This is Africa

It was for the savannah grasslands and wildlife I had purchased my new zoom lens, not knowing that I would be returning home with unforgettable experiences, not just my 3x5’s. “Keep tomorrow free, I want to take you around Cape Town” said Stephen. An articulate, knowledgeable man with dark hair and dark eyes whom we had met at the bar and known for one hour. We were speechless, surprised then completely thrilled. For a moment we thought why would a stranger do this? But that moment lasted for what seemed like a split second. Our day with Stephen was comprised of stopping in at small towns around Cape Town and seeing the major landmarks. The town of Llandudno will always resonate with me. This picturesque town housed million dollar mansions beautifully landscaped along the hilly winding roads. Occupied by wealthy residents requiring the service of a maid, mostly Black Africans. However, the residents banned public transportation into the town, making it hard for the maids to reach their destination, which they often have to get to by foot. This is one of many struggles Stephen mentioned about Cape Town. Parting from Stephen, we joined a walking tour where we met Ken, our tour guide. Ken was in his late twenties, tall and slim, tousled blonde-hair with inquisitive eyes and a great story teller. After a couple of beers on a comfortably chilly evening, Ken said “My mom would love to meet you both”. “We’d be glad to meet her!” we instantly replied. Dusk was falling rapidly as we were walking to the car and I noticed that Ken had been wearing his backpack on the front with one of his hands resting inside his bag. “For protection” he reassured me. Slightly scared but at the same time feeling relieved as we walked to his car. It was a beautiful drive along the coast with the smell of the salty atlantic ocean in the air. Ken’s mom, who was a police officer during the apartheid regime greeted us at the door and shared stories from her past. “A troubled city then is still a troubled city now” she said, requiring to keep one rifle and a hand gun for protection. “It’s just not safe here, our home has been broken into many times” she said. As we were leaving, Ken handed me a necklace with a shark’s tooth; a beautiful memorable gift for a lifetime. The landscape, nature and wildlife of Africa will always remind me how beautiful it is, but it’s the stories of the people, their struggles and the friendships made that will forever and always bring me back to this land.