Xigiya - The Dancing Stick.: June 2008

Wednesday, 04 June 2008

Launching Xigiya Travel Writing Services!

With hundreds of articles to my name appearing in publications such as The Saturday Star Travel, SA Country Life, Africa Geographic, Africa Birds and Birding, Leisure Wheels Adventure Motoring Magazine, Animal Talk, BBC Wildlife Magazine, The Gardener and others, I'm offfering my services to accommodation establishments looking for some publicity (at the moment this service is restricted to the Lowveld and Escarpment areas of Mpumalanga). So e-mail me at leonmars500@webmail.co.za and we can come up with an arrangement to give your property, product or service a boost worth thousands of Rands!

Check out these links for some examples:

Idube Private Game Reserve: http://www.thestar.co.za/index.php?fArticleId=3674364

Lukimbi Safari Lodge: http://www.thestar.co.za/index.php?fArticleId=3711278

Motswari Game Lodge: http://www.thestar.co.za/index.php?fArticleId=3636600

Kurisa Moya Lodge:http://www.thestar.co.za/index.php?fArticleId=3474755

Moholoholo Forest Lodge: http://www.thestar.co.za/index.php?fArticleId=3275487

The Kgalagadi Transfrontier Park: http://www.leisurewheels.com/Modules_FE/layout1/displayFullNews.asp?newsID=554

Xigiya - The Dancing Stick.

Avuxeni! (Hello!). So what's with this 'Xigiya' thing? Firstly, it's pronounced 'Shigiya', and is a stick, much like a walking stick, that is used in traditional Shangaan / Tsonga dancing rituals in the north-east of South Africa. It's something I learned while working with Shangaan trackers at various safari lodges, and it always put me in good standing with these proud people to learn something of their language and culture. So grab a stick, hold it vertically out in front of you, get someone to beat a drum, and dance!

The world-famous African pig story.

One of the best things about being a guide and spending a lot of time out in the African bush is that you are privy to the most amazing sights and scenes, things that most people will never even come close to experiencing. Over the years these build up to shape you and define you as a person. From the absolute magic of spending some time watching 10 playful lion cubs tackle, maul and pounce on each other to being witness to a life-or-death struggle, these are the foundation of a guide's life. For me the story of Samson the African Pig is the highlight of my time in the bush - so far. He's inspired me to not only tell his story as witnessed by us, but also to use my imagination to create the story of his entire life, from birth to death. Follow the lengthy link below the series of three pictures to learn about Samson, the world-famous African pig.