Often, it is our children who illuminate our paths in life; this time, it was our middle artistic son, Axel, who was traveling with his South African professor to study stone carving under master artists at the Mbare School in Zimbabwe. I have always felt a pull to visit Africa, but I hadn't a clue as to where. I just have always loved the music, the dance, and the ability to see animals that undoubtedly will not be on this earth forever. Plus, ever since I turned 60, time and how to fill it has become more precious, as is the desire to not waste one second of it. And so I began planning a trip to meet up with my boy.
As things tend to happen when one trusts, I was given a companion ticket on United from a close friend who works at Sardy Airport. And yes, it's a thing amongst the locals here. We work for the airport to indulge our wanderlust. Let me rephrase that, almost everyone and their mother has applied for a job at the airport and gotten one, except for me. Perhaps I laid it a little too thick on my desire to explore my travel writing. I've since been told that you are not allowed to work for the airport if you plan on traveling for work. Whatever. I wasn't ready for the job anyway. Anyway, nobody who knows me wants me to be an aircraft marshaller.
With the companion ticket, I got the travel benefits, and my good friend got to do all the work. When the gift was presented to me, I immediately began to imagine all the possibilities that one year of a companion ticket could open up for me; one day I could be writing from a cafè in Paris, wearing a big hat with big hair and big sunglasses, and the next, I could be writing from the beach of my friend's Greek island about dancing all night at the disco the night before. The question was, was I up for it? Not having the financial means to travel, I had convinced myself that traveling was intolerable these days; the cramped planes with disgusting food, the tourists, the expense. I guess this is why I didn’t try so hard to work in that tiny "lost luggage" cubicle where everyone always looks either exhausted, wired or fed up from dealing with some of the whiniest, most privileged people in the world.
But I broke out of that doubt and committed to meeting up with Axel after his studies and taking him to see the Big 5, but planning a mother/son trip with little knowledge of the world's second-largest continent was going to be challenging.
I began by typing in "affordable safaris in Africa" and landed on Bea Meitiner of Bea Adventurous. Bea, short for Beatrice, is a brave and determined woman, passionate about Africa and raising awareness for organizations helping children, like Street Kids, as well as finding and writing about exceptional tour operators. Her research and blog posts are informational and organized for those seeking off-the-beaten-path global adventurous destinations.
Bea doesn't offer help or advice, expecting anything in return. She does it because she genuinely cares about people enjoying their travels. She promotes anything that she thinks is worth telling her readers about, regardless of whether she paid or was hosted.
“It’s the fact that I can promote them with passion, that I engage with people on social and answer their questions regardless of who they book with, it’s the fact that I engage regularly on Facebook travel groups answering people’s questions, regardless of whether it’s self-fulfilling or not.” ~ Bea Meitiner
I first reached out to Bea on her Instagram feed and introduced myself, telling her that I like to get to know a place through the locals and wished to fully immerse myself in the culture. She responded immediately, connecting me with Malaki Tumsif of Migration Tanzania Safari. Tanzania! To think that I was going to take one of my children to see the Big 5 gave me that tingly feeling of adventure that I hadn't felt in a very long time. After 24 years of pouring my heart and soul into my boys and navigating their wild obstinance, I began to let in the reality that it was time for me to revert to my pre-family self and indulge in exploring all of my curiosities.
From the pictures, I could see that Malaki was tall and elegant with a beautiful smile. He was born in the Ngorongoro Conservation area and is part of the Maasai community, the only community within Tanzania allowed to live within the national park. He worked as a porter on Kilimanjaro, often carrying 40 kg loads to the top for his customers. But it was the stories of Malaki from Bea that endeared him to me most. That he was a family man and had many funny off-kilter phrases to the tune of, "You're cracking my ribs," to say how funny she was. I felt the lure and recognized this special opportunity to be guided by him and to be the only one in the group, other than when Bea would be with us.
The Maasai tribes are a nomadic and pastoral community. We are not hunters and therefore do not interfere with the wildlife which is why we are the only community allowed to live within the national parks of Tanzania.
