Moments that have taken my breath away

Life is not about the number of breaths you take but the moments that take your breath away.

Love 

• The love at Gran and Gramps 50th wedding anniversary
• Seeing Ally in her dress for the first time on our wedding day
• Mum´s and Mike's wedding and how happy they looked
• Seeing Matthew and Sammy for the first time
• The letter Jo wrote about Gran when she passed away
• Listening to Gramp's tape that he left us after he passed away
• Mum's love, support and generosity of spirit
• A night time stroll with dad in Uilenskraal as a kid and feeling such love I thought my heart would burst
• The letter Jo wrote me on my 40th birthday
• Gorgeous, wonderful Mack

Deep nostalgia

• Riding horses at 8 Bells as a kid
• Paddling with Gramps at Boulders beach
• Gran and Gramps holidaying with us in Cape Town when we were kids
• Opening xmas presents as a kid
• Going to Muizenberg with Grandpa Station as a kid and drinking appletizer
• Exploring Knysna and Zululand with Dad
• Heart to hearts with Jo as teenagers
• Saturday nights in front of the TV with the family
• Early days with Ally
• Camping at Uilenskraal with dad and Grandpa as a kid
• Camping at Palmiet River with old friends

Wonder

• Photographing puffins in Iceland
• Encounters with great white bears in the Arctic
• On a beach with 50000 King penguins in South Georgia
• A beautiful leopard coming right up to my car window in the Kruger National Park
• Soaring condors at Colca Canyon (Peru)
• Swimming with wild dolphins and a whale at Llandadno (South Africa).
• Swimming with a turtle in Dahab's Blue Hole (Sinai, Egypt)
• Diving in the Canyon and the bottomless Blue Hole in the Red Sea (Sinai, Egypt)
• Snorkeling with turtles at Barbados and Galapagos Islands
• Seeing the world's tiniest bible and a statue of Peter with his foot rubbed away at the Vatican (Rome, Italy)
• The Tomb of Queen Nefertiti (Luxor, Egypt)
• Seeing Tutankamin's treasures in the Museum of Cairo (Egypt)
• The mighty power of the Augrabie Falls (South Africa), Victoria Falls (Zimbabwe) and Iguazu Falls (Argentina)
• The enormous blue gums in Shanon National Park (Australia)
• My first sight of Abu Simbel and The Pyramids (Egypt)
• The ceiling of The Sistine Chapel (Rome)
• The amazing Meteora monasteries, perched on the top of huge boulders (Greece)
• Seeing thousands of flamingos in Ngorongoro Crater (Africa)
• Watching hundreds of hummingbirds in Mindo, Ecuador
• Walking amongst a colony of half a million Megellanic Penguins at Puerto Tombo in Patagonia, Argentina
• Watching huge chunks of ice fall of the Morraine Glacier
• Exploring hallucinogenic salt deserts, spurting geysers and eerie lagoons around the Uyuni Salt pans (Bolivia)
• Sunrise over the sacred and mysterious city of Machu Picchu (Peru)
• Hundred of thousands of sea birds (including beautiful Inca terns) at the Ballestas Islands (Ecuador)
• Photographing Horses in the Mist in Ecuador
• Snorkeling with penguins, sharks, turtles and rays and getting close and personal with tortoises and marine iguanas in the surreal islands of Galapagos
• The awe inspiring stars on The Orange River (Namibia)
• Richard Attenboroughs´s documentaries, especially "Blue Planet" and "Life of Birds."
• Seeing millions of Soldier Crabs on a beach in Newcastle (Australia)

