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Trip of a Lifetime: Ultimate Africa: Day 14 Part 3

14.3-HEADER

November 16, 2015 9:18P post cont …

After our visit to St. Mary’s School we returned to Kashawe Camp in Hwange National Park. Just after passing through the boom gate we spotted a lioness walking in the grass. She was on her way to lie down in the shade of a tree. As we zoomed in with our cameras we discovered she had a rather nasty scar around her neck. Our guide, Mafuka, said it was from a snare trap and that he was aware of this particular lioness. He explained that the park wildlife reserve will soon be coming to treat her wounds.

Wounded lioness walking towards the shade.

Our evening game drive started out with a nasty flat tire. Our guide, Thabani, quickly resolved the situation and we were back on the dirt road. We soon encountered a giant “obstinacy” (herd) of cape buffalo. These animals appear incredibly curious as they all stop to stare at us in our parked jeep. As long as we sat there, they stood there watching.

Cape buffalo carefully watching us.

The drive continued without much excitement until we got word from another jeep that there was a pack of 19 painted dogs nearby ‘Painted dogs?’ I thought. I had never heard of such a thing. Thabani stepped on the gas and hurried us to where they were just spotted. Who would have imagined wild dogs could be so beautiful. Their mottled black, beige and white coats are stunning. They have large round ears and dark brown circles around their eyes. What a peculiar yet handsome sight!

Painted wild dog in Hwange National Park

The dogs were quick to move as they were hungry and hoping to find food before sundown. Our jeep was on the road looking down from a low ridge and the dogs disappeared for a moment but then we found them again. They had identified a potential meal: a lone female kudu and the hunt began. Oh wow! How lucky are we to see nature in full action. The kudu went into the river as her protection against the dogs who were pacing back and forth surrounding her. The hunt lasted over a half hour – right through sundown. At one point (probably twenty minutes into the hunt) every one of the dogs disappeared. This was a strategy to confuse the kudu into thinking she was safe to leave the water, which she did, and the dogs instantly reappeared. Quickly, the kudu escaped back into the water and now the dogs became more aggressive. They started entering the water in a drawn-out relentless hunt to secure their dinner. As they drew in close, water was splashing everywhere and with the night sky around us it was impossible for my little camera to capture the final kill. But we could see it from where we all stood at the edge of the bluff. After a 30 or so minute hunt the dogs succeeded in killing the poor kudu. They all piled on top of her and in less than three minutes she was eaten. What a rare sight to witness – talk about National Geographic live and in person!

Painted dogs have the female kudu trapped in the river.

Painted dogs desperately trying to get close enough to make their kill.

I also caught some pictures of the beautiful sunset behind us. Those of us who chose to go on this game drive were so excited to brag about our discovery to the rest of the group when we returned to camp. “Good good” as Vitalis would say.

Expecting rain, we all gathered outside around the crackling fire of the “boma” for some entertainment before dinner. Over the bluff, the distant overcast night sky was being lit up in a deep maroon by the oncoming showcase of lightening. The staff formed a drum circle and performed for us and we followed by them singing the African national anthem. It was beautiful. Next, Judy led our group in “The Hokey Pokey” and the staff all joined in. We all laughed and danced and sang together. It was so much fun!

This is a shot of the boma during the daytime.

Next, Sally announced that dinner was served. First, there was soup and then the main course was served buffet style. As I’ve mentioned before, I love our dinner conversations. There’s always so much laughter and new discovery as you get to know the local staff.

Now, I’m propped up in my cozy bed. For the last 45 minutes or so we’ve been listening to the intimidating mating grunts of a leopard. He seems to be getting closer. Despite the other mating sounds we’ve heard, including the lion which I actually find quite soothing, the leopard mating call is a little scary. I hope he doesn’t decide to come up on our front porch. The winds have really picked up and are actually sounding rather ferocious. I hope, if it does rain tonight, it’s a nice gentle rain. But just in case of a storm, Aryn and I are setting our night stand lamps down on the floor (to avoid them being knocked over by the wind) and unplugging our phone chargers.

Nite nite!

