Position: 46°11’37.5″N 123°58’28.5″W One of Oregon’s autumn fixtures is the annual Portland Book Festival. Hundreds of readers head downtown and take in the perspectives and wisdom of both local and internationally known writers. Staged interviews are congenial and leave plenty …
Position: DRUG-INDUCED AMBULATORY COMA I have been a foreigner for much of my life. It has its advantages. Let me clarify. By the time my dad landed a decent job with tenure at the University of Chicago, he had dragged …
This week we continue our occasional series about famous sea craptains. For our more sensitive readers please note this entry contains salty language, such as that typically employed by sailors – and plumbers… Position: 57°21’00.0″N 1°39’00.0″W April 1945 – off …
Position: 45°37’02.0″N 122°40’18.1″W Having criss-crossed the globe vertically and horizontally in the past couple of months, it occurred to me that our oblique definitions of first, second and third world countries are just that – oblique. The traveller, if they …
Position: 24°20’42.8″S 30°57’56.8″E Hoedspruit is not pronounced “hoed’ sprout” as you might imagine. Rather it is “who’d’ sprit”. Such are the variances between modern Dutch and Afrikaans (broadly based on 400-year-old Dutch). Twenty years ago, Indians in India were still …
Position: 24°23’44.1″S 31°46’29.4″E Visiting South Africa is a bit like entering a gated community. Once inside, safe behind the security guards and barbed wire, you can leave reality behind. In Kruger National Park, the tourists are almost all white, and …
Position: 24°03’02.7″S 31°43’46.1″E “Hello! I’m Wonderful”, announced our driver. “I’m fantastic”, I replied. “Actually, my name is Wonderful.” “Fantastic”, I repeated, not fully understanding that people in this part of the world have names like Wonderful, Sensible, and Surprise. For …
Position: 25°09’20.4″S 31°11’53.4″E Leaving Kruger National Park via the Numbi Gate isn’t recommended. At least not for foreigners. A result of its proximity to the hard-knock township of Numbi and the 2022 murder of a German tourist in a carjacking …
Position: 28°30’53.6″S 28°25’15.6″E “Hello sir, I am Thomas. Can I look after your car?” enquired the slim young man with a shy look. Glancing around the boutiques and craft breweries lining the main square of Clarens, I decided that attended …
