Safari! Why Now?
Why was Safari the first word that sprang to mind when, three months ago, I was told I was dying of cancer? The secret to beating it, my wizened Chinese acupuncturist said, was to think of what I most wanted to do with the rest of my life and to dive into it with no further delay.
I immediately thought of OUT OF AFRICA author Karen Blixen’s answer, “If there were one thing more I could do in life, it would be to go on safari again.” I first went on safari to celebrate ‘becoming an adult’ after graduating with a Masters in African Studies when I was 23; I last went on safari in March 2019 to celebrate ‘becoming an elder’ after emerging as HipSilver’s ‘Nomad Resident’ following the Woolsey Fire when I turned 70.
I first went to Africa after graduating with a Masters in African studies in 1973… and fell in love with safari.
Fortunately after three months of medical nightmare, I had the immense pleasure of hearing the doctors tell me there had been a mistake and that, in fact, your 70-year old nomad resident was in tip-top shape.
So what’s with this word - Safari - beckoning me most seductively even though I’d been on a dream safari less than a year ago?
Safari. Theodore Roosevelt popularized it; Ernest Hemingway fictionalized it; Karen Blixen romanticized it. It’s a trophy trip everyone longs to capture once in a lifetime.
Newland Tarlton Safaris, who guided Teddy Roosevelt on safari, now offer photo safaris that deliver the OUT OF AFRICA experience of luxury in the wild which is why Don Young Camp is my favorite in Kenya.
Safari. It’s a word that always leads to one destination: Africa - Cradle of civilization and of mankind; Powerful mother-continent to all humanity; a Garden of Eden where animals and people coexist in harmony.
Don Young Camp, the flagship of Newland Tarlton Safari’s, is also home to a robust population of leopards who thrive in the riverine habitat in the middle of the Maasai Mara, perfect for photo safaris.
Safari. It’s a Swahili Arabic loan-word that made its way into English and every other language. Retracing the original derivation of the term is like analyzing Freudian word associations. I page through my Arabic dictionary, remembering that Arabic words are not listed alphabetically. Instead, I must decipher three primary consonants which regroup into a progression of verb variations that, like minor and major keys on a scale, change the tone of the word.
Under the basic verb root, s-f-r, I find the following derived verbs:
Sa- fa- ra: to remove the veil
Sa- ffa- ra: to uncover, discover
Saa- fa- ra: to go on a journey
As- fa- ra to glow with an aurora
Tasa-fa- ra to disappear into the dust, clouds, sunset
On safari, I realize how apropos the definitions were:
At dawn, I lifted a veil of mosquito netting off the bed; Stepping out of my tent, I discovered the African bush bathed in the pink rays of dawn. Gulping down the wonderful Kenyan coffee and warm ginger biscuit fresh from the campfire Dutch oven, I set off on a journey - a game drive, a walk or a boat ride. Each consecutive game sighting was like a miracle, filling with joy and wonder. At day’s sitting around a crackling campfire and sipping sundowners, I watched the sun sink into the horizon and then turned to see the moon rise in the dark African night.
Safari sundowners are ‘de rigueur’ with Don Young on the photo-safari-of-a-lifetime.
Isn’t safari also just a metaphor for life? As the Japanese poet Basho wrote, “The journey is life and home is the destination.” We are unveiled at birth and embark on the journey of life. As life experiences forge character into our personalities, we radiate our individuality until we, too, disappear into a cloud of dust.
Celebrating our 70th birthday, my twin sister and I are ready to plunge into the next adventure!
Before our final journey, how appropriate to return to the birthplace of all Humanity and immerse oneself in the Garden of Eden. “A voyage to any destination, wherever it may be, is also a voyage inside oneself,” writes Laurence Van der Post. The wide open plains of the Maasai Mara offer the ultimate ‘space’ to move beyond our normal lives and to connect with our True North. That’s why I’m putting together an exclusive OUT OF AFRICA photo safari during the ‘Secret Season’ when the animals are birthing and the flowers are blossoming at my favorite camp in all of East Africa in March 2020 and March 2021.
My medical mystery rollercoaster nightmare ignited a longing to share this incomparable experience with fellow HipSilvers. With RT airfares from NY just above $600 why wait any longer for this experience of a lifetime that we can have together!
I came seduced by the wildlife and the luxury; I left in love with the Maasai and my hosts.
To join the March 2020 or March 2021 “Secret Season Safari” guided by Bibi Jordan, click here for trip overview and click here for full itinerary and here for daily video clips. Or contact Bibi directly at bibijordan@gmail.com.
