Preparing for The Call of the Wild

Ah, the roar of the lion, the stampede of the hunted herds, the crackling of the camp fire, the shining light of narrowed eyes, and the proper pairing of wine and food in the bushveld. A trip of a life time.... The word "safari" actually means voyage, which is appropriate enough in this instance.
Alas, most of the news that we hear about Africa is discouraging, and, in most instances, more than warranted. The headlines of our daily newspapers tell us about the grim poverty, corruption, pollution, human rights abuses, and disease found in Africa. The 4 Horsemen gallop while tourists frolic....This is "Afro-pessimism ".
And as we approached this type of major venture one has many contradictory feelings and reactions, the least of which is the realization of how lucky we are to live in a so-called advanced and developed country such as Canada.
Richard, with his background in project management and forward planning, compounded by his typically obsessive-compulsive manner, began to plan for our African photo safari a full 10 months in advance. The idea was to search for the so-called Big 5; if they find us first, we aren’t quite sure what to do.
Originally, we had planned to start out in Kenya and Tanganyika and then move on into central Africa. But political events and extensive tribal rioting in Kenya convinced us that intelligence was the better part of valour. So we then re-booked and planned to start our adventure in South Africa, noted for its economic development ( with a mere 40 % unemployment rate) and its well touted political stability. This purported stability immediately evaporated with riots in major cities, and caused us some considerable anxiety in terms of trip planning, as the Wretched of the Earth seemed to be writing a sequel to The Dogs of War.
So our final itinerary, in sequential order, is: South Africa, Zimbabwe (limited to Victoria Falls) , Botswana and then Namibia.
But like Stanley seeking Livingstone, we plunged ahead with our planning. First came the battery of vaccination shots, costing about four times what the average African family lives on in a year. And then the various travel guides with their suggested lists, and dos and don’ts, with everything from clothes to cameras, as well as various animal guides.
In terms of trip planning, and true to form , Richard’s bibliophile tendencies got the better of him and he decided to tackle African history and the jungle of contemporary African politics, along with the odd African novel and mystery with cds of tribal music in the background. After having devoured over 25 books he feels confident that he can at least find the continent on a map.
Probably the single best book on African history is Thomas Pakenham’s The Scramble for Africa, while the most balanced tome on current African politics is Martin Meredith’s well written and almost breezy, The Fate of Africa (David Lamb’s, formerly of the LA Times, The Africans is also excellent, but is now somewhat dated) .
Ernest Hemingway’s The Green Hills of Africa, about his shooting safari, is dreadful - bombastic and egotistical. Alas, the quality of short stories by native African writers, frankly, is erratic and boring , with a few notable exceptions. The most fun read was Alexander Smith McCall’s mystery series taking placing in Botswana titled The No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency.
Fortunately, Richard is able to use much of the clothing that he bought for his Vietnam trip. He maintains that so-called "wicking" clothing is very much over rated and frightfully expensive. Certain colours for clothing are discouraged, such as blue which attracts tse tse flies and mosquitoes, as are combat fatigues and pith helmets; however, lions, evidently, are averse to red, associating it with the clothing worn by Masai warriors. Since we will be flying in small aircraft (probably Cessnas) into bush camps we are severely limited in luggage size and weight. This has created a real dilemma and challenge for Eleanor who must still decide which evening gown the lions will like. Richard, following his old Scout motto of "always be prepared ", spent 10 months taking riflery lessons and practice for precautionary purposes; he has shot everything from a .22 to a 303, in case the overgrown pussycats get playful. Eleanor saw no need in joining him for the lessons. She says that if she ever gets in a situation where it's necessary to use a gun for protection against a wild animal, her approach would be to throw it at the animal and scream like crazy! Or maybe she'll just use her Teacher Voice and tell it to settle down-a method she used successfully on wild children (at home and at school) for years.
While Richard has been busy with his preparations, Eleanor , being of a more practical bent, has been checking out hotel menus and chocolate. More to follow....