Goodbye Africa

Today we ate an early breakfast and went to the Boiling Pot for one last look for the Falls.  They certainly are magnificent.

Then it was back on the bus to make our way to the airport. The Livingstone airport was a nightmare. I have never been to an airport so inefficient as this one. It was mass chaos from the moment we walked in and there were only 2 flights leaving. One person to check in an entire flight. Another line for exit visas, another line for security. It was hot, disorganized, and a step back in time from our American airports. We couldn't believe that the flight left almost in time after what we went through to get through the airport.

Back in Johannesburg, we had to say goodbye to most of our crew who were staying there for a few more days. It was hard to leave everyone as I feel like we were family after spending several weeks together. Amy and Maggie shared our flight back home so it was nice not to have to leave absolutely everyone. We then had a 6 hour layover in the airport so we walked around, did some shopping, and ate some food.

Finally, we boarded our flight to JFK for our 15 hour flight home. We all felt exhausted after already a day of travel, but luckily we all slept a bit on the flight and watched a few movies to pass the time. I kept dreaming of still being in Africa looking for animals in the bush...I wonder how long that will continue? Luckily, customs went quickly in JFK and we were soon on our flight home to Burlington.

Flying in it was beautiful to see the green mountains of home. We hadn't seen green in a while and it was beautiful to fly in right over the lake (and our neighborhood) to our lovely home in VT.

What a special few weeks this has been.  I am so profoundly grateful to all our traveling companions who made this trip with us. The trip was perfect in every way. Goodbye Africa for now. We'll be back.

White Water Rafting on the Zambezi River

Today is our big white water rafting trip down the Zambezi River. The ages for this were 15 and up, but we let Alex go since he really wanted to try it and we knew they wouldn't require evidence of his age. Hannah stayed behind as she wasn't interested and there were 8 of us total from the group who went on this adventure.

The trip was fantastic. We had plenty of guides to keep us safe (kayakers in front and behind) and it was astonishing to watch the amount of effort the local people had to go through to get us on the water. Our rafts were CARRIED by men, some in bare feet, who walked down a steep canyon trail that was tough for us to do without having to carry things down. Others carried the pumps, the backboards for any injuries, the kayaks, medical kits...truly amazing. 

We all had wet suits on as the air was cold and the water was chilly as well. They had told us the rapids were all Class 3-5 which is why most of the group decided against going on this trip (they got a float down the Zambezi instead). 

The Zambezi River meandered through this lovely gorge so when you weren't crouching in your boat and paddling hard in the big rapids, you could just look out and see the beautiful scenery. On one side of the gorge was Zimbabwe and on the other was Zambia.

There were also a few times that our guide said we could jump out of the boats and run the rapids with our body. The current was quite strong so you just flew along. This was really a blast and gave you quite a feel for just how much water was flowing around you. Thankfully, in these areas we didn't see the small crocodiles along the shores that we had seen from the boat! Apparently, hippos, elephants, and crocodiles sometimes go over the falls and are found dead in a few of the coves in the river. The local people make quick use of cutting the meat and eating it and carcasses don't last more than a few hours. The little baby crocs can sometimes survive which is why you only see the little crocs in this area.

After successfully navigating the rapids (and none of us falling out of the boat) we pulled up to a lovely white beach. We got out of our wet suits and took a cable car up the steep gorge where lunch was waiting for us. We certainly felt like we had earned this lunch!

Back at the hotel, we met the other crew who was getting ready for the float down the Zambezi. Hannah and Owen went on this while Charles, Alex, and I went to the pool and relaxed a bit.

Then we all hit dinner at the hotel and packed for our trip home the next day.

This has truly been the trip of a lifetime. The friends that we knew previously, the new friends that we made, and the memories that we all now share will not be forgotten.

A favorite saying from one of our South Africa guides was Hakuna Matata...meaning no worries or no problem in Swahili (we all know it here from the Lion King movie). He used it all the time and I think I'll adopt it as my mantra. Hakuna Matata: life is good and everything is just fine!!!

