On a surprisingly cold and snowy April day, 35 Rotary members and guests entered the Trillium suite appropriately decorated in an African motif, including a stuffed giraffe and maps of the "dark continent".
Special guests included senior members Gord Ferguson (charter member) and Tom Jeary as well as past president (2004-05) Rick Bolzon's trio of relatives - mother Ines, mother-in-law Shirley and spouse Janice.
President Ed reminded members:
- Brad Enns New Initiatives committee seeking appropriate "branding" name for the "Flag Leasing" initiatives
- Upcoming International Conference in Toronto with emphasis on social evening in Distillery District
- Keep selling VFL ticket sales
Week #2 of the new 50/50 Pot ($83) resulted in three attempts (Jack Kinch, David Barth & Marc Engel) but the black marble remained elusive.
Rotary trivia question was answered by Laura Power who displayed her Rotary knowledge stating (guessing?) that last year bingo net proceeds were $17,000.
PRESENTATION
Rotarian Rick Bolzon introduced his guests, including his mother Ines (from Guelph) and a brief "moment of silence" was held in memory of the recently vanquished Guelph Storm hockey club that was eliminated by our hometown Kitchener Rangers.
With master photographer Rick operating the laptop for the Africa power point presentation, Janice provided the narrative.
Janice, born in Calgary, graduated from University of Guelph and obtained a teaching degree from University of Western Ontario and has taught geography / earth sciences in Haldimand Norfolk as well as locally at Forest Heights Collegiate.
Janice shared that their trip was "Travelling" and not a "Vacation" and was co-ordinated through G Adventure, an "off-shoot" of National Geographic, which offers three levels of travel opportunities:
- YOLO - "You Only Live Once" - for younger travellers
- CLASSIC - ages 30-70's
- National Geographic - more expensive
In January, Rick/Janice journeyed from Toronto to Arusha, Tanzania, with return through Dubai, Casablanca and Lisbon.
Arusha, population about 1 million, located between Mt Kilimanjaro and the Serengeti, was starting point for a group of 14, seven of whom were planning to climb Mount Kilimanjaro. The convoy was two jeeps with retractable roofs for viewing and the expedition was deemed to be Safe! and Clean!, but be wary of the monkeys!!!
Many inoculation shots are required for travel to this region of Africa, especially for yellow fever and shots are covered by OHIP.
The timing for this trip coincided with USA president Trump's description of many African countries as being "sXGt holes", so probably appropriate to differentiate themselves as Canadians!
The local market in Arusha was described as "organized chaos" and the economy is very dependent on manpower, as opposed to mechanization - introduction of technology would result in an increase in unemployment.
Bolzons were viewed as "hardy" as they enjoyed wearing shorts in the "cold" season, with the temperature dipping to 24 degrees celsius (79 degrees Fahrenheit).
Important to be cautious in what you eat and drink as sanitation is "questionable".
Encountered an American viper snake.
Lake Manyara is a highly regarded conservation area with flamingos, hippos and abundant wildlife and government is working diligently to control poaching.
The road system is "bizarre" and baboons share the roadways and are "everywhere".
Tanzanians are very friendly and curious, and work as artisans, weavers, carvers and the country is "soccer crazy".
One brand of local beer is made from bananas and while there are few bad beers in the world, this may be one of them!
The group had a staff of two cooks and a tentsman, who traveled ahead so that accommodations were always ready on arrival in the evening.
The main tribe is the Masai who measure their wealth, not in material possessions, nor in terms of mutual funds, real estate and jewellery, but by the number of cows and wives... for example:
Tour Guide Moses is #7 of 9 - and that doesn't mean the 7th child of nine children - but it does mean the 7th child of the 9th spouse. Moses father had 32 wives and 152 children and the father is 108 years old.
In "purchasing a wife" a dowry is traditionally in the form of a gift of cows, and it was observed that Rick's wife Janice, with her health and education, would have a "value of seven cows"!
Young boys between ages of 12-15 make transition to manhood with an option between
a) being taken away, isolated and circumcised, OR
b) catching a lion!
Spectacle - the migration of large numbers of zebra and wildebeest (400,000) from Kenya in the north, following the rainy season to the lush Serengeti is spectacular - the Wildbeest appear to have been created by a committee - with the body of a horse, horns of a goat and head of an insect - but all are beautiful in the eyes of the creator.
The revered "circle of life" is evident in an animal killing, with the King of the Jungle (Lions) having first meal serving on a carcass, followed by the hyenas, jackals and vultures.
Most dangerous animal is the hippopotamus, a huge night prowler who can run fast and basically "doesn't like people".
The Ngorongoro crater, which is enclosed by nature, is described as the Garden of Eden with a wide variety of animals who stay in the crater.
FUTURE - the presentation today is one-half of the Bolzon's trip, and perhaps at another time, Rick and Janice can present about their adventures in the Sahara Desert and Morocco.
Janice and Rick were suitably thanked by President Ed.
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