Botswana Bound

Animals as far as you can see with lots of baby elephants.

 It was an average day getting up at 6:30 which is crazy that we all consider that normal now, even Jenna!  We packed up and headed for the border with our new crew of eight people along with all the families that did the first leg with us.  We were lucky that four of the people that were supposed to be on our tour couldn’t get through England and missed the trip.  It’s mean to say but the bus would have been packed and it’s sure nice to have a few extra seats so people can move around a bit.  So we added four young Germans who just finished Uni that are super friendly and are entertained by the kids (or vise versa).  We also have two older women from Australia and two younger sisters from New Zealand so our crew is still very diverse and seems pretty fun.

Huge crocodiles that you can get really close to, good thing for the big boat!

On our way out of Victoria Falls the bus stopped just out of town and Muma Flow jumped into the back with us.  We asked her what was going on to find out we picked up a hitch hiker!  He just happened to be in a border guard’s uniform so thanks to the quick thinking of Flow, we got a quick pass through immigration at the Zimbabwe border as he fast tracked us right through!  We headed for the Botswana part where we had to get our passports stamped and then headed over to dip our shoes as part of a quarantine measure between the two countries.  We made it across the border in no time and within 10 minutes we were in the town where we were to spend the night.  Groceries and next thing you know we were setting up tents.... the fastest travel day ever!

Hard to believe they're so dangerous.

Playing in the mud!

After lunch as bunch of people headed out for a game drive while we hung out by the pool for a while and took it easy.  At 3pm we headed out for a boat tour along the Chobe River which was completely amazing.  I have never seen so many animals out in one place as on the edges of the Chobe.  There were elephants, buffalo, hippo, crocodiles and antelope as far as you could see eating the lush grasses along the river.  There were also a pile of tour boats zipping around but the animals just seemed to ignore us and just went on their way.  There were baby elephants that ranged from having no ivory to little stubs and it was cool to watch them running around their mom playing. 

No short supply of elephants here.

Animals everywhere and birds too.

Alyssa had made some friends at the pool who happened to be on the tour so she hung out with them for much of the cruise but as the sun set we all headed to the top level of the boat to watch.  It was completely surreal to sit back and look at the scenery and wildlife.  It was like some of the crazy stuff you see on TV and would think you’d only see it in some secluded game park... not the case.  The guides knew exactly where to stop to get the classic African sunset photos as we headed back toward the dock. 

Once we were back on land, we headed back for dinner and had a really mellow evening.  It’s a 4:45 am get up with 600 km to travel to Maun where we enter the Okavango Delta!  I’ve heard incredible things about this part of the trip and given the amount of wildlife we’ve seen in Botswana already, I can only imagine what is to come!

The sunsets are absolutely stunning in Africa.

Wet & Wild Safaris

Getting soaked at Victoria Falls.

Jenna got to sleep in today as there was nothing scheduled in the morning except to go visit the falls at some time.  We headed down to the entry gate that was a 10 minute walk from the campground.  They sure gouge you at the entry gate (everything is in US dollars here) but it was well worth the

Crazy drop offs into the canyon.

price of admission and we headed off to view the falls.  There are 19 viewing areas and it made you realize just how big and wide the place is.  One place had huge mists coming off falls and it was raining like mad but beautiful blue skies above.  The rainforest was amazing but only lasted for 100 meters or less adjacent to the falls.  It was crazy how close you could get to the vertical edge with no barriers or fences.  They’d never get away with that back home!  We could also see on the Zambia side where you can climb to the edge of the fall into the Devil’s pool where we could see people in the water, looking over the falls.

We had a great lunch at the Rainforest Cafe within the park and then headed to the bridge where we could view the river.  We had to bring our passports to get onto the bridge which sure turned out to be a blessing in disguise.  Earlier in the day, I had gone to get our passports out of the safe only to discover that the other Canadian guy had grabbed his two passports of which only one was his!   They were heading off on a different safari so we would have been pretty buggered if we had gotten to the border tomorrow with the wrong one!  Luckily he was still around and we managed to switch them back but man, did my stomach drop when I opened that passport expecting to see Alyssa’s unsmiling face looking at me (passport photos, you know)!   Getting back to the day, the bridge gave good views but we could hang around too long as we had our horse safari for Alyssa and I and Jenna/Shan had their elephant safari.

