Africa: Days 18-22

Blogging. Kind of haven't really been doing much of it. More like none of it. My apologies. I haven't allowed myself to update on anything until I finished our trip, which I think I promised I would do a month ago. So maybe I'll actually finish this trip, so we can all move on with our lives.

Day 18: Tuesday, August 24th:

This morning's breakfast at Audi Camp was delicious, with some of the best bacon I've ever had. Then the morning quickly went downhill. I got sick. Like, I'm not having fun anymore sick. Great. And we have to fly today. I popped a Cipro (the greatest drug ever created) and some Immodium and started praying for a quick recovery. We had planned on going shopping before our flight, so I sucked it up and explored around Maun like I was feeling fine. I was not about to put the trip on hold over some GI issues.

We (well, everyone but me) had lunch at a coffee shop by the airport, and then boarded the plane to Kasane. Another small flight with a very bumpy descent and landing. Just what my stomach needed...NOT!

We caught a taxi at the airport and headed straight for the Zimbabwe border. The taxis cannot legally drive back and forth across the border without a special (and expensive) permit. So we had to walk across the border and carry our bags to a driver we had waiting for us on the Zimbabwe side. It's about a 45-minute drive from the border to Victoria Falls. At least we were in an air-conditioned van with a cooler full of cold water.

We got dropped off and checked in to the Victoria Falls Rest Camp. We're staying in a mini house...2 rooms with a kitchen and bathroom. We started walking around town and had an early dinner at Mama Africa. I was starting to feel better at that point and had some delicious homemade pasta. I don't know if it was because I hadn't eaten all day, but this was some of the best pasta I've ever had in my life.



Then we walked over towards the Falls for what I think my mom had been waiting for the entire trip. The night before, the night of, and the night after the full moon each month they allow you to go inside the park to try to see a lunar rainbow. Yes, a lunar rainbow, which is a rainbow from the light of the moon. Well, we lucked out and timed our trip so we were there on the night of the full moon. So we waited patiently outside the gates until they decided the moon had gone high enough.


We weren't quite sure what to expect. They led us on the tiny paved pathways by the light of the moon, and we are now some of the lucky few to have seen a lunar rainbow. At first we couldn't get our cameras to capture it, but then we figured out the settings and got some proof...




We caught a taxi back to the rest camp, and then walked just down the street to get some soft-serve ice cream. A nice treat after a rough start to the day.

Day 19: Wednesday, August 25th

This morning we walked back over the Falls to see it during the daylight. Let me tell you, it's a completely different experience. And had we known just how close we were to edge of the cliff without a railing last night, I'm not sure we would have gotten some the pictures that we did. Tori said that when she was here earlier this year with her friends, the water levels were a lot higher, so all you could see was the mist. The amount of water flowing is quite impressive, and Victoria Falls actually means "the smoke that thunders" because the mist goes so high up in the air it looks like smoke.







After taking lots more pictures, we hiked back to the rest camp and checked out. Then we took a taxi down to our hotel for the night, Ilala Lodge. This hotel was amazing. This was our splurge night, and it was worth it. The nicest hotel I've stayed in besides our splurge night in Hawaii earlier this year. They greeted us with fresh guava juice while we checked in. We probably should have packed some nicer clothes, but oh well. We've been on safari!

After we checked in, we walked over to The Victoria Falls Hotel for lunch. I'm starting to realize that Victoria Falls has some of the most delicious food I've ever eaten in my life. I had an open face balsamic chicken sandwich. I don't know what all was in it, but it was amazing. I could have licked the plate clean. I think everyone else enjoyed their lunches too, but I was too busy devouring my food that I didn't notice the world around me. This hotel also has a beautiful view of the water and the Zim-Zam bridge that acts as the border between Zimbabwe and Zambia. We thought about going to Zambia, until we saw how much a visa cost. Sorry Zambia...maybe we'll visit you next time!



This afternoon, my mom and I went on an elephant ride. You're supposed to ride with a driver and another person, but when we got there, they had some younger elephants that they were still training, so my mom and I got to ride on them by ourselves and a driver/trainer. I was in heaven! I could have stayed on that elephant all day. After the ride, you got to pet and feed the elephant you rode. I wanted to take him home. So cute and sweet.





I also learned something I didn't know about elephants...they are very much like humans when a herd member dies. They make different sounds that they only make when they are "mourning" a dead elephant. They then stay with the dead elephant for about a week, then return a year later when only the bones are left. At that point, they separate all the bones because they don't like seeing the full skeleton together. It's their version of spreading someone's ashes.

