Translated: Shine Collette Shine!!! An homage to our tour operator.
This was the daily greeting of our South African guide each day as she navigated us through South Africa, Zimbabwe, Botswana on our trip of a lifetime to a continent I had always hoped to experience – it did not disappoint!
The inimitable Lomkhosi (Khosi) Mntambo, born in Swaziland, was assigned to our diverse group though Collette Travel to be our mentor and guide. Khosi became much more than our guide. Having grown up during Apartheid, she shared first hand knowledge of the horrors inflicted on fellow human beings. Yet she was full of hope for a better Africa and a better world. We could not have had a better guide and friend to lead us.
Khosi’s aunt, Mariam Makeba, was the famous “click singer”, mesmerizing audiences all over the world with her beautiful voice, singing in her native language.
Check it out below, using CTRL + right click (nothing to do with the song 🙂 )
Though shy and humble, Khosi was a beautiful singer herself and shared a couple of her aunts songs with us.
We were a group of eighteen strangers from two continents and three countries (Canada, USA and Australia), coming together to share a lifetime of memories, packed into fifteen days. The goal was to experience both the animals and culture of South Africa. But we achieved so much more.
Khosi used her impressive organizational skills to shepherd us through multiple airports, three countries, several border crossings and their unique requirements, multiple restaurants, hotels and tourist hotspots. All the while, regaling us with stories about her country, her culture and her experiences growing up in Africa and through the years of political strife.
Along the way we made many new friends:
Linda and Jan, octogenarian cousins from South Carolina and Colorado respectively. They have traveled together since they were eighteen, and have accumulated more memories than they can count. Never missing a 4am wakeup call, a safari trip, a bus ride or a cocktail hour – and always with a smile.
Bill and Tammie from Louisiana. Bill, a retired 76 year old truck driver, had never been out of the US, and picked quite an adventure for his first. Tammie, had the spirit of a 20 year old, never missing a chance at adventure. She took her spare day in Cape Town and turned it into diving with the sharks off the coast. By the end of the tour, Bill had come out of his shell and was trying to teach his Louisiana drawl to Lindsey, his new friend from Australia. There were times neither could be understood – but laughs were plenty!
Ed and Wanda from Illinois. Ed with his sharp wit and Wanda with her understated humour (humor for those of you that need help reading Canadian), were a joy to share any adventure (or a cocktail) with. Ed with his self deprecating humour, and Wanda with her cheery disposition. I learned more about farts from Wanda – mother of two boys – than I already knew – and I had considered myself an expert in the field of sphinctorology. I was humbled by her knowledge. We became kindred spirits of the nether regions. Ed and I bonded over medicine. He is a surgeon and one of my nicknames is Doc – so naturally we had much in common!
Randy and Cheryl from outside Philadelphia Pa. Randy, quiet and reserved took a little time to get warmed up – likely a little unsure of some of my Canadian humour. Cheryl, with her warm smile and inviting personality. Could not have been more friendly.
Lindsay and Chris from Newcastle NSW, Australia. Some of us could not understand a thing Lindsay said for the first three days, but we soon found out he was one of the funniest and friendliest guys you could meet. “G’day mate! Howz she goin’?” was a regular greeting. A couple of cocktails later, he would be singing the latest rock and roll ditty. Chris was simply a joy. Always smiling. Except for a couple of rough days early in the tour when feeling a bit under the weather.
Paul and Julie, expectant grandparents from Ottawa. Julie, a French Canadian from Northern Ontario and Paul an English Canadian from Sherbrook Quebec. Paul and I, unwittingly became bathroom buddies. It seemed every time I found myself in a bathroom, there he was. It happened so often that I started to ask him if I had to go at one point. He seemed to know better than I. Julie with her easy smile, had a scare with a mysterious allergy while eating dinner one evening and spend a night in the hospital. Fortunately everything was fine after some intervention. They got home barely in time to greet their new grandson.
Judy and Michelle from “The Rock” – Newfoundland. Judy was a treat, always smiling and poking fun. She celebrated her birthday on the trip and made the mistake of telling me – he who cannot keep a secret – soon EVERYONE knew! Michelle was my sports buddy. Turns out we both were fans of the Leafs, Jays and Steelers. When the Jays beat Seattle, we celebrated with a dance in the lobby in front of people from all over the world. We were getting up at 430am, just in time to see the final scores from the night before.
Mark and Sue. Our cottage neighbours from Etobicoke and travelling partners, to Scandinavia and now Africa. Sue has more energy than the Eveready bunny and loves animals as much as Karen does. Mark keeps me honest with his sarcastic humour and steady diet of one liners. Great neighbours and even better friends.
The common thread? No matter where you are from, or what you look like, we have so much in common, if we allow ourselves the grace to learn a bit about each other.
When you spend 14 days with people, through airports, bus trips, hotels, dinners, breakfasts and more, you tend to find out a lot about each other. With some luck and determination, I hope we will have the pleasure of future connections. Plans are already underway for reunions in one form or another!
Aweee Collette Aweee!
3 responses to “Aweee Collette Aweeee!! ”
Well said
What an awesome adventure Kent, and so well described! Travel acquaints you with so many fascinating sites and people. I wish it for everyone.
Sounds like a fantastic journey. An unforgettable Anniversary for you and Karen.