The original impetus for the Africa trip was the annual HBS Global Alumni Summit, which was held in Capetown, South Africa in 1999.  I had always wanted to go to Africa, and this was the final encouragement I needed.  I talked Terry Myerson, a friend of mine from Microsoft, into joining me for a couple weeks in southern Africa.  It was fascinating to get an economic viewpoint on what was happening in sub-Saharan Africa before touring around.  Capetown turned out to be a startlingly picturesque area, easily exceeding my expectations.  Botswana was the highlight of our safaris - watching a lion hunt from 15 feet away was nothing short of spectacular (not to mention a bit frightening).