Farewell Africa

Kwaheri Africa, natumaini tutaonana tena mapeura - (Swahli for "Goodbye Africa, we have enjoyed ourselves very much").

We picked up our Visas from the High Commission yesterday, and our flight is set for Saturday afternoon - next stop India. Before we left though, we thought that we would try to summarize our overall Africa experience for you (and ourselves). Turns out that that is a much bigger task than we originally thought it might be. We saw too much, learned too much, and felt too much to describe it all in a few hundred words, I'm not sure a book could hold it all. However, since time constraints preclude us writing a book, we've scaled back our ambitious "summarize Africa" plan to a more workable "convey the flavour of the experience" plan. Even this plan fraught with difficulty. In the 9 weeks that we have been here, we have been in 7 countries from Egypt to Botswana, Zambia to Rwanda, encompassing many different languages (72 in Zambia alone), cultures, religions and geographies. We have used every means of transport imaginable (plane, train, boat, car, bus, motorcycle, dalla dalla, tuk tuk), and have stayed in all sorts of accommodations, from dingy rooms with "bucket showers" to 4 star hotels. We have seen the most incredible scenery and wildlife but have also seen the depths of poverty and urban squalor. Our experience has been... vast. We did want to do something though, so we gave it some thought and decided that we could convey some of our feelings by describing some of the good, the bad, and the ugly:


The good

Landsacpe: We've tried to describe it in our blogs, and have posted some pictures, but neither do it justice. From the vastness of the Serengeti savannah, to Rwanda and Burundi's rolling hills, to the majesty of Victoria Falls. The scenery is exactly as you remember it from the National Geographic magazines you read as a kid, only better.

Sunsets: You wouldn't think that one part of the world would have it over on everywhere else in the sunset department, but you would be wrong. Wherever we were, the blood red sun dipping below the hazy horizon would stop us in our tracks.

Wildlife: How can you describe 4 lions walking 2 meters from your open landcruiser, a mountain gorilla charging at you from the jungle, an eagle stealing your lunch...

Learning: We wouldn't presume to say that we are now experts in the ins and outs of the countries we visited, let alone Africa as a whole, that doesn't happen in a few weeks, I'm not sure it could be done in a lifetime. However, it was nice to be in a place and be able to separate reality from childhood myths, historical inaccuracies, and incompetent news coverage. Being here was a far better than any history class.

Connections: From the lady in the market in Mpulungu who spontaneously shared some of her homemade local food, to the taxi driver in Rwanda who shared some of his personal experiences, the connections we were able to make with local people really helped to enhance our trip.

Independent travel: The lack of a paycheck not withstanding, this trip is turning out to be everything we had hoped for and more. Living simply, new experiences, and facing new challenges is really all it's cracked up to be.

Fellow travelers: Africa is not the easiest place for independent travel, so meeting other travelers hasn't been that common. However, we have been lucky enough to meet a few really nice people with whom to share some of our experiences.

Beer. From the 350 cc Mosi in Zambia, to the 500 cc Serengeti in Tanzania, to the 750 cc Primus in Rwanda and Burundi, the beers kept getting bigger and bigger and bigger..


The Bad

Heat and dust: Our upbringings in the northern US and Canada did not prepare us for the climatic conditions we experienced in Africa. There were days when we thought the heat, or the blazing intensity of the sun might actually do us in. In addition, the barren landscape left us covered in a coat of dust at the end of each day. The rainy season in Rwanda was quite literally like a sigh of relief.

Misogynism: Africa is very much a male dominated society, and women tend to have more traditional, even subservient roles. As it pertained to us, that meant that many of the men would not talk to Colleen, especially when it came time to do any business (pay for hotels, request information etc.). One person even asked her when her husband would be getting back when she tried to ask a question. For those of you who know Colleen, you can just imagine how much she loved that.

Cost: There are two prices for things in Africa. The local price, and the Mzungu (white person) price. Guess which one we paid. 

BO: The combination of heat, dust, poor shower facilities and cheap soap gave us a new understanding of that "not so fresh feeling".

Bad TP: Not to go into any details, but the havoc wreaked by African food on the GI system, combined with toilet paper that could double as sand paper is a painful combination.


The Ugly

Poverty: It is difficult to describe some of the poverty we saw in a way that might have meaning to someone in a northern country. You could describe slums, or dirty children, or recite statistics, but what really struck us was the lack of old people. You could go for days without seeing an older person. It's not because they were hiding, it's because there aren't any. Life expectancies in the countries we visited were in the high forties and low fifties.

Genocide: Our visit to Rwanda was difficult. We saw very disturbing things there, and it is almost impossible to imagine that something like that could ever happen. Even harder to imaggine is the fact that it happens all the time (WW II, Cambodia, Yougoslavia, Armenia, Namibia, etc.).


Obviously this quick list just scratches the surface. We will be pondering the gifts Africa has given us for a long while, but one thing we can say for sure though is that the past 9 weeks have deeply affected us.

Next stop, Delhi. In the words of the immortal Monty Python comedy troupe "... and now for something completely different."



Colleen & Michael
Mgorogoro rd. at Libya st.

Dar es Salaam, Tanzania