January 22, 2016 by Brian

Travel, Uncategorized

Trip of a Lifetime: Ultimate Africa: Day 14 Part 2

14.2-HEADER

November 16, 2015 cont …

9:18P

Back from dinner and drum entertaining and dancing around the boma. For our presentation we performed the hokey-pokey again. All the staff members joined in and danced with us. It was really fun and nice to drink a local beer (Zambezi) by the campfire.

So, anyway, back to our list at the Lukosa Homestead. As we were sitting there in the “summer kitchen” we all went around and told our names and where we were from. Then each of the villagers, minus the small children, who were only seen and not heard and very well-behaved, told us their names, marital status and how many children (and grandchildren) they had.

The women of the homestead were seated on a mat on the floor inside the summer kitchen.

Shalom, the first twenty-some year-old boy, translated for the headman as he explained the men’s duties in the homestead and his wife, via her grandson, who was the older young man, told us about the women’s role in the homestead. We were then encouraged to ask questions followed by them inquiring about our life and culture back home. They were particularly interested to learn about our process of getting married, weddings, and having children. They were intrigued to learn that some married couples in our culture choose to never have kids. The woman then brought in a tall wooden receptacle that resembled a butter churn and two long wooden poles. Inside the receptacle they placed grain and used the wooden poles to pound down on the corn, alternating one pound at a time forming a fast engine-like motion. By doing this for hours they would eventually create cornmeal. To help pass the time the ladies would sing while they worked. The grandson who had now taken over the tour, translated the song’s lyrics: “Those who work will prosper and those who are lazy will suffer.”

Women making cornmeal

(Note: We are now hearing the deep grunting of a leopard right outside our tent – yeesh!)

The grandson then gave us a tour of some of the structures around the homestead.

Young man giving us a tour of the village. Beside him is the village “headman.”

We were able to go inside the girls hut because it was “the tidiest hut in the homestead.” Haha! The boys hut was off limits to our viewing because it was “messy.”

The girls room

We also went inside of the “winter kitchen.” This is where the women do their cooking when it gets cold out because it’s more enclosed that the “summer kitchen.” Interestingly enough, this winter kitchen is also where they hold “calling hours” for viewing a dead family member before they are buried. The room was very simple. It, like the “summer kitchen,” was round. We were told the kitchens are intentionally designed this way because snakes like to hide in corners. The villagers build their kitchens round so there are no corners for the snakes to hide. Against one of the walls was a case of shelves and in the middle was a small fire covered by a metal grate. On it sat a cast iron kettle with two small cast iron pots beside it on the ground. The structures where everyone slept (the girls’ bedroom, boys’ bedroom and headman’s house) were all square.

Inside the winter kitchen

After the tour we returned to the cool summer kitchen for “bush tea”, coffee and delicious rosemary shortbread cookies.

The young man being very hospitable and serving the “bush tea,” coffee and cookies.

We were also given the option of eating home-cooked mopane worms – yes, you read this correctly – WORMS! This was a very interesting experience. Vitals informed us prior to arriving in the village that the women would not be offended if we declined eating them. The worms come from the mopane trees and are loaded in nutrients. They were first boiled in water, then fried with onions and tomatoes. As the bowl was passed around, I took one of the worms. I mean, why not? When in Rome … right? The worms were crunchy on the outside and squishy on the inside. Their flavor closely resembled that of a sardine. Hmmm … no regrets but not exactly on my most favorite list.

Village woman offering us some mopane worms

As we enjoyed our morning tea and coffee, the learning and discovery continued as we were told that when a young man is talking one-on-one to an elder he never looks him directly in the eye or if the elder is seated the young man never remains standing so that he is above the elder’s head. Eye contact is considered a form of aggression and standing above an elder is disrespectful. So the young man must kneel or be seated. I did not notice this behavior during our visit to the village.

Overall, visiting the Lukosa homestead was an amazing experience. The family was so grateful for all the groceries and cleaning supplies we brought them. It was wonderful to see smiles on all of their faces.

I love the smiles on the faces of the villagers.