Then after a wonderful shower, we had another amazing meal at the Ilala Lodge. I had beef wellington, which was divine. My mom's warthog dish came with these fried little mashed potato balls that were from heaven. My dad's fish tasted like it was made of butter. And Tori's stuffed chicken...delish! I will say we definitely all ate very well! And slept well...some of the comfiest beds, or maybe we were just tired from traveling. :)



Day 20: Thursday, August 26th

After an amazing breakfast, we headed to the local craft market. I don't know how much you know about Zimbabwe, but people are pretty much everywhere you turn begging for money or food or trying to barter with you. It got a little overwhelming at times, especially when it was little kids asking for something. Well, the craft market wasn't any different. I got offers for pretty much every article of clothing I was wearing, including my hair tie, socks, and grungy old shoes. It kind of makes you put life into perspective. There were some really cool sculptures and carvings that I would have loved to take home, but at this point my bag was pretty much overflowing.




Then it was time to drive back to Kasane. We did the border crossing again, and then stopped for one last night at Waterlily Lodge. Hard to believe that this trip is almost over, but I'm starting to be ready to go home. We made sure to stop at the places we wanted one last look at, and had dinner at the Chobe Marina Lodge. There was a hippo swimming around the dock, munching on the little grasses along the shore. One last beautiful sunset, and it was time to pack up our bags.




Days 21-22: Friday, August 27th-Saturday, August 28th

So now it's my dad who's not feeling too hot. Of course when we have to fly again. He had a rough night (and morning), and is hoping to feel a lot better before we get on the plane. We had breakfast at the coffee shop again, and then got ready to head to the airport.

It was really hard to say good-bye to Tori. As Lucky said, there's nothing wrong with crying...it's only water. We hugged a bunch of times, and then walked into the airport to get ready for the looooong way home.

First we flew from Kasane, Botswana to Johannesburg, South Africa. That flight was super hot and stuffy and crowded, and I really just wanted to get off the plane. Then from Jo-burg, we flew to JFK, with a 1-hour stop in Dakar, Senegal where they switched flight crew and fumigated the plane...while we were in it. Hopefully my future babies won't have 3 eyes. There had been some communication issues, and we weren't able to request our seats ahead of time, so we were stuck in the middle section of the plane. I gave my dad the aisle seat, and got the joy of sitting next to a college student from Zimbabwe who thought he got to have half my seat as well. My poor mom got to have lean into her personal space for the whole flight. Sorry Mom!

Then we finally made it to JFK in the morning, went through the shuffle of customs, where my mom got the surprise of black lacy underwear in her bag. Obviously it was not hers, and with the sleep deprivation and jet lag, it was quite hilarious. Then we flew to D.C., before our final flight back to LAX. Well there turned out to be something wrong with the black box, so we sat on the plane for almost 3 hours before we took off. My dad took full advantage of the free mimosas, and we got to watch some extra movies. Thank goodness we were in first class or I might have lost it. I just wanted to go home. I smelled, I hadn't showered in what felt like forever, and I had no idea what time zone I was in.

We finally made it home, and got a wonderful pick-up service from my grandparents at the airport. It was a wonderful trip that I will always remember. Thanks Mom and Dad for the trip of a lifetime!

Africa: Days 15-17

Okay, okay...I know I kind of disappeared off the face of the blogging earth and that my posting has been, well, lacking. But my residency has kind of eaten up all my free time. Everything has been fine, just busy and tiring. 10-hour days are a bit brutal, and they usually end up being closer to 12-hour days. So I know you've all been on the edge of your seats, dying to know how our trip to Africa ended. Apparently even my mom who was on the trip! So, let's see if we can finish this darn trip up, shall we? So without further ado, let's return to Africa...

Day 15: Saturday, August 21st

This morning we drove out to the Kalahari Desert. But instead of riding in the safari jeeps like we had been, we now got to ride in a multi-passenger van with air conditioning and seatbelts. Nice. We stopped in D'Kar (about a 3 hour drive) for the Kuru Dance Festival. This is a once-yearly event where dance groups from all over Botswana (and even some neighboring countries like Namibia) come to perform their traditional regional dances and compete for prizes. Their ages ranged from preschoolers (who were absolutely adorable) to 70 year-olds. It was amazing to watch and listen to their performances (they usually sing or chant while they are dancing). You had to pay 1000 pula to take pictures at this event, so we all pooled our money together for 1 photo pass. One of the Spaniards is a photo journalist, so he took all the pictures and will send it to us on a CD. (He has sent it to my mom, who says the pictures are amazing. I will try to post some of them if/when I get a hold of them) There were also arts and crafts for sale, like ostrich-egg jewelry and red sand art.

