Wildfires

Damian Burke asked:


Kruger National Park Lodges

The park, which covers a huge area of South Africa, is made up of individual Kruger National Park lodges which form the community of tourism and conservation in the area.

These individual, privately owned reserves each cover thousands of hectares of unspoiled land and are always striking, creating an illusion that much of the accommodation has been carved out of the natural landscape.

The cultures of South Africa are well represented at the various Kruger National Park Lodges, with the vast majority of staff being of local heritage. From the concierge to the game rangers and trackers, the lodges cater to the whims of global travellers without losing the diverse yet distinct South African charm.

What To Do at A Kruger National Park Lodge?

Once you arrive at your Kruger National Park lodge of choice, deciding what to do first will come naturally – but here are some ideas to get you in the African safari adventure mindset:

Go for a nature walk at dusk. Enjoy the overwhelming population of stars in the African night sky. Cross as many indigenous African birds as possible off your list. Relax and unwind with a spa treatment.

· Take a wood-fuelled open-air bush shower.

· Tuck into exquisite African cuisine.

· Relax in a hammock in the harmony of the wilderness.

· Spend time with your travel companions (and maybe new friends) around a camp fire.

· Take a micro-light flight, helicopter flip or hot air balloon ride to get a bird’s eye view of the many Kruger National Park lodges and their surrounding beauty.

Blending home comforts with the indigenous style and grace of the African outback, at Kruger National Park Lodges – be it in a chalet, hut, or on even camping and ‘caravanning’ grounds – the intimacy and curiosities of the African wilderness are sure to tug at your heart strings.



CHUCK

David Maillie asked:


Women and men have longed to be slim, since time immemorial. Fat burning pill that works is much sought after, throughout the world. Though, most people camouflage their hankering for cutting off flab as an yearning for a ’safe’ life; fat is definitely a health hazard. However, the way men and women throw caution to the wind, while trying out any fat burning pill, indicates otherwise. Many a fat burning diet pill have hit the jackpot, while, encashing on this almost primeval, human urge to be lean.

The best way to enjoy a trim and lean life is obviously the obvious: a nutritious diet, accompanied by physical exercise and adequate rest. Nevertheless, a short cut is always tempting than the actual way and it is absolutely normal to think of ‘miracle pills’ that are fat burning, or, at least fantasize about them. However, in order to avoid being duped or worse, still, use something that is unsafe, it is better to have an idea of how a fat burning pill works.

A fat burning pill may work in three ways assisting the human body to break down body fat, internally. This involves releasing it from fat cells, where it enters the bloodstream as free fatty acids that are then transported to muscle cells where they may be burned. The second way is to suppress appetite-a complicated process that includes the participation of hormones and neurotransmitters. The third option is also known as fat blockers. A fat bocker pill restricts the body from absorbing fat during digestion. The negative side effects are stomach discomfort, diarrhea, and inability to absorb many important fat-soluble vitamins and other nutrients. In addition, they may interfere with the effectiveness of certain medications, especially birth control pills and estrogen.

Carnitine, present naturally in the body is known for its fat burning role. Unfortunately, taking it as a supplement pill has not proved to be extra beneficial. Burning fat, through medication, however is not totally impossible. However, you should not expect to turn into a new leaf, overnight, adipose wise. In addition, you must be aware of what your physical condition would permit.



CALVIN

Victor Epand asked:


What is the best kind of GPS system for you? This depends on what you intend to use it for.

Garmin 12 GPS is very good. There are various models of the 12, 12XL etc. They can be found for under $150. The altimeter is usually off but once you find your position, most of the time the map tells me what my altitude is. They have a pretty decent battery life since you rarely ever use your GPS for 12 hours straight.

The vendors selling GPS units are Garmin and Magellan, those are good brands and can meet your requirements quite well. There is a third player, Brunton (compass makers gone hi-tech). They make very reasonably priced GPS units with lots of bells and whistles. Garmin GPS records the distance travelled, speed, average speed, etc. Make sure you get good battery life and enough memory to be useful.

Mitac Mio 168 comes out well for my requirements but is more expensive, especially if you go for the tom tom mapping software too (voice directions when I’m out on my motorbike!)

Most of the functions on GPS of this sort you can get from a map. Maps on pure GPS are not as good as on a GPS/PDA but good maps for these are usually expensive. Some mountain rescue team members use PDAs with 1:25000 OS mapping data for recording search patterns etc.

You really need to look at your own plans - for instance, most backpackers use GPS to “confirm” their position, and they don’t use it to set waypoints, determine compass direction, navigate, etc. Many backpackers use it as an emergency navigation tool in Utah’s deep, narrow canyons, where a map and compass can be almost useless.

One word of warning, take very seriously the statement on the front of all GPS units “Do not rely on this unit as the primary source of your navigation.” It’s always a good idea to have a map and compass with you when engaging in wilderness travel and use them right along with the GPS. It can actually be kind of fun to see how accurate you are with a compass and compare map routes with GPS routes to see why you ended up going the way you did.

What are the numbers on a compass for and how do you use a compass? The numbers on the compass are for degrees or headings. They will tell you what direction to proceed on. The first thing you need to do is figure out what kind of compass you have, a floating dial or a floating needle.

As to emergency contact, you could buy an expensive Iridium/satellite phone - they can get a signal just like a GPS does. They run over $1,000. It may also be possible to rent one. For real emergencies, not simply a vehicle breakdown, there is a GPS signaling device, much like ONStar (GM trademark), that can send an emergency signal. The final thing to do is to check in at the local ranger station, BLM office, forest service visitor center, etc., and see about leaving your itinerary with them, as well as a promise to check-out with them when leaving. If you don’t check in, they would send someone out to check on you.



DELBERT