African Insights Ezine - January 2006


Safari- The Journey Begins

Safari? Just say the word and images of Africa will come to your mind.  Close your eyes. Speak out the Swahili word Safari, and off you will go through the East African Savannahs in search of the elusive lion. Say the
word, and you will find yourself trekking through thick forests of Uganda or Rwanda to view the gorillas. The word Safari will bring dreams of places like Queen Elizabeth Park in Uganda where from your own private
vehicle you can view elephant herds grazing. It will conjure up the Serengeti or Masai Mara with its endless herds of wildebeests. Say the word Safari, and dream of Africa, the cities and towns vibrant with life
and bustling activity, the countryside vistas that pierce your soul. Its people will touch your heart with a friendliness exhibited in celebratory ways.

Safari: A journey undertaken with a specific objective: expedition, pilgrimage, tour, trek, hunting trip, and a voyage.

As I look back in my life, I can see the journey I have taken. There were detours and obstacles that took me off my path for a time. The resolve to get back on course, to continue my personal safari, has returned. That
inner vision somehow allowed me to see my own expedition, my own safari, in the light of an internal compass that kept me on track.

February 2nd I leave again on my personal African Safari-Journey. It's been a few years since my last one. I am flying from Seattle to Amsterdam and then will drive to Germany, to my hometown nestled on the Tauber and Main River, where I have many fond memories of my youth. Then on 7th of February it is back to Amsterdam and then direct via KLM Airlines to Entebbe, where I will step off the plane into the warmth of the African night and be welcomed by friends, and drive into Kampala.

A Safari means preparation, such as obtaining a new passport, the old one had seen its days. Thankfully, I have it and its many visas tell a story.  There are the immunizations, getting a visa from the Ugandan Embassy. That was a miracle. Monday I sent my passport, with yellow fever card and itinerary of my flights, to Washington DC to the Ugandan Embassy, and by Wednesday afternoon I had my visa in hand. I was impressed.

I still have to get my anti-malarial treatment which I will get across the border in Canada, and this time I am not going to have the violent dreams the drug Larium gave me in the past. I received a most wonderful camera for Christmas that will allow me to take some great pictures of my trip to Uganda and side trip to Kenya and the Indian Ocean.

I will not just have a good time, but do some work with children and then set up a few websites; one that deals with Ugandan Travel, and the other one for a fabulous guesthouse.

Part of my journey will be to set up a non-profit organization to help children in various parts of the world. If you have some background experience with the paperwork necessitated by such efforts, your help would be appreciated.

I am taking my laptop computer for two reasons. I want to show some DVD's to friends about Africa and then I want to keep in touch with friends and family back home. You can follow along as I will upload text and pictures from Africa and Uganda, and thus can also enjoy this journey, this safari of mine. (go http://kabiza.com  and you will see a link to the latest updates from February 2nd onward.)

I will be doing a lot of journaling since one of the realizations has been that to every outer journey, there is an inner one. Often the eyes of the heart see a lot more than the outer eyes.

There is still some preparation. I have to get my anti malarial treatment which I will get across the border in Canada and this time I am not going to have any violent dreams that the drug Larium gave me in the past.

I will be returning back to Washington State on the 5th of March and I am sure that once again I will lots of stories, lots of work and hopefully away to help lots of children, since my personal safari has always been to
be a voice for the voiceless.

If you are interested in personal Safari to the Pearl of Africa, Uganda, just write me and I might be able to steer you in the right direction?...enjoying the journey?...jon