After we'd had our fill, we drove to our lodge in Ghanzi (Tautona Lodge). Disney would have a hayday seeing their logo, because it looks an awful lot like Mufasa. This lodge has what they call a farm - lots of animals they've caught from the wild and have caged for their guests to see. So we finally got to see some wild dogs (although we're calling them "wild" dogs) and more lions up close. It was actually pretty sad seeing them caged up. They looked like they just wanted to run free!


They also claim to have 5 cheetahs, but we never saw them. We think they're pulling our legs. We had a big buffet of traditional food at the lodge - our last dinner together as a safari group. Another night spent in a comfy bed and a shower with running water. What a treat!

Day 16: Sunday, August 22nd

After our last breakfast together as a group and saying our good-byes to all the Spaniards, we did another game drive around the Tautona Lodge property. They are all going different ways while we have another day and a half with Lucky in the Kalahari. We were on the hunt for some of the bigger antelope that were supposedly on the property/farm. Well, truth be told, it was a big dud. We saw a couple ostrich, vultures, cranes and impala. That's it. Then as we pulled back in by the rooms, we saw an eland (exactly what we'd been looking for) chomping on the grass by the pool. Go figure!
We ordered lunch, which took 2 1/2 hours to come (no joke!) and then took a quick driving tour of Ghanzi. This didn't exactly take long, as most of the town was closed because it's Sunday.

In the evening, we went on a walk with 4 bushmen (2 men and 2 women). They showed us how they get water (eating tubers that they dig up, which taste like radishes), the different uses for various plants and roots (pain relief, energy, contraception, etc.), and how they make fire out of twigs and grass. It was very neat to see and share their culture, something they are trying to preserve for future generations. We had our last dinner of safari at the lodge (another 2-hour meal), some some clothes washed, and got ready to head back to Maun in the morning.




Day 17: Monday, August 23rd

Today we headed back to Maun. Lucky brought us blankets to help keep us warm since we left in the morning and are now back in the safari open-air vehicle. We stopped in D'Kar at the San Art Center. It is a whole gallery and center where the local bushmen (often called the San people/group) come and make various arts and crafts to sell to make a living. It's pretty cool seeing all their work.

As we kept driving toward Maun, we saw people along the side of the road driving donkey-drawn carts, many of which are driven by young kids. We had one last lunch with Lucky in Maun before our safari officially ended. It was sad saying good-bye, but he had another safari to start up and we had our adventure to continue. Thanks for the awesome memories Lucky!

We are staying at Audi Camp, which offers various levels of camping...from campsites where you provide your own tent to en-suite cabins. We stayed in tents up on concrete slabs with beds and electricity. We used the communal bathrooms that were actually very clean and nice. It felt good to shower and relax by the pool. There's a little craft shop here are the campsite with art made from soda cans. There's a cute elephant sculpture made from coke cans - a perfect melding of me and Jeff! I don't think he'd make it home OK though. And there's only so much room in the suitcase! :)


We enjoyed another delicious dinner (I think I'm gaining pounds by the meal), even though the power kept cutting in and out. Again, another normal occurrence here. We're resting up for another exciting day...tomorrow we head to Zimbabwe!

Africa: Days 12-14

Sorry there's been a slight pause in our Africa journeys. My residency started up on Monday, and I've been working 10 hour days. Needless to say, the blog got put on pause. So, here we go...

Day 12: Wednesday, August 18th

I don't think this morning was too cold, or maybe I'm just getting used to it. We had our bags out ready to be loaded on the trailer while we went out on a morning game drive. We went to where they had recently discovered a wild dog den, but they were all gone. Either they got scared by all the people who came to see them constantly, or a hyena attacked them...depending on whose story you choose to believe. The guides are getting frustrated because the animals are getting harder to find. As the water keeps changing, the animals move and the roads become blocked. It truly comes down to timing and luck.

And as luck would have it, we caught wind of a lion sighting with a kill - a zebra. Problem was that they were very far away, but we decided it was worth it anyway. By the time we got there, the lions had pulled their kill under the bushes to hide it from scavengers. There was only 1 female lion out in the open, but she was lying down on her side and was difficult to see in the tall grass. We tried to see the lions under the bush, but could only see the bellies of 2 and that was after sitting there and staring for a while. Makes you wonder how many lions we have driven past and not even known it!




Because we went so out of the way, we got a late start on our drive to the next camp - Xakanaka. The road today was nowhere near as bumpy as yesterday. We had lunch near the water again. This time our guests were hippos. They kept popping their heads up and blowing bubbles. No going to the bathroom here though...there was a black mamba living in it! Yikes!




