Exploring Africa

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A Christmas card

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A Christmas card

What a year! We saw lions rise from the tall grass to begin the hunt. We listened to the soaring of prayers and the whistle of an icy wind rising over the cusp of Kilimanjaro. We sang carols in the church where Jesus was born. We walked across Galilee—twice. And we stroked the face of the dying.

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Lake Manyara: A Good Park for Beginners

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Lake Manyara: A Good Park for Beginners

The sign at the entrance read “Home of Tree Climbing Lions.”

I thought it best to keep one eye skyward at all times. Having 400 pounds of tooth and claw fall on your head would be terrible surprise. It also would make an end to a lovely safari that Vicki and I and Mr Nixon had planned in the East African country of Tanzania.

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Hemingway’s "Something Wonderful": Leaving Arusha for the Wild

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Hemingway’s "Something Wonderful": Leaving Arusha for the Wild

“Something, or something awful or something wonderful was certain to happen on every day in this part of Africa. Every morning when you woke it was as exciting as though you were going to compete in a downhill ski race or drive a bobsled on a fast run. Something, you knew, would happen, and probably before eleven o’clock.”

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Mud, Miracles, and Mr. Nixon: Our Safari Begins

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Mud, Miracles, and Mr. Nixon: Our Safari Begins

The three of us were sitting at a table, poolside at Ilboru Safari Lodge. Mr Saif had come to review our itinerary, introduce us to our driver, and, of course, carry the news that Vicki would not be molding in her clothes.

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And there I was when I woke up (part 1)

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And there I was when I woke up (part 1)

This post continues the narrative of our recent safari experience in Africa. But it also serves as the first of a series. “And there I was when I woke up” will relate some memorable overnights in places around the world.

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Dreams of Cinnabar: A Midnight Arrival in Zanzibar

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Dreams of Cinnabar: A Midnight Arrival in Zanzibar

Our flight into Zanzibar settled on the runway after midnight. I looked out the window. It was dark and soft like the inside of a smudge pot and there was little to see except the flashes of the ground crew. A tug swung around. Its lamps illuminated palm fronds just beyond the pavement. Dense vegetation completed the backdrop.

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The Last Full Night: Resting at 13,000 Feet

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The Last Full Night: Resting at 13,000 Feet

The following observations and reflections were made on the afternoon of July 22, 2019. On that day I reached Karanga Camp (elevation 12,992 feet) by foot. The camp rests directly under the peak of the Kilimanjaro.

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Rookie mistakes

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Rookie mistakes

Two lessons here. The first is this: don’t brush your teeth. The second is akin to the first: don’t ever think you are faster than a black mamba. Follow these two rules in order to get the most from your foreign travel experience.

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Required reading for explorers (part 4)

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Required reading for explorers (part 4)

I was surprised to find it listed among National Geographic’s top 100 adventure stories of all time.* I thought it was more of a swoony period romance that limped along like a broken cricket. It was certainly not the stuff of extreme adventure..

Boy, was I wrong.

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Stork swarm

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Stork swarm

Swarms of giant storks were suddenly everywhere. They were beyond counting. In the hundreds? For sure. Thousands? Maybe. Some circled slowly overhead, great wings outstretched. Many more rested, nested, and clattered their bills from poo-spangled trees. 

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Serengeti chicken

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Serengeti chicken

Safari operators often speak of the "Big Five." This is a linger-longer from the blood-sport days. The phrase does not identify Africa's largest species, but rather the five most difficult/dangerous animals to hunt on foot.

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Noah's ark (sortof)

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Noah's ark (sortof)

In the story of Noah's Ark, a portion of the living world finds sanctuary in a pinch. I thought about that as our rig bounced down the steep track into Ngorongoro Crater, Tanzania.

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Tarangire

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Tarangire

Zebras and wildebeests drank the muddy water, flicked their tails, rolled in the dust, and fussed with each other. It may have just been in my head, but somewhere I could hear the soundtrack of "The Lion King" playing.

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Taking a safari

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Taking a safari

We pitched our duffels and then ourselves into Saidi's knobby-wheeled truck. Saidi found the gear and we lurched forward. Our aim was to encounter the wildness of East Africa, God-willing, in a bloodless way.

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Fingerprints on a frosty pane

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Fingerprints on a frosty pane

Great sheets of ice flanked our walk on Kibo's rim. Aside from the fact that we were tripping along a corridor that was 19,000 feet in the sky, it could have been someone's gravel driveway. Or one of Jupiter's moons.