AFRICA. Merely reading or saying the word conjures up many different images in the minds of anyone with an imagination. Lions, elephants, gorillas, rhino are the first thoughts for many. Others imagine the scorching heat and drifting sands of the Sahara or the lush green jungles of the Congo. Those with a more sympathetic heart might instinctively think of the poverty, starvation, and famine. And still others may imagine civil wars, tribal battles and bloodshed commanded at the whims of evil warlords.
When I say the word and think of Africa, my mind’s eye shows me a hugely diverse continent with many different cultures, people, geographies, and ecosystems. Admittedly, I am not an avid reader. I believe that I would like to be, but I simply lack the patience to trudge through books over so many long hours – perhaps it’s a bit of the old ADD or simply ants-in-the-pants and don’t like sitting for too long. Consequently, I haven’t amassed a great knowledge of Africa (or any other place for that matter) through the thousands of wonderful texts that exist on every subject of the continent. I wouldn’t call myself ignorant, but certainly limited to what I’ve learned through television, movies, newspapers, and Google searches. So when thinking of Africa, I can envision vast wide open spaces with large herds of antelope or wildebeest thundering over dusty plains as I’ve seen on the old nature shows when I was young. I can see the lions, cheetahs, or hyenas stalking the slower animals of the herd like what’s shown on the National Geographic Channel. I can imagine crowded, chaotic and possibly violent cities like Mogadishu in the movie Blackhawk Down . One thing is certain, I expect to be thrown way out of my comfort zone but in the process be rewarded with a life changing experience.
Over the past year, many have asked, “why Africa?” or “Tanzania? Is that in Africa? Why?” Well, there a certainly a few of reasons. The first, being this increasing urge to see all parts of the planet. Wanderlust is the popular word that many are using today. I’m not entirely certain that this is where I’m at, but I am certainly feeling a strong desire to set out on adventures and developing lasting memories through sharing awesome experiences with others. “With others” I think is the key. I don’t believe that I would have the same level of excitement for the journey if I were to walk it alone. Somewhat related, I’ve also found that enjoy the hell out of taking some time, putting pen to paper, and jotting down my observations, my thoughts, my dreams. I lack the patience to sit and read, but for some reason, I find serenity in writing. And a trip such as this provides me with a lot to write about. As accountant, it seems that I need to go a little out of my way to find some creative outlet.
Now reviewing what I just wrote, I guess my first couple of reasons don’t really answer the question “why Africa?”. They more likely answer “why travel so far?”. I guess the real reason is to fulfil a dream. No, it’s never really been my dream to go to the dark continent. It’s never truly been on my bucket list. Looking back through my childhood and formative years, I can remember many things. I remember my parents working very hard to provide a comfortable living for my sister and I. My mom mostly kept the home in tip-top shape with an unrelenting cleaning schedule. She also created a perpetual list of home improvement projects for my dad to complete after his long days at work. Not to say that our family wasn’t about having fun — it was– but we worked hard. One of my dad’s favorite hobbies (and there have been a lot) has always been reading. Although, many of the books found throughout the house have been about guns, photography, history and such, it was almost always certain that one could find on the kitchen table or in the living room a book about African big game. Books such as “Death in the Long Grass” and “Death in Silent Places”, both written by Peter Capstick, which were about the elusive man-eaters and the men who hunted them. He had books by Theodore Roosevelt about his adventures in the African bush, as well as books about elephants, rhinos and the ever-deadly cape buffalo. Back in those days, Christmas gifts or birthday gifts were easy. We could always find books or other things such as elephants or rhinos sculpted out of leather.
Throughout the years, spending time with my dad, he never really expressed desire to go shoot an elephant, rhino or anything of that sort. Killing the animal for the sake of having a trophy wasn’t terribly appealing. If the opportunity arose to hunt a water buffalo that could be used to feed a local tribe or a perhaps a lion that may have been stalking, killing the natives, that might have been acceptable. Besides that, the cost of any such hunt has always been well outside the reach of most ordinary men. Probably the most significant motivation for him to visit Africa has been on more of a spiritual level. He believes that deep down within all of us, whether we recognize it or not, there is a primitive drive to return to the wilderness. You might say that we are, by mere instinct, driven to return to nature. The dictionary defines wilderness as an uncultivated, uninhabited, and inhospitable region. There is also the ever present reality of danger – whereby you need to take extra measures simply to stay alive. I suppose you could find pockets of true wilderness breaking up the continuity of civilization here in the United States. But in Africa, it’s the opposite – pockets of civilization located in the vast wilderness of the continent. My dad said there was an old saying about how Africa is fast. The lions wake early and need to be fast in order to survive. Likewise, the wildebeest also needs to be fast to survive. Now of course not many would want to live under such conditions, but to see it, and to feel it… that is where we might truly develop appreciation for life. We might learn a little more about ourselves in the process. With Africa being what many have called the cradle of civilization, the place where it all began, it seems to be the perfect destination for any such adventure.
I don’t know for sure if my dad had ever really thought he would make the trip to Africa. Was the idea taken seriously, but simply kept being put off indefinitely into the future? Well, the time is now! Because of a fortunate situation I’ve found myself in, I am able to purchase airfare at ridiculously low prices. Generally, it is cost prohibitive to travel outside the U.S. because of the high cost of flying. With this problem being all but eliminated, we have been able to choose more remote and exotic locations for our travel adventures. Last year, it was Cambodia. This year, it seems only appropriate to journey with my father to a place where he’d always dreamed of going. And to why not share the experience with my kids, so Taylor and Connor are coming along as well. Over the next 12 days, I hope that we find Africa to live up to all that we’d dreamed.
Waiting for flight from Toronto to Amsterdam to Nairobi to Dar Es Sallam.
