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Benin Part I: A Safari to Remember

13 Tuesday Feb 2018

Posted by Anita in Africa, Benin

≈ 1 Comment

Tags

Animals, Safari, Transport, Waterfalls

Beautiful bird in Penjari

The night in Fada N’Gourma luckily passed without incident, unless you count the fact that Mike and I both got up in the night and had to pee in our shower, since our bathroom was sans toilet.  We had to get transport to Pama and then onto the border with Benin from there, so the first order was to find a ride to where minibuses were heading south.  We had been seeing these tricycle trucks that were flatbed trucks being pulled by a motorcycle, and I couldn’t resist thumbing one down and asking if he would take us to the station.  At first, the guy was confused since he wasn’t a taxi – but gladly accepted our offer of money and we were happily on our way.  It was one of my favorite forms of transportation yet.

Happy on the Tricycle

Getting aboard the tricycle

Better yet, the guy driving knew exactly where to go, and I was lucky enough to be able to find a café that let me fill my Nalgene with coffee for the long journey ahead.

In a triangulation with 3 countries

The minibus was jam-packed and turned out to be one of the tightest squeezes on our foray into West African public transport to date.  At one point we were 23 people, 6 goats, a motorcycle strapped to the roof, luggage, jerry cans and even then 2 more people squeezed in through the back windows to fill any available pocket of air, regardless of whether an area of their butt actually touched a seat or not.  Mike and I were squished together to where we had to relieve certain areas of our body that had gone numb in unison, otherwise it was pointless.

I was pretty happy to get out of that transport once we were close to the border.

Guy getting in to the already crammed minibus through the window!

Our minibus

For the rest of the ride, we negotiated to go in a private taxi that wanted to take six people before it would leave.  Imagine riding with 2 people in the front seat and 4 squeezed into the back?  Yeah.  That is standard practice in Burkina.

To be able to get going faster and have a little more room, we negotiated to pay the cost of 5 seats so that the one person waiting could still go and we wouldn’t have to wait any longer.  All seemed to be going well until our driver decided it would be ok to try and make some extra cash along the way and leverage the fact that he already had six paid fares in the bag.  First, he picked up someone who rode in the front for five miles and then mysteriously got out.  Then, he tried to put a pregnant woman and her small daughter in the front seat sitting next to/on a man she’d never met.  We violently protested and, of course, insisted that she get in the back with us.  I complained to the driver who just kept saying it was only for a “short distance” – which was a blatant lie.

The woman, who at first was grateful, decided she could own her part of the back seat and gladly spread out herself and her child to where Mike and I were now squashed.  I assured the driver that he had broken his agreement with us and he was not gonna be getting the full fare.

How to wind up a window in Burkina Faso

I was well and truly convinced of this when he had the audacity to then further pick up another THREE guys and put them in the rear of the vehicle, crushed and sitting on top of our luggage.  I was livid at this point, and by the time Mike and I had made it through the border crossing and the extra hour to Tanguieta, the town we would stay at in order to visit Penjari National Park the next day, I was determined to only pay for 3 of 6 seats and geared up for a confrontation.

I gave the money to the driver, got out of the taxi and walked straight into our hotel for the night – and the taxi drove away without saying a word.

Huh!

Mike climbing onto the “death seat”

Exhausted, hot, sweaty and irritated – we still had to figure out transport and a guide for tomorrow, as well as figure out communication/SIM cards for our time in Benin.  After a shower and beer on the rooftop terrace, we started feeling a little better.  The hotel contacted a local guide, Charles, who came over to the hotel to explain what would be involved in a visit to Penjari the next day. Another guy who worked for the hotel in maintenance had also been kind enough to go into town and register SIM cards for Mike and I.  We offered to pay him for his trouble and he actually turned it down.  We were shocked – that was a first in Africa.   Charles explained that this was not that uncommon and that the Beninoise people were very hospitable by nature and truly wanted visitors to feel welcome.

We were going to need to be ready to leave the next day at 4:30am in order to get to the park at a reasonable hour to spot wildlife.  We would rent a private 4×4 vehicle and complete a full game drive till around 2pm when we would leave the park and head to a waterfall for a refreshing swim.  We then negotiated into our private tour the option to visit a traditional Tata Somba house in the evening before returning to the hotel.

Baboon

Baby Elephant

Charles didn’t disappoint.  Unfortunately, despite being promised repeatedly that there would be a packed/prepared breakfast ready for us to take on safari at 0500 – the restaurant was closed and no-one who was awake knew or cared enough to find out where our promised food order was.  This meant that we would have to go till 2pm without refreshment as there was apparently no services inside the park until we had reached a distance where the two lodges were located.  Luckily, Charles knew of a shack that sold coffee and eggs that was open at this ungodly hour.

Not only was it open, but they were literally blasting a full on action movie at that time.  It was something to behold.  Armed with coffee and baguettes with fried eggs – we could finally be on our way.

We tried to get some sleep but the road was just too bumpy.  We arrived at the park around 6am and had to register.  Then Charles put up the rooftop seat for us to climb into for our private game drive.  Apart from the fact that the seat up there had no guard rail and a large bump in the road or an overly enthusiastic right turn would result in certain death for the unfortunate occupant of that side of the seat or both – it was super fun being up there.

Beautiful Penjari Lodge where we had lunch

Mike, ever the gentleman

I’d say the wildlife here was far less habituated to humans than we had seen in Mole and so, Penjari became a highlight for us.  Aside from the expected crocodiles, hippos, baboons, oodles of antelope (JAFA, or AKA Just another fucking antelope) elephant and warthogs, we also saw red colobus monkey and some incredibly colorful birds that I can’t remember the names of, but will try to include photos of lhere.

We were altogether quite happy with our decision to visit, and yet, the highlight of our day was to come during our lunch stop at the Penjari Lodge.  I had requested to dine at this accommodation because I knew they had a watering hole and I thought we might be able to view more wildlife while having lunch.  As it turned out, it was a beautiful spot and rather swanky to boot – and despite the fact that they told us the kitchen didn’t serve lunch, per se, and we could only have spaghetti with tomato sauce – we were quite happy to enjoy cold beer and our simple meal while watching for more animals.

