Back Home After Another Fabulous Trip to Africa

I'm starting this without really knowing how I can adequately describe our trip. One would expect it to be much like the last one, but it was different in many ways. Each country is unique and has something wonderful to offer. This time the camps were more remote and we were without TV, wifi, etc for three weeks - totally unplugged, and it was wonderful!  We also had closer interaction with animals. They actually came into our camps at night - elephants, hippos, monkeys, impala, baboons, etc. We were walked to our tent at night and could not leave it until we were awakened by someone who checked the path and let us know all was clear. 

Before I tell you our animal experiences, let me say that we had a great group. Everyone got along well and interactions were easy and amiable. Tippy and I met Marilyn and Sandy (Boston) our first morning in Johannesburg and quickly agreed to a city tour together. The high point was the apartheid museum, which was so well done. Our favorite installation was a series of quotes from Nelson Mandala on several color-coded topics. There were bundles of rods in corresponding colors. The point was to choose the quotes that resonated with you, select a rod in the corresponding color and place it in one of several holders. When I finally get my photos organized, they should give a better representation of what I'm trying to describe. We also went to Mandela's early home (across the street from Desmond Tutu's), Soweto, and had local food at a restaurant nearby. We had a knowledgeable guide and I'm so glad we got to see some of the city before starting the tour. Others on our tour were from Arizona, California, Connecticut, and two Southern ladies from Waynesville, NC, and Decatur, GA.  There is a good chance our paths will cross again and it would be fun to compare memories of the trip.

The tour began and ended in Victoria Falls, Zimbabwe, but we didn't see the Falls until the end of our trip. We saw them from afar as we transferred to Kashawe Camp in Hwange National Park. We had a day of game viewing and then a day of visiting a local village and St. Mary's Primary School. The villagers gave us a good tour of their village and described their daily life. The school was a special treat as we had time to talk with the students. We were amazed at the cleanliness of the village and all of the countries we visited. There was no litter anywhere. When we were on game drives and needed a bathroom/bush break, we were given bags to put the TP in rather than leaving it behind!! 

It was one of the first nights that we had an animal encounter in camp. Many of us were having trouble sleeping in the beginning and I was "hovering", as I call it - as much awake as asleep, when I heard what sounded like two huge explosions of flatulence! I then got a strong whiff of urine. I knew something was outside, so I got up (3:30am) and looked out the window. Sure enough, elephants munching on bushes between our tent and the next one. The amazing thing is that they are quiet, just munching. I'm just standing there watching them when the guy in the next tent blasts his air gun, which is to be used for threatening (life or death!) situations. At the sound of the air horn, the elephants begin trumpeting and running away.....toward our tent. They got away safely without damaging anything. We hated that they were frightened because they weren't harming anyone, and Charlie, who fired the air gun, got a lot of ribbing the next morning!

View from our cabin on the river.

From Kashawe we flew to Lufupa River Camp in Kafue, Zambia.  We landed on a dirt runway that was a great game viewing spot at night when the animals took over the runway. This was one of my favorite camps as it was right on the river - lovely and relaxing. The camp also had a great guide, Isaac. He knew everything about animals, birds, and plants associated with the river, then at night, he would tell us about the constellations! Amazing! One evening we took a cruise and had sundowners as we watched the sun set. It was here that we could hear hippos swish in and out of the water as they grazed at night. We grew to enjoy all of their grunting and guffawing at night. It was also this camp that had their own resident warthogs - Lulu and her kids, who slept under the porch of cabin #4! We were also surprised one lunchtime when we had lunch out in the bush. They brought everything out to us and it was like something you would see in a movie! Food was cooked on the spot and we even had a bar. It was amazing! As we were sitting there, an impala and a warthog ambled by....can't get much better than that!

After three days at Lufupa River Camp, we flew to Baobab 2 Camp in Chobe National Park. Botswana reminded me a lot of Tanzania, which I loved. It was definitely greener than Zimbabwe and Zambia and had rivers and streams flowing through it. It also had more animals and larger herds than we had seen thus far. Our camp had a small watering hole and in the evenings the baboons, impala, etc. would come for water. In addition to our usual game drives, some women came in one afternoon to show use their woven baskets. It was interesting to learn how they got their colors, and their products reminded me a lot of the basketwork done here.