Victoria Falls Day 2

Today we had some free time in the morning which felt good after an itinerary packed with activities. 

Many of our group decided to visit the Marimba market which is a market about 2 km outside of Livingstone where all the locals shop (similar to the Tuesday Market in Mexico). Meat, veggies, fish, herbs, spices and many items I couldn't identify were for sale. We were the only non-Zambian folks there and it was interesting to see where they shopped. There was also clothes, shoes, fabrics, and assorted items for living. The market was filled with flies though so we spent some time there and then took another taxi into town to the crafts market. This market was right in downtown Livingstone.

The people at these stalls work you over very hard pushing you to come talk with them and look at their items. We bought quite a few things here and, after a while, I think I got used to bargaining hard for what we wanted. Kids even had some sodas out of the old glass coke bottles (we had to drink them there and return the bottles). I even managed to trade my plastic water bottle (that we got for free during our safari trip) for some of the crafts.

After this successful market morning, we visited Victoria Falls again and this time took a trail called the Boiling Pot. All the water from the falls empty at this point and the sheer volume of water is astounding. On our way to the trail, we met a family of zebra right on our path.  They were obviously accustomed to humans and it was really neat to see these creatures so close.

The Boiling Pot trail goes straight down and then you get into a rainforest-like climate with a beautiful stream and trees overhead. There were so many baboons on the paths. We watched them for a while and finally got up the courage to pass them by since they weren't moving. Again, it was so amazing to see them up close grooming each other, playing with their babies, and eating the fruit and nuts from the trees.

At 3:30 our group met to drive to the African Queen for a sunset cruise down the Zambezi. These boats were quite upscale with beautiful wood fixtures and all the drinks and snacks included.  We had a lovely cruise and saw more hippos and crocs and birds. We all decided that this had been such a great trip that we should all travel again together in a few years from now. After a few drinks, we all thought that Thailand and Vietnam should be our next destination!

On the way home, we stopped at a local Indian restaurant and had fabulous food. Great curries served in lovely copper pots with several fires burning on the outside deck to keep us warm. What a different restaurant from the night before!

The temperature here in Zambia is quite warm during the day (around 80) but then falls to the low 50's at night. The kids did swim in the pool a few times although it was quite cold.

 

Botswana to Zambia

We left Chobe River Lodge around 9 am and rather quickly (for 25 people) made our way through Botswana immigration and then Zambian immigration. Once we crossed the Zambezi river into Zambia we were again surrounded by people peddling their wooden crafts and bowls. We all bought a few things and when I was getting on the bus, a man asked if I would trade my water bottle for something at his stand. Since we have an abundance of water bottles, Charles gave him our blue Wharton water bottle and we got to choose out a nice, small wooden bowl. Hannah was also asked if she would trade her headband (she wasn't interested) and others who had any American swag items also made some trades. Had we known this ahead of time I would have brought more American-labeled items!

We arrived just about an hour after the Zambia border at our hotel called the Zambezi Sun Hotel. The Hotel is located walking distance from Victoria Falls so we can come and go with our hotel passes as many times as want.

Victoria Falls is a World Heritage Site and are the 2nd tallest Falls in the world (behind Angel Falls). There are numerous trails to take and today we took the photographic trails (a short trail) and then the Knife Bridge trail which takes you right along the rim of the falls. Along the rim, you get quite wet as the mist from the falls is everywhere. At one point, you cross this metal bridge and when you turn around there is a double rainbow formed from the mist and the sun. Beautiful. 

At the end of the trail you can see a steel bridge that connects Zambia to Zimbabwe. From this bridge people were bungee jumping which is quite a sight to see. We heard that a few weeks ago a woman almost died bungee jumping off this bridge since her rope broke and she crashed into the water below. She ended up breaking tons of bones but luckily made it out alive. No one on our trip decided to risk it and try this especially after hearing this story!