Next, we took the minibus to St. Mary’s School. There, some of the kids came outside to greet us with a song.

The boys and girls of St. Mary’s School in Zimbabwe greeting us with a song.

We were able to visit three different classrooms (the 1st graders, a computer room and the 4th graders). In the 4th grade class we sat down amongst the students and talked with them. They were still learning English but able to communicate pretty well with us. I sat at a table with Cheryl and the kids told us about their favorite sports and games to play at lunch time and what they were learning.

Sitting down with the 4th Graders at St. Mary’s.

One particular boy was very enthusiastic in answering our questions and even read us a long paragraph from his English textbook. It was so heart-warming to see the excitement in all their faces. They loved having their pictures taken and insisted on us showing them their picture from our digital cameras. Each of these kids had their own pencil, broken in half from a full one. There were also aluminum soup cans on their desks filled with rocks or corn kernels. This was what they used to learn math.

One of the boys eagerly reading to Cheryl and I.

The school’s principal was grateful for all the gifts we donated including reading books, coloring books, deflated soccer balls, pencils, pens and crayons.

Some of these students walk up to 6 km a day to get to school and then, of course, another 6 km to return home. This made me ask Vitalis if they had to worry about encountering wild animals during their walk. Vitalis explained that the kids are only walking when their is, at least, some daylight and they are taught what to look out for and how to respond. However, he said, there aren’t too many encounters with animals except for elephants. Then he chuckled and explained that the elephants have learned to avoid and actually will run away when they hear children coming. This is because children will sick their dogs on an elephant who is too big to stop a small dog as it darts in between and around their legs. This behavior exhausts the elephant who then gives up. Additionally, find out if using a cbd for dogs is safe if you have any pets.

In addition, Vitalis said that children used to roll tires over to an elephant who would pick up the tire with its trunk and throw it down. The rubber tire would then bounce back up and all over the place. This frustrated and exhausted the elephant who didn’t expect the tire to bounce so they would eventually give up and walk away in frustration. So because of this, Vitalis stated that as soon as elephants hear the sound of children coming, they take off to avoid these frustrations. I thought this was an interesting and hilarious look into the life of the locals.

I have thoroughly enjoyed all the new learning and discovery throughout this trip.

January 20, 2016 by Brian

Travel

Trip of a Lifetime: Ultimate Africa: Day 12

November 14, 2015 – 7:30A

Today is my dad’s birthday! Happy Birthday Dad from Zambia!

We are getting ready to take off on our 12-seater “puddle jumper” plane to leave Zambia for Zimbabwe (or “Zim Zim” as Vitalis calls it). Zimbabwe is his homeland and you can tell he is both proud and excited to show us some of its highlights. Unfortunately, Zimbabwe’s unemployment rate is 80%. Yikes! Many of its unemployed are earning money by selling their hand-carved and handmade goods (i.e. sandstone and wood carvings). Our pilots again are Julie and Shane. Skies are clear and the sun is shining. It’s tough to leave this particular camp. The riverfront view from the main lodge and our “tent” was spectacular.

Last night, I woke up briefly around 1:30a to use the bathroom and heard footsteps in the grass outside our tent. I turned off the oscillating fan for a better listen and discovered there were two hippos using the “hippo highway” right along side our front porch. One at a time, they splashed into the water. I then, turned back on the fan, walked through the mosquito netting, and got back into bed. While we were getting ready this morning, Aryn said she had been awake and heard them as well.

I woke up to my 5:30a cell phone alarm (a half hour earlier than our wake-up call from the camp staff). I planned this to give myself some extra time to sit out on our front porch. As I stepped outside, all wrapped up in my giant white comforter, I checked my surroundings for hippos. As soon as I knew the coast was clear, I sat down on one of the director’s chairs with my feet stretched out before me and gazed out at the morning view of the beautiful Kafue River. The reflection of the trees in the water across the river was stunningly perfect. The staff informed us that the water level is currently down around ten feet due to the lack of rain. From my vantage point, the benefit to the drought is the ability to see the intimately-woven root system of the trees exposed along the river bank. The low waters also allow the hippos to stand on the river’s bottom and poke their eyes up and look around. I saw a couple pairs of hippo eyes popping up this morning, as well as, a couple of fish jumping up out of the water. I could have sat there for hours. It was so peaceful. It was perfect!

