My travelling life: Novelist Wilbur Smith

14 November 2014 - 23:53 By Soo Kim ©The Daily Telegraph
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This famous author shares the highs and lows of his exploits around the globe

How often do you travel?

To my wife, it seems like we spend our entire lives travelling. Recently we've been to Norway, France, Italy, Canada and the US. I went to Oslo and the northern part of Norway for the first time earlier this year, to go salmon fishing. It will be on my travel itinerary every year from here on. I love Oslo and the tiny villages and towns in the north of the country. It is a staggering location, with all the great fjords dropping into the ocean, surrounded by forests and mountains. It's a really spectacular country.

What do you need for a perfect holiday?

My wife and a good book. I am currently re-reading all 36 of my books - some of which I wrote about 40-45 years ago, so I've forgotten what a lot of them were about.

Your earliest travel memory?

Going on a hunting safari in Northern Rhodesia [now Zambia]. My father used to take our family there every August.

Do you visit Zambia often?

I don't go back very often but I took my wife there about six months ago to show her where I was born. It has completely changed. The people are so well-educated compared with before when hardly any of the people could speak English. We stayed near Victoria Falls and explored the area, going up the Zambezi.

Your favourite part of Africa?

I like southwest Africa. Cape Town is the jewel and the crown of Africa. I've been living in Constantia for about 40-odd years. I don't like Johannesburg - it's got nothing for me. The same goes for Kimberley.

Your favourite safari destination?

The best place is Botswana. It is a lovely country with a lot of animals you might not often find in other parts of Africa, from different birds to other wildlife in the swamp areas.

Which destination has been most inspirational to your writing?

Central Africa is the background of several of my books. But there isn't a particular place that inspires my writing. The inspiration comes from somewhere in the back of my skull.

Have you been to Egypt, where your latest book is set?

Repeatedly. When I was a boy, my mother read to me about the discovery of Tutankhamun's tomb and I was determined to go and see it as soon as I possibly could. When I wrote my first book and set off to London to see my publishers, I stopped over in Egypt, spending a couple of weeks on the Nile. It was so fascinating to me as the place where the earliest civilisations blossomed and where one of the earliest forms of writing was invented. Whenever I visit, I like to cruise on the Nile, stopping for guided tours offshore along every port along the river. About 15 years ago, I hired four camels and travelled from Luxor, down through the desert area to the Red Sea and back. It was incredible to travel along, imagining all the people who had been on this route before me - I felt like Lawrence of Arabia, except not as good looking as Peter O'Toole in the film. It was a fascinating experience that I will probably write about one day.

Favourite city?

London, for all its museum and theatre shows. As they say, if you're tired of London, you're tired of life. We have a home in both London and Cape Town and travel between the two regularly, avoiding the winters in both places as much as possible.

Your most adventurous travel experience?

At Corbett National Park in northern India. India is a fascinating country, everything from the people and the number of different languages spoken to its history to all the colours you see. I particularly wanted to see a wild tiger in its natural habitat at Corbett. Our guide took us on a Jeep through the forest and we followed a noise, which was said to be from a tiger, as far as we could but couldn't leave the road. So my wife and I rode an elephant to go deeper into the forest where we spotted a tiger. We were about 10 paces from it and it was snarling at the elephant, which was totally unperturbed. The tiger finally ran off into the bushes. It was such an exciting moment.

The most remote place you've been?

Antarctica, where I once worked on whaling fleets while I was at university. It's really remote and I didn't like it there. It's just too far away and the weather just too severe.

Worst travel experience?

My brief visit to Réunion Island in the far south of the Indian Ocean. My wife threatened to leave me if I didn't get her out of there. When I arrived at the airport, an official advised me not to take a taxi to the hotel, saying I'd risk being taken up to the mountains and robbed. We took one quick look around before leaving that day. There was nothing to see except burnt black lava. I couldn't be paid enough money to ever go back.

Your most relaxing destination?

I owned a private island called Cerf Island in the Seychelles for almost 15 years, where I used to go to fish, swim and surf. My wife and I went there for our honeymoon. But on the second day, she developed an allergy to coral so I had to sell the island.

Favourite hotel?

The Hotel Principe di Savoia in Milan, which is one of the finest hotels in the world. I love Italian wine and food.

Favourite airline?

British Airways. Their flights leave and arrive pretty much on good time. One of the worst I'd say is Aeroflot.

Anything you hate about holidays?

I don't like crowded airports, so I don't travel on public holidays. My wife and I always travel during the off season wherever we go.

Best piece of travel advice?

If you're going on a safari in Africa, always bring your own toilet paper because using leaves and grass can get very prickly.

Where to next?

Japan. My wife's never been and wants to go skiing there.

©The Daily Telegraph

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