FALPhil wrote:

I did not "hunt" in the normal sense. I was working for a company under government contract.

This your telling us but not telling us way to say you were a PMC (Private Military Contractor) over there ??

Dimitri

Dimitri wrote:

FALPhil wrote: I did not "hunt" in the normal sense. I was working for a company under government contract. This your telling us but not telling us way to say you were a PMC (Private Military Contractor) over there ?? Dimitri

Nothing so glamorous, D. I was a kind of courier who did some additional observation and picture taking while working in an entirely above board commercial operation. I didn't even turn my stuff over to anyone until I was back in the States, although a couple of items were radioed ahead.

I dont know what "above board" means.

Anyways I had to ask cause you said that you didn't "hunt" in the normal sense and there were alot of PMC's over there as far as I've read in that time period.

Dimitri

Dimitri wrote:

I dont know what "above board" means. Anyways I had to ask cause you said that you didn't "hunt" in the normal sense and there were alot of PMC's over there as far as I've read in that time period. Dimitri

"Above board" means entirely legal and ethical.

And, yes, there were more than a few "operators" over there. I ran into a few Rhodesians that were in LM, supposedly "on holiday" who were more than likely working with RENAMO. These guys were in top physical shape and they weren't interested in the beach, drinking, or women. You do the math. A lot of Portuguese military types were still hanging around as well.

Farther up the coast in Dar es Salaam was where I was doing most of my observations. The Red Chinese were there in force, ostensibly to build a hydroelectric dam. Problem was, Idi Amin's victims kept clogging the river and the Reds got a little annoyed. I got thrown in jail there for my skin color (how many white guys do you know that can say that?). It was a shakedown, and once the skipper paid the ransom, they let us out. The wildlife outside of Dar es Salaam was pretty spectacular, once you get past civilization. I saw lots of crocs (getting fat courtesy of Amin), cheetahs, and giraffes. Giraffes are really weird the first time you see them. You can see them a long way off and you always think you are closer than you are. They were very wary; I guess they had been hunted. We never got real close.

But Kenya was the best, primarily because I had more time for myself. An interesting side note - while I was in Kenya, I learned that handloading was a crime punishable by death. I never could figure out the reason for that. You didn't see near as many military weapons in Kenya as you did in Moçambique or Tanzania, which in both of the other countries, the military also served as police.

If I can find some, I will post some of the wildlife pictures I took. I will have to scan them, since this was decades before digital cameras.

Neat Phil. I must admit I know no one else that got thrown in jail for being white.

Well if you find the pictures I'd enjoy seeing them.

Dimitri