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There were three standard responses when I told someone we were going to Africa on my sabbatical. The best response was of course “oh,how exciting”. The least interesting was “oh, are you going hunting?” (Clearly, we have not met before.) But the most intriguing and somewhat surprising response was simply “why?”
Why? It would never have occurred to me to ask someone that. Why wouldn’t you want to go to Africa? But plenty of people want to go places I don’t want to go. So it’s a legitimate question and not easily answered as it turns out.
To begin with, why go anywhere? I’ve got 2 months off for sabbatical. How should I use it? It didn’t even occur to me to do anything other than take a trip (or two) somewhere. Not take a class, or remodel the house or get in shape or catch up on my reading or do something for the community or anything like that. Go somewhere and see something. And take pictures of it and write about it. And the best part, be able to say I’ve been there. So I guess that says something about me. When the conversation turns to “who’s been to the most interesting place” poker I want to have a reasonable hand. And to have a response that raises an eyebrow when someone says “so, did you do anything interesting on your sabbatical?”
By why Africa? We could have gone anywhere. I don’t know where the photo-safari idea first got into my head but I suppose in some sense it’s almost cliché. It’s where photographers go. I love taking pictures at the zoo and the drive through animal park in Roseburg. Going to Africa and doing it for real I guess just evolved from that.
So it’s always been on the bucket list. But still. It’s not the only place on the bucket list. And while I like to travel, when it starts getting into 3rd world countries and more exotic locations, both Marion and I have been a bit too timid to take it on. So it was on the list, but more in an “I’d like to go to the Super Bowl someday” sort of way. Not likely to happen. This is when fate entered the picture.
The Sunday Oregonian ran an article on a little company called Mango Safaris. Based in Portland it was a couple who had gone to Africa on their honeymoon and loved it and turned that love into a business. I checked out their website. It was very nicely done (score one point for good marketing). The end result was suddenly the idea seemed plausible. And when I suggested to Marion that we consider it, to her everlasting credit she didn’t say “Are you &*^&@# crazy”, she said “we should go”. After all, we’re turning 50, we should do something special to celebrate. Time to shake up our lives a little bit and do something bold. We’re just going to get older and more timid and set in our ways. And the animals are all endangered and dying off. There is no better time than now.
So I called the Mango folks and talked to Teresa. She described various scenarios. It all sounded awesome and in what seemed like moments we had a plan, we were handing over giant mounds of cash, and we were going to Africa.
So why are we going to Africa? Because in my view of the world a sabbatical should include an amazing trip somewhere. Because I like taking pictures of animals. Because “photo safaris” are a thing. Because the animals are dying off in Africa and I want to see them in the wild before they go. Because going to all seven continents is on my bucket list and I haven’t been to Africa yet. Because the Oregonian ran an article at just the right time. Because Mango knows how to sell a trip. Because we’re fifty and it’s time to shake off the rust a little bit. And because my wife is wonderful and supportive and even though I know she was scared silly about this little adventure, she never said so. That’s why we’re going to Africa.
Luckily, this was about 9 months before we were leaving which gave us some time to settle into the idea. In fact, after the initial flurry there wasn’t much to do and we just kind of went on with our lives. But towards spring and early summer it started to sink in that we were really going to do this and we better start getting our act together. There was actually a fair amount to do.
First problem, because we’re taking some very small planes to a couple of the safari camps, there’s a luggage size limit and a weight limit. The size is 24x12x10 which isn’t big. And as it turns out, no one actually makes a bag to these exact specifications. We weren’t going to risk something bigger and we couldn’t fit everything into something smaller. But the bigger issue is the weight limit is 33 lbs. 33 lbs? We took probably twice that for a week in Florida. I take 33 lbs to the coast for the weekend. For two weeks in Africa we were going to have to think differently. Heck the camera and computer gear alone was close to 20 lbs. For me anyway.
So we had some shopping to do. We found duffel bags that fit the size parameters fairly closely. They were only off by an inch in one dimension. And we got some quick dry, easy wash clothes. We’re going to have to learn how to do wash in the sink. And small containers of personal care items. Then of course I needed a new carry-on bag that could hold the computer and camera gear. But we found all that and started filling up the spare bedroom with it all. And it looks like it all will weigh just under 33 lbs apiece. I was right on 33 lbs with the little suitcase scale we have which caused me anxiety right up until they weighed it in Nairobi. Marion is a few pounds under. One less thing for her to worry about.
Then of course there were the visas. Countries that attract a lot of tourists have figured out you can charge people for the privilege of showing up. Both Kenya and Tanzania are charging $100 to get in. And while they’re at it, they’re charging to get out as well. An ‘exit’ fee. You gotta love governments. Pay to get in. You can’t stay for very long. And you have to pay to leave. It reminds me of a routine Kathleen Madigan (a comedian) did about Canada. As she was leaving there was a table set up in the airport and they said to her “we need $10”. She said, yeah, join the club. Get a sign, write something witty on it. That’s how we do it in America.
And last but not least, the vaccinations. Apparently the act of setting foot in Africa will cause instant death unless you get a series of shots for all sorts of nasty things – polio (I thought we eradicated that), typhus, hepatitis (multiple varieties), tetanus and some others I can’t remember. Probably plague and cholera. Oh yeah, and yellow fever. That’s a great one because it’s mandatory and there’s a 20% chance the vaccine will make you seriously ill. Luckily we both got through that one okay. I felt like a pin cushion though. And of course malaria pills you have to take every day while you’re there. Why are we going to Africa again?
So it’s quite the little toxic brew we’ve got jetting around through our bloodstream at the moment. But hopefully it will help us avoid the Kenyan or Tanzanian health care system. Although we did get the insurance that provides for helicopter airlift if we need it. You never know.
It really started to hit home that we were seriously going to do this about 4 days before we left. It was time to get the bags packed and all the last minute items purchased. The perfect time to start thinking about all the things that might go wrong and what you should do to prepare for it. I’m sure this is how we ended up with 50+ lbs of stuff for Florida. One benefit of the weight limit is it kept us from going too crazy with throwing things in the bag “just in case”. But it didn’t help the anxiety.
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