I was a little nervous about our horse safari as they had told the company we were experienced (they gauged it by riding more than 10 times).  We met the woman who was very....eccentric to say the least and we discussed our experience.  Turned out we were the only ones on the tour and we got two guides to go with us also.  Once we were mounted on our horses the woman in charge jumped up on her horse to give us the safety talk.  Turns out there are predators in the park and one elephant that doesn’t like horses.  She explained that whatever happens, don’t get off your horse.  Even if you need to “love your horse” and just lean over and hang onto its neck that’s what you want to do and the horse will take you to safety.  I was wondering how that all worked with horses and lions and yes, the lions do see you as food!  That was why we had the two guide and as I watched them they were always looking for unwanted tracks.

Alyssa and I having a break along the upper Zambezi River.

800 year old Boabab tree.

We saw a large herd of buffalo which we got within 5 meters of and they just watched us while chewing away.  The guide grabbed Alyssa’s reins which I was very glad to see and he was very attentive with her.  At one time my horse bit Alyssa’s while her’s kicked mine which made for an interesting scuffle.  We both stayed on our horses and the guide was quite impressed how she stayed on and handled her horse.  We also got to trot for a while so after watching how Alyssa did it, I finally got the rhythm of it instead of getting pounded in my saddle as I had before!  Later we went down to the river where we continued to look for animals.  We found some fresh elephant sign and around every bend our guide was out of his saddle looking and listening for them.  We finally came upon them only to find out that elephant was the one that we didn’t want to see on the trip.  She had her small baby with her and has charged the horses before so we turned tail right away and got out of there without incident.  After circling back to avoid mom and baby we continued on through these crazy Boabab trees.  One was thought to be over 800 years old and was huge at the base.  We saw a number of different animals on the way back and we got right into the herd being on horseback, it was really cool.  We got to see the sunset and then it was time to head back to camp.

Treats at the end of the day.

We met up with Shan and Jens who had an incredible experience on the elephants.  Jenna was pumped that there were baby elephants that came along on the walk as they can’t separate the mom from baby at any time.  They got to see a few animals along the way but also had an armed guard walking along with them to ensure everyone stayed safe.  The girls got a young male to ride and the guide was great telling them about the area, elephants and life in Zimbabwe.  Turns out the guys makes $300 a month and pays $60 of that to rent a one bedroom apartment for his family of four.  Given what we paid for the experience, someone is making pretty good money, but it’s sure not the guides!  Later, Jenna got to feed her elephant and also one of the babies.  She was pretty excited until it snotted all over her.  Sound like the tour was great and well worth it though.

The warthogs just wander through town here.

Once back at camp, we started thinking about packing as tomorrow is a travel day into Botswana. Once everyone came back we headed for the pizza place with the other families and Sebastian and Talia who the girls just love.  Alyssa was pretty insistent that we had pizza in Zimbabwe as we were told we have to have pizza in every country that we visit.  It didn’t rate at the top of the list but it wasn’t too bad!  We headed home to pack and crash for the day after another fun filled, adventurous day.

Adrenaline Day in Vic Falls

Ready for a day of zip lining!

The day started pretty early for me as today was white water rafting down the Great Zambezi River!  Shannon and the girls got a sleep in as their day started at 10 am with Shan going to the spa for a massage, manicure and pedicure while the girls hung out.  Later in the day they did a canopy tour which is composed of nine zip lines that weave back and forth across a side canyon from the Zambezi gorge.  It was to be a fun filled, adrenaline rush of a day and we were not to be let down!

My day started with a 7:00 am start where we got taken to a cafe overlooking the Zambezi to get our gear, find our groups and have our safety briefing.  Got a coffee and had a look at the river we were about to run... ohhh it looked awesome!  Our group was the four of us from the bus; Isaac, Lev, Brendan and myself and we were hooked up with a family from the UK with an older guy and his 16 year old daughter and son.  Once we got our gear, met our guide and signed our life away, we headed to the start of the trail that lead to the bottom of Victoria Falls where our trip was to begin. 

