A Chance Meeting...

OK, now what? There are a lot of little details that go into a trip like this: language, money, transport, accommodations, and food, to name a few. Books help with the research - Lonely Planet and Rick Steves are great resources. There was a lot to learn, though, and now we were on the clock. Our target was to be in the Serengeti in August/September to see the Migration and it was already December, so no time to lose. And then one day...

Catherine was standing in the coffee line at work, talking to her coworker Lee, when she mentioned to him that we were going to Africa. Lee asked where and Catherine said, "Tanzania!" Lee told her that we should talk to his brother-in-law David Mark Erickson, who lived and worked in Tanzania for seven years and just happened to be staying with them in Seattle at the moment. He explained that David is, among other things, a photojournalist and had organized a wonderful safari for the family a few years earlier. Catherine got David's phone number, called him up, and they decided to meet for coffee one afternoon.

Catherine came home from her meeting with David very impressed. He was friendly and knowledgeable, and offered to help us at whatever level we wanted - from information and advice to travelling with us and acting as our guide. Catherine thought I should meet him, and even though I have to admit to wondering "Who is this yahoo that wants to go on our trip with us?" I agreed and we made arrangements to meet up with him again. That meeting went well, and I came away with the same good feeling that Catherine had. We went home, talked it over for a few days, and decided that we were going to take the plunge; we wanted David to be our guide and accompany us to Tanzania. We would tell him what we wanted to do and see, and he would take care of everything from the time we arrived in-country to the time we left. It would cost more, of course, but having someone familiar with the territory, fluent in the language and customs, with a background in conservation, and with contacts in the safari industry seemed to add so much value to the trip that it was worth the price. It wasn't easy, particularly for me, to put that much trust in a stranger, but in hindsight it was the best decision we could have possibly made.

We told David what we wanted to do and see: game, the Migration, Olduvai Gorge, Ngorongoro Crater. We also told him that we wanted to have cultural experiences, meaning interactions with the Maasai, perhaps a visit to a school, and exposure to Tanzania off the tourist track. He suggested that we visit an orphanage run by a friend of his, and possibly a hospital started by other friends. We agreed, so he took this information and started organizing an itinerary for us. Our job would be to get the travel booked as soon as possible so we could pin down specific dates.

Suddenly, everything was coming together. This was really going to happen.

Are we crazy? (again, rhetorical)