Category Archives: Africa

On Safari at Chobe, Bostwana

A few years ago, my wife and I went on safari in Kenya. While watching lions, giraffes, water buffaloes, elephants, and other animals I remember thinking, “I really want our children to experience this!” As part of our round-the-world family sabbatical, we included a safari in Chobe National Park in Bostwana. Chobe is best known for elephants, and we saw lots of them, but there were plenty of other animals to see.

We drove about 70 kilometers from Livingstone, Zambia, to the border with Botswana, went through customs, jumped in a small boat to cross the Zambezi River, and continued to Kasane, Bostwana. Our safari included two boat rides on the Chobe River, several game drives in the Chobe National Park, two nights sleeping in tents, and five or six scorpions at our camp site.

After arriving, we boarded a boat with our captain named Captain (no kidding). On the Chobe River, we saw lots and lots of animals up close: elephants swimming across the river, hippos marking their territory (it’s both fascinating and rather gross to watch), crocodiles sunning, water buffaloes grazing, and lots of birds catching fish.

We were especially pleased to see African Fish Eagles, birds that look very similar to the American Bald Eagle with dark feathers and white heads. The birds mate for life, and we saw pairs of them in their nests and flying over the river. The fish eagle has a distinctive call, sometimes called the Sound of Africa, and we were delighted to see the birds and hear their call.

After our boat ride, we climbed aboard our cruiser with Sinka, our driver and guide. Sinka was a gregarious man with an easy laugh, gentle spirit, and uncanny ability to spot animals. During our first afternoon, Sinka helped us find a leopard by driving slowly around the back of bushes to a shaded area where he thought the leopard might be resting. As we turned, there it was! We gasped in delight to see the big cat. On our second day, we watched another leopard stalk a wart hog before giving chase. The wart hog eluded the leopard and lived another day.

Each day, as the daytime gave way to evening, we noticed the activity changing. Lions began to wake from their daytime slumber and prepare for the evening’s hunt. One evening, we spent a long time watching three lionesses with their cubs prepare to hunt. Gathering their cubs, the lionesses made their way to the river, took long drinks of water, and headed off to hunt as dusk fell over the land.

Going on safari amazed me the second time just as much as my first experience. This time, however, seeing the animals, listening to sounds from the bush, and sleeping in tents was more special because my wife and I shared it with our children. We still talk about the bachelor herds of elephants we saw — large groups of male elephants that have been forced out of herds with mothers and babies. And we still laugh about bouncing to and fro while riding in our open-air cruiser.

Once again, I loved watching the animals and the beautiful scenery, but this time, I especially loved watching my children see and experience all of it.

Victoria Falls

Robben Island

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In his autobiography, Long Walk to Freedom, Nelson Mandela says, “It is said that no one truly knows a nation until one has been inside its jails. A nation should not be judged by how it treats its highest citizens, but its lowest ones — and South Africa treated its imprisoned African citizens like animals.”

I have looked forward to many things about South Africa: natural beauty, delicious food, living history. I fully agree with all those who describe the stunning scenery of Cape Town. The food has been delicious, and this past Saturday we were treated to a fantastic dinner by neighbors in Yzerfontein. They served us Yellow Tail fish they caught from the Atlantic, Wildebeest sausage, and Springbok biltong (a type of dried and cured meat similar to jerky). These have been wonderful beyond words!

But it is the living history that most attracts me to South Africa, and Robben Island is the place that I most wanted to experience.

We traveled to Robben Island on a clear, sunny day. I was struck by the irony of such a beautiful place also being the setting for long and cruel imprisonments. The island is about eight miles from Cape Town, and the views of the city are incredible.

Table Mountain from Robben Island

As our boat approached the island, my son said with surprise, “This looks more like a resort than a prison.” Mandela himself made the same comment on first seeing Robben Island.

To prepare for this visit, I read Mandela’s book, Long Walk to Freedom. In his book, Mandela describes long days filled with hard labor and difficult conditions. I felt a pit in my stomach looking at the quarry where prisoners worked five days a week for years on end. I listened to our guide, himself a former politcal prisoner at Robben Island, describe the apartheid system even in prison in which prisoners were treated differently based on their skin color. Black inmates, for example, were issued inferior clothes and given less food than prisoners from other racial backgrounds.

Site of Mandela’s Garden

Despite the unrelenting challenges, Mandela and other prisoners found ways to maintain their hope. Just outside the cell block, you can see the courtyard where Mandela eventually planted a garden and also hid parts of his memoirs in the soil (before they were discovered). In his book, Mandela describes creative ways prisoners maintained communication with one another and the outside world despite officials’ attempts to keep them isolated.

Mandela’s Cell

I was most deeply moved to see Mandela’s cell. In this tiny place where he spent so many years of his life, Mandela remained committed to the cause of a free South Africa. He entered prison at age 44 (the same age I am now), and his commitment to the cause of freedom never waivered.

In his book, Mandela says, “No one is born hating another person because of the color of his skin, or his background, or his religion. People must learn to hate, and if they can learn to hate, they can be taught to love, for love comes more naturally to the human heart than its opposite. Even in the grimmest times in prison, when my comrades and I were pushed to our limits, I would see a glimmer of humanity in one of our guards, perhaps just for a second, but it was enough to reassure and keep me going. [Human] goodness is a flame that can be hidden but never extinguished.”

Thankfully, Mandela’s story — and that of South Africa — does not end at Robben Island. It continued after his release from prison and his time leading the country. Now following his death, it continues in the lives of people committed to reconciliation and justice.