The trail started out mellow enough but it quickly went vertical down a number of ladders.  Part way down one of the handrails came off so as we climbed down with our life jacket, helmet, and paddle while holding one railing made for an interesting balancing act.  It also became pretty apparent who was up for the task of the day and who wasn’t.  There were a number of people that were already scared and the scary part hadn’t even started!  Luckily everyone in our boat was great and we all had a good laugh hiking down into the gorge.  We were wondering how they got the boats down there and it’s all by local porters who hike the boats down and then locals from another village fold them up and hike them out.  Needless to say they were in pretty good shape.

When we got down to the put in the view of the falls from below was incredible.  We got into our boat, did the usual paddling drills and got up to be misted by the falls before it was time to start out on the adventure.  Running the first few rapids was great and we just flew through them getting good and wet with nice warm water.  Some of the other groups didn’t fare so well and a number of boats went for swims right off the start.  As we progressed further we picked up a few swimmers on the way and everyone was pretty pumped up.  We finally approached rapid number 7, which we were told during the briefing that many people walked around and had to sign a special waiver saying we understood the risks.  Our guide informed us that all the boats that ran it yesterday flipped so we were prepared for a swim.  

We got all pumped up to go and hit the first standing wave which just crushed us all backwards and I felt the girl behind me go into the water.  She looked pretty shocked when she surfaced but relaxed after and had a good swim.  Lev fell out the other side on the next wave but the rest of us hung on and made it.  Wow, what a crazy section!  Rapid 10 we had to walk around as it was a Class 6 rapid and a few groups managed to flip below the tough part after we got back in.  One group was not having fun and skirted the entire rapid below with one woman sitting in the bottom of the boat for over half the trip.

Our boat was still having a blast and one rapid we were told we could swim so we all jumped in a floated down.  Isaac floated beside me and got caught in a whirlpool getting twirled around three times and then sucked under for a few seconds.  Wow, was it ever funny seeing his face as he tried to figure out what was happening.  The rest of the trip was great and we hit every wave possible until it was time to get out.  The trail up the gorge was even longer than the one down but it was great to stretch the legs and climb.  My cardio isn’t quite as bad as I thought it would be after travelling for almost three months.  At the trail head we were treated to lunch and beers so there was a carrot at the end of the hike.  After lunch we headed back to the campground where I got to hear how the girl’s trip went.

The canopy tour sounded incredible and Shannon did fine with the heights and jumping off platforms to slide across the gorge.  The guide was great and the girls were shown how to brake using their gloved hand.   The girls loved the zip line that you had to tie into a safety line and walk along a ledge to get to the actual platform.  Then you flew across the whole gorge on the longest of the zip lines.  The girls decided Shannon should go first to show them how it was done and I think they wanted to see if she’d do it!  So after a slight hesitation across the really exposed part, she stepped up and let it rip.  Everyone came back with huge smiles on their faces and could stop telling stories.  It costs a bit to do but what a great way to spend the day on a pure adrenaline high.

Rapid 3 and 4 on the Zambezi with the bridge to Zambia in the background.

                                                    

Travelling to Victoria Falls

Today was another early day as breakfast was at 5:15 am.  For some reason I woke up at 2:30 am and could not go back to sleep so I read until it was time to get ready.  We had a fair bit of ground to cover so we spent a lot of time driving in the truck today. By the afternoon it was starting to get warm and I was getting really tired but could not fall

Muma Flow with the group.

asleep.  After a few more hours we made it to Victoria Falls which seems to be a hub for activities.  When we arrived we were taken to a place where they explained the different activities to everyone and provided us with a price sheet.  Everything was in American dollars and not cheap.  By this time we were all hot, tired and hungry so making decisions was not easy.  We went to find a place to sit down and have a drink before we made any final decisions.  We

Alyssa and Amelia with Jacob.

all had an idea of what we should do but unfortunately they were not lining up so some creative thinking had to come into play.  In the end we decided that Kevin would do the all day river rafting the first day while I went for a massage in the morning and then the girls and I would go on the canopy tour in the afternoon.  The following day Alyssa and Kevin would take part in the Horse Safari while Jenna and I would go on an elephant ride.  The morning was to be spent at the falls.  Once the decisions had been made we all felt a little better but I am not sure about our bank account.