During our meal, the waiter came over to tell us that a lion had been spotted at the watering hole.  We excitedly made our way over and looked through our own binoculars as well as with the hotel’s own standing powerful scope that afforded a very clear close up of the two lionesses who were walking together around the water.  It was such a treat to see big cats – which are rarely spotted anywhere in West Africa anymore.  After about a half hour, satisfied, we returned to finish our now-cold spaghetti.

A huge herd of Hartebeest started approaching the watering hole and also a family of warthogs (well, I like to think they were a family, but I really have no clue).  The lions were nowhere to be seen, but the herd was beautiful to see nonetheless.

Just as I had grown tired of watching them and was about to go back yet again to our table, Mike shrieks and says “Oh My God!  One of the lionesses just grabbed an antelope!” and in an instant I spun around to see the cloud of red dust from which emerged the gruesome sight of an unfortunate Hartebeest with its neck in the jaws of one lioness while the other was chewing away at its intestines and leg.  This was my second time seeing a “kill” in the wild, and I couldn’t believe we were so lucky as to have such a clear view of what in reality was a good distance away, through the hotel’s scope.  I started screaming in French in case any of the other guests of the hotel were in earshot and wanted to witness this spectacle.

Lionesses with their kill

Lions at the watering hole

Incredibly, people seemed totally nonplussed at this awesomeness and we continued to have the viewing platform to ourselves, and we were giddy as children with toys.

As gruesome as it was to watch, it was still just astonishing.  These cats really play with their food.  This animal was being eaten alive – it took a full ten minutes for it to die.  One cat just held it in its mouth, allowing the other to eat.  You could see the ring of blood around her mouth as she munched away.

In any case, we were grinning from ear to ear when we left and Mike was excited to see what shots he’d managed to capture on his zoom camera.  Charles was happy for us – he didn’t get to see it at all as he was attending to our rented vehicle whose wheel had decided to come loose…luckily for us, right as we arrived at the lodge.

If the lion kill hadn’t been entertaining enough, Charles woke us both from afternoon naps on the way out to see a herd of elephants that were crossing the road right in front of the car, including a few juveniles.  As we stood up out of the car to get a better look, the dominant male starting to charge our vehicle!  We jumped back inside and Charles floored it out of there.  So exciting!

By the time we reached the waterfall it was after 4 in the afternoon and blazing hot.  It was a nice 30- minute walk to the lower falls and we cheerfully noted that we passed the campground where the Dragoman truck had stayed just three days prior.  After a refreshing swim in and around the falls, and watching the daredevil climbing antics of a few locals – it was time to head back to Tanguieta.  I did purchase some drop earrings made from bone that were being sold by a local artist – it’s so rare that I buy souvenirs, but this had been a special day for sure.

Mike and I at the first waterfall

Refreshing dip at the second waterfall

Despite our blinding exhaustion, Charles said that he had promised us a Tata Somba tour, and by God, despite the growing darkness, he was going to show us one.  These are traditional homes in the north of Togo and Benin that are designed to house livestock in the ground floor of the home along with a kitchen, and the roof contains other rooms where the family sleep, eat, and where grains/foods are stored.  We got a tour by a very enthusiastic Tata Somba occupant, and managed to take just a few flash-produced photos before I insisted Charles drive us back to our lodging at Hotel Atacora because we had now had a 15-hour day-trip and I was so tired I no longer knew my own name.

Me climbing to the roof of this traditional Tata Somba home

Unfortunately, there is no rest for the wicked, and the next day we were going to be leaving the hotel at 0500 to catch the 0600 bus that would be taking us all. The. Way. South. To Abomey-Calavie – a stop just short of Cotonou, and a journey which promised to be about 11 hours long.  We would be re-joining our friends on the Dragoman truck the following day on an overnight stay/tour to the stilt villages of Ganvie.

Ghana Part VI: Tamale, Mole and the whole Enchilada

06 Tuesday Feb 2018

Posted by Anita in Africa, Ghana

≈ 2 Comments

Tags

Animals, Safari, Transport

Finding an empty Tro Tro at side of the road near our hotel…YEAH!!!

We grumpily decided we’d need to get an early start that Friday (19th of January) in order to make it back to Accra with plenty of time to collect my passport from Isaac and get to the airport in time for our 3pm flight with Africa World Airlines- an airline name that defies our US president – to Tamale, a northern city that serves as the gateway to Mole National Park – Ghana’s biggest and most famous national park (which, incidentally, was not included in any of the Dragoman itineraries)

We managed to flag an empty tro tro on the side of the road that was heading to Ho. I know, this joke never gets old. Incidentally, I had forgotten to mention that when I had arrived in Amedzofe a few days prior, on foot, a taxi had pulled up alongside me, rolled down the window and asked “Ho?”.

Hilarious.

Once we were in Ho, it was an easy transfer to another tro tro heading to Accra – and we were offered the front seat, so it was decidedly comfier. After grabbing some ice creams (which are basically plastic tubes of ice cream that you suck through the corner of the bag after you’ve ripped the corner off with your teeth) it was a relatively easy journey that even dropped us off at a bus stop for the airport.

Thankfully, Issac met us at the stop and walked with us to the airport. I haven’t walked to many airports before, so this was interesting.

After checking in, Mike and I caved in to eating some comfort food in the form of pizza and beer and before we knew it, it was time to board.

Boarding our Africa World Airlines Flight

The flight only lasted 50 minutes but was incredibly comfortable and well serviced. We were given a drink of juice and a meat pie (which we thankfully ate later in the taxi heading to the park) and we were able to see the outlines of dusty villages from the dry and barren savannah lands that define the north of the country.

On arrival, we met a Cameroonian who played basketball in Austin, which is incidentally where Mike last lived before venturing out on his travels. His name was Alex, and he has started a non-proft called Leading through Reading and was there doing some work. Apparently, his parents adopted him from Cameroon when he was already 14 years old and didn’t speak a word of English. At 6ft 8”, he was a gentle giant and I’ll always remember his warm smile and demeanor.

