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Trip of a Lifetime: Ultimate Africa: Day 15 Part 2

Header2November 17, 2015 cont …

Our minibus drove us from the Sprayview Hotel into the center of Victoria Falls.  Vitalis informed us that if we wanted to go shopping later on or the following day we could either call a cab or walk.  Walking, he said, would only take between 15 and 20 minutes.  Vitalis had already taken our lunch orders for the Rainforest Cafe and we were all very hungry but before going to the restaurant he informed us that there would be a slight detour to see a “surprise.”

We were all excited with anticipation to see what “surprise” Vitalis had in store.  As we drove around the Victoria Falls Park we arrived at an enormous 1,400-year-old baobab tree.  This sucker was enormous.  We all got off the buss to take pictures.

Baobab Tree

1400 Baobab Tree in Victoria Falls, Zimbabwe

After our stop at the baobab tree, we drove to the Victoria Falls Park entrance where we had  wonderful lunch at the Rainforest Cafe.  

Rainforest Cafe Zimbabwe

Our table at the Rainforest Cafe.

Our meal was delicious but dessert was quite possibly the BEST desserts I’ve ever eaten in my entire life: a scoop of chocolate mouse with a slice of flourless chocolate cake.  (Thank you Donna for not being able to eat sweets which left an extra dessert that I quickly and selfishly volunteered for myself).  As an added bonus, an extra dessert was mistakenly served to our table.  A huge smile swept across Vitalis’s face and he said:  “Brian, the restaurant seems to have overestimated our servings of dessert by one.  Would you like this extra slice of chocolate cake?”   I practically jumped up from my seat and grabbed it.  BONUS!

Flourless Chocolate Cake

The most AMAZING flourless Chocolate Cake with Chocolate Mousse.

What happened next soon came to be known as “the chocolate cake incident.”   As I was about to dive into my THIRD chocolate mouse/cake  dessert I began to feel a little guilty so I offered a bite to Aryn, Kathryn and Judy who said no.  So I asked Cheryl:  “Do you want a bite.”  (stressing the word “bite”).  Well, Cheryl accepted without batting an eye and practically grabbed the plate right from my hands and placed it on the table between her and Norma.  Like vultures, the two of them proceeded to DEVOUR my dessert!  My eyes burst from their sockets and I gasped.  I couldn’t believe what I was seeing.  It was as if these two women hadn’t had a meal in weeks and I had to move quickly if I was going to get any of my dessert back.  “Hey!”  I said, “that’s mine!  I was just offering you a bite.”  Cheryl and Norma looked up with a shocked look of guilt.  “Oh my God,” they said with a laugh.  They thought I was giving them the entire plate.  I, then, took back what little scraps of my dessert were left and “the chocolate cake incident” became a running joke from that moment on.  As Cheryl would say with a hearty laugh:  “It was HILARIOUS.”

During lunch, a young David Livingstone impersonator stood among the tables and told of his life and missionary travels and vision for Africa during the mid 1800’s.   I’m sure many people have heard that famous quote:  “Dr. Livingstone, I presume.”  It was interesting to hear his story.

After lunch, we proceeded on our two-hour walking tour through the rainforest trail along the amazing Victoria Falls.  Near the beginning of the rainforest trail was a bronze statue of David Livingstone looking over the falls.  Judy, Aryn, Katheryn and I gathered together for a photo.

Victoria Falls Tour

Me with Kathryn, Judy and Aryn (left to right)

In some of the photos of the falls we saw back around the visitor’s center you could see a rainbow spanning along the falls.  I thought to myself:  Wow!  I hope we get to see one of those today.  Well, I underestimated my expectations because there was a rainbow in almost every view of the falls.  Magical.

Victoria Falls

A view of the beautiful Victoria Falls from one of the lookout points along the rainforest trail. Notice the rainbow my camera captured in this photo.

We walked from the beginning of the trail (just outside the Rainforest Cafe and the gift shop area) all the way to the end that looked across at the Victoria Falls Bridge that connects Zambia and Zimbabwe.

Victoria Falls

Another view of the falls. This pic was taken with my cell phone.

The walk lasted from 2P till 4P.  For most of the walk I stayed with Vitalis and our group.  But later I ventured ahead and just enjoyed the peaceful beauty of the area.  I was able to gather many of my thoughts about the trip as well as sort through some of my experiences throughout the entire year.  It was a really nice experience and in some ways mirrored the peace of my walk back home along the Towpath in Summit County, Ohio.

Rainforest Trail

Rainforest Trail along Victoria Falls

After our walking tour of Victoria Falls, we returned to our hotel and I was anxious to venture, on my own, into the town of Victoria Falls.  I was on a bit of a time crunch because I wanted to mail my post cards and I knew the post office, in town, closed at 5P.  I could have grabbed a taxi for $5 but I chose to hurry on foot instead.  Vitalis had told us it was a safe walk during the daytime, even alone.

My first stop, was the post office.  I needed to buy 13 postcard stamps and get my cards mailed back to the US.

 

Travel

Trip of a Lifetime: Ultimate Africa: Day 15 Part 1

Header
November 17, 2015

9:40P

What a night last night and what a day today.  Wow!