For dinner, we all met at a restaurant on the premises and had, by everyone's agreement, the worst service in Africa. We ordered pizzas and after a while the waiter came back and said they were short on pizza. We asked how many they had and he said, "Well, we have no pizzas." It is quite funny writing about it later. So, we re-ordered and then a while later the waiter came back and said they only had 1 burger left. Ha!  We all placed all final meal orders and eventually they brought our salads but didn't give us any utensils. When we asked for some none appeared. We kept asking. Finally, we got some little by little...perhaps they were washing them? This place was trying hard to be a good restaurant but were missing quite a few of the basics! We decided that the next night we would not return to this place!

Trip to Namibian Village

Today was another beautiful, warm day.  We decided to sleep in today as we were all a bit tired. After breakfast, our group met to go on a tour of a village in the country of Namibia. We boarded a boat from our lodge and then spent quite a bit of time in immigration. I think we hit the record books by getting our passports stamped 4 times in 4 hours! We had to go to the Botswana immigration office to leave the country, the Namibia one to enter and then do it all in reverse!

I loved a sign that I saw at the Namibia immigration office. The gist of it was that if no one was in the office to help you, please don't go knocking on our doors as we will help you eventually. Please wait. That is so Africa. No rush for anything, one immigration officer to help everyone, and no sense of immediacy. 

After taking the boat to Namibia and walking a short walk to a small immigration office, we continued our trek to the village which was about a 15 minute walk. This village had about 500 people living in it. Many of its inhabitants worked a the lodge located a little bit away or at the school or a little bit away in a larger village. 

All the houses were thatched roof with a combination of mud and dung to comprise the walls. They were very simple: a bed with just a layer of straw, a cooking pot of two, and a few utensils. All married couples huts were distinguished by a thatched fence around their house; singe people just had a hut. The chiefs house was close to where we entered and the animals were kept in a pen made with wood branches near the center of the village. 

Where we entered the village there was a Balbao Tree that was 3000 years old! 

Many of the older children were at school, but the younger children all came out and wave and came to say hello. Our guide gave them all candy and they wandered around with us as we looked around the village.

At the end, several women were selling their crafts (woven baskets and wood carvings) so many of us purchased some items to take home. We heard that one of the women had walked 10K to show us here items so we are all glad that we bought a few things.

We then came home for a late lunch and then boarded the safari jeeps for our last game drive. We saw lots of hippos with one male hippo being particularly vocal from the water. He even opened his mouth and showed up his many sharp teeth. We know now where the term a thunder of hippos (also know as a pod) since their voices sound like thunder when they talk!

We also saw a journey of about 15 giraffes going to the water. I love to watch them drink while their legs are splayed out wide in order for them to reach the water with their long necks. Of course, we also saw lots of elephants, a fish eagle eating a fish he had just caught, starlings, storks, guinea fowl, mongoose, baboons, impala, and a gorgeous sunset. A lovely last drive!

Our guides and the staff we have met in both South Africa and here in Botswana have had the most interesting names: Obedience, Goodness, Lucky, Honest, and a few others. They have other names in their native language but these are the names listed on their name tags and that they use with us. It is quite funny.

We check out tomorrow and head to our last destination which is Victoria Falls on the Zambia side. On to another adventure!

Chobe National Park: Boat Ride

It is hard to put into words how spectacular today has been. We took a morning gaming drive through Chobe National Park and saw elephants, hippos, a leopard, giraffe, baboons, and lots of birds. It is amazing to be on the water as all the wildlife migrate to it at some point during the day to drink. Chobe National Park has no fences so animals are free to wander in and out of the park. Our guide was wonderful and we were happy to learn that he an go home at the end of the day and be with his family. At the other 2 lodges the guides work for 6 weeks with 2 weeks off or 3 weeks with 1 week off. All of our guides had families so being away

We also walked to town to see some of the local scene. Most of the shops were closed as it was Sunday but we met a few vendors as well as hit the grocery store for some water.  The local currency is the Pula and right now it is about 8 Pula to 1 dollar. 

