African Magic
After two weeks traveling in South Africa, Zimbabwe, and Botswana, I’m smitten by the beautiful land, people, and animals of Africa. I was filled with wonder, inspiration and love each and every day we were there. Every person I met - guides, servers, merchants - smiled widely and welcomed us to their country. Relieved to have the pandemic-induced tourism drought behind them, locals greeted us warmly. Without tours and tips, it was a long couple of years for many people. South Africa was ground zero for the Omicron variant in November 2022, so the return of travelers has been slow.
African people are exquisitely beautiful, wise and knowledgable.
I’d been to Africa as a teenager. in the ‘90s. I lived in London and my family travelled to Morocco, Egypt, and Kenya. Nearly thirty years later, I returned as a parent. My son turned eighteen on the trip. We travelled with my family - a group of fifteen. My parents, sisters, their families and mine made up three generations ranging from age 12 to 80. We all experienced two weeks of African magic in harmony - most of the time.
We met in Cape Town before Christmas. Cape Town is arguably the most beautiful city in the world. The Mother City has everything - a hip urban vibe, beautiful coastal mountains and white sand beaches. In a span of four days, we explored a few colorful city neighborhoods, Lange Township, Table Mountain, Robben Island, the Cape of Good Hope and the Wine Country. Our local guide generously shared the fascinating history of his country with pride.
There’s a parallel between the South African truth and reconciliation process of the 1990s to that of Germany after 1945. Both countries have recognized the brutality and persecution of an out-of-power ethnic group. Blacks in South Africa and Jews in Germany. Both countries worked hard to deal with their dark pasts. Now their citizens can speak openly and honestly about the shameful atrocities of the Holocaust and Apartheid. There’s an acceptance of the past in their commitment to a better future.
Unfortunately, corruption still exists throughout many African countries including South Africa and Zimbabwe. The hope is with future elections a more honest political party will take over and good will triumph over evil. I will be following these elections with interest.
Race in Africa is discussed differently than it is in America. Our tour guide told us on our first day in Cape Town that in South Africa people are black, white, Indian or “coloured.” “Coloured” means mixed-raced. I was familiar with that verbiage after listening to Trevor Noah’s autobiography, “Born a Crime.”
American race labels are much more messy and difficult. We can’t agree on what to call each other. In 2021, my book club read Jason Reynold’s book Stamped: Racism, Antiracism, and You. I asked my friends the question on what to call black people. Are they Black or African-American? They answered “Black”. I remembered that conversation when Soleigh, our Cape Town guide expressed how strange that we call black people “African-American.” “Why not simply call them ‘Americans?’ They are not Africans. They are Americans,” he said. I agreed.
He had another gripe about black American culture. He said that African men have always had great respect for women. Only recently, with the influence of rap music, have African men started referring to women as “bitches.” Disgusted, Soleigh called the music “crap” instead of rap. He claimed that its popularity has had a degrading effect on African culture. Ouch.
After a few amazing days in Cape Town, we flew to Skukuza, a small airport in the Kruger National Park in northeast South Africa, just a twenty-minute ride from the private game reserve Sabi Sands. The tiny Skukuza airport terminal had the thatched roofs and open-air design of a tropical resort. I knew we were in for an adventure when we climbed into our customized doorless safari Land Cruisers. A soft roof shielded us from the hot December sun. A few minutes into our drive, a family of elephants crossed the road. We went crazy with excitement and photographs. Moments later, we stopped again to watch a giraffe munch on a treetop. My heart pounded with amazement. Was this happening? What a gift to see such incredible animals in the wild!
The Sabi Sabi Bush Lodge is hands down the most beautiful place I’ve ever stayed. Built into the natural surroundings, the rooms were designed with every detail in mind. Each room had a beautiful wooden bed, a window seat, a spacious bathroom and an outdoor shower. It was safe to walk around the grounds alone during the day but once the sun went down, we needed an escort to protect us from snakes, baboons and other wildlife. Without fences around the game reserve, anything can happen. One night we were awakened by the sounds of baboons calling to one another outside our abode.
Our daily schedule was the same each day. We woke up at 5:30 a.m. and enjoyed a “game drive” for three hours. We returned to the lodge for breakfast, lunch and siesta. At 4:00 p.m., we reconvened for a snack at “high tea” and then headed out for our evening game drive. We stopped at sunset for a “sundowner” snack and drink and enjoyed the African landscape and incredible sky.
