Day Four

Shepard came in the room at 6:00 to wake us and open the doors, this bed was so hard to leave, it's so warm and cozy.  Breakfast again on the deck.  The oatmeal and toast are cooked in the fire pit..  The plan for the day was canoeing on the Zambezi.  We had heard the other guests tell of two hippo charges that they experienced and were a little concerned but since we were told it was a must do activity we said geronomo and barreled ahead…..well tentatively barreled ahead.

"Chris, crocs to the left and hippos to the right and not much room in the middle!!!!"  I developed a strategy that would assure my safety, I paddled fast and looked at my shoes.  If I can't see them they can't see me and it worked since after 3 1/2 hours dodging hippos in a small channel we made it out alive.  In fact I thought we were through the worst when Chris said that we were entering the part they call "Hippo City".  The scary part is so many times they congregated in the narrowest part or if they were on the shallow side and we were on their favorite side which is the deepest side…..I will say that is an adrenaline rush.  But, It was incredibly peaceful seeing elephant, buffalo, impala, baboons, and an incredible amount of birds.  

We stopped half way to "make a bush happy" (men to the right, girls to the left) and have cake and tea.  At the end there was a boat waiting to take us back, that's the way to go, one way and down stream.  Lunch followed and then a siesta.  I took the outside lounge and Caroline slept inside today.  The hippos kept waking me up but that is my new favorite African sound, hippo grunts.  It goes on all night right outside my tent.  Last night we could hear the lions in the distance.  The other couple slept with their doors open.  Caroline and I discussed doing this but its not the wildlife but the spiders that got to us.

We laughed today about the 1st night seeing one spider, 2nd seeing two and would we see three tonight…..well we had the first one, another flattie, already before dinner and had to actually use the radio to get someone to come get it.  I sprayed it but it wouldn't die and neither of us would slap it with the shoe.  The manager came and picked it up with his bare hand while we shrieked like little girls.  Dinner is at eight, stay tuned!!

We're in bed and again I hear the lions and now I can tell the hippos are leaving the river moving past our tent to forage.  We leave tomorrow to go to Livingstone and there seems to be some confusing about our flights that will need sorting tomorrow.

I was a little uneasy last night hearing strange animal sounds.  The lions were getting closer and the hippos sounded like they were just outside.  I told the manager about it including that I was sure it was may imagination but I thought I heard a leopard rasping, he said there was a leopard in camp and that he had heard the same thing.

We flew back on an even smaller plane and Caroline was the copilot.  She said the pilot told her very landing is a controlled crash on those dirt airstrips. We are now at the Royal Livingstone at Victoria Falls.  The fall is very impressive and the hotel lovely.  Giraffe and zebra roam freely on the grounds.  We have a helicopter ride and the lion walk tomorrow.

Day Three

I trouble sleeping last night and the only thing I can figure is I don't want to miss one minute of this trip.  Shepard woke us with our coffee and opened the doors to the river.  Caroline and I  sat up at the same time and stared out at the hippos and the Zambezi river.  After breakfast on the open dining deck which overhangs the river (no railing) we had a game drive with just the two of us and our guide Chris.  

We sat with a breeding herd of elephants and watched them mourn a dead sister.  It was sad to watch them touch and smell her.   We also saw oodles of impala, elephant, some waterbuck, warthogs, two jackals, a mongoose, all while listening to my favorite African sound which is the Cape Turtle Dove call.  In the morning they say "work harder, work harder" and in the evening it's "drink lager, drink lager."

We were out until 11:30 so needless to say we had to make do with a bush and drip drying.  Lunch is at noon and I hear we're going out.

Part B

We took a pontoon boat to a shallow sandbar which had been set up with a table, tent, and chairs in the water.  We wadded over to get a cool drink and watched them finish barbecuing the meat in the river.  Lunch was special sitting in ankle deep water in the shade of the tent.  The dining table is always dressed with nice linens, glasses and more silverware than I can find uses for.

Caroline took  long nap outside on the deck and after our down time and being trapped in our room for awhile by a bull elephant we met our guide for tiger fishing.  The tiger fish is a member of the piraña family and puts up a great fight.  First we used worms to catch our bait.  I was the camera man and worm collector.  Caroline pulled them in like she had done this before even catching several small tiger fish however we came up empty for big tiger fish.  I will say that there is very few things better that a Mosi Lager in one hand and your rod in the other with crocs on our left and watching the red sun set behind the mountains on the Zambezi river.

