Time to shake off the dust

After being in the cyber wilderness for just over a year, it is time to shake the dust off  The Max Files and breathe new life into my blog.

Much has been happening with me and Suzi over the past few years as we have travelled about South Africa and abroad and in-between launched our indie publishing business. We found that trying to get our books published by the main stream publishers was never going to be a proposition, so we took the plunge and dived headlong into publishing our first book. From there the business has taken on a life of its own.

Our first hard copy books:

• It all began with "The Climax Collection, the Secret Life of Windmills" a quirky but naughty coffee table book that looks at what they get up to when we are not looking. The books is filled with pictures of windmills taken on our travels, with captions to insure that you will never look at these iconic South African landmarks the same again. We are now into the third print run.

• This was followed by "Travels troubles with Koos". Written by Sue, it is a fun look at our travels around South Africa in my quirky and unreliable 4x4. The book is entertaining but at the same time provides great photos, details of interesting places and how to get there.

• We then decided to launch the Climax Collection 2. Another fun coffee table book that takes a look at what music windmills listen to when we are not around. 

• Currently at the printers and to be launched before Christmas is, "Santa's New Helpers". It is the first children's books from the series of African stories, "Tales from the Waterhole" that I've written. The book has been superbly illustrated by Port Elizabeth artist Theresa Hardman and promises to be a winner.

Visit the El Gecko Publishing website for more information about these books and other products.

Happy New Year

May 2015 be the start of many good journey's for you. May your roads be without too many bumps and if there are may you sail over all obstacles without a care. Let 2015 be a fantastic year, look for adventure, take risks, have fun and make your dreams happen. When the road starts to get blurry, stop and smell the flowers. Spend time enjoying the sunsets and sunrises and look for the rainbows. Take pleasure in all that is around you and look forward to seeing what new experiences the next rise or turn in the road brings.

Skywatch Friday - Climax on a mountain

If you are not South African the title may have mislead you.................... 

Climax is the brand name of  a windmill, which is a common feature on the South African landscape and the name is often used as a synonym for windmill. It was also the inspiration for the name of the book my wife and I have just published, which has been promoted quite extensively in some of the earlier posts. 

This battered windmill, perched near the top of the Zuurberg Pass, in the Eastern Cape has the most spectacular panoramic views of the rolling countryside from Paterson to Port Elizabeth and beyond, with Algoa Bay as a backdrop. 

If you have never been to the top of the Zuurberg Pass, put it on your bucket list. The road is not the best, to put it mildly, but in Koos it was not a problem. The views in and from the mountains are breathtaking and worth the trip. On a misty day you may not see too much, but then just enjoy the atmosphere.

Visit the Skywatch site for more wonderful pictures from all over the world.

Adventures with Koos - Camdeboo National Park

What would have been a trip to a local dietitian for most normal families ended up being a 600 km round trip, for me and Suzie. You see the dietitian she chose for us to see is based in Somerset East, about 180 kms from our front door and from there we decided to head for Graaf Reinet, a further 124 km away as we had heard that snow had fallen in the area. Needless to say any traces of snow had long since vanished by the time we got there, but that was no hardship as the country side is nothing short of spectacular.

And then we very foolishly decided to spend the night in a safari tent at the Camdeboo National Park. At any other time of the year it would have been great, but the next day we learnt the temperature had dropped -4 degrees centigrade. It was no wonder when we went to bed we were swathed in winter pajamas, scarves and beanies and a pile of blankets and duvets. Only our eyes and noses visible as we snuggled in our beds and great clouds of vapour filled the tent when we breathed out.

One generally associates Graaf Reinet with the Valley of Desolation, but the next day our sight seeing took us up the Koedoeskloof 4x4 trail  where were greeted by these spectacular views of the plains of the Camdeboo.

If you want to experience this view the only way up this mountain is in a 4x4 and it is well worth the trip.

The road has, I believe been upgraded, but I would still recommend low range 4x4 going up.

So, going to the dietitian does not have to be a boring or routine visit.

Adventures with Koos - Tankwa Karoo

Take an elderly couple and put them in an elderly 4x4 and hey presto you have a recipe for travel, to all the weird and wonderful places they have never been able to get to before.

That's me and Suzie and Koos (aka Hyundai Terracan 2.9 CRDI). Maybe I should also mention that we have some eccentric habits like naming our cars, cameras and whatever else takes our fancy. Let's face it, giving them names is a lot more fun than sticking to the generic trade name - it gives them a personality and makes them part of the family. I'd better stop right here, before someone decides to lock me away....

The adventures with Koos are about some of the interesting places we have visited on our travels around South Africa. Many of these are places that have been on our bucket list for many years, but were not accessible in our "platkar" (that is 4x4 speak for a low slung two wheel drive vehicle).

Last year in Spring we traveled to the Northern Cape to see the flowers and to visit one of the driest places in the country - the Tankwa Karoo. That was not to be, because we arrived after record rains and were greeted by a magnificent show of colour and plenty of water.

We are seen here, unbeknown to us at the time, heading the wrong way down the Leeuberg 4x4 Trial - it was fun though.

I am not sure if I should be looking forward to the next adventure in which we will be heading to the North, where foul weather and snow are predicted.  Yes, Winter is finally here and is coming in with a vengeance. Watch this space for the next Adventure with Koos.

Koos the Terracan

After driving my trusted Ford Bantam bakkie (truck, ute, van) which featured in many of my posts for the past thirteen years, I traded him in for Koos, a Hyundai Terracan.

Being a 4x4, Koos has opened up many new routes for me and Suzie and we will be heading out to places that were inaccessible to us in the past. Well the travels have actually started already.

Watch this space for forthcoming "Adventures with Koos" as we head out onto the known and the unknown roads.