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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 10

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November 12, 2015 – 5:48A

Slept great! Woke up to a beautiful sunrise over the Kafue River as I sat out on our front porch wrapped up in the big white comforter from my bed. It’s amazing how when you go to bed at night, you hardly need a sheet and when you wake up your pulling the comforter up to your chin. Very cozy mornings. As I was watching the sunrise and elephant appeared to my left. It was walking right through camp eating whatever tree branches it desired. LOL. Too funny.

I love hearing all the various sounds of nature in the early morning. The shower water was hot and felt great. Heading to breakfast with Aryn soon. I enjoy sitting down with everyone around the long community dining table at each lodge. We chat with a hot cup of coffee and whatever breakfast is being served that morning. OAT has truly done a great job designing this trip.

1:02P

Breakfast was a made to order omelette, oatmeal with yogurt, fruit and muffins. My favorite fruit with the oatmeal is the papaya or “pawpaw.” Brunch was a tasty beef and noodle stir fry. I make sure I stake my spot at the table so I’m facing the view of the rivers. It’s just so beautiful and so serene.

The Zambian terrain is different: more trees and they are taller. There are some different tree species as well, one of which is called the Candelabra Tree. It’s has a tall trunk that blooms out on top in the form of tall cactus leaves. Very interesting.

Candelabra Tree in Zambia’s Kafue National Park

As we continued on our morning game drive we spotted two female lions (sisters) walking amongst a grove of trees. Both our jeeps headed towards the lions. On our way, we caught a quick glimpse of a massive crocodile moving from the grass into the water. Our guides pulled both jeeps right up to the female lions, turned off the engines and there we sat for the next half hour, watching these magnificent lionesses relaxing in the shade. I noticed when we pulled up to the lions it was 8:30A and I thought to myself – if I were back home in Akron right now, I would have been at work for a half hour and my team would just be arriving. But instead, there I sat – watching two wild lions from just a few feet away on a beautiful clear and warm morning in Zambia, Africa. Wow!

Female Lioness

Lioness heading for he shade.

Lioness joining her sister in the shade.

Look at the size of those paws. Notice the blood stain on the bottom of her front left paw. She had just made a kill.

Just before lunch we all gathered at the entrance of the main lodge to watch a giant elephant headed our way. He had just entered the camp to snack on some grass followed by leaves from a tall palm tree. It’s amazing how graceful these animals are considering their mammoth size. I took a brief video but Natasha was quick to step out of her lodge to warn us to step back and some of the men from the staff appeared and shoo’d the elephant away.

Now I’m sitting at the desk in our “tent” looking out at the Kafue River. It’s a hot day in the sun but cool in the shade.

2:40P

Resting in our tent to escape the afternoon sun. I converted my tan Eddie Bauer pants into shorts. These were a pre-trip purchase btw. $50 online and shipped in about 8 days.

A puku is walking between trees in the near distance.

The water on the river is shimmering like diamonds. I may walk to the main lodge soon to enjoy the breeze coming from the water. I’m also considering taking advantage of the pool (I didn’t think to pack swimming trunks but I can wear my UMASS gym shorts).

I just looked up to see two monkeys staring down at me from one of the trees outside.

“High tea” is at 4:30P today.

9:17P

During “high tea” Vitalis delivered a very interesting lecture on the history of Zimbabwe. It was cool to learn that Zimbabwe shares a commonality with the United States as being the only two countries to ever break away from British rule. The US in 1776 and Zimbabwe in 1980, Their current president is 91 years old and has been in power since the 1960’s.

I hope I’m not jinxing myself by saying this, but I have yet to see a single mosquito. I have, however, seen what’s called a tse tse fly. Although I have yet to get bit by one, I hear they are quite painful. Fastened to the front of our jeep, by aluminum wire, is an empty paint can. On this evening’s game drive, our group opted for the local insect repellent: a log of elephant dung placed in the empty paint can and lit on fire. This gives off a smokey incense that, apparently, repels the tse tse flies and other insects. I was not only surprised how well it worked but that it emitted a pleasant aroma: similar to citronella.

