FINAL POST How does one sum up this experience of a lifetime. I have been lucky enough to have been to Africa four times, first to South Africa, then to Egypt, to Uganda, Rwanda, Tanzania and Kenya, and finally this trip to Namibia, Botswana, and Zambia. Each trip was special in its own way but my two private tours gave me the best experiences. I had many wonderful sightings in East Africa (the herds and sheer numbers are greater) - but the sightings we experienced this trip were outstanding. Outstanding because we were able to get so close to the animals, outstanding because we saw so many nocturnal mammals that most tourists never get to see, outstanding because of the number of young animals, outstanding because we could take the time to watch the behaviours of both birds and animals, outstanding because there were fewer tourists. I could go on and on. Africa has gotten into my blood. I never thought I'd be back more than once and yet, here I am, hoping to
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OUR ROCKJUMPER GUIDE I would be remiss if I did not spend some time extolling the virtues of our Rockjumper Guide, Glen Valentine. From the moment we met him in the Johannesburg airport, he made us feel at ease. God knows what impression we made on him at first - frazzled as we were because of the hold-ups we had experienced at immigration and security and because we had been travelling for well over 24 hours at that point. He shepherded us through airports - remember we had 19 flights after he met us in Jo'burg - carrying our bags and taking care of our tickets. We really missed the attention on our way home. "Where's Glen?" was a constant refrain on our last two flights home. We got along famously - he put up with our foibles and our stories. He got used to Norma's surprises (there was more than one!) and appreciated my sense of humour. We shared so much fun and laughter on the trip. In addition, he was an expert guide. He knew birds
WILDERNESS SAFARIS Rockjumper certainly knew what they were doing when they chose Wilderness Safari camps for our trip to Namibia, Botswana, and Zambia. The company has established camps in remote areas on purpose so as to give their guests a true wildlife experience. While we missed having internet, it was wonderful not to have any contact with the outside world. No news is good news. Even in Livingstone, Zambia, a busy tourist area, their camp was far away from any others and in a National Park to boot. I mentioned before that all the camps strove to have as little impact on the environment as possible. Their decor was a mixture of rustic and luxurious. Tree branches were used a curtain rods, trunks as bedside tables, etc. The design of the tents was such that they were not a blot on the landscape but blended in. But all the amenities were there too - comfortable beds, high-quality bedding and towels. Delicious fresh food beautifully presented and served
SUMMARY I have been thinking about our experiences in the three countries we visited. Windhoek, Namibia was the only city we stayed in and we were surprised that all the houses were surrounded by high walls, razor wire, fences with barbs built in - a very different reality for us. Glen said he didn't even notice it as it is the norm in South Africa where he grew up and still lives. We felt safe wandering the streets during daylight but at night, I guess, it is a different story. When we walked to the Botanical Gardens the next day, we were warned that the path we were planning to take was through a high-crime area and not safe even in daylight. Botswana, on the other hand, did not pose any more risk than any city in Canada. It is a prosperous country and the crime rate is low. Zambia has a 52% unemployment rate - even worse than South Africa's 32%. I suspect that Namibia's is much the same. Livingstone, Zambia was the other small city we visited but it
WHAT WE'VE LEARNED ABOUT SOUTHERN AFRICA The countries we visited have set aside huge tracts of land for wildlife preservation and protection of habitat. They are to be admired for this. In addition to National Parks, large tracts of land have been leased to private conservationists. In fact, some of these private game parks have more protection for the animals against poachers than the Parks. That is understandable as some of the countries cannot afford the staff to protect against poaching. Glen also told us about the dangers of Malaria. It is a real killer but it is the reason why Africa has one of the lowest population densities of any continent. He worries that if a cure is found for Malaria, Africa's population would explode and these wild areas would disappear with human encroachment. With the habitat gone, there will be no more large herds of different species of antelope, no more elephants, rhinos, leopards, lions, wildebeests, wild dogs, cheetah, Cape bu