Morning view of the Kafue River from my tents front porch. Zambia 2015

As I was sitting there thinking, I recalled saying to the group during one of our recent game drives that with all the magnificent animals and scenery we’ve experienced: “I expect my afterglow from this trip to last me a whole year.” After saying this, Norma turned to me in the jeep and said: “Brian, it will last you the rest of your life.” I bet she’s right.

Now, we are flying at 10,900 feet with beautiful views of the green “bush” all around. So far, it’s been a smooth flight. Thank you Julie and Shane!

Vitalis told us that on our way to our next camp, Hwange National Park, we are stopping to look at fabrics. Should be interesting. I know Aryn’s mom, Judy, is very excited as she hopes to buy a huge variety of bright colors to make things when she returns home. Vitalis told the women in our group that he would pay for the first round of fabric. His idea is that they are to bring one of their fabrics to the homestead we are going to visit and the women there will show them how to properly tie it around their waist.

On a side note, I find it interesting how the staff at each of these tented camps will spend months away from their families. They either work for 3 months with one month back home with their families or work for 2 months with eighteen days off back home. That must be a hard schedule but they say they love it. We’ve learned that some of the single staff members end up dating some of the other single staff members and, sometimes, marrying them. Makes sense because these are the people with whom they spend most of their time.

On another side note, I must say that I have been very fortunate with the choice of anti-malaria pill (Proguanil) that I was prescribed by Passport Health back home. Even though the bottle lists no specific instructions, I have always taken it will food and have yet to experience any stomach issues.

We are now flying over a large blue lake. Spanning from its breadth is an intricate system of rivers stretching and turning in all different directions. What a spectacular perspective we have from this height. I’m really hoping for some Wifi at the airport. I’d like to get some communication out to Aaron and Ma, but I’m also curious about trying out some Delta 8 THC CBD Gummies, Flowers, Pre-Rolls, and Edibles while waiting.

4:10P

After landing and crossing into Zimbabwe by minibus, we were able to stop at the Sprayview Hotel in Victoria Falls (which is actually going to be where we’ll stay for our last two nights of this adventure). There I found a single spot where my phone was able to get a good enough signal to send text & Facebook messages. I camped out in this chair for a good half hour touching base with Aaron and sending other messages. I also visited the Sprayview Gift Shop in the lobby (bought nothing) and shared a Zambezi beer with Karen, one of the ladies from our group. While checking in with Aaron I learned that nearly 200 people were killed in Paris by members of the Isis terrorist group and the entire soccer stadium was under threat and, therefore, evacuated. Back in the US both JFK and LaGuardia airports were shut down as a safety precaution.

After leaving the hotel, we briefly stopped at a small tented marketplace in town to browse and buy the $2.00 fabrics Vitalis had told us about. They were all so colorful and I bought two (a tan and brown one for me and a purple one for Aaron. Purple was his mom’s favorite color).

Beautiful fabrics only $2 a piece at an open-air market in Victoria Falls, Zimbabwe

The bus ride to Hwange was over an hour and before entering the park we passed through an open casting coal mine – very interesting to see.

Now we have arrived at Kashawe Camp in Hwange National Park, Zimbabwe. From our front porch we overlook a beautiful view of the rust-colored river valley. Again, the water level is extremely low. Hwange National Park is 14,000 square km and the terrain is completely different than the previous game reserve parks we’ve visited. The terrain here is quite rock and hilly. The main lodge at Kashawe overlooks the dry river valley and the golden rolling hills and tall bluffs. When we arrived there were 12 giraffes down in the valley feeding off the acacia trees. Vitalis proudly refers to this as “African tv.”

My travel companions enjoying the view from the main lodge at Kashawe Camp in Hwange National Park, Zimbabwe

A few of the giraffe’s we were watching from the main lodge. “African TV” in Hwange.

