Safari For Sanity

An account of the author’s travels in Southern Africa, told with whacky humor and unvarnished candor. The story weaves the thrill of the safari experience with poignant vignettes of contemporary African life and a scathing review of one country's despotic regime.

Phil Gray is a Hawaii businessman. When a lawsuit is filed against him for no legitimate reason he can fathom and a legion of lawyers cannot make it go away, he feels his sanity threatened. Luckily he has an antidote: Safari.

South Africa - A various land: Pretoria its Beverly Hills, Soweto its bowels, Cape Town its heart, Robben Island its shame, Kruger Park its light, Zululand its pulse. Up close with lion, leopard, cheetah, baboon, cape buffalo, crocodile, vulture.
Namibia - Prosperity since liberation. Self-drive its length: Windhoek to Etosha Pan to Swakopmund to Namib Desert to red dunes of Sosussvlei. Dead in sand SUV. Himba pride.
Zimbabwe - Destitution since liberation. Election Day: will Mugabe cheat again? A Rastafarian connection? Zambezi River inundates Victoria Falls, incomparable spectacle, empty town – a squandered opportunity? Elephant ride. Afrikaner arrogance.
Botswana - A vast, sparsely populated paradise: Chobe Lodge, immaculate Bush, spooky elephant. Beach lions?
Swaziland - Hereditary monarchy. Barbecue for kids at two orphanages: the only meat they would see in a year? Hiv too?

Standing alone, the wildlife safari is a carefree joyful holiday. When paired with exposure to the tribulations of African life, however, a sobering perspective ensues, and imagined threats to sanity drift shamefully away.