“The Maasai community is patriarchal, with elders deciding on all important matters for the Maasai group. Every 10 years or so a new generation of warriors will be initiated. This will happen when most boys are between 12 and 25 and who have reached puberty and who were not part of the previous age-set. I was young when I went through my right of passage to become a Junior Warrior. The ritual involves circumcision without anaesthetics as a way to prove the bravery of each of us. As a warrior I dressed in a bright red or tartan red blanket which I either wrapped around my waist or slung over my shoulder. I let my hair grow long and wore it in a tight braid. I sometimes even painted my body with ochre. I would carry a long bladed sharp spear in one hand and a long-sided knife in the other. My role was to protect our community and cattle from predators and other tribes as well as to search for new pastures.” ~ Migration Tanzania Safari
We began conversing on Instagram and then by email, which isn’t so easy with the 8-hour time difference, but Malaki listened to what I wanted and created what seemed to be the perfect itinerary for me. I was going to fly to Johannesburg via my companion ticket and then fly to Tanzania from there and have Axel meet me over there 5 days later. My visit would include a private tour to a Masai Village where I would stay in a mud hut. We also would be visiting Hadzabe (check out this video I found), Datoga, Chagga, and Sonjo tribes, and then go on safari in the Serengeti once Axel met up with us. Bea shared with me that Malaki was an excellent tracker and where most use radios and call in all the other tour operators when they spot an animal, Malaki did not use a radio.
A beloved book of mine that I refer to all the young adults in my life and those frustrated by the roller coaster of life is, "The Lion Tracker's Guide to Life" by Boyd Varty. The book’s metaphors about following a track, understanding the lessons learned when losing the track, and finding your way back are profoundly impactful. Varty’s insight that “an authentic life infused with meaning is a kind of activism” resonates deeply with me. With so much uncertainty and distrust in our world, I needed immersion in nature in a different way than I get here in the mountains. I knew that being guided by Malaki would be extraordinary, and I was eager to connect more deeply to our planet, and thereby myself, through his wisdom.
“I’ve learned that nothing is worth doing if it cannot be done from a place of deep peace. If we want to restore the planet, we must first restore ourselves. I believe that you find your way to your right life, your mission, the same way you find an animal. First, quiet your heart and be still. Then find the fresh track and be willing to follow it. You don’t need to see the whole picture; you only need to see where to take the next step. Life isn’t about staying on track; it’s about constantly rediscovering the track.”~ Boyd Varty, Cathedral of the Wild: An African Journey Home
As I belabored over my trip with the time ticking away, I reflected on the lessons learned from many an impulsive decision made driven by my curiosity as a writer over my sensibilities, and as I continued researching, my concerns grew, with the most nagging one being distance. I have not traveled in quite some time and I worried that my body may not catch up to the different time zones. I also worried that I would arrive there so far away from home and feel too lonely and out of sorts and that I wouldn't be able to sleep at night for fear of ... well, the unknown. Would I enjoy the trip as much without having anyone to share sunsets and sunrises with? Also, I can be shy and clam (yes, this is true) and I don't like imposing myself upon people, I worried that I would feel like a burden to Malaki.
I switched gears and reached out to Evan Dunstone of Nala Africa who created an entirely different and more manageable trip to South Africa's Kruger National Park. I wasn't to be experiencing the culture, and the trip felt more commercialized as we were going on safari but if you want to see the animals, the choices are slim. In the end, I opted for the path of least resistance, and without the extra five days of solo travel, the trip would also be less expensive.
Axel had the trip of a lifetime, living with local artists and visiting them in their homes, as well as exploring villages and schools. He made lasting friendships and may even have an exhibit with one of the artists he connected with. We also had a wonderful time together mountain biking amongst Giraffe, Zebra, and Wart Hogs at Ubuntu Luxury Villa in Bushveld, on the Hoedspruit Wildlife Estate, and bonding time while on safari in Kruger National Park. In the end, I still feel a pang for the trip I didn’t take with Malaki, but I believe I made the right choice for this first adventure.
In the end, my trepidations about my traveling abilities have dissolved, and I’ve been severely bitten by the travel bug and am ready to stretch myself further. How perfect it would be to take my travel writing and global connections to the next level. I believe it’s time.
To see my itinerary and read the stories behind the reviews, keep reading. If you do reach out to Malaki, please tell him I sent you.