Jenna and Alyssa with the guys.

Sebastian with the dancers.

After setting up our tent and relaxing we were privileged to have our driver, Jacob and his dance & singing group entertain us right at our campsite.  They were really good!  They had one person drum while they harmonized and their dancing was very energetic Alyssa was pulled up to join in at one point and it was fun watching her and others try to replicate their dance moves.  Seeing the performance really made you feel you were in Africa.  The kids were pretty ramped up after the entertainment and were dancing around, playing ball and just being kids.  It was great watching them being silly and having a lot of fun!

Just a little pumped up!

Tonight we all went for a group dinner at a restaurant as half of the group would be leaving us the next day.  It was nice to have everyone together and the food was good.  We were pretty lucky to have some many diverse people get along so well and we all had so much fun.  We can only hope our new participates are as good spirited and not turned off by a bunch of kids.  The adventure continues....!

Looking for Rhinos

Today is the day we headed out to find Rhinos in Matabo National Park.   A ½ day adventure in the park was included in our safari but we had the option to make it a full day including lunch for an extra $30.  As the afternoon involved walking around the bush talking about plants etc and visiting cave drawings Jenna opted out along with 8 other people but Alyssa, Kevin and I chose to make a day of it.  At 8:30 we were picked up in 3 trucks and driven out to the park.  Our guides were very interesting especially the one gentleman who spent 2 solid years in the bush and did not hold back on his opinions.  The older fellow was very knowledgeable and a great speaker, he sort of reminded me of John Woods. 

Our first stop in the park was a spot on a dirt road where they spotted rhino tracks.  They explained how you could tell what type of rhino it was and roughly how old the track was.  The one guide which I will call the “Bushman” talked a lot about how just spending time in the bush can help you understand what goes on there (ie. how long it takes a spider to spin its web and how it can tell you how long an animal has been through the area).  Our next stop was a trail that took us to the top of a hill which provided a good view of the area and an opportunity to look for the rhinos.  Although the bushman was of stocky build, wow could he hike through the forest and in bare feet!   It felt a little like speed walking rather than hiking!  Luckily for us we saw rhinos down below near a patch of trees along with some wildebeest so we headed back down and to the trucks.  We were asked to keep quiet while walking into the area where the rhinos were.  We were to move forward gradually so that the rhinos could get use to us before we stopped to really observe them and take photos.  One of the guides explained it is like someone coming into your house and putting their feet up on your coffee table before being invited in. We had to let them invite us in.  It was an amazing experience getting so close to them, especially seeing the mom with her baby. After some time

observing the rhinos it was time to head out and those that were not staying for the afternoon headed back to the camp.  It felt a little weird letting Jenna go back without us but I knew she would be okay as 8 others would be back at the camp with her along with Momma Flo.  Jenna enjoyed just relaxing and taking advantage of the wifi that was available.

We drove to a picnic area in the park where we were treated to a fabulous lunch with 5 different salads, buns and lunchmeat.  I have missed having salads and these reminded me of the type we would have at home such as potato salad.  It’s funny how much the small things count when you’ve been away from home for awhile. 

We passed through the park with stops along the way to talk about the uses of certain plants.  One plant was used to help control hunger when spending many days in the bush by chewing on the leaves and swallowing the saliva.  Some of the men tried it and I understand it is terrible so you really need to be desperate to eat it.  We ended up going out of the park and through some rural villages.  The houses were mostly round with thatched roofs and the people waved when we went by.  We saw some women working in the bush collecting the grass for the roofs which looked like a lot of work.  

Our guide told us that the villages around the park receive funds from the park entry fee so that they will help keep an eye on what is happening such as poaching.  They realize that if the rhinos are gone the people will not come and they will lose income.  We hiked up another trail that took us to a large overhanging rock that had amazing rock art on its walls.  They believe the art to be about 9,500 years old and our guides gave us their take on what some of the drawings meant.  As we walked down the trail we realized that some of the people we saw along the road had walked all the way out to the trailhead to try and sell some of their items to us.  For some reason it really hit me how much it meant to these people to sell even just one item.  There was an older woman there with a small child and the child was helping carve a spoon.  One girl was there trying to sell her father’s carvings.  Seeing them made me wish I could buy something from each of them.