Elephant Dung smoking in bucket to ward of the tse tse flies

Our evening game drive went into the night. It’s called “spot-lighting.” Our guide tonight was “Boyd.” We experienced two highlights during this game drive. One was a parade of elephants that walked right across the road in front of us. Following along right at their feet were these white birds called cattle egrets. They never left the parade and walked along with the elephants like they were part of the group. Very interesting.

Parade of elephants and the cattle egrets following their footsteps.

Our second highlight was one of the most beautiful sunsets I’ve ever seen in my life with fan palm trees in the foreground. We joined the other jeep and parked to watch the sunset as we enjoyed our “sundowner” drinks. The guides always have a wonderful selection of ice cold local beer, wine, soft drinks and water. I had a local Zambian beer called a Mosi lager.

At this point the sun has nearly set

Another view of the sunset

I really enjoyed our conversations tonight over a steak with potatoes and vegetable dinner. Tomorrow’s wake-up call is at 6A. That’s “good good” news that we are able to sleep in a bit longer.

P.S. Laundry service at these camps has been terrific. We receive our washed & pressed laundry neatly folded and tied up in a bow by a long piece of dried grass. It is sitting out on our beds waiting for us when we return from dinner. Everything is smelling fresh and well-pressed – including our socks. I have never in my life had my socks ironed. How nice! Thank you to all the wonderful staff (at all three camps) and all their amazing behind-the-scenes work.

Good night!

January 3, 2016 by Brian

Travel

Trip of a Lifetime: Ultimate Africa: Day 9

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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

Travel

Trip of a Lifetime: Ultimate Africa: Day 8

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November 10, 2015 – 10:35A

Lunch is being served in a half hour. I’m relaxing beneath the shade of the main lodge’s thatched roof here at Wilderness Tented Camp in the Okavango Delta. The ceiling fan above my head feels great. The temperatures during this morning’s game drive were nice and cool. As always we are split into two jeeps only this morning instead of us both going out on simultaneous game drives, one group started off on the mokoro canoes in the Delta while the rest of us kicked off the morning with some game viewing.

As we drove along the bumpy dirt roads we saw a dazzle of zebras running and watched an elephant using its trunk to sling mud over its back to keep cool. Most of the areas we drove in were grassy and flat. Like in Chobe, most of the trees in the Delta, are broken down by elephants and bare due to the lack of rain. One of the women from our group, Donna, said she would love to come back after the spring rains to see all the beautiful green foliage. Our guide “MP” noted that, from a game-viewing perspective, when the trees are in full bloom it’s much more difficult to spot the animals. In fact, it’s practically impossible when they’re at a distance.

Elephant covered in cool mud

After a while, we approached a shallow river. “MP” parked our jeep and we all go out. This is where we were going to begin our mokoro ride: two persons to each mokoro. Standing at the very back of the mokoro is a “poler,” he holds a long pole known as a “ngashi” that he drives down into the ground of the shallow water to maneuver the canoe.

A few of the mokoro “poler” guides ready for us to board.

“MP” leading the caravan of mokoros.

Our ride lasted a little over an hour and from it we saw many different birds (this is the closest we’ve gotten to some of the different storks we’ve seen in the Delta without them flying away), some baboons, zebra, impalas, a roan antelope and two sable antelope – which are rare in this area. The sable were coming to get a drink but as soon as they saw the 5 mokoros moseying along the water, they returned to the trees. Eventually, they reappeared in the clearing and walked up to the water to get a drink.

Beautiful sable antelope reemerging from the clearing.

Red Billed Stork along the water during our mokoro ride

I was talking to Judy today and we both agreed that although these “tents” are by no means 5 star accommodations, the service we’ve been provided by the staff is a perfect 5. Everyone is so friendly and seems to genuinely care about us. Other than my “carry-on” Jack Wolfskin bag (that I bought in Frankfurt, Germany and absolutely love btw), I have never once lifted my suitcase (except for moving it within our tent). Vitals refers to our luggage as “his babies.” He makes sure everything is taken care of and we don’t have to worry about lugging our luggage to the mini bus or airplane or anywhere. OAT is meticulously perfect when it comes to their customer service. They do a great job.

2:42P

What a hot afternoon! Kay is calling it a “heat wave.” She said she makes sure her morning work is done by 9A to avoid the heat. She took us on a “behind the scenes” tour of the staff kitchen, laundry room and garage workshop. It was funny when they took us into the giant cooler room where they stored the food. I jokingly said to Cheryl – “that’s been the best part of the trip so far!” It felt amazing to be in a cold room away from today’s extreme heat. Ha!

