In this new series about cultural observations, our expert Sosauce traveler and family man, Howard will be introducing stories about his encounters with interesting people in his travels. This is the fourth and final part of a story about John Kago, a travel guide from Tanzania. Read the third part here.
I guess you never say never, but I can say that I will never see John Kago again. And if I never, I’ll always remember him. In life, some memories for my days is perhaps the only purpose.
John Kago, Howard, and brother
We part ways at Lake Manyara, an enchanting place where myriads of birds circle the air. After our drive, John and Simiton drove us to the airstrip where we would fly back to Nairobi. On the way, we stopped for gas, and as we pulled out of the gas station, kids grinning ear to ear ran after us, waving goodbye. Those 30 seconds from the rear windows of our car I would never forget either.
John and Simiton were supposed to have been with us for our entire journey – from Tanzania to Kenya. But our time together ended at the airstrip of Lake Manyara. The night before, as we were having dinner together, John told us that he might be forced out of the company. He said he didn’t know for sure, but he was being called back to the headquarters, and a judgment was imminent.
I found it incredulous, and we were all pretty upset, but that was his company’s politics. John was never one for politics. He was an academic. He spent time studying birds instead of hard liquors at the bar. He wasn’t one who brought rowdy American tourists over to the bar next to the fire place where buffalo head hung and sang “kumbaya.” He didn’t drink much, and he spoke softly. Looking back, he wasn’t a company man who took loud tourists to get ripped off or to see blood and gore. He wasn’t one who could give a crap about nature or entertain tourists who were there just to say they were there. So he got the short end of the stick.
Safari was a business after all. I looked up the safari company’s bio after I came back, and John was no longer there. Nice guy finished last this time.
For anyone to go on a safari, he or she experiences a great irony. The trip is a trip of a life time. Yet, the more people go, the more nature crumbles. What’s worse is that there are plenty of loud mouthed, liquor loading tourists who drove people like John out of his job. Don’t be one of them, this I implore you.
Howard is a dreamer of distant places, and he would like to take his daughter to see the world some day soon. Howard’s blog series is about the people he meets on his travels.
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