Africa. The land is both comfortingly and achingly ancient. Even the sun, viewed through an incessant veil of dust, seems older than its interminable years. A witness to humanity's first timid steps to the rise and fall of the first empires, our presence is just a footnote in the land's existence.
I was utterly captivated the first time I stepped off the plane in Tanzania in 2007. The unfamiliar sights, sounds, and aromas was a sensory overload. My camera was constantly clicking off shots as I was constantly bombarded with new (to me) cultural experiences.
The physical beauty of the land is indescribable. From lush, verdant greens and shifting blues of mountain vistas in Arusha to the monochromatic hues of the plains of the Great Rift Valley, it was a visual feast. We were fortunate to see a number of the "Big 5", some of the greatest land animals of the world roaming free in the wild, unconstrained by fence lines or paddocks.
The Valley's night-time sky, unadulterated by the unnatural electric glow of cities and "civilization", unfurled with the setting sun into the most profound tapestry of stars I'd ever seen. That panoply of constellations of the southern sky left an indelible mark on me, and I've been confoundingly unsuccessful since then in finding a similar vista here.
I was equally enamored with the people I encountered. From the cities to the villages, the cocksure urbanite to the enigmatic Maasai, I found a common thread of ceremonial, time-honored hospitality. Everyone from government officials and village elders to the youngest of children greeted us with a smile and a handshake - and sometimes a heart-melting curtsy from the young school girls. Many times we were ushered into homes and served "chai and bites" a simple tea and pastry offering that in those honestly humble circumstances rivaled the finest high tea place settings at Harrod's.
In a recent conversation, someone asked both Andrea and me our favorite travel destination. There's a special place in my heart for the lonely, windswept Highlands of Scotland, and I am mischievously drawn to the countless adventures that can play out in His Majesty's former penal colony of Australia, and the Grand Canyon remains in my top 3 domestic destinations. However, I would, in a heartbeat and without hesitation, go back to Africa.
From the ancient, coastal market of Zanzibar, to the subterranean cities of Ethiopia, to the edges of the Great Sahara desert, there's a lot left to explore.
I always encourage the younger guys in our shop to travel. "Put some miles on your odometer and stamps in your passport." Developing empathy is one of the ways to overcome toxic divisiveness in our modern world. And one of the best ways to learn empathy is through close interaction and honest exchanges with people who have different frames of reference and world views from your own.
Also, some crusty curmudgeon once said, "Cross an ocean just to see what's over the horizon. Scale a mountain just to check out the view. Test the boundary. Push the limit." Still seems like good advice to me.
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