The Adventures of Dakota Rossi

Dakota Rossi took a Pan Am flight from Rome to Nairobi, Kenya. Her heart was no longer into climbing Mount Kilimanjaro while Paul was busy fighting the war. So, she decided to make the most of her situation and, as planned, climb Mount Kilimanjaro. Dakota checked in the Norfolk Hotel at the edge of the jungle. The hotel became famous when President Teddy Roosevelt launched his elephant-riding hunting safaris from that very spot. Lions and elephants had been shot by the late President Teddy Roosevelt in front of the Norfolk Hotel. The popular Norfolk Hotel offered British old-world charm and elegance. The Lord Delamere Cin Cin bar was a favorite meeting place for big-game hunters, famous actors, authors, and heads of state to share stories about hunting experiences. The local resistance to Adolf Hitler’s aggression used the Cin Cin bar to spy on the few Third Reich agitators in East Africa. The concierge welcomed Dakota and suggested to her, “You might want to visit the museum down the dirt road. It is where the skeleton of the huge elephant President Teddy Roosevelt shot and killed is on display, plus there’s an exhibit of green mambas, the deadliest snakes in Africa. The museum also has the largest collection of Kenyan prehistoric humans, with several human skulls over two million years old. Tomorrow morning, a bus will pick you up here at 9:00 a.m. to take you across the border to Arusha, Tanzania.” “Very interesting. I will definitely visit the museum since it is so close to here. I will also be ready to leave at 9:00 a.m. tomorrow.” “First, stop in the Cin Cin bar for a complementary Tuskers beer. It will refresh you in this heat.” “OK. Thanks. I will do it before going to the museum. I have never heard of Tuskers beer before.” “It is a local microbrewery and our national beer. We don’t export our beer, but guests often bring some Tuskers beer home after safari. Tea and crumpets will be served at 4:00 p.m.” “Thank you again for all your help, suggestions, and the beer, of course. I think I will take a walk to the museum after my Tuskers beer.” Dakota went to the Cin Cin bar and started a conversation with the bartender. “This beer is outstanding. I’d never heard of it before coming here.” “Yeah. Everyone likes our Tuskers. The big-game hunters love this bar. President Teddy Roosevelt took cases of Tuskers on his safaris. I am told that President Teddy Roosevelt was a born raconteur. He held everyone’s attention at this bar. They say his knowledge was encyclopedic, his intelligence monumental, his enthusiasm infectious, and his charm irresistible. He kept everyone in his company spellbound from one subject to another. He loved all people and people loved him.” “I heard he had a passion for adventure. He was before my time, too, but I would have loved to have known him.” “Me too. President Teddy Roosevelt was very courageous and loved by our staff at the Norfolk Hotel. He would also bring a lot of classic books to read on safari. He made our Norfolk Hotel famous.” Dakota, after two beers and marveling at the charm and pictures of President Teddy Roosevelt and other famous big-game hunters on the walls, walked back to the clerk at the front desk. “Thanks for the Tuskers beer. It was very good. I can see why people really like it here.” “Thank you, Miss Rossi. Oh, by the way, watch out for the flycatchers on the road to the museum.” “What is a flycatcher?” The clerk smiles, “A flycatcher is a con man who can run fast and disappear after he has taken your money for something fake and worthless. The flycatchers sell a lot of cheap, all expenses paid safaris—bogus, of course—to innocent tourists looking for a deal.” “I am not looking for souvenirs, but thanks for the advice.” When she entered the museum, a big sign on the wall read: Africa is the origin and epicenter of human history and development. It is the dark, mysterious continent from which the descendants of all people originally came, the beginning of mankind on the planet Earth. Then, as climate and living conditions changed over thousands of years, the great migration of people to distant lands occurred. Today, Africa remains a vast and diverse continent that is bigger than the United States, China, Australia, and Europe combined. Dakota looked at the ancient, prehistoric skulls millions of years old and was also fascinated by the skeleton of the huge bull elephant with ten-foot-long tusks that President Teddy Roosevelt shot while on safari with his son Kermit. She was warned that the indigenous green-and-brown mamba snakes were more deadly than a cobra and often crossed the road in front of the museum and Norfolk Hotel. The museum guide said, “Never confront a mamba, or the bite will kill you before you hit the ground. Leave them alone, and they will not bother you. Same as with humans and most animals.” Dakota picked a banana off of a tree and ate it on the way back to the Norfolk Hotel. She enjoyed learning more and more about Africa and how it attracted big-game hunters and people from all over the world hoping to reach the summit of Mount Kilimanjaro. She wondered if her father had also stayed at the Norfolk Hotel and visited the historic museum.