Out of Africa

I can't seem to get Africa out of my mind these days. About a month ago, I treated myself to a book by one of my favourite authors, Wilbur Smith. I have now read every book he has ever written, and I think it totals close to 30. He is a South African and writes about Africa in a most vivid and exciting way. It is always fiction, but is laced with African history and tribal culture. When I finished the last one "Assegei" (a native stabbing spear) I felt like I had been on a big game safari in the Great Rift Valley. This was all fresh in my mind as we had our Mwanza Orphanage Garage Sale, raising money for the boys in Tanzania, Africa. This last week I picked up a book titled "The Book Of Negroes" by Lawrence Hill, and after not being able to put it down until I was finished, I am now practically an African. You would think that now I would want to go there in the worst way. Well, not so much. It is a little like Bungee Jumping. Seeing pictures and hearing people talk about it is quite fascinating, but to actually do it is not for everybody. I am not that keen on visiting Africa. It is not all that fun of a place, and besides, after reading all these good books about it, it might be a big disappointment, especially when I actually go there, and get bitten by a Tse Tse fly or a snake. For now, at least, I am content to read about it. I wonder if they have lilacs in Africa. If they do, it smells better there than I think.

For even more about Africa, check out my friend Ian's Pics on the sidebar of this blog. He was on safari not that long ago and used his Pentax to capture all the action. He has posted some great photos with more to come.