Africa Beckons…

The theme of this trip – Out of Africa – may seem stale for those of you who saw the movie, and even for those of you who know that it was a book – Isak Dinesen’s memoir set in Kenya – before then…  and a pretty good book at that!  (Truth be told, I liked the film too.)

The origin of the phrase, however, goes back around 2500 years to the Classical Greek era, when only three continents were “known” in western culture – Europe, Asia and Africa.  Among these, Africa was quite mysterious.  The proverb (used most famously by Aristotle) was, “There is always something new coming out of Africa.”  At that time, the adjective “new” was not a positive attribute; it described instead things the were strange and often frightening.  It is thought to have been used to refer to the bizarre forms of wildlife that had evolved so differently in Africa from animals elsewhere in the “known” world.

More modern usage associates the term “out of Africa” with the theory, believed by many, that our species originated on the African continent, migrating vast distances over the millennia to populate the planet as we know it – and dominate it – today.

In any event, we are drawn there…. perhaps owing to some primal urge to visit the “cradle of humanity”, perhaps to experience the vast and varying landscapes, or to view the incredible flora and fauna in their natural settings…… maybe to escape the Texas summer heat, or maybe just because we have never been there before.

Our wanderings will take us to Namibia, Botswana, Zambia, Zimbabwe, South Africa, Mozambique… and – against all advice – Madagascar.  We will travel by car, ATV, light aircraft, helicopter, hot-air balloon, canoe, riverboat, train and probably – against our own better judgement – horseback.

We leave Houston on 30 May, and will return on 17 September.  Although internet service will be intermittent, we will update the blog with photos and/or commentary as we find something to report. 

For those of you in the Northern Hemisphere, enjoy your summer!  We will be on the other side of the Equator, where it is winter and hopefully cooler.

All the best,