The afternoon we all boarded a boat that took us by river to the Chobe National Park; morning game drive by jeep and the afternoon by boat. We had the entire boat to just our party of 25 people. This boat drive was the most amazing experience I have had in Africa. The elephants that come to water and the islands are amazing...whole families congregate and swim from the land out to this island. It is quite funny to see the their trunks in the air just like a snorkel. At one point, the mother elephant in charge led the family across and the were all holding all with their trunks and their tails almost single file. 

The abundance of wildlife on the shores of the river was amazing. Birds of all kinds, crocodiles sunning themselves on the banks of the river, giraffe on the shores, tons of families of hippos sunning themselves on the shores and then hunkering down on the shores with the mud, baboon families, antelopes, waterbuck, cape buffulo,....INCREDIBLE. A wildlife extravaganza. With our boat we could pull right next to all the creatures and with the sun gliistening on the water it was truly magical. 

We watched one last elephant family crossing and turned to see the sun setting over the horizon. The beauty in this landscape takes your breath away. Nature living in harmony is an amazing thing to see. Chobe National Park has no fences so the wildlife roam free. It is certainly a special place to visit.

Our boat had a top deck for viewing in the sun and a lower deck with seats and shade. Of course, there was a full bar so kids and adults were happy with cold beverages during the ride too. 

We all decided this was the highlight of the trip and I know I will remember the beauty of the this day for many years to come.

Botswana is wonderful and the Chobe River Lodge is spectacular. The monkeys and warthogs roam free all over the property, the food  at the buffet is abundant and delicious, and the outdoor areas allow for spectacular views of the river,

Ah...a great day!

Chobe National Park, Botswana

It is hard to put into words how spectacular today has been. We took a morning gaming drive through Chobe National Park and saw elephants, hippos, a leopard, giraffe, baboons, and lots of birds. It is amazing to be on the water as all the wildlife migrate to it at some point during the day to drink. Chobe National Park has no fences so animals are free to wander in and out of the park. Our guide was wonderful and we were happy to learn that he an go home at the end of the day and be with his family. At the other 2 lodges the guides work for 6 weeks with 2 weeks off or 3 weeks with 1 week off. All of our guides had families so being away from home for so long is heart wrenching.

We also walked from our lodge to town to see some of the local scene. Most of the shops were closed as it was Sunday but we met a few vendors as well as hit the grocery store for some water.  The local currency is the Pula and right now it is about 8 Pula to 1 dollar. 

The afternoon we all boarded a boat that took us by river to the Chobe National Park; morning game drive by jeep and the afternoon by boat. We had the entire boat to just our party of 25 people. This boat drive was the most amazing experience I have had in Africa. The elephants that come to water and the islands are amazing...whole families congregate and swim from the land out to this island. It is quite funny to see the their trunks in the air just like a snorkel. At one point, the mother elephant in charge led the family across and the were all holding all with their trunks and their tails almost single file. Our guide says that Chobe has 60,000 elephants so you are assured of seeing lots of them during your trip.

The abundance of wildlife on the shores of the river was amazing. Birds of all kinds, crocodiles sunning themselves on the banks of the river, giraffe on the shores, tons of families of hippos sunning themselves and then hunkering down on the shores in  the mud, baboon families, antelopes, waterbuck, cape buffulo,....INCREDIBLE. A wildlife extravaganza of a magnitude that I have never witnessed before. With our boat we could pull right next to all the creatures and with the sun glistening on the water it was truly magical. 

We watched one last elephant family crossing and turned to see the sun setting over the horizon. The beauty in this landscape takes your breath away. Nature living in harmony is an amazing thing to see. Chobe National Park is certainly a special place to visit.

Our boat had a top deck for viewing in the sun and a lower deck with seats and shade. Of course, there was a full bar so kids and adults were happy with cold beverages during the ride too. 

We all decided this was the highlight of the trip and I know I will remember the beauty of this day for many years to come.

Botswana is wonderful and the Chobe River Lodge is spectacular. The monkeys and warthogs roam free all over the property, the food  at the buffet is abundant and delicious, and the outdoor areas allow for spectacular views of the river,

Ah...a great day!