Ua hoʻolaha aku ka ʻĀpana Hoʻokipa ʻo Zambia i ka make ʻana o Ben Parker, Lunahoomalu a me Co-hoʻokumu o Tongabezi. Heluhelu ʻia ka hoʻolaha:
Ua kaumaha loa mākou e haʻi aku ua neʻe aku ka luna a me Co-hoʻokumu o Tongabezi, ʻo Ben Parker, i nā huakaʻi nui aʻe ma hope o ka hakakā wiwo ʻole i ka maʻi ʻaʻai.
Aia ko mākou mau manaʻo me kona ʻohana, kāna wahine ʻo Vanessa, kāna mau kaikamahine ʻo Natasha, Acacia a me Tamara a me kona kaikaina a me kona kaikuahine ʻo Stephen lāua ʻo Naomi.
Ua hele mua ʻo Ben i ʻApelika ma ka wā hoʻomaha kula. Ua hoʻomākeʻaka ʻo ia no ka noho wale ʻana no ka ua i ka lā i makemake ʻia ai ʻo ia e hele i ke kahua mokulele, akā ʻo ka pili maoli o kona ʻuhane me ka ʻuhane o ʻApelika e ʻae iā ia e haʻalele.
Ua aloha ʻo Ben iā Zambia me ke aloha nui i hiki ʻole iā Zambia ke hana i kekahi mea akā aloha iā ia. Ke hoʻomanaʻo pinepine nei nā kamaʻāina, ua hōʻea ʻo Ben i Livingstone i kahi Microlight me nā lana. Ua hoʻomaka ʻo ia a me Will Ruck Keene iā Tongabezi me nā halelewa ʻehā wale nō a me kekahi mau pāʻina bākeke, akā mai ia manawa a me ka nalowale nui ʻana o Will i kahi ulia kaʻa, ua hoʻolilo ʻo Ben i kā lāua moemoeā i hoʻokahi o 20 mau hōkele kiʻekiʻe o Conde Nast ma ka honua.
Ua hoʻololi ʻo Ben i ka maka o ka huakaʻi a Zambian ma o kona makemake no ka hoʻomau a me nā kaiāulu hāpai. I kēia, ua kōkua ʻia ʻo ia e ke aloha o kona ola, ʻo Vanessa, ka mea nāna i mālama i ke kula ʻo Tongabezi Trust ma ke ʻano manawaleʻa no nā makahiki 23 i hala.
E kanikau mākou āpau i ka lilo o Ben akā e hoʻomau mākou i kāna hoʻoilina ma Tongabezi e hele nei. ʻO Rudy Boribon ma ka poʻo o Tongabezi ʻoiai ʻo ia no 12 mau makahiki a e hōʻoia e ulu ka ʻike a Ben. ʻO ko Ben kaikaina ʻo Stephen - ʻo ia ke alakaʻi o Tongabezi no 16 mau makahiki i hala aku nei - e lilo i luna o ka papa a ʻo kāna kaikamahine ʻo Natasha e hoʻomau i kāna kuleana ma ke ʻano he mana hoʻokele kikohoʻe.
Eʻoluʻolu e kamaʻilio:
Rudy ma [pale ʻia ka leka uila] no nā nīnau nui
Hanohano ma [pale ʻia ka leka uila] no nā nīnau a ka ʻākena & kūʻai aku
Anna ma [pale ʻia ka leka uila] no nā nīnau e pili ana i ke kūʻai aku ʻana uila, a
Natasha ma [pale ʻia ka leka uila] me nā leka pilikino no ka ʻohana i kēia manawa paʻakikī.
He aha e lawe ʻia mai kēia ʻatikala:
- He always joked that he only stayed because it was raining on the day he was meant to hitchhike to the airport, but really his soul was simply too aligned with the spirit of Africa to allow him to leave.
- He and Will Ruck Keene started Tongabezi with only four tents and a few bucket showers, but since then and despite the tragic loss of Will to a car accident, Ben turned their dream into one of Conde Nast's top 20 hotels in the world.
- In this, he was helped by the love of his life, Vanessa, who has run the Tongabezi Trust School on a volunteer basis for the last 23 years.