We all stood in the main lodge and looked out at all the giraffes. The camp managers, Sally and Ed, requested our attention and introduced us to our game drive guides Mafuka and Thabani and briefed us on the camp’s layout and safety protocol (ie. the medical emergency horns, walking backwards vs turning and running if you encounter an animal, etc). The current temperature is 98 degrees and Sally explained that this hot dry weather is unusual for this time of the year. Their rainy season was supposed to have begun by now. We filled our OAT water bottles before being shown to our tent (Tent 9).

Tent 9 at Kashawe Camp in Hwange National Park, Zimbabwe

On each of our beds was a towel folded up into the shape of an elephant. Very cute. As always, our OAT bags were in our room when we arrived. We only are responsible for carrying any small bags (ie. carry ons). The room is very comfortable. I’m going to grab a quick cold shower before walking back to the main lodge at 5:00P for our evening game drive. When I get there I do want to check out their gift shop.

Inside Tent 9 at Kashawe Camp in Hwange National Park. Notice the towels on our beds formed into the shape of an elephant.

9:10P

Our evening game drive took us past scores of vultures perched high up in the trees.

Vulture perched high up in a tree scouting the area.

This is a good sign that there is a lion nearby so we began scouting for the high profile animal. Unfortunately, we did not find one. We did, however, stop to watch an entire herd (or properly referred to as an “obstinacy”) of cape buffalo. There were dozens of them along with some of their young. It’s funny how they will stand there staring back at you, motionless, the entire time you’re there. We also saw a few giraffes, a memory of elephants and actually heard a couple of elephants trumpeting in the distance during the picturesque sunset … Ahh Africa!

Our jeep in Hwanage.

Cape Buffalo staring at us in on our first game drive in Hwange National Park, Zimbabwe

Before dinner, Mafuka was standing at the edge of the bluff, beside two wicker chase lounge seats, that looked down into the river valley. A few of us walked over and he held one finger up to his mouth and said: “Shh, there is a leopard out there. I can hear it calling.” In my opinion, the leopard call is the most intimidating. It’s a low and throaty panting grunt. We stood there listening for a while but did not hear the leopard again. Sometimes the waiting is the most exciting part. 🙂

Right now, I’m propped up in bed at our “tent.” Dinner was delicious but dessert was even better: chocolate mousse. Our guides, Mafuka and Thabani, escorted us to our tents bearing rifles. This is the first time we’ve been delivered to our tents by armed guards. Apparently, it’s Zimbabwe law. They did warn us about frequent lion and leopard sittings throughout camp. Jetting in one direction from the main lodge is the rust-colored dirt path to our tents. The shorter path to each “tent” is marked by a series of sticks planted into the ground. The number of sticks marks the tent number to which the path leads. It was a long walk to our “tent” – Tent 9. The guides were sure to shine the flashlight into the darkness looking for eyes looking back at us.

Tomorrow morning’s wake-up call is early at 5:00a in order to beat the heat while out game-driving. I hear lots of sounds outside although, so far, no cats. Night night! Don’t let the lions bite!

January 9, 2016 by Brian

Travel

Trip of a Lifetime: Ultimate Africa: Day 9

Africa.Day09.Header

November 11, 2015 – 9:12A

It was nice to sleep in till 6A. Had a quick & delicious breakfast before saying goodbye to Kay and all the wonderful and friendly staff at Wilderness Tented Camp before we all hopped in our 2 jeeps and MP and Paul drove us to the airstrip.

Kay and I by the bar in the main lodge at Wilderness Tented Camp

Proctor and I in the Okavango Delta, Botswana

Paul, our guide Vitalis, and Proctor in front of one of the jeeps at the Okavango Delta airstrip. Donna and Barb are in the jeep.

We stopped to view a hippo walking around, a dozen or so more in the water and a steenbok laying in the grass. Proctor said that steenboks are affectionately referred to as “chiwawas” because they are the smallest of the antelope.

Young Steenbok laying in the grass.

