South Africa, a World in One Country Story and photos by Marvin Scott
venture into the wilds of Africa is more than a journey. It’s an unforgettable experience. Teddy Roosevelt recognized it and the tales of his adventure inspired Ernest Hemingway to write about it. My beckoning call to the bush came from my wife seeking the fulfillment of a life-long dream. Resistant at first - after all, I figured I’d seen all the animals at the Bronx and Central Park Zoos - why travel 8,000 miles to see them in Africa? Was I in store for an awakening! Going on safari in South Africa, seeing these same animals in their natural habitat was indeed a lifealtering experience. It was a stark reminder that we are not the only species on earth. There’s an entirely different universe out there of lions, leopards, rhino, elephants, and giraffes. It’s their turf and we are the voyeurs. The first game drive is unforgettable as we breathe the fresh scent of the morning dew, burning off as the fireball sun rises behind an Acacia Tree, and we listen to the symphony of the bush... the chirp of the Red Crested Korhaan, the snort of the impala, the bark of the baboon and the croak of the frog. There’s something magical about the African bush, and a
contradiction of sorts. It’s a place where you can embrace the environment with all its beauty, as well as its harsh and unforgiving nature.
Safaris have become a major industry throughout Africa. There are hundreds of lodges that offer luxurious accommodations. There is Wi-Fi, but hardly a television in sight to compete with the best reality show of all - game watching. Personal butlers attend to your every need; chefs prepare culinary delights beside open fires beneath a sparkling star-lit sky. Any travel agency in New York can book a safari vacation, but we arranged ours through travel experts in Cape Town. Timeless Africa Safaris, (www. tasafaris.com) which books as many as a thousand visits a year, customizes each trip according to what you want to see, and spend. We chose to visit a few days in scenic Cape Town before embarking on our safaris. We stayed at an elegant boutique hotel located on the waterfront. The Queen Victoria offered large, comfortable rooms with contemporary design. Marco Van Embden, CEO of Timeless Africa assigned a personal guide to take us through the cosmopolitan city and drive along the scenic coast to the Cape of Good Hope, where we saw sea birds perched atop sea-swept rocks... and baboons racing down from the hillside to pursue the scent of food in a parked camper van. APRIL 2016 | NEW YORK LIFESTYLES MAGAZINE | 33