Aryn and I both woke up around 1:30A to these horrific winds and heavy rains pouring down on our canvas roof and blowing in the screened windows behind our bed.  We immediately closed the window flaps to keep out the rain.  The wind was so bad I envisioned trees falling down on us and our canvas roof ripping right off.  I then gathered my wallet, passport, camera, glasses, cell phone, and malaria pills and placed them all in my small bag in case I needed to abandon ship.  Of course, that would present an entirely different host of concerns knowing there had been a leopard outside just a few hours prior.  For the next hour or so, we laid in bed very afraid of how this night was going to turn out.  Finally, when the winds & rain calmed down I was able to fall back asleep.

At breakfast, I was surprised to hear no mention of the storm from anyone on staff.  Apparently, it wasn’t as big a threat as we had felt.  We did, however, hear reports that a lion had been roaming through camp most of the night after the storm subsided.  Thank God Aryn and I followed instructions to not step outside our tent.  I imagine if the storm had been enough of a threat to compromise our tent, then one of the staff members would have come and collected us all and taken us somewhere safe.

After breakfast we said goodbye to Ed, Sally and all the wonderful staff at Kashawe Camp and piled in our two jeeps.  It was about 6:30A.  It was interesting to see the accumulation of rain deposited throughout the area.  The water levels of the rivers had risen and the soil was no longer so devastatingly parched.  About 15 minutes into our 45 minute drive to the boom gate we approached a fairly steep hill.  The first jeep struggled but made it.  We, on the other hand, were hauling the luggage cart and our tow was too heavy for us to make it so we got stuck in the mud.  Although, inconvenient, this experience actually became hilarious.  After many unsuccessful tries of laying on the gas, backing up and forward, Mafuka, our bus driver and Vitalis all got out of the jeep and detached the luggage cart.   Mafuka, then, radioed for help.  With the luggage cart and two passengers removed from the equation, Mafuka was able to get enough traction to get us up the muddy hill.

 

The sky was still overcast, there was a light rain in the air and we were all wearing our ponchos as we sat in the jeep waiting for help.  About a half hour later, a big red tractor arrived and hauled the luggage cart up the hill.   Cold and wet, we happily applauded the tractor driver and were happy to be on our way to the enclosed mini bus waiting for us 30 minutes away at the park entrance.  The guides quickly reattached the luggage cart and off we went.

Stuck in Mud

Luggage cart being hauled up the hill by the tractor in Hwange National Park, Zimbabwe.

When we arrived at the boom gate, the first half of our group was anxious to learn what had happened.  Oh well, nobody was eaten by a lion or injured so there really was nothing to complain about.  I guess Hwange National Park was not going to let us get away that easy.  Haha!

The bus ride to the town of Victoria Falls was an uneventful 2 hours.  Vitalis had our driver take us through some of the residential streets of Victoria Falls so we could see how the locals lived.  Most of the homes were single story and very modest.

Home in Zimbabwe

A typical residence in Victoria Falls, Zimbabwe

We also stopped along the side of the road to interact with some women selling chickens, guinea fowl and roosters.  This was more of the learning and discovery exposure that we all really enjoyed.

Birds for Sale

Chickens and Roosters for sale along the side of the road in Victoria Falls.

As soon as we reached the Sprayview Hotel I hopped on the Wifi to connect with Aaron, my mom and a few other folks back home.

Sprayview Hotel

Entrance to the beautiful Sprayview Hotel in Victoria Falls, Zimbabwe.

Sprayview Lobby

Reception seating area at Sprayview Hotel. It was seated in that chair that I was able to find a solid Wifi connection to send text & Facebook messages back home.

It’s weird to be back in civilization with four walls, a real roof and air conditioning.  The pool area here is simple yet beautiful.

Sprayview Pool

Pool area at Sprayview Hotel.

Our room at the Sprayview Hotel is clean and cozy.  Our OAT luggage bags were on our beds when we arrived in our room.  I have yet to actually carry my bag anywhere on this entire trip.  The service at all the camps and now, so far, this hotel has been on point.

Sprayview Room

Aryn and Brian’s room at the Sprayview Hotel. We did see some monkeys and baboons in these trees during our stay!

After a quick check-in to our rooms, we all gathered back in the hotel lobby to board our minibus which was taking us to see one of the seven natural wonders of the world: Victoria Falls.

 

 

Travel

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

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

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 Dog

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!

Dogs hunt Kudu

Painted dogs have the female kudu trapped in the river.

Kudu and Dogs

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!

Boma

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!

 

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.

Homestead women

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. In our culture, this company of house staging often helps couples prepare their homes for sale before embarking on new life journey. 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.” In our culture, many couples also explore options such as luxury wedding limo hire in Perth to enhance their wedding experience.

Cornmeal churn

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.

Village tour

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.”

Village Hut

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.

Winter Kitchen

Inside the winter kitchen

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

African Bush Tea

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.

Mopane Worms

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.

Smiling African woman

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.

