There are all sorts of sad sights to be seen in Africa. Poverty, disease, drought, famine, child soldiers, animals of every kind being sold as food…. you name it and you will eventually see it. But even among all of that, there can be hope, freedom, and hilarity. There was a road I traveled frequently – wait, before I go further let me say that the word ‘road’ is used in the loosest possible sense of the word; dirt path used for years is a more apt description. At any rate, on this road was always a man selling puppies and those puppies had a ‘babysitter’. The babysitter was a small spider monkey. It not only watched the puppies and kept them in line but also observed everything going on around it. It was unnerving at first to see such a thing but, like many other sights, it soon became just a part of the neighbourhood and if I saw the monkey watching me I would wave. Just being neighbourly, you know. This went on for months until one day the monkey had company. About 10 other monkeys worth of company and they were all chained together with a rope. It was apparent that the new monkeys were not happy about the situation and I couldn’t help but wonder if they were to be sold as food or pets. The babysitter must have also had the same thoughts as I watched him worry the rope binding them all together. Again, like all such things, it became part of the routine to drive by and see the gang on the “corner” and wave if my ‘old friend’ was looking. Then came the day I got stuck in the dirt and spent a minute or two extracting the vehicle before continuing past. This was evidently the “moment” the monkeys had been waiting for. As everyone around was entranced with watching the white woman jockey her vehicle back and forth while revving the engine the monkeys worked their way out of the rope and made a break for it – straight towards me. Up and over the vehicle and off in the distance they went. There was quite an uproar as the monkeys made their great escape; everyone was yelling and rushing at me and I concentrated on getting out of there as fast as possible. After a few kilometers there was a banging on the roof, I thought from something being thrown, along with people pointing and yelling in my direction. It seemed that the best course of action was to keep driving and get to the safety of my compound. Upon arriving, the guards freaked out, yelling and pointing at me, and refusing to open the gate. Now I was truly concerned (scared is a better word) but before I could take any action a little furry hand reached down and slapped the front window. Ah-ha! The light bulb in my head popped on and the realization that all the yelling, rushing, pointing and banging was to point out that there were monkeys on board finally dawned. My old friend and some of his new buddies had taken refuge on my vehicle, counting on me to whisk them to safety. As soon as we came to a complete stop, the monkeys descended from their perch and scattered as fast as they could. It seems my little 'old friend' was pretty bright. He (or maybe she) watched me drive by, got to know the vehicle and waited patiently for the right moment. You have to give credit where credit is due. The great escape had been well planned, the time was right and the poor, unwitting sap (me) drove the get-away vehicle like she was born to it. Good thing they didn’t let me on the plan. My nerves would have ruined the whole thing!
There are all sorts of sad sights to be seen in Africa. Poverty, disease, drought, famine, child soldiers, animals of every kind being sold as food…. you name it and you will eventually see it. But even among all of that, there can be hope, freedom, and hilarity. There was a road I traveled frequently – wait, before I go further let me say that the word ‘road’ is used in the loosest possible sense of the word; dirt path used for years is a more apt description. At any rate, on this road was always a man selling puppies and those puppies had a ‘babysitter’. The babysitter was a small spider monkey. It not only watched the puppies and kept them in line but also observed everything going on around it. It was unnerving at first to see such a thing but, like many other sights, it soon became just a part of the neighbourhood and if I saw the monkey watching me I would wave. Just being neighbourly, you know. This went on for months until one day the monkey had company. About 10 other monkeys worth of company and they were all chained together with a rope. It was apparent that the new monkeys were not happy about the situation and I couldn’t help but wonder if they were to be sold as food or pets. The babysitter must have also had the same thoughts as I watched him worry the rope binding them all together. Again, like all such things, it became part of the routine to drive by and see the gang on the “corner” and wave if my ‘old friend’ was looking. Then came the day I got stuck in the dirt and spent a minute or two extracting the vehicle before continuing past. This was evidently the “moment” the monkeys had been waiting for. As everyone around was entranced with watching the white woman jockey her vehicle back and forth while revving the engine the monkeys worked their way out of the rope and made a break for it – straight towards me. Up and over the vehicle and off in the distance they went. There was quite an uproar as the monkeys made their great escape; everyone was yelling and rushing at me and I concentrated on getting out of there as fast as possible. After a few kilometers there was a banging on the roof, I thought from something being thrown, along with people pointing and yelling in my direction. It seemed that the best course of action was to keep driving and get to the safety of my compound. Upon arriving, the guards freaked out, yelling and pointing at me, and refusing to open the gate. Now I was truly concerned (scared is a better word) but before I could take any action a little furry hand reached down and slapped the front window. Ah-ha! The light bulb in my head popped on and the realization that all the yelling, rushing, pointing and banging was to point out that there were monkeys on board finally dawned. My old friend and some of his new buddies had taken refuge on my vehicle, counting on me to whisk them to safety. As soon as we came to a complete stop, the monkeys descended from their perch and scattered as fast as they could. It seems my little 'old friend' was pretty bright. He (or maybe she) watched me drive by, got to know the vehicle and waited patiently for the right moment. You have to give credit where credit is due. The great escape had been well planned, the time was right and the poor, unwitting sap (me) drove the get-away vehicle like she was born to it. Good thing they didn’t let me on the plan. My nerves would have ruined the whole thing!
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-Brian B