My strange African lion safari
On holiday in Tanzania, we booked an African lion safari taking us deep into the African bush. We visited the Serengeti National Park, and it was here we took our first lion pictures. It was a magical experience to be so near these magnificent creatures and we were lucky enough to observe the courtship ritual, then to watch the lion mating from a distance about 50 meters. You probably are wondering why I am telling you about my experience on this Africa lion safari, when this site is about Norway. Well maybe this little story will explain things. I was working in Zambia for an American company, and it was during this time I was on holiday in Tanzania. I have no idea what is like today, but in the late 60s they didn’t cater very much for tourists. I had always wanted to go on an African lion safari, so I decided now was my chance There were four in our party, and we had driven from Mufalira in the Zambian copper belt, through the Belgian Congo into Tanzania. After the African lion safari, we booked into a small “Hotel” in the bush. We planned to spend the night here, and then drive back to Zambia the next day. It was the rainy season, so we were a bit worried about the roads being washed away. They were not exactly tarmac roads but only hard packed sand gravel, or marl. That evening we sat in the “Dining Room” eating supper, when two rough looking characters came in and sat down at the next table. They wore bush hats and both had beards. We exchanged a few words and introduced ourselves. We agreed to meet in the “Bar” later. The Bar was three tables and some chairs under a canvas roof supported by wooden poles. We discussed the weather situation and they advised us to wait a couple of days before setting off to Zambia, as the roads where flooded and dangerous. They had travelled by jeep from Zaire, known as the Belgian Congo at that time, nd they were on the way to the Serengeti National Park to take animal photographs for a magazine. They had booked an African lion safari the same as we had done. As we didn’t have a four wheel drive, we decided to heed their advice and wait for better weather. One of them told us he was a Norwegian and had been in Africa for 15 years. The other one was from South Africa and was born there. They were hunters and had known each other for 8 years. Next morning when we went to breakfast, there was no sign of our hunters. I asked the waiter if he had seen them, and he told us they had left at first light, 5 am, and were on their way to the African lion safari. Many years later when I was working on the oil rigs, we worked 3 weeks off-shore and 2 weeks onshore. It was during one of my week’s on-shore, in a Town called Sandnes that a very strange thing happened. I was having lunch with some workmates in a little café near the rig workshops. I had been telling them about the copper mines were I had worked in Zambia and there was a lot of questions being fired at me. I noticed an elderly lady sitting at a nearby table, and she was obviously interested in our conversation. Later, as we were leaving, she called me back, and told me she had a son who had been in Africa for many years, but she had lost touch with him. She explained further that his name was Erik Helvik, and he was 26 years old when he left to work in Africa. The name rang a bell, and I realised to my surprise, that this name I had heard before. This was the name of the Norwegian hunter I had met in the African bush over 8 years ago. I told her how and where we had met, and tears sprang to her eyes. At least now she knew he was still alive. I never saw this lady again but I’m sure it helped her a great deal after hearing that he was alive and well at that time anyway. At the time of the meeting in Africa, I had not even heard of Sandnes, and all I knew about Norway, it was a country with snow, mountains and fjords. It really is a small world.
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