I came to our tent and attempted a nap with a cool wet rag over my head. It helps but still I can’t sleep. There are a frequent wind bursts coming through the screens of out tent this afternoon. Maybe they are blowing in either a cooler weather system or possibly some much needed rain. I know a good rain would really make the locals very happy along with all the animals, trees, grass and the poor rivers that are extremely low. I’m going to do some reading before we meet back at the main lodge for “high tea” while our guide “MP” delivers a short educational lecture on the Okavango Delta followed by our evening game drive.

“MP” educating us on the history of the Okavango Delta in the main lodge.

Almost forgot to mention: I woke up around 1:15A last night to pee. I could hear the mating calls of the male lions in the distance. I fell back asleep to it. Funny how that sound has become soothing to me. What a unique privilege. I feel blessed. I think Aaron would really enjoy this place (minus the heat wave).

9:30P

Back in our tent. Once again, the stars tonight are magnificent. We are going to sit out on our front porch for a few minutes despite multiple warnings from our trip leaders and the staff.

The evening game drive was nice because the temperatures could down significantly. Saw another Giant Eagle Owl carefully watching us from it’s tree perch.

Giant Eagle Owl watching us in the Okavango Delta.

The sunset was breathtaking – got some great pics!

Tonight’s sunset in the Okavango Delta, Botswana

Our “sundowner” drinks were served by a large pool of water where some hippos were playing. They were rolling over on their backs sticking their feet up out the water. It was cute. Hard to think of these creatures as threatening or dangerous. After a while, the hippos began to make some grunting noises and in the distance we heard the growl of a lion. Up to that point our guides have always seemed relaxed but let me just say they were rushing to pack everything up and get us all loaded back into the jeeps. Dark was upon us and we headed back to the camp for the traditional dinner.

Dinner was a delicious traditional meal around the “boma” followed by the camp staff choir singing traditional African songs and our travel group performing the “Hokey Pokey.” Fun times!

Somehow the topic of social media came up during dinner and Vitalis explained that people here don’t really use Facebook anymore. Instead they prefer a more “real time” form of social media called “What’s Up.” I’ve never heard of it.

Vitalis jokingly said after dinner: “Folks, I’ve got some very good news! Tomorrow’s wake-up call is at 6A.” Hallelujah! We get to sleep in! HA!! After breakfast we are leaving Botswana and heading to our camp in Zambia via small planes, boat, a bus and another plane.

I want to get a picture with Kay, the facility manager, before we leave. She is really cool. We are also asking for recipes. The food has been amazing, especially, today’s lunch salad of bananas, onions, mayonnaise, yellow curry and parsley. What an odd combination but man was it delicious!

Night night!

December 20, 2015 by Brian

Travel

Trip of a Lifetime: Ultimate Africa: Day 7

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November 9, 2015 – 4:45P

Relaxing on the front porch of our tent watching a warthog leaning down on its front knees eating some grass. They are so funny when they run away too because they run with their tail sticking straight up like a radio antenna.

Today’s game drive felt long as the afternoon hours seared with temperatures nearing 100 degrees (38 degrees celsius). It’s cool when the guide pulls over the jeep to show us animal tracks in the dirt. This morning Paul pointed out a leopard and lion track right beside one another. We saw some cape buffalo and a huge elephant that started directly at us for a while – very cool, then a few giraffes and before we stopped for tea & coffee around 9:30A, both of our jeeps pulled right up to two lionesses resting in the shade.

When we stopped for tea & coffee, the other jeep in our group had a flat tire that Paul, MP and Proctor had to change. We also found an elephant skull laying in the grass. A few of us, including myself, picked it up. It was huge. I got a great pick of me holding it. On these morning coffee & tea breaks I usually request tea. They serve “bush tea” which is a rooibos. I take mine with warm milk.

Morning tea on our game drive in the Okavango Delta.