Mike chatting with Alex about Basketball, presumably showing him how to shoot hoops

We were bundled off into a taxi with a very miserable driver (not many of them in Ghana) who complained about my trying to negotiate a rate with him to drive us all the way to Mole saying the usual “Petrol is expensive. That is too cheap, Madam, and you understand this is the standard price…blah blah blah” bullshit that every driver spits out the moment you question his quoted fare.   In any case, he was only taking us to the station where we were going to catch public transport to as close to the park as we could get.

As we headed to a tro tro, I stopped to ask another taxi driver what he would charge to drive us all the way privately (it was at least a two hour drive and would be longer/dark by public transport). I managed to negotiate a rate that was less than half what Mr Misery wanted and given the fact that he would also take us straight to the Mole Motel where we had a reservation, and the fact that we’d been traveling all day, we jumped at the chance.

Ecstasy over finding a top sheet

This driver was the total opposite of the first. His name was Abdullah and he had the most infectious, raucous laugh that came from nowhere – he laughed at almost every thing we said, even when it was just to comment on the speed bumps.

Oh, speed bumps. In Ghana. Are the worst.

Though the fact that we timed cute noises as our driver ran his ramshackle beat up car that hadn’t seen a new cabin filter in over two decades over the bumps at breakneck speed made him crack up even more heartily.

He made the two hour journey in about 90 minutes. I had a headache from the fumes that seemed to be coming directly into the car and keeping the windows open wasn’t stopping us from inhaling it. But we were super grateful to arrive at our hotel with enough time to grab a quick bite to eat (which ended up being a rather stale and dry piece of chicken that the waiter claimed was Guinea Fowl and looked at me with a death stare for daring to question the validity of his claim) before retiring to our massive three-bedded room with corresponding three blue buckets of water in the bathroom.

Our beds had topsheets and we enjoyed a good laugh taking some pictures of me ecstatic from having a topsheet.

The next morning we woke early to catch a 7am game drive.   Safaris here are some of the cheapest in Africa, costs being about $11 per person for a two hour excursion (with five persons sharing the vehicle.) . We were lucky in that we were able to share our vehicle with a group of three young ladies from the Netherlands who were volunteering in Tamale as this kept our overall cost down.

Our Safari vehicles in Mole

Immediately upon trying to leave Mole park headquarters, we spotted an elephant roaming around the ranger residences and getting extremely close to the tourists who had opted for a walking safari. Although it was lovely to see an elephant so soon, we didn’t want to photograph an elephant that had a crowd of people in the foreground and houses in the background. It just didn’t feel right. That, and the fact that we had paid for a vehicle, which was thus far only following the walking tour.

After heading out of the area, we passed Mole village where many of the park workers live. We saw a lot of baboons and warthogs hanging around and they seemed totally habituated to humans.

The rest of the drive did not disappoint, thought it was bitterly cold in the morning air and I cursed at myself for not grabbing my windbreaker. The safari vehicles were kitted out with rows of benches for sitting on the roof, allowing for a great viewing platform from which to spot animals. We managed to see more elephants, a beautifully vibrant-colored bird called an Abyssinian Roller, lots of antelope, waterbuck, a mongoose and we ended the drive at a watering hole complete with crocodiles. We were allowed to descend from the vehicle and take photos and as we did, another herd of elephants arrived to drink at the water and afforded us some lovely photographic opportunities.

Mike and I by the watering hole with Elephants

By the time we returned, we were ravenous for breakfast and happily joined our new Dutch friends who were young enough to be our children and still shone brightly with the naivety and innocence of barely having reached adulthood.

The day grew quite hot and I was excited that the hotel had a pool. We were planning on getting changed into our bathers and taking a dip when someone called over that a group of elephants were now getting in to the watering hole and were bathing themselves.

In all, there were nine elephants that we were able to watch and observe for a good few hours as they frolicked about and swam in the lake below. I was even able to do this with a cold Smirnoff in my hands by the pool in my bikini.

I was liking Mole thus far.

After a much needed afternoon nap, I awoke to Mike returning from a very hot meander around the village where he had spotted warthogs trying to eat a carcass. I decided to shower and found myself sharing it with a little gecko who afterwards very much needed Mike’s help in getting out of the tub for fear he might get sucked down the drain.

Watching elephants while relaxing by the pool

We had a little happy smoke before heading over to the restaurant for dinner. I was very giggly. All was good.

We took a night safari that evening and though it was a little more pricey at $20 each – it had a great atmosphere to it with the night sky overhead, being all wrapped up in multiple layers, and using flashlights altogether to try and spot the animals.

Gecko who shared my shower

As well as the same animals we’d seen during the day, we were lucky enough to also spot some Janet cats, bush babies, and a giant owl from the drive.

Getting back we were beat and as we had to face another long travel day in the morning heading back to Tamale and onward to the border with Burkina Fasso, we went straight to bed.

Namibia – Cheetahs, Tribal Nakedness, and Extreme Temperatures

18 Monday May 2015

Posted by Anita in Africa, Namibia

≈ 2 Comments

Tags

Animals, Camping, Culture, Desert, Safari, Travel Days, Villages

View over the northern Namibian desert

View over the northern Namibian desert

We were on the road staying in a different bush camp each night for several days following Etosha and preceding our stop in Swakopmund – a luxurious four days that we’d get to enjoy the luxury of a dorm bed.  What was fast becoming apparent in Namibia was the difficulty of maintaining bodily comfort due to the excessive swings in ambient temperature each day.  Mornings waking up huddled in my 15 degree F sleeping bag were cold, breath creating its own fog on exhalation.  They required long pants, and fleece layers as well as my wooly hat.  However, by 10am we were often sweltering in the heat of the sun, the temperature starting to soar and then bake us through to sunset when it would turn around and plummet once again.

I came up with an ingenious routine of dressing in layers that could be easily peeled away – so I’d wear my shorts under my long pants, and my tank top underneath a t-shirt and long sleeved shirt and fleece on top, knowing that I could peel the clothes and stow them comfortably in my day bag.

There were times, however, when even this wasn’t adequate – such as during our drive south once we’d hit the western coast of Namibia, known as the skeleton coast, presumably because of the number of ships that had wrecked here as well as the number of skeletons that amass on the shores of the massively populated seal colonies.  Apparently, this area gets a lot of its wind currents from Antarctica, and on two separate days, the cold was so bitter that it sent all of us diving into our lockers to extract our sleeping bags which we proceeded to climb into, fully clothed, even as we sat on our chairs huddled together for collective warmth.

