greenrhinoblogblog

I only went to Africa because my husband insisted on choosing where we traveled that winter. A trip down the Nile and a safari in Tanzania were his choices. My choices were Thailand and India. His comment, not again. Begrudgingly I went. First to Egypt then to Kenya. Floating down the Nile during a sandstorm was quite pleasant compared to bumping down the road in a crowded van with weak airconditioning and four strangers. That experience did not leave me yearning to return. At that time, small plane travel between camps had been suspended due to crashes. Needless to say my memory chose to forget much of that trip. Unforgettable was the migration. Miles of wildebeests with a fewf zebras traveling with them towards fresh grazing. There was no end to the line slowly moving through the Serengeti. Lions were so full of meat as it was so plentiful, they too watched the parade heading toward more available food. The pattern of the migration is vague and follows rainfall. The vastness stunned me, of the land and the millions of wildebeest, dented from time to time by a lion kill, then regrouping and moving on.

My curiosity in Africa was aroused, however, I had no interest in returning when I left Nairobi. I met a lady who told me about her travels in South Africa and Botswana. Small planes between camps, water you could drink out of the tap, fabulous food, un crowded vehicles, and wonderful game viewing at private camps. Six months later I was off to Johannisberg by myself for four weeks of travel. I took several hikes while visiting six different camps in Botswana and South Africa, and decided I really needed to be out of a vehicle and on the ground with the animals. Watching a leopard while walking is a whole different experience than watching one from a vehicle. You don’t get as close but the feeling of walking in peace with the garden of Eden was one I wanted to repeat. My walking guides always had guns and knew the animals and their behaviors. I did almost leap out of my skin when a hippo came roaring out of a pond with his bubble gum pink mouth wide open. My game guard just laughed and said it is hippo mating season and he was just protecting his territory.

I knew after that trip I had to walk with the animals. Earthwatch, an organization dedicated to promoting the understanding and action necessary for a sustainable environment, has a variety of projects in Africa. The project that caught my eye was walking with animals, a herbivore survey in Hluhluwe-iMfolozi game reserve in South Africa. Every two years the survey takes place. In 1996, I signed on and then on and on and on. The smell of the grasses and the dust in the air are scent memories of another lifetime. My collection of African baskets gives me the scent of Africa when I’m home.

The plainer basket on the left is from Uganda. The others I found along the way in South Africa. Many an hour was spent in the Durban airport sitting on the floor going through a huge basket of baskets to find little gems.

Ernest Hemingway wrote in Green Hills of Africa, “…where man feels at home, outside of where he is born, is where he’s meant to go.”
Green Rhino blog will continue with more tales another day….