I couldn’t help but reflect that on the last few game drives I’ve really had fun bonding with two of our travelers Cheryl and Norma. Cheryl is Italian and lives in San Diego, California. She and Norma travel together. Cheryl is very funny with a contagious laugh. She is a great photographer and actually takes pictures of horses (or “anything with four legs” as Cheryl puts it) for a living. Cheryl always has 2 cameras ready while we’re on these game drives and her 40 lbs (I’m guessing) backpack of camera equipment. I’ll never forget seeing her lug that around everywhere. haha! Norma is retired and lives in Palm Springs. I enjoyed a really nice chat with her as we sweated out the afternoon heat in the main lodge yesterday. She is 74 and this is second Ultimate Africa trip with OAT. The other day when Vitalis had us all tell one another a little something about our background and reason for coming to Africa, Norma talked about the peace that she’s experienced during her two trips to Africa. She stated that she believes “God lives here.” I also learned that Barbara, from Washington state, is an artist. I would love to see some of her drawings and asked her if she was going to do sketches of some of the photos she and her husband Dana have taken.

I’m now on the 7-seater “puddle-jumper” with Aryn, Judy, Katherine and our pilot flying back to Kasane Airport. It’s so cool being able to look down and spot elephants and giraffes feeding off trees.

I’ve learned so many new things on this trip. I think back to the days and weeks before I left for this trip and people would ask me what it was going to be like. My only response was I had no expectations. I had never been on an African safari. All I knew to expect was what I’d read from the little “Final Document Booklet” that OAT had mailed me. This entire trip has been quite the learning experience. I would be remiss if I didn’t talk about all the wonderful people I’ve met so far. They are always smiling and seem to maintain a positive attitude. I also get a sense that they take very little for granted. They don’t seem to be wrapped up in gossip or “drama” as we say in the US.

Vitalis told us that the African culture believes in witchcraft. He shared two anecdotes of how the African culture relies on guilt to punish those who’ve wronged against you.

One Example: There was a man who stole a plow from his neighbor in the middle of the night. The plow was very heavy and he carried it home on his back but when he reached his home he could not get it off his back. For a while he tolerated carrying around this heavy plow on his back, for many days and nights until he couldn’t take it any longer and decided to return the plow to its rightful owner, who, at first, said to him: “that’s not my plow, you can keep it” knowing that the witchcraft’s punishment of guilt would force the thief to continue lugging the heavy plow around on his shoulders. Finally, after the plow owner felt the thief had learned his lesson, said: “You know, come to think of it, that is my plow. Thank you for returning it” and wouldn’t you know it, the plow was finally able to be released from the thief’s shoulders.

Second Example: There was also a man who stole corn from a farmer’s field in his village and for days he suffered of corn kernels falling out of his scalp and hair. Eventually, the thief couldn’t take it any more and fessed up to steeling the corn and the corn kernels stopped coming out of his hair.

On another note, Vitalis educated us on the cultural belief: ‘you get what you give.’ For example, if you are starving you can go to a neighboring family and they will feed you. Also, if you are out of something in your kitchen (ie. cooking oil) you just go to a neighbor and ask if they will give you some cooking oil (versus walking all the way to the nearest store). The African culture understands there will come a day when they are out of something in their kitchen or they are hungry and will need to seek a favor from that same neighbor. I appreciate all the “learning and discovery” that Vitalis and the other camp staff members are providing us. Well worth it.

We would be landing soon. Then it’s off by minibus, boat and another plane to Zambia. (btw – I’m amazed how well I can write in my journal on this flight – very smooth flying).

2:50P

Flying at 12,400 feet in our “upgraded” 12-seater “puddle-jumper” over Zambia. Looking down at a beautiful view of the great Zambezi River. We had a half hour delay at Livingston Airpot due to an issue with a traveler’s luggage. Unfortunately, Wifi was down at the airport. What a bummer since, last night, I had prepared a long text of updates to quickly send off to Aaron and my mom. Oh well. I’ll try again in 3 days.

It is said that yesterday’s high temp was 105. Today’s is 110 and we are flying north, which means closer to the equator so I can only imagine how hot it’s going to be in Zambia if this heat wave keeps up. For the next three days we are staying in another “tented” camp but this one’s situated along the junction of two big rivers. As always, I am excited to see what this next camp is going to be like.

