The Last Stop Safari Shop by Clair Cholajda

Evelyn walked towards the cluster of flame lilies, each one a cup of flickering scarlet edged with trickling gold, growing up from the deep, rich, red African soil. She bent down gently stretched her arms around them, just able to touch her fingers

together, and breathed in deeply. The smell of green … only here on this land.

In the late 1980’s and early 1990’s three young people, whose life experiences and personalities couldn’t be more different, and each of whom carry deep emotional scars travel to Tanzania.

Interior designer Marius discovers that decorating luxury safari lodges in the heat and dust and sometimes torrential rains in remote Africa is very different from the luxury homes in Cape Town.

Astrid has finally fulfilled her dream of flying to Africa leaving behind her cold psychoanalyst parents in Switzerland. To her dismay, she discovers that not only do wild animals not line the streets, but to go on a safari is way beyond her budget.

Evelyn, a war widow, returns to Zimbabwe after eight lonely years in England, to help with family’s rhino conservation. She is unprepared for what unfolds as her senses return in the warmth of the African sun.

By digging deep and finding their inner resources, paths cross and unlikely friendships are formed. Under the transformative power of the ‘Africa-ness’ of Africa, all three individuals begin to heal and embrace their lives.

About the Author:

CLAIR CHOLAJDA was born in Zambia, near the Congo border and grew up in Zimbabwe before settling in Australia. It was only on her first safari with her family in 2005 that she fell in love with the African bush. Wanting to make a contribution

to conservation, she set up a travel company selling safaris that ‘does good’ work. Her other job is as a clinical psychologist in Hobart.