RTW ’23: Safari Life Continues

Safari life has been one incredible adventure after another. My soul is at peace, and I am often finding myself standing in awe at the world around me. Africa is a land of extremes. There is a two leaf plant that lives for hundreds, sometimes even thousands, of years, while other things can’t survive there at all, like pine trees that were brought by floods millions of years ago. One minute, we are driving through the desolate desert, scorched by the heat of the sun, and the next minute, a rain shower offers a brief moment of cool refreshment. We are either sheltered by the vast openness of the land, or we are passing by a village, seeing women clothed in nothing but a dusty sarong covering only their waist, breasts hanging heavy with outstretched arms. There really is no “in-between” in the land, here– we bounce from one extreme to the next, taking in as much as we can while the moment lasts.

Thursday, February 22nd, was my 17 year anniversary of being a breast cancer survivor. That evening at dinner, I shared my story with my fellow safari tribe. I felt such a sense of gratitude– and immense joy– for being alive, thankful to my body for allowing me to even be on this journey. After dinner, my safari tribe and I discussed cancer as a whole, and what health care looks like in various countries. One traveler is a doctor in Germany, and another traveler shared with me that his wife is a breast cancer survivor as well. It was a very interesting conversation, getting first-hand knowledge on what the realities of the system are in various areas. I really enjoyed discussing the differences and similarities in each area. I was thankful for the camaraderie amongst my travel tribe, and grateful to be able to celebrate such a wonderful anniversary with such wonderful people in such a magnificent place!

The heat in the desert is oppressive. It often reaches above 100 degrees fahrenheit, and our van does not have air conditioning, which can be a challenge. I am thankful for the fans, and the wind breeze from the window, but at such high temperatures, my body becomes fatigued rather quickly. Thankfully, there are opportunities to swim, but even that only offers a momentary level of relief. Adjusting to the climate has been one of my biggest challenges on safari, by far. I’m thankful for my vaseline, and small hand-held fan from my days in China. I started using a wet bandana around my neck, and that has helped alleviate some of the late-afternoon blaze. The heat is so strong that even my phone struggles to function properly– I often have to fan it down, or wrap it in a damp towel to cool it off. As we travel along, I’m learning new tricks to help ward off the heat! Though the heat is a challenge, I am thankful to be able to withstand it in order to see some amazing views and wildlife.

The circle of life is really evident on safari. During an expedition, our travel tribe witnessed a cheetah chasing down a springbok herd, killing one. Siama said that in her fifteen years of guiding, this was only the third time she had witnessed a kill in real time! We were lucky to be there for it, but it was really difficult to see– especially since the springbok is my favorite animal on safari. The springboks saw the cheetah ahead of the hunt and kept their distance, but none of them could outrun the cheetah. It felt like they knew one of them was going to die. Inevitably, it would be the slowest one, or the one that didn’t keep with the herd once the chase started. I was torn on how to feel: my favorite safari animal was being hunted down by a very large cat, a breed I love. The cheetah was truly magnificent, running into the herd, picking off one animal that couldn’t get away. The victim was a small springbok– not an infant, but still smaller in size than the others. Our travel tribe shared binoculars to see how the cheetah held the springbok down after it was caught, and we witnessed the springboks legs move for the final time. The cat held the dead animal in the same way that I’ve seen my own cat carry around a mouse or a chipmunk. We stayed parked for a while and saw the cheetah take its meal away to a hillside while the rest of the springbok herd looked on. I was surprised to see any of them hanging around, but Siama said that they knew the cheetah had its meal, and that springboks tend to be more curious than smart. It was such an astounding moment on the safari! Though I am thankful to have been able to witness such a rarely captured occurrence, my heart reamined heavy for the animal that didn’t survive.

Traveling overland has allowed me to see how people really live in Africa, especially in the late afternoon when it is the hottest. I’ve seen so many animals and people taking shade under the few trees that are available to rest their bodies from the scorch of the sun. I’ve also seen some small, square-shaped, metal houses with thatched roofs, complete with out-houses, which tells me that there isn’t any indoor plumbing. From the looks of it, I imagine it would be quite hot, baking in a metal-sided house. There have been a few power poles, but none of them lead to houses, so my assumption is that the lines are connecting towns, but only for the wealthy who can afford it. I’ve seen many people selling meat under trees without ice or refrigeration. There’s just a person there, standing with meat hanging from branches. It’s quite different from perusing the meat section at a supermarket back home! The vast differences between the way people live in desolation versus the way of life that I’m used to is jarring. It reminds me to remain thankful for the way of life that I’ve been fortunate enough to live in. There’s a new level of gratitude for all that I do have, challenges and all. Before I went to my tent for the evening, Siama warned that I should shine a flashlight before exiting my tent if I had to get up in the middle of the night to ensure there wasn’t a snake or a hippo around! Once I was settled in for the night, I could hear the hippos in the river nearby. Their sounds resembled heavy snoring with a touch of wet snorting, and I was amused that such large creatures made such remarkable sounds. It was truly wilderness camping, and I allowed the sounds to lull me to sleep– safe and secure in my happy place!

I started my week in Namibia and ended it in Botswana. It’s more common to see wild animals roaming in Botswana than in Namibia or South Africa as there are no fences bordering the conservation areas or parks in Botswana. Our tribe enjoyed a wonderful two hour canoe ride where we floated along the water. It was so fun to see the lilies and wildlife, including a lot of birds! I did ask if there were any crocodiles in the water, but I was assured that there were only small fish– nothing large to be afraid of! In the evening, we stayed in a beautiful campsite with large tent camping– a nice upgrade from our normal tent camping. The tents featured real beds with sheets and pillows, and even included an en-suite bath! Being able to get up in the middle of the night and use the bathroom without having to go outside was a real luxury. Outside of the tents there was a beautiful campfire area with chairs. We didn’t get to use that when we arrived due to a torrential downpour of rain, but it was a nice added bonus to see. Our hosts informed us that we shouldn’t go by ourselves from the main building to our tents without an escort when it was dark, but we were allowed to wander during the day because we could see something in the distance if we kept our eyes peeled. At night, however, it would be too dangerous to risk. It really felt like we were in wild Africa! Once I settled into my bed for the evening, I heard hippos snorting and dogs barking from a nearby village, but it was otherwise a quiet and serene experience. The guide explained to us earlier in the day that the villagers use dogs as a warning sign to know if other animals are close by, and warned us to not open our tents if we heard footsteps but no voices! It was luxury camping in the true wilderness!

Life on safari never ceases to amaze me. I am continuing to build bonds with the people in my travel tribe, taking comfort in the familiarity of having one another day to day. Our tribe has lost and gained members along the way (planned, of course– the itinerary for each traveler varies, with some leaving at different points during the trip, and new additions are welcomed at different junctions and stops), but the overall sense of family and community remains. Safari life certainly doesn’t go without struggles– the torment of the sun and unrelenting heat being at the forefront– but the positives far outweigh the challenges, and I am thankful to be able to witness life in Africa in such a personal way. My heart remains open to what each new day has to bring, and my soul continues to thrive. Until next time, dear friends: stay safe, stay healthy, and always remember to make space for what brings you joy.

Certainly, travel is more than the seeing of sights;
It is a change that goes on,
deep and permanent,
in the ideas of living.
-Mary Ritter Beard