Johannesburg - As a boy, I often dreamt of travelling back in time to the era when dinosaurs ruled the Earth.
Having grown up watching Jurassic Park, my fascination with dinosaurs and specifically Tyrannosaurus rex has developed over time.
I knew, however, that the closest I would come to seeing a T rex would unfortunately be on television – unless, of course, a time machine was invented so I could travel back 250 million years to the Mesozoic era, when these large reptiles roamed the Earth.
But just as I was about to give up all hope of seeing a T rex in real life, I found out that Joburg would play host to an international dinosaur exhibition that would be travelling all the way from Argentina.
I made my way to the Sandton Convention Centre to see the Days of the Dinosaur exhibition.
I was told it included 12 scenes showing more than 45 dinosaurs in their natural environment.
I was told the T rex was the highlight of the exhibition, so I made my way to that section.
To say I was blown away by the T rex model is an understatement. Okay, it wasn’t the real thing, but it came pretty close to it.
The model stood 4m high and an astonishingly 13m long, which is the approximate size of a real T rex.
I was told the artists who built the impressive beasts worked with palaeontologists to ensure the models were as lifelike as possible. The dinosaurs’ colours and movements in the environments depicted are scientifically accurate.
Not only was the T rex a life-size model, but it also swung its tail, moved its jaw and head around, gave a mighty roar and even winked. It was probably the closest I would ever come to seeing a T rex.
After admiring the T rex for more than half an hour, I moved on to see what other dinosaur models were on display.
I came across a 10m Lambeosaurus. Its head reached the roof of the exhibition centre. It was simply stunning.
The exhibition also included other dinosaurs such as the Triceratops, Velociraptor, Brachiosaurus, Pteranodon and Stegosaurus, to name a few.
Looking at the size of the dinosaurs, I was curious to find out how these large reptiles travelled all the way from Argentina.
An organiser at the exhibition said the 45 dinosaurs were shipped in 11 containers and were worth millions of rand. The shipment took 35 days to reach South Africa.
There’s also a T rex skeleton.
The exhibition has a sand pit where you can channel your inner archaeologist. You can also visit a dig to learn how archaeologists search for fossils and watch a 3D dinosaur movie.
As a dinosaur fan, I truly enjoyed the exhibition. It was definitely the closest I will ever come to seeing a life-size T rex.
When: June 20 to July 20: Sandton Convention Centre in Johannesburg.
August 2 to 21: CTICC in Cape Town.Price: R140 for adults; R95 for children.
Pupils and families get discounts. School groups of more than 20 pay R85 each, their teacher gets in for free and they get their own tour guide. A family of four pays only R395. - Saturday Star