From Baobab 2, we went to Saguni Lodge in the Okavango Delta. Certain times of the year this area floods, but even with low rainfall over the last year, there were still fingerlets and channels weaving their way throughout the area.  One afternoon we explored the delta via mokoro, a dugout boat powered by a man with a pole. We were at eye level with hippos, crocs, etc. The high point was when we came upon a herd of elephants crossing the stream. The matriarch stood on one bank and kept a careful eye on us until all had gotten across. She then crossed. It was amazing and before I could video it, my camera battery died!!

It was here that we had a sudden storm one night. We could hear the wind growing and suddenly it blew a lamp and glass off the bedside table. Tippy and I hopped up to close the windows, then realizing that we probably should allow the air to blow through, just not as much as before.  Tippy pushed her bed closer to mind to get away from a window, but I suggested we leave space between them in case we needed to hunker down between them if things began to fall. It was really that bad. To make matters worse, our bathroom had a tarp over the top and one side of it came unanchored and whipped back and forth with the wind. The next morning we reported the damage and the camp manager offered us an upgrade to an executive cabin. It was wonderful to see how the other half live and we were situated right on the lagoon. We heard hippos cavorting all night.

This part of our trip drew to a close in Victoria Falls, and we finally get to see them. Some in our group did the helicopter ride but we did the river walk. The falls generate so much mist that we were issued raincoats. The falls could be heard and the mist seen long before we actually saw the falls. Needless to say, they were amazing. The video shows only one section and there were something like 12 viewing points over about a mile. In addition to the falls, I like the town of Victoria Falls. We spent much of one morning at the colonial Edwardian Victoria Falls Hotel. It was truly from another time and absolutely beautiful. The town also had lots of shops of various quality and it was fun to browse. Our final meal was a dinner cruise down the Zambezi River. Although it rained, it was still a nice evening.




It was here that two couples ended their trip and the rest of us went on to Cape Town, which we really loved. I'm so glad we added this to the original trip. We did the usual things - Table Mountain, Cape of Good Hope, Kirstenbosch National Botanical Graden, the Boulder Beach penguin colony, the waterfront, etc. We also had one day of wine tasting in a very scenic area. The whole area was beautiful and dramatic. We had a nice morning on Table Mountain and, by the time we were leaving, clouds were coming in and hovering over the mountains. The scene almost seemed to change by the minute.

Random thoughts:

• You might think that if you've seen one animal, you've seen them all. Not so - the zebras in this area have a white, black and beige stripe, so they generally appear darker than those we saw in Kenya and Tanzania. The giraffes also appeared more muted in color than those we saw last year. In every country, we saw animals we had never heard of....and birds, birds, birds!!
• In all of our camps, the common lounge and dining room were open on three sides, which was wonderful. It gave us a great feeling of being part of nature. We had several "loos with a view" - private, but with an open window that looked right out into the great beyond.
• Like last year, the food was outstanding. There were three vegetarians in the group and we were well cared for. We would have an early breakfast, stop for tea, coffee, and cookies around 10am, then lunch. Since it was hot, we had free time from lunchtime until around 3:30, when we would have another snack before a game drive. We would end the game drive with sundowners as we watched the sun go down. Then, back to camp for dinner. Needless to say, I didn't lose weight!!
• It is always a treat to just observe the animals. I was pleased with my camera and I have loads of photos. This time we did get to see a leopard up close and personal, as well as 8-9 lions sleeping under a tree after a kill. Elephants are always amazing to see, and warthogs are among my favorites. 
• I also met my role model - Alice, 86, from San Francisco, with her 79-year-old man-friend of 40+ years, Henno. They never missed a beat and were delightful to be with. She kept referring to us as "you kids" which delighted us all. They were amazing.

I know I'm leaving out so much but I hope to better tell the story when I get my photos organized. Paulette, one of our group from Arizona, is an archivist and took copious notes, which she will share with us. That should be a great roadmap for putting photos together. I'm looking forward to reading it and reliving the whole thing! We were not disappointed and each day was a new adventure with so much to do and see. I would go back again!!

Before I share a few animal photos, the trip did start on a sad note. Mama Mia stopped eating again and I was in great turmoil the week before leaving. I knew I couldn't leave her care to Curtis and most likely she would not be here when I got back. So, on the Thursday before our trip, I had her put to sleep. It is such a difficult decision to make and I was a weepy mess. I ran into a neighbor at the vet and she sat with me until they called us into the office. If it had to be done, I wanted to be with her and not leave her to strangers. It was not easy for her and I hated that part, but I was with her. Since being back, I looked at photos I took of her before I left and I realized I probably should have done it sooner. I didn't have time to think about it  much while on the trip, but the house certainly seems empty without her.