While we were waiting on our bus, a group of natives came up to our bus windows selling copper bracelets and wood carvings of animals. After some persistent bargaining, I bought 5 bracelets for $20 – a good price for five. The bracelets are beautiful. I have one for me, Aaron, my mom, my sister Lisa and my friend Lynne. Vitalis said to rub the inner lining of the bracelet with clear nail polish to keep the copper from turning your wrist green. I noticed that our pilot Kyle’s wrists were green where he was wearing 3 or 4 copper bracelets on each wrist. Our pilots on this flight are Shane and Julie. They are very friendly. Shane is from Ireland and introduced himself to me at the Livingston Airport. He was very nice and we actually talked a lot about Ireland as I am planning on traveling there in 2017. He gave me a few tips on food to try and towns to visit. Thanks Shane! Very nice guy.

I’m signing off for now.

5:10P

OMG! I love this new camp! It’s beautifully situated where the Lafupa River meets with the Kafue River that eventually flows into the Zambezi River. We are literally 100 km from any other form of civilization. How exciting! The camp is called Lafupa Tented Camp in Kafue National Park (say that 10 x’s fast). As our jeeps pulled up, we were welcomed by men singing and playing African drums along with a cool wet hand towel (which has been a standard at each camp). The hand towel is handed to you to unfold and place over your neck or forehead or just rub all over your face if you wish to help cool down … haha! The camp manager is Natalie. Very sweet girl. The back of the main lodge is a long stretching balcony that overlooks the beautiful rivers. The view is absolutely stunning.

Deck at Lafupa Tented Camp’s main lodge overlooking Lafupa River & Kafue River intersection.

When we first arrived we were served another one of those sweet tri-color cocktail along with “High Tea.”

TriColor Welcome Cocktail served to us at Lafupa Tented Camp.

This was tea served with three different kinds of flat bread pizzas (chicken, ham and vegetable), filo dough triangles filled with creamy butternut squash and a chocolate and white cream roll (like a pumpkin roll). Delicious. We sat at 4-seated small round tables along the deck overlooking the sparkling tier and the staff delivered a quick orientation of the camp, only to be interrupted a few times by some nearby snorting hippos.

Seating Area of Main Lodge at Lafupa Tented Camp in Zambia

After “high tea” we were escorted to our “tents.” Aryn and I, of course, are in the furthest tent from the main lodge – #9. We’re practically in stitches laughing over how being the youngest, we’re placed in the furthest tent. HAHA!

I’m sitting at the desk of our tent and absolutely loving the view of the Kafue River. Right beside our front porch is a large indentation in the land leading down to the water. This is what they call a “hippo highway” as it’s the repeated path that the hippos take to get from land to water. Hmm … I wonder if we’ll have any visitors tonight. The tent is extremely spacious. It’s walls and ceiling are canvas with a cement floor and a wooden front porch with two director’s chairs. I’ll definitely be sitting out there. I absolutely love this place although I did love how at the previous camp our beds faced the opening flaps of the tent for a great view. I also miss Kay and the staff there. They were all so nice and friendly.

Inside Tent #9 at Lafupa Tented Camp in Zambia

We are surrounded by a lot of tall trees so it doesn’t feel as hot as I thought it would. At 5:45P we are to meet at the main lodge to leave for our first game drive in Kafue National Park – so excited!

