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November 02 Busy, busy,...I am doing it again, I am neglecting my blog... So, yes I am alive, busy with some extension on my house and some hard software development. Also coming, it's a dogs life and my usual rambling about South Africa, taxis? Forget about taxies, try our only electricity supplier ESKOM... Cheers for now. October 21 Microsoft Tech-Ed 2007 South Africa - Day 1 (Part 1)It's day 1 of Microsoft Tech-Ed 2007 South Africa at Sun City and, unsurprisingly enough, it's off to a bad start. It's not because of Microsoft, it just is Sun City. Unfortunately, this is the only venue in Southern Africa capable to hold such a convention, if only for the shear amount of delegates. The hotel where I am was ready for check in an hour late (15:00 inset of 14:00), the "partner lounge" is not ready either, they are still busy putting up their stands, the "Microsoft" shop is not opened. Well you get the picture. Then came time to login to the Tech-Ed help center, wow a scheduler! I can schedule my sessions, great. But I soon discovered that I could not send it to my PDA, how useless... The keynote presented by Iain McDonald, Managing Director of the Windows Server Group at Microsoft Corporation was informative and entertaining, if not a little too long for a Sunday evening. I apologize for the photo quality, it was dark and I did not use a flash. Temporary Post Used For Style Detection (604aad84-de97-4c00-b8dd-1ba6950bf7dd)This is a temporary post that was not deleted. Please delete this manually. (e2588f09-5505-45e2-89a8-36939595607d) August 29 Fricasée de porc á la Maverick ZeroHo, great wanders, he cooks... The rumor goes that I can cook, and apparently so it is. The comment: "That smells good, what is it?". My reply: "Well something I did on Sunday, I am still finishing it off" So here is the recipe for you guys.
Cooking time: abt 45 minutes Effort: abt 15 minutes
You will need the following:
Optionally:
Start by dicing the potatoes in to 1cm blocks, I advice you to "pre" boil the dices for about 10 minutes or until they look half cooked but not soft. Then cut the sausages into 1 cm slices. Put a little butter with olive oil into a large deep pan (ideally one that has a cover) or, if you have, a wok. Add the sausages, stir until they get nice a firm. Add the half cooked potatoes to the mix, let the lot go near golden. Now add the wine, tomatoes, the parsley, the sage and the optional mushrooms. Stir a little then cover for about 30 minutes, check and stir regularly if it becomes too dry add water or if you prefer (like me) wine. When ready add the garlic stir it in for a minute or two and serve with a nice glass of white wine, I often use the same than in the recipe to strengthen the taste, you can also garnish with fresh parsley. Enjoy. August 20 An estimated 25 per 100 000 people die in road accidents in South AfricaI was reading an article on IOL "Inferno claims 22 lives after smash" and was horrified by the statement: "The government has announced plans to encourage drivers to replace their un-roadworthy minibus taxis with safer vehicles but the programme has been repeatedly delayed." Bring the law back to the roads, educate." Now that will help and by nature solve the "un-roadworthy" issue. I mean I am every day on the South African (mostly Johannesburg) roads and I see Taxis driving on oncoming traffic, forcing themselves through red robots (or stop signs) and creating new lanes everyday. Let's start there first, but if you call the traffic department, their answer is: "Sorry, but we only take call for emergency situations". I wish the government would wake up to the reality, if you want to control crime, start with the "little" things like road rules, because if you can get away with those why not murder? August 12 Moving Only in South Africa .COM to Windows Live Spaces.Yes I am temporarily, or at least until I can find a host at a descent price, moving my blog to Live Spaces. I have tried others, WordPress toped but is not what I am after. So time will tell. I'll try to customize this one a bit more soon. June 28 Snow, Frost and Johannesburg...Yesterday was a cold day, Johannesburg woke up to a white cover in the form of snow. Yes the largest city in Africa for it's altitude (1600m above sea level) was covered with white fluffy powder for the first time in 25 years. I will post some photos in the next couple of days. Than came this morning, I had no illusions that I would see snow again, but I woke up to a sight not seen often either, Johannesburg was covered in white again this time in the form of frost add to that an eery fog and you have the perfect start of a horror story... Till next time. June 20 Variable naming conventions in C# (and VB)Now here is an argument waiting to happen and, as you may have figured out, I love a good argument ... My take on variable naming conventions in C# is as follows:
It makes it easy to read and remember how to code. Simplify. But if you really feel this is way too simple, here is a list of resources:
Or simply search Google. The point is that no one really agrees. June 19 A month has gone by...Just to tell you all that I am not dead nor is this blog. You see I have recently been transferred to a new division in my company and I have been busy adjusting and finding my way. I am still planing a few things for the future, please be patient it's coming... May 13 Zeus - Day 1It's been next to impossible to take a photo of this bundle of joy, tomorrow is another day though, these are a week old.
