Guest blogger Tim, #3. Janet and Luc don't visit a city, they attack it. Find a clean, safe and cheap hostel/hotel in the center of the action; put your bags down and start exploring. Landing in Tana, Madagascar; every guidebook said "Do not go out after dark"; "Get out to the country, Don't spend time in the city"...so here we are on our 1st night, out after dark, exploring the city. This ain't your neighborhood cruise ship.
So, how'd we get here? 4 days ago we bid farewell to Zobue, hopped a chappa ( mini-van designed to seat 12, seating 26 ), rode shotgun in an 18 wheeler we picked up at the fried chicken crossroads ( at least 20 open air road side fried chicken and chips stands by side of road ), taxi ride from upscale Malawi couple that met each other on Facebook, playing pool with locals, another chappa, hanging with other PCV's at the Mufasa hostel in Lilongue, plane ride to Jo'Burg, mini-Africana tour to and from hostel-airport, and voila! Here's Janet speaking French in Tana.
Centuries ago, people would go on Pilgrimages, where the people met along the way, their shared stories, were as important an aspect of the trip as the end point destination; so it has become with our trip; we make our plans, arrange the logistics etc., but the real joy is in the journey; the Brittany's, Willie's, Veronica's, JC's and Desi's and their adventuresome spirits and stories that carry us along our way as much as the planes and autos. There are intangibles like sharing living space with Janet and Luc, when you sleep in the same room, share bathrooms and finding those gentle compromises of not saying or saying something about an annoyance; it just seems more precious now that I'm older.
Then there are those unscripted moments that take your breath away, I call them "Creases in Time" that happen between our past experiences and our plans for the future; that moment where our agenda surrenders to intuition. I'd like to highlight a few of these creases/moments for myself from our last couple of weeks on the road.
1.Full body Lemur yell from deep in the rain forest and our guide Desi's deep abiding love and respect for them. There is something so different when you have to earn the right to see an animal in the wild, versus, the zoo experience I was accustomed to. When those Lemurs let loose their familial yell and claiming of turf they've done for thousands of years, words fail, but my body is still stunned and something very deep seems remembered.
2.We woke up early in Pretoria, South Africa; I wanted to just go to Kruger, but Melinda, Janet and Luc saw it as an opportunity to visit downtown during morning rush hour. We ended up at the Parliament buildings ( where Nelson Mandela was sworn in as president ) and toured a little museum there. It was like a 9AM vortex of energy honoring the struggle for human rights, for Blacks, for Women, for all of us...I was swept off my feet.
3."Wait, I hear something crunching, sounds bigger than birds, pull forward a little"..so said Janet from the back seat of our car as we were in the first hour of our first morning tour in Kruger national park. THEN, right next to car is a FULL ON, STARE YOU IN THE FACE, ELEPHANT. That sucker could've turned us over and crushed us with one step. I was paralyzed, didn't know whether to go forward or back, Janet whispered "Don't move", the big guy turned a bit and sauntered past our front bumper. We were in his world, not the other way around. I had to change my shorts after that one.
4.We were leaving Kruger on our way to Swaziland when I hear from the back seat "Oh look, there's a sign to the Samora Machel monument, let's check it out" - so we altered our agenda for the day. 2 hours later we're still not there and Janet is calling it the "Wild goose chase" tour. We finally arrive, it's on the spot where the plane crash occurred 24 years ago, killing 34, including Samora Machel, the hero and leader for Mozambique independence. The actual aircraft is integrated into artwork within the memorial, the struggle for independence so honored and valued, the videos compelling and the mischief of superpowers vying for power and influence disconcerting. A nations grief is palpable; for me, it is reminiscent in feeling tone to the Vietnam memorial in DC. The connection and respect I felt to Mozambique was ten fold after this visit. On an ironic note, it is located in South Africa and very difficult to reach for many of
Mozambique.
There are so many more highlights, but hopefully this is a small taste. I want to thank my wife Melinda for her spirit and determination in making this trip possible along with Janet and Luc for wanting us to come, I'm sure we have been and will continue to be "changed in a good way" from this wondrous adventure.
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