(Now the warthog is walking towards us). By the time we returned to our camp were all felt dazed and dehydrated from the heat and the only water in our water bottles was warm. I headed straight for our tent and downed the entire pitcher of ice cold water. Took of my shirt and laid face-up on the bed with a cold washrag over my head. That really helped. I had the oscillating floor fan directed on me but soon realized it was just blowing around the hot air (sigh). My camera battery had died (TIP: pack spare batteries) so I missed shots of all the wildebeests we saw but did get a vid of the zebras running across the road in front of us with my iPhone. Very cool! We also saw a parade of elephants on our way back. Oh, plus, when we stopped for lunch a dozen, or so, elephants walked into the pool of water just a few yards away. They were gathering there to cool off, taking up water into their trunks and then spraying it up into the air so it fell down on top of their bodies like taking a shower. It was funny because the guides were trying to serve lunch while we were all distracted snapping dozens of photos of these fascinating elephants.

Elephants spraying water to cool off in the hot Delta sun.

On two separate occasions we came across a stride of giraffes, one stride, of which, was gathered along a river and in order to lean down for a drink they had to spread out their legs. That was one of my favorite pics I’ve taken so far!

Giraffes in the Okavango Delta, Botswana

Such curious creatures. Notice the giraffe to the right; neck stretched out and peering directly at the camera.

We also came across a pride of 5 lionesses calmly shading themselves beneath a toothbrush tree but the highlight was finding two male cheetahs (believed to be brothers) keeping cool and well-camouflaged under a bush. Our guide Paul pulled the jeep right up to the bush and the cheetahs became edgy. They soon took off, springing into the air and running to another bush. But that didn’t stop Paul. He started back up our engine and slowly drove right up to the cheetah’s new resting place. Not long after the second jeep, carrying the remainder of our group, arrived. We all just sat there watching these stunning creatures. Paul said that cheetahs haven’t been seen in the Okavango Delta since April, so we were very fortunate to have witnessed this sighting. Wow! What a discovery for our group. Again, felt very privileged. The cheetahs left that bush and went to a third, and it was no surprise that Paul and the other jeep’s driver “MP” followed. Finally, the cheetahs seemed to be calming down and realizing our jeeps were not a threat. We sat there for a long time. It was hot but no one seemed to care. These animals were so beautiful.

Cheetahs hiding amongst the leaves and looking out for lunch.

Looks like one of them may have spotted something (no pun intended – haha!)

(The warthog was just staring right at us and when I stood up to grab my camera, he took off).

Our drive back to camp was painfully long (or, at least, felt so due to the heat). We passed through a small village known as Khwai, which is actually the village Proctor is from. Most of the homes were wood framed with walls made of mud from termite mounds. The roofs were thatched. Some buildings, like the school, the boma (meeting place) and two “shopping centers” which were no bigger than a 2 or 3 car garage, had cement walls and corrugated metal roofs. It was cool seeing this village up close and you could tell that Proctor was so proud to show us. Unfortunately, my camera battery died as we were driving into Khwai.

A thatch-roofed hut in the village of Khwai, Botswana.

I am enjoying talking to all the local people we meet who work at the camps and I’m amazing by how many of them have never left Botswana – not even for “holiday.” (Now, two enormous cape buffalo have entered the field outside our tent to graze). The facility manager’s name is Kay. She is awesome. She shared with us that she has travelled to San Francisco and worked at Walt Disney World. She got a HUGE smile on her face as she told us. She said she loved both experiences.

It’s now shortly after 5P and dinner (a “surprise”) is being served at 6P – very excited! I’m enjoying the view now. Later! (Now there are 3 hungry warthogs a few yards away from us eating the grass).

Two of the three hungry warthogs right in front of our “tent.”

9:00P

Bedtime. Exhausted. Dinner was tasty and for dessert they served a pancake with chocolate syrup – yum!). It’s been great getting to know our traveling companions (their backgrounds and interests) and hearing them share all their other amazing OAT travel experiences.

There are so many stars out tonight going all the way down to the treeline. I wish my camera could capture night shots. It’s just amazing how clear the sky is here.

P.S. Today was our hottest afternoon yet – reaching 103. Thank God for Vitalis suggesting wetting a washrag with cool water from the sink in your tent. It really does wonders. Some of the women form our group said they drenched their bath towel in cold water and laid down in bed with it over their entire body. They said it felt amazing!

December 18, 2015 by Brian

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