Africa - As It Touched Me...

July 1, 2012

San Diego, CA

Africa is the second largest continent and, as such, to speak about it as one place would be an injustice. At last count there are 54 independent countries on or surrounding the continent, each with its own traditions, customs, and history. There are well-established and thriving countries and there are are places where dictatorship and cruelty are still the norm. I certainly cannot speak for a continent and I probably cannot speak for the four countries that I spent time in, but I can speak for what I saw and what I felt. I saw economic success and I saw poverty; I saw the technology of the 21^st century and I saw the simple life of a tribal village; I saw physical beauty and I saw squalor; I saw hope and I saw dispair. How does one even know a place after only a couple of weeks; a place so foreign in culture and history that to say “I understand” would be sheer folly and insincere. What I do know is how I was touched by what I saw; the raw nakedness of a lion stalking its prey, the graceful beauty of a giraffe walking along, the care of a mother elephant for her baby, the singing voices of children in a village school and how giving them a pencil was a treasured gift, the graciousness of a young woman in whose home I ate, and the warmth and friendship shown to me by whomever I met. Not having a crystal ball, I cannot know how long it will take for all the wrongs to be righted, for all the bellies to be filled, and for all the children to have shoes. What I do know is the pride that I saw, the hope that I felt, and the determination to build and create that I heard in the voices of those I spoke with. African spirit left its imprint on me and I will hold it preciously inside until my next visit...

Serenaded by the Children at Chinotimba Government School - Zimbabwe

Boys on the Field at Chinotimba Government School

Stepping Into Another Country Just for a Moment

The Bridge Linking Zimbabwe and Zambia at Victoria Falls

                                                                       Kasenu Village - Namibia

                                                                  Young Children at Kasenu Village                                           

A Dancing Good-Bye at Kasenu Village

The Leopard Who Put On A Show...

Il 24 giugno

Elephant Valley Lodge

Botswana

Our last morning game drive proved to be a spectacular finale for all of us, including Zambo. The animals were “aplenty” and the leopard, who had made his appearance the day before, but stayed somewhat hidden, decided to give us a show. At one point, in our thrill, there was movement in the jeep which did not please the leopard; he made his feelings known with a growl as only an annoyed leopard can. (Not only that, we found a second leopard later on in the morning!) These pictures tell the story of a safari well-done...

The Elusive Leopard No Longer...

Il 23 giugno

Chobe National Park – KasaneForest

Botswana

A guard knocked on my door at 5:00 am this morning letting me know it was time to get up. I slept very little last night so I was dressed and ready, relaxing under the covers on my heated blanket. The group met up for a quick coffee and then it was into the jeep at 5:30 so that we could arrive at the park at 6:00 when the gate opened.It was a cold Botswana morning and we were, once again, dressed in a multitude of layers which were slowly removed a few hours later as the sun warmed the air. Initially, we didn't see much activity so Zambo headed over to the watering hole where yesterday's pride of lions had camped out. Sure enough, some of them were still there and enthralled us with their playing.

We knew there were leopards in the park and had seen the remains of a “kill” a few days ago; the challenge would be to find just one...and he could be anywhere. We, fortunately, had a little help as we met another group on the road that had just found a cat. We headed over to the area and there, under the thick foliage of a tree, savoring the impala that he had killed for a hearty meal or two or three, was our leopard. Zambo had to keep shifting our jeep's position as the leopard was not making it easy to be seen, but the binoculars helped and our cameras kept clicking away. When our cat made it clear, he would not be coming out of his shelter, we headed out in search of other game. Within moments, Charles shouted “lion” and there he was, in plain sight, sitting calmly, a short distance away from a baby elephant that he had killed and already feasted upon. It was just another day in the life of this big feline, but for us in the jeep, it was another “wow” moment. After a while some cape buffalo caught his attention and, leaving the elephant to be voraciously devoured by vultures within minutes, he set out on a stalking expedition. Watching an animal stalking its prey is a fascinating experience; one can learn a lot about patience; of that, I am certain.

On the way out of the game park, always on the look-out for more animals, we spotted an impala running across the road in front of our jeep. Zambo quickly recognized the look of fear on the impala's face and, sure enough, within moments, a pack of wild dogs crossed our path, hungrily chasing the frightened animal. Zambo turned the jeep around and made a "mad dash" in pursuit and there in the distance, although easily seen, were the dogs who had already brought down the impala and were voraciously eating him...a moment of triumph for the dogs and, yes, the way of the food chain...although I couldn't help but feel that fear of a gentle animal as it fled.