Beauty

• The blue haze of the Blue Mountains outside Sydney
• The view from a Roman fort, looking down onto the emerald waters of Olympus (Turkey)
• Sunset over the rocks in Wadi Rum desert in Jordan.
• Exploring the stunning Taj Mahal (India) at sunrise
• Snorkeling in Lake Malawi and watching beautiful tropical fish (Africa)
• The undulating hills and tropical forests of Umfolozi, Mkuzi, Hluhluwe game reserves (South Africa)
• Photographing Cambridge colleges at dusk (UK)
• Hiking the stunning Vicos Gorge in Greece
• Hiking the stark and scenic Fish River Canyon (Namibia)
• Walking through the lush Tsitsikama forest (South Africa)
• Exploring the Van Gogh museum in Amsterdam after a joint (Holland)
• The beauty of the Lake District (UK)
• The perfect blue colour of the sea in Turkey
• The tempestuous, wild coastline of Storm's River
• The view of Table Mountain from Blouberg Beach
• The stormy Isle of Skye (Scotland)
• The beautiful views from the Island of Capri (Italy)
• The petrified forest in the Namib desert and its beautiful sand dunes
• The extraordinary colour of the Morraine Lake (Canada)
• Urquhart Castle on Loch Ness (Scotland)
• The multi coloured buildings of Burano Island  inVenice
• The redness of the rock as the sun rose over Hanging Rock in The Blue Mountains (Australia)
• Photographing the changing mood of the Fitzroy Mountains and the breathtaking sight of Laguna Tres and Laguna Torres
• Viewing Sydney's harbour and sights from the air from a helicopter
• Watching the first ray of sun hit the Torres pillars in Torres del Paine (Chile)
• Exploring the vast swamps of the Brazilain Pantanol (Brazil)
• Snorkeling in crystal clear rivers and caving in Bonito (Brazil)
• Hiking along the ancient road of the Incas on the Inca trail (Peru)
• Exploring the flooded forests of the Cuyabeno Jungle (Ecuador)
• The moon setting over The 12 Apostles (Australia)
• Beethoven's Ode To Joy
• The redness of Uluru at sunrise

Peace

• Rowing on the beautiful, aqua blue Pokhara Lake (Nepal)
• Gazing at the stars from Palmiet beach (South Africa) at night
• Watching puffins from the Cliffs of Moher (Ireland)
• Watching the sun set over the Mediteranean from the walls of an ancient castle at Kizkalesi (Turkey)
• Floating on my back at night in the Citrusdahl hot baths (South Africa) looking up at the stars
• Putting a message into the Wailing Wall and meditating in the Dome of the Rock in Jerusalem (Israel)
• Climbing to the top of the The Monastery (Petra, Jordan) and looking out into the desert
• Meditating by a little lake in Muktinath, high in the Himalaya mountains (Nepal)
• Meditating on a mountain overlooking Butterfly Valley (Turkey)
• Watching swifts swirling through the sunset at Monsoon Palace (Uidaipur, India)
• Sleeping out in the desert dunes in Rajistan (India)
• Sitting on a log, looking out into a blue lake in Chitwan National Park (Nepal)
• Watching the sun rise and the moon setting at the same time from Masada mountain (Israel)
• Watching the sunset at the Temple of Psoedian (Greece)
• A secluded white beach on the Otter Trail (Garden route, South Africa)
• Floating through the riverlets of the Okovango Delta on a Makura and listening to the cry of the fish eagle (Botswana)
• Three weeks alone communing with nature in The Kruger National Park.

Contentment

• Long, lazy days at Buckaneers BackPackers (South Africa)
• Contemplating life from the walls of the Jaisselmer fort (India)
• Cuddling Ally in a river in Franschhoek (South Africa) during our honeymoon
• Lazily watching the Nile float by from a felucca (Egypt)
• Playing volleyball on Clifton beach after work and then watching the sunset
• A romantic holiday in the tropical paradise of Paradise Island (Mozambique)
• Making love in a secluded island castle (Ireland)
• Lazing on the beaches in Zanzibar (Tanzania)
• Soul enriching time with Ally in Barbados
• Lazing on the beach on Paradise Island
• Lazy weekend life in Cambridge, punting and cycling and picnicking with Ally. 

Excitement

• Getting photos of Malachite Kingfishers mating at Rondevlei (South Africa)
• See a wild platypus for the first time in North Queensland (Australia)
• The excitement of Gran and Gramps moving to South Africa
• Seeing the Big 5 (lion, elephant, leopard, buffalo, Rhino) in the Serengetti Game Reserve (Kenya)
• Seeing a Pels Fishing owl at Ndumu reserve (South Africa)
• Exploring an isolated forest in Zululand in search of elusive bird species (South Africa)
• Seeing my first Laughing Kookaburra (Australia)
• Seeing my first Toucan (Brazil)
• Seeing my first Lammergeier (Nepal)
• Seeing my first African Finfoot at Nature's Valley (Garden route)
• Seeing a Green Coucal in Mkuzi (South Africa)
• Getting close to the Black Eagles on Devil's Peak
• Bush babies in the Kruger
• Seeing my first wild bear in Banff (Canada)
• The start of Indiana Jones and the Raiders of the last Ark
• Sydney's amazing New Year's Eve fireworks
• My first sight of the Sydney Opera House (Sydney)
• My first date with Ally - a picnic in Kirstenbosch
• See many new birds in Mindo, Provincial Esteros del Iberia and Chitwan
• Winning four medals in School athletics
• Winning the acting prize at School
• My first Koala in the wild
• Seeing my 1000th bird species  in the wild
• Seeing lots of albatrosses up close on a boat trip outside Sydney
• Seeing the 250th movie on the IMDB Top 250 list

