Africa – Love at first sight

Most of you know about my love (actually my family’s love) for Africa, and for many of you isn’t a surprise looking at my blog website having an African touch. It is said that once you are “infected” with the “African fever” you will remain infected and return to that continent constantly.

My first visit to Africa was in 1994 when I was 8 years old when I travelled with my parents to Namibia. My brother (being only 2 years old at that time) was not allowed to join us and had to stay with my grandparents in Italy. That year 1994 was an historic year for South Africa, as Nelson Mandela was elected for president in April, and only 3 weeks prior to the election we landed in Johannesburg airport before connecting to Windhoek. Even though the country was in the middle of its changes, you were still able to see the remains of the apartheid system. I do remember very clearly what impression it left seeing different toilet signs for “whites only” and “black only”, or such signs on benches or queuing lines. How does an 8 year old understand such differences whilst being used to a liberal way of thinking and seeing a difference in the skin color? When I was 4 years I travelled with my parents to Florida, and strangely I do remember playing with American black and colored kids in the pool. Kids don’t have any prejudices and accept their human fellow as they are (if they don’t pick up racist comments from parents or others).

Anyway, after this trip to Namibia we started traveling in 1997 together as a whole family each year (including my brother). At least once a year a holiday in South Africa became the norm, and eventually we travelled twice a year there.

I don’t really know how to describe what fascinates me about this continent, but I guess it simply offers a big variety and diversity of landscapes, activities, sights and it probably has the most amazing sunrises and sunsets in the world. Each time I land in Johannesburg and get off the plane, I can smell the different air; air that smells of Africa. It is one of those goose bump moments when I know I set my foot on Africa and my heart makes a massive jump, I can feel my blood pushing through my vessels, and a feeling of joy and happiness overcomes me.

Our holidays in Africa have always been the most exciting, adventurous and diverse ones. This has also to do with my dad’s hobby, being a hunter, who took me and my brother on hunting trips since we were kids. We grew up by learning that hunting is not something cruel, but rather part of our life circle and the meat is food what we get to eat. So every deer my dad shoots in Germany is being cut, and frozen for our own consumption. The same is in Africa with the difference you are being accompanied by a licensed and highly regulated professional hunter, a local guide and skinners. We also love deep-sea fishing, a very popular hobby for South Africans who live by the sea, and hence a week by the sea for fishing was a must. With all those adventurous activities we started to divide our holidays into 3 parts:

1. a week in the bush for hunting
2. a week by the sea for deep sea fishing, beach and jet-skiing
3. a week of sight-seeing trips, shopping and playing golf, e.g. visiting cities like Durban, Cape Town, Pietermaritzburg or driving the garden route.

We usually spent 3 weeks during our Christmas holiday in SA, and 6 weeks during our summer holiday. So depending on how long we stayed, we divided our activities differently. What I really appreciated about these holidays was that we stayed in simple safari lodges, in thatch houses or tents. It was giving us a real African feeling, and being surrounded by our dear South African friends was making those trips even more special and authentic. I have not seen Africa through the eyes of a tourist, but from the eyes from locals living there which is a total different way of learning and experiencing the country.

At some point my family and I even almost immigrated to SA, which however didn’t happen due to my dad’s dental practice in Germany.

My mum was the one who initiated this and started to organize it. She found a dental practice in Durban, which my Dad would have been able to take over. She had contacted the German school if there is still availability for my brother and me. And on top of all that she had found an amazing house with pool in the Northern suburbs of Durban. When she revealed her plans to my brother and me, we were extremely excited and so ready to move to SA. My dad, however, had concerns due to his practice that he had built up and was doing well. In terms of success and financial security there was not guarantee that things would be as good as in Germany, so my dad dropped these plans and we stayed in Germany.

As our moving plans dropped, my dad compromised and decided to buy a farm in Africa that we can use for hunting and photographic safaris.

In 2001, we bought our first piece of land with a total of 800 hectare in the KwaZulu Natal region close to Pongola and to Swasiland. It didn’t take much time until we realized that this farm is too small to start a safari business and we bought our second farm (obviously sold the first one). In 2003, we were then proud owners of a total of 1,500 hectare (15 square km), and we spent every possible time on the farm. Building and making changes on site, training the staff and entertaining guests (when we were there) was exciting and we have spent the best childhood moments on our farm called “Mavela”. Now you perhaps understand where I found my passion for hospitality, tourism and traveling and what influenced my profession choice.

We sold our farm in 2010 and I can now say “I had a farm in Africa”, just like the introduction voice of the movie “Out of Africa” with Meryl Streep and Robert Redford. J

There are too many beautiful memories of our trips in Africa, but bit-by-bit I will be sharing a few of my African highlights with you on my blog. I know South Africa has been a very popular tourist destination, and many of you may have visited amazing places. However, I can guarantee you that I will share a few stories that an “ordinary” tourist won’t have experienced, and only due to our South African friends I had a different insight of those places.