A Walk in the Park: travels in and around South Africa's national parks
From the Kalahari to the Limpopo, from Cape Town to Mpumalanga, and from the Free State to the Karoo, A Walk in the Park follows author Roxanne Reid's ten-week journey through twelve national parks in South Africa. This is no dry catalogue of the topography and ecology of the parks, no boring list of their facilities. Instead, it's a dynamic string of experiences, activities and people, peppered with interesting facts, cultural heritage and food, and liberally spiced with gentle humour.
The book has two aims. The first is to inform and entertain the average armchair traveller who wants to live vicariously. That’s why you’ll find answers to some intriguing questions, such as:
• why your partner is potentially more dangerous than a black mamba
• what Patricia Lewis, James Small and Ozzie Osborne’s kids have in common
• why hippos are vegetarians and vultures need a spin doctor
• how to prove the Free State isn’t flat
• why a really tiny little fish is actually the Big Mob Boss of the deep
• why a barnacle has a penis that’s 20 times longer than its body.
The second aim is to provide inspiration and practical ideas for people who want to get up out of their armchairs and do things for themselves. There are nearly 300 ideas to choose from, so almost everyone should find at least a handful to wrap a holiday around – where to catch up on some cultural history, enjoy good food or a relaxing sundowner, and of course some more extreme adventures like paragliding or skydiving. And lots of stuff in between – a horse trail, a wilderness hike among lions, elephants and creepy crawlies, a Tarzan-and-Jane swing among the treetops, a 4x4 trail, even a walk in the Kalahari desert with a San tracker who has a gazillion-gigabyte memory of fascinating stuff.
In the Foreword, author and TV presenter Denis Beckett said: This is a delicious book. It evokes things we love about the country around us. It conjures up places that soothe the soul. Its huge fault is that ... well, people are going to read it. And then where will all our best-kept secrets be?
The first edition of A Walk in the Park is now out of print. The second, updated e-book (2015) is available from Amazon worldwide for US$6.50 (plus a Whispernet delivery fee, depending on where you're located). You don't need a Kindle reader; you can download free apps to read it on your PC, Mac, iPhone, iPod, iPad, Android phone or tablet, Windows Phone 7 or BlackBerry. You can even buy it as a gift for someone else.
Links
Buy A Walk in the Park Photo gallery Book reviews Book trailer video
The book has two aims. The first is to inform and entertain the average armchair traveller who wants to live vicariously. That’s why you’ll find answers to some intriguing questions, such as:
• why your partner is potentially more dangerous than a black mamba
• what Patricia Lewis, James Small and Ozzie Osborne’s kids have in common
• why hippos are vegetarians and vultures need a spin doctor
• how to prove the Free State isn’t flat
• why a really tiny little fish is actually the Big Mob Boss of the deep
• why a barnacle has a penis that’s 20 times longer than its body.
The second aim is to provide inspiration and practical ideas for people who want to get up out of their armchairs and do things for themselves. There are nearly 300 ideas to choose from, so almost everyone should find at least a handful to wrap a holiday around – where to catch up on some cultural history, enjoy good food or a relaxing sundowner, and of course some more extreme adventures like paragliding or skydiving. And lots of stuff in between – a horse trail, a wilderness hike among lions, elephants and creepy crawlies, a Tarzan-and-Jane swing among the treetops, a 4x4 trail, even a walk in the Kalahari desert with a San tracker who has a gazillion-gigabyte memory of fascinating stuff.
In the Foreword, author and TV presenter Denis Beckett said: This is a delicious book. It evokes things we love about the country around us. It conjures up places that soothe the soul. Its huge fault is that ... well, people are going to read it. And then where will all our best-kept secrets be?
The first edition of A Walk in the Park is now out of print. The second, updated e-book (2015) is available from Amazon worldwide for US$6.50 (plus a Whispernet delivery fee, depending on where you're located). You don't need a Kindle reader; you can download free apps to read it on your PC, Mac, iPhone, iPod, iPad, Android phone or tablet, Windows Phone 7 or BlackBerry. You can even buy it as a gift for someone else.
Links
Buy A Walk in the Park Photo gallery Book reviews Book trailer video