African children singing

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. During our conversation, we also discussed how their school playground was recently upgraded with a wetpour installation to make it safer and more enjoyable for everyone. Additionally, to find the best professionals for your tennis court renovations, click here to explore top-notch services that ensure a high-quality finish and durability.

St. Mary's School

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.

African Student Reading

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.

 

Publishing

Trip of a Lifetime: Ultimate Africa: Day 14 Part 1

14.1-HEADER

November 16, 2015 – 5:50A
Looking out from the front porch of our “tent” at a beautiful sunrise over Hwange National Park.  Temperatures are nice and cool.  Enjoying all the sounds of nature surrounding me and feeling very privileged.  I slept like a log last night.  Heading to breakfast soon.  I have a feeling today’s visit to the “homestead” and the elementary school will be eye-opening.

3:45P

Back at Tent 9.  What an enlightening day for learning and discovering.  Our jeep drive from Kashawe camp to the Hwange National Park boom gate entrance is 45 minute and from there to “Hwangetown” was maybe another 25 (by minibus).

First, we stopped at an open-air market to look around at the wares the local people were selling.  Most of the stuff was items you’d find at a hardware store along with cooking utensils, cleaning supplies, produce, spices, dry beans and nuts.

Fruit Market

A glimpse into one of the open air markets we visited. This was a produce stand but most of the items sold were hardware-based.

After browsing around for about a half hour, we got back on the bus and drove to a local supermarket called OK Market.  There, we donated $5 to Vitals for him to purchase groceries and cleaning supplies for the family at the “homestead” we were about to visit.   Browsing through the OK supermarket was a learning and discovery experience in and of itself.  The store was clean and very well-organized.  There was a variety of grocery items along with a section of cooking supplies, hygiene products, cleaning supplies, paper products, etc.  Everything was arranged on the shelves in a neat and orderly fashion and each aisle was clearly labeled overhead with the category of products it held.

OK Supermarket

Looking in the OK Supermarket from the front entrance.

I bought a $1.00 packet of oxtail soup dry powder.  I thought this would be an interesting thing to take home and cook for Aaron.  I also bought some pre-packaged chocolate chip cookies (brand name Charhons) to try.  I ate two and gave the rest to a family of three sitting outside the store.  Their baby was so adorable and smiled at me when I handed him a cookie.

Flame Tree

A beautiful flame tree across the street from the OK Supermarket in Zimbabwe.

Then we got back on the bus to head for the hosting homestead in the Lukosa village.  On the ride there, Vitalis taught us the words “Chi-ni” (which means “Greetings”) and “Ta Boca” (which means Thank You in the Shona language.  Vitalis explained all about his native language of Shona.  He said the alphabet is the same letters as ours expect they don’t have the letters X or L.  Their vowels are the same 5 vowels as ours but pronounced the same as they do in Mexico.  Words of the Shona language are very basic and easy to sound out as everything is pronounced just as it looks on paper.  Vitalis joked about how difficult it was for him to learn the English language.  He asked us why certain words were pronounced nothing like they are spelled.  We all couldn’t help but laugh in agreement as he gave some examples.  One example he used was the word “cafe.”  He asked: “If the word ‘cave’ is pronounced ‘k-ayve’ then why is the word ‘cafe’ pronounced ‘ka-fay’?”   That’s when Nora shouted out:  “Blame the French for that one!”  Haha!

Next, Vitalis asked us:  “If the plural version of ‘tooth’ is ‘teeth’ and the when you have more than one ‘goose’ you have ‘geese’ then why if you have more then one ‘booth’ you don’t say ‘beeth’?”  We all laughed hysterically at that one.

As we neared the village, we saw a couple of women carrying baskets on top of their heads.  Very cool.

Basket African Woman

A woman gracefully balancing a basket on her head.

There are a total of 500 homesteads within the village of Lukosa.  The homestead that hosted us today was very simple.  There were a few small structures made of mud from termite mounds with thatched roofs. Notably, the homestead had recently undergone door installation, enhancing its security and accessibility. Additionally, there was a chicken coop and corn and grain silo made of sticks and a small outhouse made of cement blocks.

Lukosa Homestead

A view of the homestead we visited within the village of Lukosa.

We were immediately greeted by the family who were all very friendly.  There were six women, an older gentleman (the “headman”) and a boy in his twenties.  The school-aged kids were all in school but there were four 3 and 4-year-old boys.  One of our OAT pre-trip letters had suggested bringing something customary of your home state to share with the people at the homestead.  I brought a small pack of Ohio State Buckeye candies.  I handed them to one of the women.  She showed her son who was standing beside her and a big smile came across his little face.  It was adorable.  I loved it.

The family invited us into a structure called the “summer kitchen.”  They said it would be nice and cool in there.  We all filed inside and sat along the built-in bench that aligned most of the interior wall.  The women and children all sat on a grass mat on the ground.  In the center was a long wooden table. The boy in his twenties did most of the talking and then another boy (also in his twenties) came and took over the lecture.  Both of them spoke very good English.

Summer kitchen

In the foreground is a wooden stand used to dry dishes. The round building in the background is the summer kitchen where we all gathered to meet the family.

I’m heading out now for our evening game drive.  I will write more tonight before bed.