Stroking one of the "pet" cheetahs...not that I approved of the place

Stroking one of the “pet” cheetahs…not that I approved of the place

Namibia is covered with desert landscapes, but also incredibly beautiful rock formations, sand dunes, and miles and miles of beautiful sandy beaches.  Our first stop after leaving Etosha National Park was the Petrified forest park where we endured blistering sun and temperatures for a thankfully short walk to view the petrified logs.  Later we were taken to a rather strange and somewhat disturbing “Cheetah Park” where the white Namibian owners had 3 cheetahs kept in a domestic capacity as pets, together with a group of “fenced in” cheetahs that they fed daily as part of their artificial cheetah safari.  Enquiring as to how they came to have cheetahs on their farm, the owner told a rather disturbing story, but didn’t seem to have any ethical issues with it himself.  He basically explained that cheetahs had been attacking and eating his cows, and that he’d taken to shooting them (around 10-15 years ago) but then one time, decided that he’d catch them instead using a trap.  After successfully trapping one female cheetah, it turned out she was pregnant, and so he decided to take the cubs away from their mother and keep them as pets, and later charge people to come to his home and have pictures taken with his cuddly friends.  Of course, he used slightly different verbiage – but this was the gist of it.

Creepy, right?

 

Pretty Cheetah

Pretty Cheetah

What made the place even more suspect was that we were later driven around what was essentially a penned in area of land where we observed maybe twenty cheetahs all waiting to be fed by the chunks of meat the driver would heave into the air.  Some of the cheetahs looked a little sickly, like they’d been physically harassed by the other cheetahs, and besides my obvious concern over their well being in this regard, I couldn’t shake the feeling that cheetahs really should be roaming free, hunting, and catching their own food.

 

Cheetahs, cheetahs, everywhere...but waiting to be fed?  please....

Cheetahs, cheetahs, everywhere…but waiting to be fed? please….

Hoping for a more authentic experience than the Cheetah park, we headed the next morning on a visit of a Himba tribal  village.  Many of the Himba people living in rural Namibia still live with their traditions and customs that are unavoidably startling and somewhat uncomfortable for us westerners to observe – especially when it is presented in this fashion of “come to our village and see our naked women, our huts, and our children presented to you as if they are exhibits in a museum.”  Except the exhibits are alive and you feel as though you’re violating their rights to privacy taking photos (which they encouraged us to) as if they’re lions in a game reserve.  Ultimately, however, the culture of the Himba people is so foreign and fascinating, that one feels compelled to go and see for oneself, and one can’t help but take photos and swallow the given discomfort that accompanies the experience.

 

Himba woman and her son - I love the village meets western clothing in this pic (see the baby's shoes)

Himba woman and her son – I love the village meets western clothing in this pic (see the baby’s shoes)

Young men of the Himba tribe have their three front lower teeth knocked out by their fathers when they are young teenagers.  We were informed that this both distinguishes their tribal roots and also aids in the pronunciation of their dialect.  Women are mostly naked, dressed in little more than leather strap-like skirts and elaborate beadwork about their necks and chest.  Most notable, however, is the habit of the women not to bathe – at all.  Instead, they keep “clean” through a combination of spreading Okra-based paint onto their skin (which gives them their rich rust-orange like color) and sitting in the huts and “smoking” themselves – which is exactly what it sounds like: sitting in an oxygen deprived hut directly in front of a fire and letting the smoke cleanse your body (though exactly how this happens I’m not sure.)

The men, apparently, wash as we do with soap and water.  Of course, I felt a natural revulsion for their sanitary practices, and I recognize how ethnocentric that stance is, but I’m ok with it.  Making it even more difficult to believe – the women also put copious amounts of okra onto their hair, creating these elaborate headdresses out of their own tresses that they then embellish at the ends with circular mounds of animal fur.

The seal colony on the Skeleton Coast

The seal colony on the Skeleton Coast

I found myself aching to ask how/what the women used during their menstrual cycles and whether they could use water during this time for their ablutions.  I was left, unfortunately, to wonder.

This visit had been a highlight for Andy, a beloved member of our group, who was also celebrating his 46th birthday on the same day.  There were the obvious jokes about getting to see naked women on his birthday.  Since we were facing a very long drive to our bush camp that evening, we all decided to stock up on some booze to go along with the game bbq dinner Tabitha had promised to make us that evening, as a treat.  Around 2pm in the afternoon, someone suggested we crack open the alcohol stash and make a party of the afternoon’s drive, and that was it.

Truck Party time.

Sunset and partying on the roof of our truck in our Bush Camp

Sunset and partying on the roof of our truck in our Bush Camp

Andy put on a rocking compilation of music and we were all soon singing along and dancing up and down the central walkway of the truck.  We just about managed to get out of the truck and scramble to dizzying high viewpoints as the truck stopped at scenic photo opps along the way, though the climbs got progressively more difficult the more libations we imbibed.

By the time we got to the absolutely stunning setting for our bush camp, it was already time for sunset and most of us were winding down from our “night” of drinking.  The meal that night was the most memorable of the whole trip – we ate Oryx or Gemsbok and it was quite possibly the most delicious meat I’ve ever put in my mouth.

By 8 o clock, Andy had collapsed asleep in his tent, so any further party plans were soon squished besides the few of us who decided to make a night of sleeping directly under the stars sans our tents.

Nicely recovered from what had been a “day of revelry” – we happily set off towards the skeleton coast, first re-tracing our route a few miles as two members of the group had lost articles of clothing and hats during the dancing and truck party the afternoon prior.  Half successful, we turned about and headed towards the aforementioned block of cold air that hit us a few hours later, promptly finding us inside our sleeping bags in due course.  We had a number of strange stops that day before our perhaps even more strange stop that night at our camp (that had showers!!) at Hettie’s Bay.  We visited an abandoned oil mining shaft in the desert, a shipwreck on the beach, several more cliff top view points, and most surprising of all – Cape Cross Seal Colony.

