Phil Gray

Safari for Sanity Phil Gray

An account of the author?s latest safari 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. 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. Self-drive safaris. Wildlife Conservation Camps. Up close: lion, leopard, cheetah, baboon, crocodile, cape buffalo, vulture. NAMIBIA - Prosperity since independence. 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. White-owned farms seized. Election Day: Will Mugabe screw the people again? A Rastafarian connection? Zambezi River inundates Victoria Falls, incomparable spectacle, empty town - squandered opportunity? Elephant ride. Afrikaner arrogance vs. African grace. BOTSWANA - A vast, sparsely populated paradise, democratic since independence. Chobe Game Lodge: absurd luxury, immaculate bush, spooky elephant. Beach lions? SWAZILAND - Peaceful hereditary monarchy. Barbecue at two orphanages: only meat the kids would see in a year? HIV too? Sadness of Agnes's kraal. 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.