First and foremost! He is an Alaskan Malamute not a Siberian Husky! There are major differences the most obvious ones are in size and temperament. We came back with him at lunch time and that is when all hell broke loose. You see I happen to have two 5 year old Oriental Siamese (Akhenaton and Nefertiti) and a 3 year old Retriever Labrador (Athena), introducing an 8 weeks old malamute was never going to be easy. But I could not have predicted what was going to happen.
Zeus meets the "dreaded" Nefertiti, I was spooked, I had seen Nefertiti upset before, but Zeus' reaction was the worst. He is bigger than her in both weight and height, he literally started to panic, which caused a rather wet floor, much to Nefertiti's surprise. As for Akhenaton, he was his usual laid back curious self, and started to get along fine within the hour. I then gave Zeus his first meal and allowed Athena (the brute") to enter in a controlled environment, "the house". My house is the "cats" domain where dogs are tolerated, by the cats that is, we love having them all with us. The garden is the dogs domain, and cats are only tolerated there (in the cats mind) if and when a human is present, ideally my wife or myself. I did not expect any major problems with Athena, she is a social dog and was trained to be. However this was the first time a dog was brought into her territory. As I expected, from the "Nefertiti" reaction, Zeus was rather fearful of this new beast in is midst and each time Athena (whom had no intentions to hurt him) came my hears started to ring. Warning, should you want to get a Malamute, get ear plugs too. When he settled and allowed a perplexed Athena to inspect him from head to toe, I took him to the garden, and it all started again. Athena, playful as she is, started chasing him, and he started squalling to the top of his voice (also the threshold of my hears). The good news is that I think there are going to be best friends soon, Athena, though still perplexed, is far from aggressive... Now it's all up to Zeus to understand that. He has been sleeping his adventures off, a good 2 hours now, lets see how he handle a little (as little as him) walk... April 25 Day 10 -11: Kgalagadi Transfrontier Park [Twee Riviren] - Upington (252km) and Upington - Johannesburg (781km)It was time to leave the Kgalagadi Transfrontier Park behind and begin the journey home, back to civilization. We staid overnight in Upington to enjoy the city a bit, only to find out that we were to tired to do so. The long road back to Johannesburg took us 11 hours because of a puncture. Now it is time to wrap it all up. 11 days in the Green Kalahari: Here is some trivial facts of our trip:
Was it all worth it? Every second. But next time I will be going in a Landrover Defender 110, a 4x4 is a must even if the Peugeot held it's own. April 23 Day 9: Kgalagadi Transfrontier Park [Twee Riviren Rescamp]The day we took it easy, we went out for 1/2 a day and ate at the restaurant. We crossed path with a "troop" (about 16) of Suricate.
Dunes are part of the deal, and so is the sand...
With wildlife photography one of the major component is patience, and this secretarybird ruffled my feathers. He would not drink... And then... April 22 Day 8: Kgalagadi Transfrontier Park [Mata Mata Restcamp - Twee Riviren Restcamp]The day I found out that the Giraffes comes in plantations and that there are some serious predators in the park... The giraffe is, after all, a truly amazing animal. But also a truly adaptable one. It, as seen bellow, also grows in trees.