Never have I seen this many seals in one place.  It made the Galapagos look like a quiet vacation spot for seals by comparison.  There were literally thousands of them crowded on the beach as far as the eye could see, lots and lots of young pups all screeching for their mothers amongst the masses.  If you looked carefully, you could also spot lots of pups that hadn’t survived and their remaining skeletons littering the beach too.  Reading the interpretive signs that were on display, we were disturbed to read that during the summer months when the pups are born, thousands can perish on a given day if the wind dies down for an extended period of hours – offering no relief from the relentless heat that they are just too weak to survive.

Desert

Desert

The temperature dropped even further as we arrived in Hettie’s Bay – a very very strange and somewhat creepily deserted town that was home for the night.  As it was the birthday of another member of our group, I made my best effort to go out for a drink after dinner – and found myself in a pub that somewhat resembled one of the nasty run down pubs they have in Everett along the Aurora highway.  Except with really bad Afrikaans music playing.

Weird.

I was very happy to arrive in Swakopmund the next day, and the weird Germanness of the town was overlooked, for now, because of the prospect of sheets and a bed for the next re-humanizing four days.

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Etosha National Park – Moonwalking Rhinos and Cheeky Honey Badgers

15 Friday May 2015

Posted by Anita in Africa, Namibia

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Tags

Animals, Safari

Lions at Etosha

Lions at Etosha

Our first big stop in Namibia was the large game reserve of Etosha National Park.  After a long drive in the morning, in blistering heat, our driver Pete told us that he was going to arrange for us to get private vehicle game drives as he was suffering with food poisoning.  After setting up our tents, we piled into two 4 x 4 vehicles for our 3 hour game drive.  We were informed that many of the animals had already moved to the western part of the park in search of water after the recent rains…a bit disappointing to hear as we first headed out.  Regardless, we were able to spot Eland, Hartebeest, Zebra, Giraffe, and Elephants during the drive.  We also had fun taking perspective pictures on the salt flats in the middle of the park.

The absolute highlight of this place, however, came a little later in the day and was completely unexpected.  We had been told, in passing (as if it were really a minor detail) that there was a watering hole that we could go to after dinner, and if we were lucky, we’d be able to observe animals coming to drink throughout the evening and night.  However, as a few of us were readying ourselves to take a dip in the pool, a woman came by and casually said “oh!  There’s Elephants in the watering hole at the moment…!”

Hartebeest

Hartebeest

Since I was already in my swimsuit, I decided to take a quick swim first and then headed down to the watering hole.  I wasn’t really sure where I was going, but a set of signs quickly pointed me in the right direction.  At first, I felt a stab of disappointment as my friends, Sandrine and Benoit, informed me that the entire family of elephants, who had been playing in the water had now left.

My heart sank, but I sat down on a comfortable rock and enjoyed the view as the sun began to do the same.

Heading into Etosha, watching for wildlife from the Beach on the truck

Heading into Etosha, watching for wildlife from the Beach on the truck

And then, just as everything had grown extremely quiet, a black rhino ambled up to the water’s edge and began to drink.  It was incredible, being this close to the Rhino, and seeing him in such an unobscured fashion.  It was a beautiful scene and my heart was filled with gratitude.

Then, as we were getting ready to head back and shower in time for dinner, another rhino appeared from the bush and approached the watering hole!  Black rhinos are solitary animals, so it is extremely rare to spot two of them in one place.  These two rhinos were clearly male rivals, each asserting his authority over the space with audible grunts and aggressive posturing of his horn.

As time went on, things got even crazier, and Sandrine and I began clutching each other in excitement, unable to comprehend the rare spectacle we were being treated to.  The two rhino began to actually fight, one charging the other, and the other backing up in a move that strangely and hysterically reminded me of Michael Jackson’s moonwalk.  Then, another two rhinos appeared from the bush, chasing each other in a huge cloud of dust, dispersing the two that were already at the watering hole with a very audible display of upset at the intrusion.  Then, a hyena appeared, seemingly unconcerned by the rhino situation ensuing, and calmly drank at the water’s edge.

Elephants at the Watering Hole (someone else's pic!)

Elephants at the Watering Hole (someone else’s pic!)

For another hour or so, these four rhino came and drank at the hole, fought with one another, scratched themselves on a tree trunk, and stalked one another back into the bush.  It was a display of wills, strength and, well, high-stakes drama.

It made me realize something very important.  Each day we’d been on a safari, or visiting a place in Africa where we were on the lookout for wild animals, our guides would ask us, “what animals are you hoping to spot today?”  I always found this question bemusing, and usually resorted to the response that I’d like to see one of the rarer cats, a leopard, say.  However, this experience made me realize that on a safari, it’s not what animals you spot that make the trip memorable, it’s whether the animals are exhibiting interesting behavior while you happen to be observing them.

Cheeky Honey Badgers right before they upturned the trash cans

Cheeky Honey Badgers right before they upturned the trash cans

What kind of animal they are is of less importance.

It is very rare to see rhino.  It is even rarer to see more than one black rhino in one place, and astonishingly rare to have seen them fighting/interacting/vocalizing the way the small group of us did that evening.  I was humbled by the experience, and to that point – it became the highlight of the entire trip.

We also had one other treat in store.  The Honey Badger is a creature endemic to this region, and are known for coming into the campgrounds of Etosha and wreaking havoc, eating food out of tents, etc.  After dinner, as I was getting ready to return to the watering hole, I watched as two honey badgers came into camp and started attacking some towels that people had hung out to dry.  They are aggressive little buggers, with razor sharp teeth, and our guide had told us that they have been known to attack a lion, and humans.  I stayed a little back, and watched them as they also proceeded to tip over 3 of our garbage cans and make a complete mess of our campsite.

Taking silly perspective photos during our game drive

Taking silly perspective photos during our game drive

Returning to the watering hole after dinner(Sandrine and I stayed there until about 11:30pm)  we only got to see a single rhino, and a single hyena return – things were altogether much quieter and no way near as dramatic as at sunset.

Etosha was a very special place.