A land rover met us upstream for a game drive back and we found a pride of lions.  Two lions, two lionesses and five cubs.  The baby jumped on dad, he slapped the baby and mom popped him.  

Oh Lord, there's trouble when we return and now it's not one spider on the wall but one on our bed post inside our mosquito net and get this, a flattie (BIG, husky spider) on the zipper of Caroline's duffle.   I gave him the what for with a can or Raid but he took leave under the dresser without us knowing his fate.

Drinks by the fire pit, dinner on the deck with hot coals under tables and lanterns around the bar.  Shepard had to do a thorough room check with his flash light. 

Tidbits:

We have shared the room with a little frog including the toilet seat, shower and sink.  We showered together last night.

The hot water bottles in our beds are still warm in the morning.

This bed is the most comfortable bed I've been in, soft sheets, thick comforters and that hot water bottle, o la la.

Every meal has not only been good but has been outstanding.

Canoeing the Zambezi.

Tiger fishing. 

Me being a creep. 

Day Two

 Pilots having a drink (beer?) near the airport emergency equipment. 

 Our boat over to Sausage Tree Camp.

Today we had a two hour flight to Zambia and I was a bit surprised that the stewardess didn't even offer one peanut with our beverage.  Well, that's because they offered a full hot lunch which was crackers and cheese, rolls and butter, salad with goat cheese, lamb with gravy, rice and mixed vegetables, 2 mini chocolate eclairs, and a piece of candy.  I'm not lying.

It was a little confusing when we got to the airport in Zambia since we had to pay an exit tax to enter.  The tax was $58,000 Kawcha and the only option I had was to hand over my wad, smile and trust the tax collector to give me the correct change.

After passing through the security scaner (which alarmed without getting anyone's attention) to our next flight I had to go to the bathroom which involved going back through the now unattended security scanner and then returning setting off the alarm a third time without anyone even looking my way.

Luska to Jeki and Sausage Tree Camp

All can say is WOW.  Our plane was sold out meaning that all six seats were taken.  No need for seat belts since we were packed like sardines.  The young pilot had a serious case of bed head and a three day beard but he had on an official looking shirt and a copilot that slept with his head against the window.  The ride was bumpy due to high winds  (plane made from balsa wood) but I will say the landscape was breath taking.  More mountainous than I would have thought.  The landing strip was a short dirt path and our guides were waiting by a land cruiser that would take us to a flat boat for a 25 minute ride to camp.  On the way we saw our first wildlife, impala, baboons, zebras, elephants, crocs and scores of hippos.  Too cool.

The camp is a set from a Tarzan movie only it's totally authentic meaning we're sort of roughing it.  There are only four of us in camp and we're at opposite ends of the lodge.  Our tent is about 50 yards through the woods from the next tent which is unoccupied, by ourselves and kind of scary.  No locks on the doors.  The sides are bamboo, the top canvas and the doors are open wooden slats.  I take it we're just one big happy family here and on the honor system since all of our valuables and whatnot are left in our unlocked room.  

We were given the rules which is don't leave the room at night (and I'll be honest there is not any temptation to do that) and little frogs will share our room and shake out your shoes and towels before using.  The camp is unfenced and elephant, hippos and buffalo are daily visitors in camp.  If you get trapped go into to the closest tent (yours or not) and use the radio for help.  Our muchinda, Shepard, will bring our coffee at 6:00, breakfast is at 6:30.  

After Shepard  showed us our tent and most importantly the emergency radio we left for a night game drive.  One guide drives as the other shines a light to spot predator eyes.  We saw the usual prey which they try not to illuminate and then we found a lion.  That roar just feet from our open vehicle in the dark is incredibly impressive.  

When returning to camp we were surprised with a lantern lit bush dinner, only a bonfire, lanterns and a few flash lights for the bathroom which I can't even describe except to say…well I'm not even sure what to say about that…..bathroom is definitely not the right word.  The dinner you ask?  OMG, creamy butternut soup, tender oxtails, chicken of some delicious sort, the local form of grits only better, (all mostly cooked over an open fire) and an acorn squash concoction that was Caroline's favorite.  Sweet hot chocolate for desert.

We let them know our only fear was spiders so you know what I'm going to write next….yep, on the wall by her side of the bed.  Aaaaghhhh….. I thought the mosquito nets on our bed were for show, now I know differently.

We're in bed and you can't believe the sounds of the place.  Our tent is about 25 feet from the river and there are hippos right in front of us splashing and talking with each other or trying to drown out the frogs, crickets and baboon sounds.  There are other sounds that I can't identify.