolefe Moatshe who relates how to beat the beast in single, hand-to-claw combat.
Drive Out
Reid’s rendition of her travels is very well documented, her humorous stories and experiences are informative and the book is an enjoyable read. This is certainly one book that we will keep in the Landy.
What differentiates this book from the typical tourist guide is that it’s written as a story. It includes experiences like a walk in the Kalahari desert with a San tracker with a ‘gazillion-gigabyte memory’ or the story of the 80-year-old Leopard Man who is possibly South Africa’s only survivor of a barehanded fight with a leopard. You’ll keep on reading to discover the adventures behind chapter names such as ‘Prozac for the soul’ and ‘Vulture burgers’.
Land Roving
This is one for those who love the great outdoors and who want to find those extra-special places that lie off the too-well-trod tourist routes.
Simply Green