COUNTING STARS FROM THE ROAD
Kevan Hyett recalls an unexpected celestial encounter in the Serengeti
We were standing next to a dirt road, on a ridge overlooking the great plains of the Serengeti National Park in northern Tanzania. It was early February 1973 and there was not a lot of game about where we were. We were on a London to Cape Town overland trip via West and East Africa, and we were taking a late morning break, chatting by the side of the road. No one else was about.
Presently, we saw some dust on the road behind us, and a short-wheelbase Land Rover pulled up. Two guys were in it. They said, “Hello, everything okay?”
After a pleasant exchange, including laughing about the fact that they had left London two months after we had and now here we all were together, we said we were behind schedule as we had stopped at every bar we had come across. One of our party told the passenger from the Landy that he looked familiar. Where was he from?
Hawaii, was the answer, but it did not register — we had not seen a TV for months.
Later we realised it was James MacArthur from Hawaii Five-O! MacArthur played Danny “Danno” Williams in the famous original detective TV series, which aired from 1968 to 1980.
Who can forget character Steve McGarrett’s immortal words — which often ended the episodes — “Book him Danno!”
It was only 15 minutes but none of us clicked. “The Notebook” is about chance meetings and unforgettable encounters people have had on their travels. Mail your story — no more than 400 words —with the word Notebook in the subject line. If published, you win R500. Mail travelmag@sundaytimes.co.za