I also found out that Ground Squirrels, common in the park, hate each other... I found that rather strange since they are generally vegetarian.
We also stumbled across the King of the jungle, I don't know what this lioness had to drink but it must of been good... April 21 Day 7: Kgalagadi Transfrontier Park [Nossob Restcamp - Mata Mata Restcamp]Nossob Restcamp to Mata Mata is an experience not to be missed, the scenery is incredible.
And we were to be spoiled again with another first for me. I had never seen a Brown Hyaena in the wild. You must realize that besides being a nocturnal animal it is skittish and rather rare. To see one in broad daylight, it was 09:05 is great.
And Mother nature was to show us yet another rare sight in the for of an African Wild Cat, I had seen a few in captivity but this sight will stay burned in my memory...
Yellow billed hornbills are a common sight across South Africa and to tell the truth was kind of relieved that the Kgalagadi was void of them, or I so thought!
And one of the most common sights in the Kgalagadi (funny enough it used to be called the "Kalahari-Gemsbok") the mighty Gemsbok.
The Kgalagadi is an arid place with so many surprises. I was later treated to something very unusual, a Suricate and I played at Mata Mata restcamp for a good hour. It the kind of experience one dreams of. She also allowed me to take wonderful photos which are in the album. but one I wanted to share with you here is the Suricate and my wife... Geraldine was asking me what was tickling her toes, imagine my surprise... April 20 Day 6: Kgalagadi Transfrontier Park [Twee Riviren Restcamp to Nosob Restcamp]We were lucky that there where some cancellations at Nossob Restcamp. You must understand the Kgalagadi was the "highlight" of my trip, photo hunting grounds of the mystic Kgalagadi that I had heard of for so many years. I was finally there! And was not to be disappointed at all... Like all reserves, I go in knowing that nature will decide what to dish me out in it's own time and place. It's really like going on a stroll around hoping to see something but expecting nothing. But within an hour I would be satisfied with what mother nature dished me out. A mindful Black Backed Jackal was over looking a (Pale Chanting?) Goshawk. An unusual sight to say the least... But why? We decided that this was as good as any other place to take a rest, and so we began to observe this unusual behavior for both animals. The explanation never came but I can only assume that what followed had something to do with it... I apologize for the quality of the image but I had to digitally enhance it, something I do not do often (unlike cropping) but I was stuck with a 200mm zoom. You can see the head of a Ratel (Honey badger) sticking out on the bottom left, it was the first time I saw one of these elusive animals. And what a sight it was... We watched him digging his den for a while. I must say I missed my 500mm Zoom just then... And we were to be spoiled a little more... look at this galloping Red Hartebeest... I swear I was watching a show horse trot... April 19 Day 5: Augrabies Falls National Park - Kgalagadi Transfrontier Park [Twee Riveren Restcamp] (381km)That was to be a fateful and expensive morning, my camera (a Canon EOS 300D) fell hard with my 170-500mm Sigma lens on it. The results were rather painful. With my arrival to Kgalagadi Transfrontier Park imminent and no camera, I was ready to return to Johannesburg there and then. Luckily I am insured and I must say that Outsurance outdid themselves for me, they allowed me to buy a equivalent replacement camera and promised to refund it to me as soon as I sent them the receipt. Highly unexpected and highly appreciated. Unfortunately, the day was wasted looking for a replacement camera in Upington. I eventually found one at Game. And now it was time to learn how this new camera worked, a Canon EOS 400D. As far as the zoom was concerned, I would have to do with my 70-200mm EF Canon lens until I get back to Johannesburg. I was to be rather impressed by the combination... Unfortunately, we also arrived late at Twee Riveren Restcamp. And I will also mention that the last 37 kilometers to the park are not tarred as advertised. But I will tackle that in another entry. The only photo's I got that day were of the sunset... In the back is Botswana... April 18 Day 4: Witsand Nature Reserve - Augrabies Fall National Park (338km)After a night spent sleeping in the car and taking the "death trap" road again, it took us a better part of the morning to do the first 120 kilometers, off to Augrabies Fall National Park we go... All considering, once we were back on dry land the road to Augrabies Falls