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Okavango Delta – Botswana Unplugged

12 Tuesday May 2015

Posted by Anita in Africa, Botswana

≈ 6 Comments

Tags

Animals, Camping, Safari

Sunset on the Delta

Sunset on the Delta

Arriving in Maun, we didn’t have much time to chill before we had to pack up for our 3 day/2night mini “break within a break” trip to the Okavango Delta.  The Delta is an huge expanse of land in Northern Botswana that is covered with fresh water that flows south from Angola, with huge areas of rivers and islands teeming with wildlife scattered throughout the region.

I was looking forward to having a smaller group dynamic as it turned out that only about 1/2 of the group wanted to go, the rest elected to stay in the campsite in Maun.  This was going to be very basic camping with no facilities, no electricity, no cooking facilities beyond a fire we made ourselves.  To get to the island where we’d be rough camping involved a very attractive aspect of the trip – sitting back in a Mokoro – a traditional wooden (now made primarily from synthetic materials) canoe that sits very low on the water and can be “driven” with a long wooden pole that is reminiscent of the methods used by gondoliers in Venice.

Cooking at our campfire

Cooking at our campfire

We drove about an half hour outside of Maun to a tiny rural village, where we were met by our Mokoro paddlers and camping “crew” and helped load the canoes with our equipment, food, and water for the stay.

The canoe ride out to the island lasted around two hours and was an almost hypnotically relaxing experience.  Just being able to lay back in the sun with legs outstretched and just watch the water glide by, covered in giant Lilly pads with frogs croaking and crickets chirping the only noise that broke the haunting silence.  It was lovely.

Heading downstream in the Mokoro

Heading downstream in the Mokoro

Upon arrival, we were told that our itinerary during our stay would involve early morning game “walks” where we would head into the interior of the island and try to spot Elephant, Zebra, Antelope, Wildebeest, and if we were very lucky, a big cat (though I wasn’t too sure how excited I would feel if I saw a lion wandering around when I was on foot) while the middle of the day would be taken as a giant siesta due to the extreme heat and humidity making it difficult to do anything active.

It was a very peaceful and refreshing two days spent in the Delta.  Without much to “do” when resting in camp, we were able to slow down our pace completely and fill the time with conversation in the group, playing games, reading, napping, and taking a swim in the “hopefully – “wait! What was that noise?!!” non-crocodile infested waters.  We even played a great game that relied heavily on charade-like skills and it was thoroughly enjoyed by all.

Safari on foot - sometimes crossing to different islands

Safari on foot – sometimes crossing to different islands

The highlight for me was the late evenings.  We would cook our meals as a large group and eat all around our communal campfire.  Then we’d go out to the riverside and just bask in the glory of the un-illuminated night sky that shone brilliantly with thousands of stars, while simultaneously watching the flashing sparks of the lightning bugs that lit up the air nearer the ground with their glow.  Though difficult at times, we also tried to listen…intently listen – to the beautiful silence that accompanied the hum of the crickets (which Andy humorously dubbed to sound like clanking beer bottles) in the night sky.

Every now and then, the sounds of the crickets were poignantly interrupted with the low groans of the hippos standing nearby, or the laugh of a hyena.  It was eerie, and a little hair-raising, but deliciously exciting and adventuresome at the same time.

Froggy

Froggy

We walked for miles on our game walks and did manage to spot several different kinds of wildlife – elephants, zebra, wildebeest and giraffe among them.  Our guides were enthusiastic to explain anything we might want to know about the delta and how to keep safe when walking so close to these amazing creatures.  We were warned of the false charges that the elephants can make – exhorted to stand our ground, and not run, should one of them decide to.

On the last night, our crew entertained us with local songs and dances around the fire.  Then we played a nerve wracking game called ‘Chief” which by a process of elimination left only the quickest witted amongst us still standing at the conclusion.

Sun setting...

Sun setting…

By the time it was time to turn the mokoros around and head back to Maun, I felt like a more wound-down version of myself and like I’d formed a closer bond with the individuals who decided to come along.  We hadn’t partied, hadn’t sang music loudly till the wee hours of the morning, but we’d thoroughly appreciated the rest, return to nature, and peace that the Delta provided to us.

On arrival back in Maun, we were very grateful to have an hour or so to re-humanize with a shower, and try to check some email, though this turned out to be an exercise merely in frustration.  We were bush camping that evening as we headed out of Botswana in the direction of the Namibian border – which we would cross the following morning, which also just happened to be my birthday.

Climbing the Baobab Tree

Climbing the Baobab Tree

It’s not every birthday that you get to go to Namibia.  But I did.  Funnily enough, on a 56 day trip, it was only on my birthday that I overslept by accident – Maud’s alarm clock failing to wake us up in time for our 6am departure.  We still managed to eat, pack, take down the tent, and use the “facilities” (a hole that you had to dig with a shovel) in under 20 minutes!  The border crossing passed without any more incident than the final foot & mouth disease shoe-washing checkpoint – and two customs’ officers who failed to notice that it was my birthday upon stamping my passport.

It was a long drive day – but we were lucky enough to stop at a supermarket where I decided to buy ice and lots of goodies for myself to enjoy later that night in bush camp #2 – and technically, the 4th night of bush camping in a row.  I ate a donut and got myself custard to have as dessert after dinner.

Birthday celebrations

Birthday celebrations

...and Cake

…and Cake

Our campsite that evening was also unique in that it contained the largest Baobab tree in Namibia.  These trees are significant in that they look like they are “upside down” – meaning their branches appear as if they are, in fact, roots instead.  We had fun taking pics climbing the massive tree as the sun set.

Later, after dinner, we drank and danced to music – and I even sang a song for the group.  I got a birthday cake replete with candles that struggled to stay alight – but all in all – it was a lovely birthday celebration and I was grateful to have it here in the African bush.

It was, as it turned out, entirely ironic that when the party was finally getting going, around 10pm, we were sent to bed after a small scuffle broke out between two of the lads.  One of the few nights that I was in the mood to stay up drinking and dancing…and alas, it was not to be.  Funny how that works out, eh?

