Monthly Archives: September 2014

Happy Birthday…and a little celebration

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Since we are celebrating our first birthday, perhaps a little self-indulgence is allowed 😉

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Here some of the reviews for “Healing Rhinos and Other Souls” as found on amazon.com

“Beautifully written full of heart and SOUL! – Absolutely loved this book. Was reluctant to take this one on since I’d been on a stream of biographies and thought that justice could not be done to a story written by other than the person for whom the story was about. Was I wrong! This is one of my favorites. Rohrbach obviously cared so much for Walter and his life story that she did not miss a beat in making sure the story flowed wonderfully. Anyone would have been honored to have meet this man and lucky to have had him as their veterinarian.”- Rebekkah Hammond, August 3, 2014

“Dr Walter Eschenburg’s Biography – I knew Walter and love reading both about him and listening to the stories he had to tell. You can really hear his voice. I have to thank Walter for saving my pony from African horse sickness on two occasions. He was a wonderful vet who worked tirelessly despite the heat. I would have loved to have accompanied him on his rounds but don’t think I could have kept up with him.” – Sophie Neville, March 3, 2014

“A Special Story – A most wonderful story and great read for all those who are interested in the bush and (sometimes atypical) bushveld medicine!” – E A G Herschell, January 12, 2014

“Great – The author and the person she’s writing about are both great story tellers. Quite a few humorous stories. Also provides a good view on the effect of ww2 on the people. – Brian Eschenburg, January 1, 2014

And on amazon.co.uk

“Healing Rhinos – A really wonderful account of Walter`s career as a Bushveld vet and also that of his family`s sojourn in Germany during the war. I loved it Tha Eschenbergs were/are very special people. – Margaret Pleming, 12 June 2014

Africa at its best – Loved this book, perhaps because I know the person who wrote it, but would have loved the down to earth approach to the life of an African vet. – Angela Ashworth, 20 February 2014

…and on Amazon.de

“Ein Tierarzt mit Wurzeln in Luebeck – Sehr lebendig wird das Leben in Südafrika erzählt und die Erinnerungen an die Zeit und die Familie in Deutschland. Ein liebenswertes Buch, leicht zu lesen – obwohl bisher nur auf Englisch. – Kaete47, 13 Januar 2014

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Very happy and very excited about all of these 🙂

Thank you very much again to everybody!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY!

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‘Healing Rhinos and Other Souls – The Extraordinary Fortunes of a Bushveld Vet’ is turning 1 this month!

Times really fly – and what a journey it has been… To many more exciting years and happy readers 😉

Thank you everybody for your support!

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Healing Rhinos and Other Souls tells the story of a much respected if unorthodox vet, a family man who loved and understood nature and all her creatures, a reluctant businessman, a somewhat exuberant driver, a humble person, a great storyteller and a wonderful friend to many.

For nearly fifty years Walter Eschenburg lived and worked as a pioneering wildlife vet in the South African bushveld with its many animals and a host of weird and wonderful people. After a childhood spent in a German castle during the Second World War, a harrowing escape from the Russian army and a sequence of bold moves and fortunate circumstances, it is here, against the backdrop of the harsh but beautiful landscapes of the Waterberg, that Walter comes into his own and develops into a seasoned vet. He encounters charging rhinos, tame buffalo, irate cows and angry giraffes; he deals with snakes and warthogs, amorous elephants, cats, dogs and donkeys. He treats his patients with compassion and kindness, and his clients with large doses of humour.

Healing Rhinos and Other Souls is a story of love and life; of nature and adventures; of humour, passion and understanding. It is a story about a man who was simply himself all his life, the story of a life well lived.

Enjoy!!!

Where would you go?

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Where would you go if you could travel for a year, if you could choose twelve destinations anywhere in the world to spend a month in each?

Sidney, Buenos Aires, Mumbai, Shanghai, Honolulu, San Francisco, London, Copenhagen, Barcelona, Tel Aviv, Addis Ababa, Havana?

I have been ruminating about the twelve destinations ever since reading Meike Winnemuth’s book, “Das Grosse Los” (which unfortunately has not yet been translated into English). A 50 year old journalist from Hamburg, Meike wins half a million Euro in a German version of ‘Who wants to be a millionaire’.

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‘What are you going to do with the money?’ they ask her afterwards.

‘What does the money want from me?’ she wonders. This amount, she feels, is asking her to do something different, something big, something unforgettable.

‘Get out of Germany, go travel for a year and live every month in a different city.’ Twelve months and twelve cities that she always wanted to see, that somehow attracted her, where she’d never spent any real time; not following any logical plans, but rather an intuitive choice.

Sidney, Buenos Aires, Mumbai, Shanghai, Honolulu, San Francisco, London, Copenhagen, Barcelona, Tel Aviv, Addis Ababa, Havana!

An awesome journey, a fabulous read; entertaining and inspiring.

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Where would you go?

Sidney, Buenos Aires, Mumbai, Shanghai, Honolulu, San Francisco, London, Copenhagen, Barcelona, Tel Aviv, Addis Ababa, Havana?

In no specific order I would say:

Buenos Aires, Santiago de Chile, New York, Zanzibar, Diego Suarez, Tokyo, Reykjavik, Lisbon, Havana, Budapest, Istanbul and Kinshasa.

Just because.

And if you were to choose islands instead of cities?

Easter Island, Madagascar, Cuba, Kilwa, Iceland, outer Hebrides, Ibo, Azores, St Helena, Tonga, Sao Thome & Principe and Cabo Verde!

Or how about these:

Patagonia, Indian Ocean Islands, Andalucia, Amazonia, the Mississippi, Greenland, the Gobi Desert, the Black Sea, Japan, the Baltic, the Arabian peninsula and Lapland

“Twenty years from now on you will be more disappointed by the things that you didn’t do than by the ones you did do. So throw off the bowlines. Sail away from the safe harbour. Catch the trade winds in your sails. Explore. Dream. Discover.” (Mark Twain)

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