Jacques, Enzo and Luke on their way to Thagazu.
Faced with so much global uncertainty, at home we consider how to make our children understand a continent like Africa . My husband is from South Africa, so we came up with it calmly, because we couldn't imagine flying to Cape Town as the only destination to explore our family heritage.
Said and (months later) done: the dream of starting in the north and gradually going down through a few stops became a reality after a year of planning all. We were ready to go on a two-month adventure without knowing that a global pandemic was looming. But that's another story or, rather, the end of this one. Let's start at the beginning.
Packing was not an easy task, since we faced 21 flights and different climates, the first being that of arid and at the same time very Atlantic Morocco. It was in Marrakech where we started the adventure; three days absorbing the exotic aromas, sounds and snapshots of the Medina. It was unforgettable to see the children being part of the great square, admiring the snake charmers, monkey tamers, musicians and all that motley frenzy.
The photographer's children with other children in Pellsrus, Jeffreys Bay, with the support of Rebel Surf Boards.
After such an accumulation of sensations, we prepared ourselves for a ten-hour journey in a Jeep – courtesy of Umnya Dune Camp – towards the Sahara. Two hours after starting the road we arrived at Tented Camp, a mirage in the middle of nowhere where they welcomed us with mint tea and pastries. freshly baked We ran through the dunes towards our tents and our jaws dropped at such beauty.
There was not nothing but sand for miles around and not a hint of noise except our own breath and the sound of the wind. We spent two magical days there eating homemade tagine, enjoying starry nights, visiting nomads, sand surfing and camel riding. Our next stop was Taghazout, a small surfing village near Agadir from which we say goodbye to Morocco with sadness, but also with adrenaline of new adventures.
Pages extracted from the travel diary of one of the sons of the photographer Anne Menke.
he was waiting for us Dakar, from where we take a wooden boat to reach the island of Ngor. There we relaxed with an incredible walk at sunset in which we could admire beautiful mosaics and paintings and also Ngor Rights, the epicenter of the most perfect waves and surfing paradise. We had a great time getting to know the locals in the water, who welcomed us with a big smile. The crush before so much sympathy it was instant.
The following days we explore the Senegalese capital, its markets and hectic life, as well as places like the wonderful restaurant Chez Loutcha and, an hour away, the beautiful La Rose, a saltwater lake that is pinkish in color thanks to the algae that live in it. A week later we packed our bags again and started trip to Cape Verde, two hours from Dakar, to stay on the island of Sal for three days. There we met Willy, a local boy with whom we surfed and with whom our son Luke found paradise kite surfing while the wind encouraged them.
Also we visited Shark Bay and saw baby lemon sharks swim by us. After this brief jump to the archipelago we return to continental Africa... because Kenya was waiting for us. When we arrived we only had 24 hours in Nairobi so we planned a visit to the Sheldrick Trust Elephant Orphanage and the Giraffe Center.
Penguins at Cape Point in South Africa.
The children they adopted elephants with their savings and were able to hold the babies they met at the orphanage. The next morning we woke up early and we flew by plane to Tanzania. We couldn't believe that it was finally time for the safari! After landing in A grassy track in Grumeti greeted us with Kim, our guide and driver for the next six days. During the short walk to Singita Serengeti House the show began: elephants and zebras crossed the road before our astonished eyes. And we hadn't seen anything yet.
When we arrive at our three-bedroom suite with views of the savannah already overwhelmed our amazement. The following days were filled with outdoor lunches, views of the elephants looking for food in the bushes by the pool, sunset drinks with local dances and musical groups... Also We went to Faru Faru Lodge and discovered another very special experience, this time in another corner of the Grumeti reserve. It was very difficult to say goodbye after five such magical days, in which we left behind indelible moments.
Safari in Tanzania with Singita.
But you had to go on heading south. Johannesburg, to be exact. There, at Satyagraha House, Gandhi's residence during his early years in South Africa, now converted into a hotel, we verify the beauty of a place that is also a museum of immense beauty.
The next morning we took off early in the direction of Singita Lebombo, in the Krueger National Park. After another landing in the middle of nowhere we drove to a completely different landscape: Lebombo is located along a river and offers stunning views from its luxurious cabins. There we enjoyed long safaris, we followed the tracks that led us to the hiding place of a rhinoceros, we tried to follow the swift trail of a cheetah for hours and watched lions hunt at night. A surprise lunch by the river was another one of those moments that will remain forever in our memory.
The Roho elephant, orphaned by poaching, seen by one of the child protagonists of this story.
The surfing soul of our family was eager to get back to shore and drive around in search of the best waves. Jeffreys Bay is known as one of the best places in the world to find them, with a small town surrounded by beautiful dunes. We stayed in a dream villa in African Perfection, ate braai (as they call barbecue in South Africa), we saw the dolphins together with the surfers and enjoyed the best breakfast –and the nutritious shakes!– of the city.
In fact, we decided right away that we could live in Jeffreys Bay. Our friend Thys, owner of Rebel Surfboards, invited us to meet the children of Pellsrus, a developing community with which he does a commendable job, and our children could not have been more excited to enter the water with their new friends, who were also excellent surfers.
A week passed and we continue south to Cape Town, where we spend two nights in Victoria Bay. It was our last stop on a trip which, let us not forget, had an important objective: to meet our family and friends, to connect with part of us. They waited before us three weeks dedicated to squeezing the city, but the Covid-19 reached our route and, therefore, the abrupt farewell arrived. Still we will never forget the day we drove for a whole day to reach Punta del Cabo and say hello to the penguins at Fish Hoek. It was there, on the other side of where it all began, when we realized that Africa manages like no other place in the world to find a place in your heart to sow the desire to return. The desire for more. And so it will be.