Memoir Reading Blog #9

Scott and Krystyne finally catch up with Serge again in Windhoek, and the three of them make a short flight to Sossusvlei. Sossusvlei is the site of the largest sand dunes in the world. An Italian couple run a tiny ecological guest lodge there called Kala Kuena. After a few days in the desert, the three of them return to Windhoek and depart for Swankamund. From there, they continue North, passing up the East Coast of Africa. Time becomes important here, as it becomes increasingly difficult for Scott to find fuel to supply their plane. Serveral problems develop along the course of Scott's search for fuel, as he is detained at one airport and forced to buy fuel at roughly triple the average price. His flight path also deviates considerably from his planned route, as he is forced to hop from one airport to another in search of fuel which, when acquired, has to be filtered and hand-pumped into the plane, a laborious and exhausting task. In total, Scott and Krystyne's trip took almost a month and had allowed Scott to almost completely completely circumnavigate Africa in his little Cessna. As they land, they realize that this was their last flight together in Africa, since there was less than a month left in their stay. The realization is hard for them both to take in, and adds a sense of melancholy to the landing.

Scott's near circumnavigation of Africa has allowed him to observe almost all of the differences in African culture. Africa is an extremely diverse continent with many different cultures. These cultures vary from country to country and can sometimes be in complete opposition in countries that share borders. This diversity is one of the difining qualities of Africa and is what makes it worth saving. Human civilization began in Africa, yet most of the countries in the world ignores their heritage and see Africa as a continent to take advantage of for their own personal gain. This attitude has to be stopped in order to stop Africa from tearing itself apart through poverty and intolerance. I think that too many people see Africa simply as a neverending drain of resources from their developed countries. However, it isn't simply the economy of these underdeveloped countries that we're trying to save, it is their people and their way of life that are truly important to save.