We finally made it to Xakanaka camp, but another group had beaten us there. Here in Botswana, it doesn't seem to matter if you've paid for it, the rule of 1st come, 1st served still applies. So we searched for a place to set up our camp near-by. The crew would level out the ground and cut down the grass while we went out on a game drive.

The area here is very wooded and has lots of tall trees. We got very close to a group of zebras, which I'm hoping will make for some awesome pictures.





We are seeing fewer elephants now, but they're definitely still around.





As we were driving back to camp, the bugs started to come out. There are definitely more bugs here than any of the other places we've been. We were covered by the time we got back! We had dinner to the sounds of hippos, hyenas, and 2 leopards mating. It sounded more like they were being tortured! And by the sounds of it, they were very close to camp!




Day 13: Thursday, August 19th

Another morning of waking up early in search of animals. One of these mornings I would love to sleep in, but I doubt it's going to happen this trip. It didn't seem too cold this morning, but I still bundle up in layers because the wind is freezing once we start driving.

As in the days past, we were really hoping to see some lions or cheetahs. Well, the stars must have been aligned, because we turned the corner and round tons of cars all grouped together. We knew it had to be something good, boy was it ever! We had stumbled upon 9 lions and their fresh kill - a cape buffalo. It was very clear what the pecking order was, because until the alpha male was finished, the other lions couldn't come within 5 feet of the kill before he would roar and swat them away. He was definitely going whole-hog, and was up to his shoulders inside the buffalo. He would come back out for air after a few minutes, panting with meat sweats, and then go back in for more.





Some of the younger females got bored and started playing with each other - very entertaining to watch.


After about 30 minutes, we headed out toward the channels to go on a mokoro ride. A mokoro is a traditional dug-out wooden canoe where you are pushed by a poler. It's like Africa's version of a gondola. We zig-zagged through the tall grass and reeds, learned about the local plants, and I even tried a water fig (it tasted very planty), and once the water opened up, we saw tiny little frogs and the resident hippo. He wasn't too fond of us, and tried to scare us off. We decided to give him some space, and headed back. It was very relaxing and a neat tradition to experience.





After a quick lunch, we started back for camp, with a game drive en route. There were tons of birds, antelope and zebra.




And the lions were all still there, now passed out in a food coma. The vultures were starting to crowd, but the alpha male made sure to let them know that they were not yet finished. It would be theirs soon though, because lions won't eat the meat once it starts to spoil. The hyenas and jackals would be there that night to fight with the vultures.




While we had been out, the crew moved our entire camp over the campsite we should have been in last night - they were one hard-working crew! It was our last night camping, and we celebrated with a yummy dessert - caramel bake!

Day 14: Friday, August 20th

This morning was bittersweet, as it was our last morning in camp. We took group shots with the crew and waited as everything got packed up.


We were to do a game drive as we headed out, but we didn't see too many animals, so we actually made very good time. We had a new first - baby giraffes! They were so awkwardly cute! They kept trying to drink water from the watering hole like the adults, which is awkward looking when they do it too, but their necks weren't long enough, so they kept falling onto their knees. Poor things!



We stopped and had lunch at a campsite run by a bushman tribe. There were people there preparing grass thatching for roofing, and there were also women selling woven baskets. I bought another one, this one with many different colors in it. We took more group pictures, then kept driving to Maun.



We finally returned to paved roads, which means high speeds in an open-air vehicle without seatbelts. Kind of scary! We checked into the Island Safari Lodge, and after a nice shower and some hand-washing of my laundry, it was off to the airport. We went on a scenic flight over the Okovango Delta. The flight took place in a tiny 5-passenger plane. One of the Spaniards, Adrian (our newly adopted brother) joined us. The views were amazing, but between the heat and the quick tilting from side to side, I nearly lost it. An experience I will never forget, but not one that I care to repeat anytime soon.






We re-grouped back at the lodge, then had a delicious dinner at Audi Camp, where we'll stay when we return to Maun next week. It was our last night with the safari crew and 2 Peace Corps volunteers Shannon and Steve. It felt so good to be back in a bed again. There are different animals one the outside of each of the rooms here. Ours naturally were elephants - it was meant to be!


There are lots of monkeys roaming around the grounds, so you can't leave the windows or doors open, or they'll sneak into your room and steal your stuff. They were pretty cute, but I'd probably change my mind if they got into the room. Tori and I definitely slept soundly tonight, which is good because another early morning awaits us!