Joy and exhilaration

• Leaping into the massive pool at Die Hel in South Africa
• Exhilerating leaps into the sky
• The views from the top of Mount Olympus (Greece) after a 3 day hike
• Rollerblading an endless downhill stretch with Keira at Stanley Park (Canada)
• South Africa winning the rugby world cup in 1995 (and 2007, 2019 and 2023 !)
• Paddle skiing down waves at Muizenberg (South Africa) and Manly (Australia).
• Doing the Cobra Rollercoaster ride 6 times in a row to get the perfect shot
• The Friday Night rollerblading skate in London
• Sandboarding at the desert oasis of Huacachina (Ecuador)
• Skinny dipping in icy cold mountain pools
• Playing paintball and breaking the record for the most paintballs fired (South Africa)
• My whole experience as a tour leader in The Middle East

Breathless Adventure

• Battling scorpions in the desert in Botswana
• Swimming out to an island in Kizkalesi (Turkey) and exploring its ruins
• Climbing to the Telicho Lake, the highest lake in the world at 6700 metres in the Himalayas (Nepal)
• Paraglinding over the lagoon of Oludinez (Turkey)
• Jumping from high cliffs on a day boat trip in Oludinez (Turkey)
• A very high leap from a cliff in Parati (Brazil)
• Zip lining between giant trees at Whistler (Canada)
• White river rafting grade 5 rapids on the Zambezi River (Zimbabwe)
• Quad biking on the dunes of Swakopmund (Namibia)
• Jumping off a 3rd story balcony in Luxor (Egypt) into the pool (to impress my tour group)
• Hiking Suicide Gorge in South Africa with mighty leaps into the river
• Climbing a live volcano in Pucon, watching lava spew, and then sliding down the mountain on our bums
• Whiteriver rafting grade 5 rapids on the Zambezi River
• Hurtling down the worlds most dangerous road on mountain bikes and then chilling out in Coroico (Bolivia)
• Exploring an abandoned shale mine in Glen Davis, braving snakes, and feeling like Indianna Jones
• Ice climbing and hiking on The Grey Glacier (Chile)
• A very close shave with a bull elephant in The Kruger National Park

Rapture

• Thick shakes at Dahab (Egypt)
• Granny Station´s chicken roast dinners as a kid
• Gran's trifle and lumpy custard
• Lunch at the beautiful Lake Palace in Udaipur (India)
• Reading Lord of the Rings on the Annapurna Circuit (Nepal) and watching the movies
• Mum's chocolate mousse and crème caramel
• San Marco Italian ice cream as a kid
• Mum's Xmas pudding and brandy butter 
• Reading Jack Reacher novels
• Reading Enid Blyton stories as a kid
• Reading The Hobbit as a kid
• Watching my first James Bond movie as a kid
• Watching Mattias Klum, nature photographer extraordinaire present his work at The Sydney Opera House

Fascination

• The extensive ruins of Pompeii (Naples)
• Reading "A Short History of Everything" (Bill Bryson)
• The endless underground Catacombs (Rome)

Fun and laughter

• Frolicking in the mud in Parati (Brazil)
• Mud fights in the nude at Saklikent Gorge as a tourleader (Turkey)
• Somersaulting down sand dunes on the Nile (Egypt)
• Listening to Gramps tell his funny stories
• Dancing spontaneously to "What the world needs now is love, sweet love." with Russel and Roger at Bain´s Kloof (South Africa)
• Doing the speech at Jo and Antony's wedding
• Prancing on stage as Pharaoh in the musical of Joseph and his Technicolored Dream Coat at school
• Fun times with zany, wonderful Russell
• Tight leopard skin trousers and a mullet at an 80's party
• Riding an ostrich in Oudtshoorn
• Having as cool down under the world's highest shower
• Practising dancing with Jo as a teenager
• Playing silly devils with friends at The Uyuni Salt Pans (Bolivia)
• Being a naughty Santa at the Hardcore Hiking Club Xmas party
• Hanging out in the nude in Croatia
• Taking a mouthfull of shampoo thinking it was fruit juice

Surprise

• The ending of The Usual Suspects, Sixth Sense, The Others and Fight Club

Related

• Priceless moments by year
• Priceless moments overview