Elephants, Slow Fast Food and Soggy Tents

08 Friday May 2015

Posted by Anita in Africa, Botswana

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Tags

Animals, Camping, Safari

Elephants in Chobe

Elephants in Chobe

Vic Falls being our last stop in Zimbabwe, we headed off in the direction of our next stop, Chobe National Park in Botswana, close to the Angolan border. As usual, it was with mixed feelings that we acquiesced to returning to the truck, especially now that space for stretching out was in shorter supply, so when we pulled over for a late morning stop at Wimpy (which I haven’t eaten at since I was a small child and it was a hamburger chain in the UK) we were rallied by the prospect of fast food and free wifi (our group descends on free wifi like vultures on a carcass.)

However, this was not going to be a fast experience, and one member of my table was asked to show his receipt for a cheeseburger and coke a total of five times before he was served his food. It turned out to be quite entertaining watching the Wimpy staff come unglued at the prospect of serving so many of us in a short space of time. Finally with our steaming cups of coffee, iPads and iPhones out in abundance, it was like pulling candy from a baby when after only 20 minutes we were rallied, reluctantly, back to Twinga.

Arriving at the lodge/campsite in Chobe National Park, I set about getting my tent and stuff sorted in time for our included boating excursion to view wildlife on the Chobe River. It was very hot, and I was quite upset when I learned with only five minutes left before our pick-up, that there had been a swimming pool I could have had a dip in. Nevertheless, looking at the sky, I grabbed warm layers despite the baking heat, and headed to the truck that would take us to the boat.

Croc

Croc

Three Slovenian doctors were also on our transport and I quickly befriended one of them, Mikha, once we’d settled into chairs on the roof of the boat. I listened with keen interest as he spoke to me of his recently ended three-month volunteer experience as a physician at a trauma hospital in Zambia. Working with limited supplies and with an predominantly HIV-Positive patient pool, he said it had been an incredibly intense learning experience that left him very much in awe of the African doctors and their coping skills, as well as a profound realization for how cushy he’ll have it in comparison as a General Practitioner back in Europe. He said he had also grown very fond of the relaxed method of time keeping Africans employ, namely if a meeting was called to start at 8am, it might not actually begin until 930 when everyone felt like showing up.

The time spent viewing game on the river was very pleasant indeed, if blisteringly hot. The upper deck was occupied mainly by an Australian group who’d taken it upon themselves to bring an entire cooler of cold beer along. It absolutely killed me not being able to have one myself – though I did offer payment for one and was unfortunately, turned down.

Elephant

Elephant

A safari by boat is a much more relaxing experience than in a vehicle. The elephants were happily cavorting in the water, the hippos waddled in the mud, and the crocs stayed cool by keeping their mouths gaping open. Chobe is quite green and was altogether a very pleasant place to call home, if you were an animal (in my opinion, vastly superior surroundings to the harsh arid Serengeti).

We were further rewarded with an incredible sunset as we turned the boat around at the half way point. And then the darkening skies were further enhanced by a rush of storm clouds that began to rumble with thunder. The clouds almost looked like a tornado funnel as the wind picked up and lightning flashed across the sky. It was quite ominous and the temperature plummeted making me super grateful for having brought my warmer layers.

And then the rain fell. And fell.

Hippo at Chobe

Hippo at Chobe

By the time we ran back to the tents on the return journey, the campsite had turned into a sandy swamp. Everyone was running around desperately saving gear from getting wet, and securing rain flies on their tents. Then we all headed to the bar as the only dry refuge in the camp, where we greeted by a rare treat – beer on tap!

The following day was a super early start and it was quite miserable rolling up the wet tents in the soggy ground and getting away by 6am. We had another long drive today, this time to the town of Maun which would be our setting off point for a 3 day/2night trip to the Okavango Delta.

Matopo National Park – Rhinos, Bushmen, and Cave Art

30 Thursday Apr 2015

Posted by Anita in Africa, Zimbabwe

≈ 2 Comments

Tags

Animals, Indigenous People, Mountains, Safari

Checking out Dung Beetles on our Rhino Safari

Checking out Dung Beetles on our Rhino Safari

Matopo National Park is home to 56 black and 43 white rhino, both species highly endangered due to the value of their horns reaching a value of $100,000 per kilo.  The difference in the species is primarily that the black rhino has a double horn, making it even more vulnerable to ugly poaching.  We spent an entire day in the Matopo bush with our Zimbabwe tour guide, Norman, who himself had a very interesting story to share with us of his life as a white Zimbabwean who had elected to stay in the country despite the civil war and subsequent land grab that made life here so dangerous and difficult these past thirty years.

Taking in the view in Matopo National Park

Taking in the view in Matopo National Park

We set off from our hostel in the early morning hours, the many layers that I had put on still not offering much in the way of warmth in the freezing open safari vehicle we were in that blew the wind and rain on us on and off all day.   It was not a warm day, and I was beginning to miss the unbearable heat…if that was possible!

Norman gave us some history of the English explorer, entrepreneur, diamond miner, and politician Cecil Rhodes who first came to Zim and found his home and a wealth of natural resources that he could exploit and profit from.  Of course, the land was eventually named after him – Rhodesia – before the Mugabe government changed the name after the medieval ruins we’d visited several days prior.  We saw his first homestead and ended the day visiting his grave.  His story is rather impressive, and he accomplished much for someone who died right before achieving his 50th birthday.

Matopo National Park

Matopo National Park

The park itself has really cool rock formations that are basically layers of sedimentary deposits that have been weathered and subsequently formed really unique shapes, caverns and round, ball-like structures that were inhabited by the original indigenous of Africa – the San Bush men…who sadly, have dwindled in numbers as has their traditional way of life and culture subsequent to the migration of the Bantu and the white people into their homeland.

Norman was quite the expert, and knew a lot about rhino, the Matopos, and the anthropology and ways of the bushmen, making for a very entertaining and educational day.

One of the White Rhino we observed at very close range

One of the White Rhino we observed at very close range

Of course, the highlight was trekking into the sparse trees and bushes and discovering a family of about 7 white rhino and getting to observe them from a very close distance.  Norman informed us of how to behave to avoid any provocation of these sensitive massive animals.  We gave them our scent by approaching with the wind, and then stood quietly at a distance while they checked us out and indicated their comfort with having humans so close by deciding to lay back down in the undergrowth and mud.