After a few more stops we came across some fresh rhino dung.  The bushman decided to show us what it looks like inside and how warm it was by picking it up so we could see.  He brought the dung to us to “feel” the heat and then proceeded to show us how much water is in it by squishing it with his bare feet!  He played a prank on the kids by sticking a finger in it and putting different one in his mouth so it looked as if he had tasted it, they were disgusted!  It was starting to get dark so we headed back to camp.  It was an informative and fun day and we will see what tomorrow brings.

Trotting, Cantering, and Yay I’m on a Horse Again.

Saddling up my horse.

Well this morning I had a semi early day with heading to the stables at 7:00am. Yesterday, before we went riding the head guy (who was the national polo-cross head coach of Zimbabwe) said if anyone wanted to canter he could probably arrange something. Well he was a bit busy after the ride being that someone got bucked and what not.  Anyways, my mom asked about it and he said to bring me by at 7:00.  He also told Ines and he said she could come so me, Ines, her dad, and my mom showed up at the stables.

When we got there I went and saddled up my horse and went out to the ring. I started doing laps around the ring. I started trotting but my horse wouldn’t keep going, she would always stop after each round.  The guy told me I pulled the reins when I stood up so he put my horse on a rope and made me pretend I was holding a cup of tea and couldn’t spill it. After a little while he told me my knees were bouncing off the saddle. So to my big surprise he put me in trot while still holding my pretend cup of tea and told me to take my feet out of the stirrups. Holy cow my legs are gonna hurt bad.

Cantering with my cup of tea!

After letting me put me feet back in the stirrups he put my horse into canter. Well guess what, I haven’t been on a horse more than walking in, give or take, 5 months. Well you know you’ve got a good teacher when he can re-teach you how to canter in 5min. Well before I knew it bye-bye horses.L We’ll see you again soon cause I shall continuously pester mom for horseback riding lessons. J

Ines and me on our horse ride.

Well we got back just in time for breakfast and yippy were on the road again.  We played cards (mostly UNO of which can get quit intense) and when we finally got there we set up at a nice campaite and had lunch.  We also had an orientation on the campsite. Everyone was overjoyed being that it was only $3 for wifi for the whole time we were there. After lunch we went into town and found a market but the one thing I wanted to buy, mom wouldn’t let me. When we got back to the campsite I went up to wifi which was where everyone was.  I got some new drawings from the internet and headed back down. Dinner was soon served as I was drawing so ate dinner well we got a presentation on walking with the rinos for tomorrow.  Well not long after we were all getting tired as usual at 8 or 9 so bedtime and surprise, surprise no sleep in tomorrow! 

Wildlife Encounters in Antelope Park

Our elephant encounter.

The day started out with a nice sleep in as we didn’t have any activities until 9:30.  It was also nice to not having to pack the tents up as we’re staying one more night here.  We did hear the herons first thing this morning as they have decided to build their rookery right above the campsite.  We had to move the tents once already as the tents got splattered with bird pooh from them pooping and it splattering down between the branches!

For the elephant interaction we were taken up to their stalls where the trainers introduced the animals and explained a bit about their training, etc.  The elephants were rescued as calves from a drought in the 1990’s and are now in their twenties and thirties.  Apparently, they can live into their 80’s in captivity and 60 in the wild as once they lose their molars they end up dying of starvation.  They use positive reinforcement through treats and also earn their keep through photo ops as we were watching and elephant rides through the park.

Feeding, photo op with our elephant.

After we had some down time and then we headed for the horse ride.  Alyssa was really keen to get on a horse and was looking forward to riding with Ines, her French buddy.  It was a pretty big group but we all headed out with all levels of riding abilities.  It was a

Picture from Alyssa's horse.

pretty relaxed outfit and once we got to our assigned horses we were told to get on and head out!  Out in the park we didn’t see much at first but we got to know the group a bit.  There were 10 from our bus and a few others from other tours and solo travellers.  This one guy from England was a bit of a dope who had never ridden a horse, had no control over his horse, dropped the reins to take selfies of himself and even lit up a cigarette part way through the ride!  I couldn’t believe it especially when he dropped it in the tall, dry grass!  Some people... 