Over four days, our beloved guide Jonas showed us everything. We saw “The Big Five” (lions, leopards, elephants, rhinos, and buffalo) as well as the “The Ugly Five” (hyenas, wildebeests, vultures, marabou storks and warthogs.) We saw zebra, impalas, other antelopes, giraffes, hippos, crocodiles, countless birds, plants and insects. Jonas took us on a bush walk one day where we passed five male lions on foot less than one hundred meters away (“very lucky” Jonas said). Lucky? I thought: scary!
We visited the local community and met their chief and shaman. We listen to Jonas’s life story growing up in the bush, He graciously and patiently answered our endless string of questions. By the end the week together, my eyes filled with tears as I said goodbye. I will remember Jonas and all those animals with great affection.
Question: What can top a safari? Answer: The largest waterfall in the world,
Victoria Falls was amazing in a totally different way. We flew to Livingstone, Zambia and crossed into Zimbabwe. The border crossing was slow, hot and a reminder we were in a third-world country. We each paid fifty dollars for a visa. The cash went straight into a supervisor’s shirt pocket. Hmmm. The woman working recorded our passport information into a notebook with carbon-copy pages by hand. While some of my family was impatient, I enjoyed the people watching. Being comfortable in the discomfort is something I practice. This crossing provided a fruitful dose!
Victoria Falls is one of the seven natural wonders of the world. Part of the Zambezi river, it is located in both Zambia and Zimbabwe, just a short walk from our hotel in Zimbabwe. The town of Victoria Falls is an oasis for travelers filled with aggressive and annoying peddlers with English pseudonyms like “Truth,” “Enough,” “Chili,” and “DJ Discount”. They tried to sell us anything and everything - from wooden animal carvings to bungee jumping trips. They were working hard for their money.
Our family unit visited the Victoria Falls National Park early in the morning. Being alone at the falls was magical. Stopping at each of the 16 designated viewpoints, we imagined the surprise of early explorers who thought they could travel from the heart of Africa to the Indian Ocean from the Zambezi River. What a shock it must have been to encounter these falls! We laughed at the absurdity.
That evening we cruised the Zambezi river at sunset and saw a crocodile, hippos, birds and elephants swimming. Tom, my brother-in-law chatted with our Captain, who shared some of his family story. Captain Abel was one of fifteen children and grew up on a farm in rural Zimbabwe. Only eight of the kids are still alive. “What happened?” Tom asked. Abel said that one of his bothers died of AIDS. In their culture when a brother dies, another brother marrieds the widow. Unknowingly, that next brother died of AIDS so another brother married her. He died. No one connected the eldest brother’s widow; to the illness they succumbed to. Heartbreaking.
On our final full day in Africa we drove from Vic Falls to Chobe National Park in Botswana. From the moment we crossed the border, from Zimbabwe, we noticed a big difference in the public infrastructure. The border office was well-kept and air-conditioned. Our guide welcomed us with facts about the peaceful and prosperous country. Their trim-color flag is blue for the sea and sky; black for black people; and white for white people. This flag is symbolic of Botswanan peace. After years of being one of the poorest African countries, thanks to their stable government they’ve grown their economy significantly, and Botswana is praised by the African Development Bank for sustaining one of the world's longest economic booms. We started our exceptional day at the Chobe Marina ecolodge, which felt more like Costa Rica than Africa. We boarded a river boat and explored the park from the Chobe River in the morning and by Land Cruiser in the afternoon.
Chobe has over 60,000 elephants and hundreds of bird species. The volume of unfamiliar species was simultaneously overwhelming and stimulating. I was mesmerized watching the elephants bathe, run, and play together, in and out of the river. We drove surprisingly close to the elephants. That night we laughed reflecting on the absurdity of the situation. My nephew had us rolling in laughter remembering how casual and trusting our Botswana guide was…or was it reckless? We will never know but fortunately we all returned to Victoria Falls tired and safe.
Everyone in my family proclaimed our African holiday as a trip of a lifetime. “Amazing.” “The Best.” My dad had tears in his blue eyes talking about how blessed he felt to bring his family together in Africa. The beauty cracked me open.
I look forward to another trip someday to experience more African Magic.
