My other hunting partner Manno had been to South Africa many times and had hunted several farms, and once at Ratelfontein it was clear that he and Richard and Jan Pickard had a common network of business contacts which made for a very comfortable personal setting. Ratelfontein had a beautiful old homestead where we all gathered for breakfast and lunch. Each evening we met at the stand-alone bar for Negronis. We had dinners in a posh barn and then retired to the adjoining living room to sit by the fire to share stories and finish our fine South African wines.
Our downtime was filled with great cigars, cocktails, and amazing hunting history; all provided by Jan. He was an accomplished hunter and world traveler, and while I was no longer an African safari newbie and well-traveled myself, I learned a lot from Jan. He was the expert on the Karoo and would be involved in our daily plans. Our