Monkey mom carrying her tiny baby outside our tent at Kafue Tented Camp in Zambia

9:30P

We’re back at our “tent” after a delicious dinner. For my “sundowner” drink I chose a Jack & Coke instead of a beer – which was very refreshing. Our game drive was very interesting because half of it was a “night drive.” The elephants are more aggressive here because of the history of poaching in the area. We encountered an elephant and our guide “Golden” (short for “Golden Boy”) would only stop for a few seconds for pictures. The elephant looked up from the tree he was eating, turned to face us and immediately started towards us with his trunk raised and that’s when “Golden” stepped on the gas. Wow! That elephant meant serious business. I think all of our hearts literally skipped a few beats. Next we heard the warning call of a puku (another type of antelope that is prevalent in these parts) and just then a leopard striding down from its perch on top of a termite mound and disappeared into the “thicket.” So for the next half hour, we drove throughout the area with “Golden” directing the spotlight all around looking for the glowing eyes of that leopard. What a unique and exciting experience. We never did see the leopard again but it was cool looking out with the spotlight and seeing pairs or dozens of pairs of eyes glowing back at you from a distance. Someone mentioned the glowing eyes looked like a small town in the distance and I said: “Yes, it looks like Bethlehem” and we all agreed that that was a perfect description of how peaceful and beautiful those eyes appeared among the dark African night. Mostly, we saw puku and impala but we did see a mom, dad and baby hippo walking in the grass. Later on, we spotted another few hippos, a beautiful genet cat, a scrub hair in the middle of the dirt road staring back at us and two spotted hyenas creeping along – very spooky. My camera takes horrible night shots but one of the couples in our jeep Dana and Barbara had an amazing camera that beautifully captured one of the hyenas. Dana promised to send me that shot! I love these night drives! Very peaceful and intriguing to be on the hunt for these wild animals at night.

Spotted Hyena taken by Dana during our first night game drive in Zambia

During dinner, an elephant walked right up to the entrance of the main lodge but the staff quickly “shoo’d” it away. Golden then told us a story about one night last week when one of the guests blew their air horn (which is supposed to be for medical emergencies ONLY) because their was a hippo outside the door of their tent. The entire staff came running for the emergency, with Golden at the head of the group. When he saw the hippo he warned everyone else to go back. The hippo immediately began chasing him. Apparently, when hippos run after someone their jaws repeatedly open and close. So imaging Golden’s fear as he looks back to see this giant opening and closing jaw at his heels. The hippo chased him all the way inside the main lodge where Golden was finally able to dart behind a corner, which confused the hippo, and Golden managed to get away. Wow! What an incredible story.

Speaking of hippos, Aryn and I just heard one snorting and grunting outside our tent. We’re hoping to hear more. We just heard a hyena too. Hoping to sleep well tonight and praying for cooler temperatures tomorrow. The good news is there is a swimming pool here.

Okay … I’m sitting here at the desk in our tent and there is something very large moving very slowly right outside. The noise started right behind where Aryn is laying in bed, across the room, surrounded by mosquito netting and writing in her journal. She can literally hear it breathing down her neck. Holy cow. Hold on.

We just turned off our main lights and it moved to the back of our tent. I stood up on our toilet seat to try looking out through the screens above the bathroom but it was too dark out to see anything. By the sound of it we assume it must be a hippo because when we heard it eating the leaves, it was too quiet for an elephant which would be breaking off tree branches and leaves to eat where it sounds like this thing is going only for the grass on the ground. I hope these canvas walls are strong. Very exciting yet quite intimidating.

Oh Geez, it just pooped outside our tent – you can totally smell it. It’s amazing to us that there is nothing more than a canvas wall separating us from this 2.5-3.5 ton wild beast. OMG! It is now scratching is body against the back corner of our tent. Our entire camp walls and ceiling are now shaking. Holy Geez!

Now it’s walking along the side of our tent and seems to be heading towards the water. I can see it now through the screened windows and yes – it is a massive hippo. Amazing!

Well, on that note, time for bed. I hope I can fall asleep after that experience. HAHA! Night night! Don’t let the hippos bite! 🙂

January 1, 2016 by Brian

In 1940's rural Mississippi, identical thirteen-year-old twins Jimmy and Billy McGee will play the most important game of their young lives. Challenged by their cross-town enemies to decide once and for all domain over their neighborhood baseball diamond, the boys and an entertaining crew of unique friends are determined to maintain control over their territory. But there's one unexpected dilemma. Their rivals will not accept that the boys' best friend and the team spark plug is black. And suddenly the twins are faced with a decision that will forever shape their lives and how their friends, family and the entire community perceive them.