Alyssa with Amelia and Tilda.

It didn’t take too long after that when the animals started to appear; zebra, Impala, wilder beasts and then we found the giraffes.  It was amazing how close they would let you come on horseback.  My horse was trying to spit something up it had eaten and I got within 15 feet of one.  We saw five in all and a few zebras actually came up and approached us to hang out with the giraffe.  What a great way to see animals!  On the way back the English guy was always trying to get to the front and was bumping other horses so one of them kicked him and he got a bit of a gash in his leg.... I think they call that karma!  We all had a blast and Alyssa gets to go back tomorrow to try some cantering.

We had an early dinner so that four of us from the tour could do the night encounter with the lions.  We were all pretty excited as we really didn’t know what to expect but were told that you go out hunting with the lions and if they do get a kill, well just say nature takes its course.  So off we went in the back of an old Land Rover with three rows of seats and completely open air. The front right seat was reserved for the spotter while the back outside seats were for the lion trainers.  Andrea, our friend from Australia and I decided we should take the back two spots between the trainers and in retrospect I’m not completely sure that was the best decision but we thought it was at the time!

Alyssa and I hanging our with the wildlife.  As you can see they weren't phased by us at all.

Out on the road, as the sun was setting, we asked the guys in the back what their role was.  Their reply was to keep us safe, which was comforting at the time.  We went up to the pen with the three year old lionesses just as it turned almost completely dark which gave it a

Just after the lions ran at us.  She's 10 feet behind the truck!

surreal, spooky feeling as we approached the pen with the lions pacing back and forth.  The three guys in the back jumped out and you could hear them entering the pen and talking with the animals which they call by name.  A fair bit of time went by with no action so the driver got out and stood beside Andrea and when suddenly there was a flash of activity, the driver jumped up, said, “oh shit” and dove back into the cab of the truck.  So here we were, eight of us in the back of an open truck with two lions charging out of their cage right up to the truck... holy, I almost shat my pants!  So much for the guys protecting us as they were still in the cage!  One more lion came bounding out shortly after and a few minutes later the lion handlers came out and jumped in and we headed out with one lion in front and two right behind us, not 10 feet away!!!

Red neck lion walk!

So basically it is a red neck dog walk with lions but for this you drive around with a red spot light looking for prey that you get the lions on and they are supposed to kill it.  Right away we spotted eyes with no luck but shortly after we found two zebra that ran off in the direction of the lions were.  What a crazy experience to see and hear lions running through the grass after the zebra.  The prey turned and ran, evading the lions so we went off to collect the girls around the area we saw them last.  We found two of them but could find the third so they just stopped the truck and just started calling, “come on, come on, come on.”  After some grunting and more calling she came stalking out of the grasses with eyes glowing in the spotlight.  We moved on with lions in tow and every once in a while they would catch a scent and head off the road where we would follow behind in the Land Rover bouncing through the grasses and ducking under spiny trees.

Collecting the beasts at the end of the night. 

As the night progressed we only lost the lions three more times and they would just turn around in search.  Every once in a while our two guides in the back would just jump off and grab their short wood sticks to cut across the hillside in search of the three huge lionesses with their small flash lights.  You could see them across the way and then the radio would jump to life, telling us they found them and we’d go collection everyone again.  I sat there thinking, it these cats don’t want to go back in their cage, it’s  going to make for a very interesting night!  Eventually, we headed back toward the pen and after having to wake up my protector once, everything worked out.  It took a bit of prodding and slamming their sticks down on the ground in front a two charging lions who didn’t want to go into their pen but the girls got locked up and the trainers called the “all clear” to the camp below. 

We headed back and as we approached the camp, we found all the Impala we had been hoping to find all night.  They were all hanging around the camp where we weren’t allowed to hunt.  They are definitely not stupid!  As we drove back, I looked back at the night and thought wow, what a surreal and crazy encounter!