National Park was rather pleasant and uneventful. We stopped in Upington to re-stock and eat. The Dros Restaurant was rather good. We decided to take a chalet at Augrabies Fall National Park, if only to ensure a good night sleep without a flood. The self catering chalet we were given was more than adequate. Though Augrabies Falls National Park is bigger than the "falls" it is the falls one goes to see. Everything is organized for the "falls", safety barriers, decks, path, ... I suppose it might take out a bit of the charm from the falls, but then again I can understand why it was done. The falls were far from "thundering" but even so one can imagine it doing just that. I was to be very lucky with yet another incredible sunset, I was spoilt. Augrabies Fall National Park is a worth while stop if you are in the region I really recommend it. April 17 Day 3 - Witsand Nature ReserveA day in Witsand Nature Reserve is a day well spent despite the roads to get there and the local incompetent staff. the reserve is amazingly beautiful and baffling beyond words. Imagine a setting where to the south, stretching for miles is the African bush. To the north, also stretching for miles is white sand dunes of the kind I had only seen on beaches. But the nearest beach is 550 km away. The change is so abrupt that you can literally stand with one foot in the African Bush and 1 foot on the dry white dune.
But that's not all that Witsand has to offer. This is one of the few reserve where you can hike and walk about, there are no predators in Witsand. Well there might be some Leopards and Jackals but then these are everywhere if you really look for them. The bird life in the "bush" area of the reserve is abundant but that's all you'll see and it's why you will want to go too, mid you we crossed path with a few Springboks. There is also a well organized and situated bird hide. If it was not for the bad service, the access roads, a lack of camping area planing that spans from the electrical plugs being too far to the complete lack of water evacuation, I would say this is a perfect weekend gateway. Coming back to the irrigation thing... In brief, if you want to go to Witsand I advise you use a 4x4, do not camp rather use a chalet if you go in the rainy season, take all your food with you to last the duration of your stay. The shop does not even carry fresh bread. And enjoy! April 16 Day 2: Kimberley - Witsand (276km)We started the day by going to see the Kimberley Big Hole, I was told on various occasions not to expect much, if anything at all. De Beers invested a whooping 52 millions and what I saw was just breath taking. And I am not talking of the "Big Hole". The surprise came in the form of an hour long guided tour of the "Big Hole". this tour included a 17 minute beautifully done cinematographic presentation, a walk to the edge of the "Big Hole" on a suspended bridge, a recreation of the underground working conditions , a museum and the "vault". The vault contained 100's of diamonds of all types to view. I had done the "Gold Reef City" tour in Johannesburg many times before, but it does not compare to this. If you ever go to Kimberley, I assure you it's well worth the detour. some more information is available here or you can contact them on +27 (53) 839-4902. Leaving Kimberley behind, I was eager to arrive at Witsand Nature Reserve some 270 km away. Our trip to Witsand was pleasant until we hit the sand roads... The Northern Cape government should wake up to reality, I will not buy a 4x4 for traveling on their roads! Nor will most tourists. The sand roads are more death traps than accepted "Regional" roads of any sorts. And the fact that it had just rained is far from an acceptable excuse. It took us near 2 and a half hours to navigate ourselves on the last 40 kilometers of un-maintained sand road made of corrugated ground, loose gravel, mud, mud pits, pot holes, .... In the final analysis, no more than a death trap. Witsand Nature Reserve, a provincial reserve, has what appeared to be a well maintained, the camp site only has 10 camping spots. As for the first impression of the staff, it was far from what I expected though. I did not feel welcomed at all. Additionally, the people who planed the sites must of been drunk or on a high at the time. The electricity points a so far away from the "camp spots" that one would need a 50 meters extension to reach. But the light for the "barbecue" area is a mear 5 meters away. On the other hand, the ablution block is well designed and implacably clean.
The reserve, though small, looked incredibly beautifully. And as we were to find out the following day, baffling. |
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