What was most surprising and humbling about getting so close to the rhinos, was the sounds that they made!  Especially the little one that was very vocal in communicating with its mother.  The only way I can describe the noise they make is that it sounds rather like recordings I’ve heard of whales in the ocean.  A rather sweet, high pitched little squeal.

The rest of the day Norman took us on bush walks and taught us how we could survive out here with no water, food, or shelter – something of a specialty knowledge he possessed .  He also took us to some cave paintings that are estimated as being over 20,000 years old, but not containing any trace of carbon (the San people used bile from an animal’s gall bladder, mixed with it’s uric acid to create the paint they used) it is impossible to accurately estimate the age of the artwork.

Our Safari Vehicle

Our Safari Vehicle

Norman also gave us a fascinating history of the San people’s way of life, together with a demonstration of their remarkable language which is basically a series of clicks.  Less than five feet in height, with a light brown skin,  and slightly angled eyes…they do not resemble any other people in this part of the world, which I found very interesting indeed.  Anthropologically, Norman said that they could easily have co-existed with today’s Australian Aborignies when the two continents were connected.  There are certainly lots of elements of both people’s culture that is similar – the concept of ownership of things is very foreign to the San, only take from the earth what is needed at this very moment, live in harmony with nature, live in large family-based groups that share all resources…to name but a few.

I managed to capture on video Norman giving his best impression of their incredible language and I will, hopefully, be able to share it with you on YouTube once I’m back in the land of functioning wifi.

Ancient San Art

Ancient San Art

Norman himself also gave us an account of life during the war of 1975-81 which we asked about with trepidation, after having been giving some very severe warnings about refraining from any political conversations while in Zim.  Together with an account given to us by another white national whom we met in Victoria Falls, I have now formed at least a semblance of an idea of what happened during this period in history, and more importantly, what it was like to live through it for someone who elected to stay in the country (Norman) vs. flee to South Africa as David had.

Roughly half of the 30,000 white army that formed to fight for land rights and for homes during the war perished.  Both men recounted the names of friends and family members that they had lost.  They talked about how their country used to be an economic stronghold, and major exporter of foodstuffs such as maize and beef, feeding much of Southern Africa, only to now be reliant on incoming aid and import to feed their citizens.  They talked about the land grab of 1998, where thousands of white farmers had their land and homes taken from them by force, many of them losing their lives in the process.  David, whom we’d met in Vic Falls, talked about how a friend of his watched in horror as her husband was beaten to death, only to escape into the rocky hills behind her farm and walk 40 miles through the night to the Mozambique border, and then re-settling into South Africa with nothing but the clothes on her back.  The situation is far from simple, and there are improvements being made…but hearing their firsthand accounts was very compelling and makes me want to do more of my own research and reading on the subject.

The one thread or element in both men’s stories that united them was this – a palpable love for their home country.  Nowhere else on earth would ever enter their hearts the way Rhodesia, and now Zimbabwe has.  

Medieval Ruins and Big Cats – On the road in Zimbabwe

26 Sunday Apr 2015

Posted by Anita in Africa, Zimbabwe

≈ 2 Comments

Tags

Animals, Safari

Me at the Great Zimbabwe Ruins

Me at the Great Zimbabwe Ruins

This post is from events that occurred on 4-7 April, 2015.

We had another long day in the truck driving today towards the namesake for this country – The Great Zimbabwe Ruins, a UNESCO World Heritage site – one of the four stone monuments in the world with Machu Picchu, The Great Pyramids of Egypt, and The Great Wall of China.  This represents the only medieval ruins in sub Saharan Africa and the ruins themselves combine with the rocky natural landscape in a way that is very similar to Angkor Wat – a place that has grown symbiotically with trees.

Unfortunately, I will need to do more independent research on the story and history of this place since our tour guide had such an incredibly strong and difficult to understand Zim accent – I barely grasped a quarter of what he said.  The parts that I did understand included learning about the structure of society for the 12,000 or so inhabitants of the city in the 15th century, that the boys entered long initiation classes to teach them how to be warriors and hunters, where the young women received classes on how to be good wives (I know, shocking, right?)  The stones themselves that were used in the construction of the city were granite and forged with fire that when cracked, formed straight cuts that allowed for the bricks to be layed one on top of the other without cement – though far less accurately or aethestically pleasing as the stones used by the Incas in Peru, in my opinion.

Climbing to the summit of the city – we learned how the king in those days would have to show his uncommon and worthy strength by wrestling a crocodile, bring the crocodile to the ceremonial plaza at the summit, and proceed to have royal incest with his sister on top of that crocodile – all in an effort to prove that he was worthy of ruling over his kingdom.

Damn.

Walking with Lions at Antelope Park

Walking with Lions at Antelope Park

Archaeologists are still struggling to excavate and uncover more artefacts at this site, but our guide told us that the last attempt to work on the ruins resulted in the scientists abandoning equipment in the depths of the buildings due to being terrified by the spirits that haunted ancient caves and cellars.

It was an enjoyable evening and we even had the opportunity to observe families of baboons, blue balled monkeys (yes, you read that right) and rock rabbits.  Plus, we camped only a few minutes’ walk from the grounds, so after preparing dinner for the group, it was a simple process to roll into my tent and collapse asleep.

From there, we were heading to Gweru, the home of Antelope Park – a private Game Reserve where they are attempting to breed lions and then raise the captive lions, teach them how to hunt, allow them to reproduce, and then take their descendants to release back into the wild, in an attempt to increase the numbers of lion populations that are rapidly dwindling.

Based on initial impressions, Antelope Park looked like it was going to be a very expensive zoo experience.  However, after initially listening to the sales pitch with extreme skepticism, we were impressed by the passion that the research scientists showed for the conservation of the lion, and their attempts to also involve the local community in their efforts to save the lions by providing jobs, community investment into schools and orphanages, and also charging for some pretty unique animal experiences that are not available anywhere else on the planet.

I decided to sign up for the lion walk, a horse riding safari, a night encounter experience, and the lion feed.

Me and the Lion Cubs

Me and the Lion Cubs

Our first day at the park was marred with a tragic episode.  It was Easter weekend, and a huge Christian delegation had descended upon the park and were busy in their festivities – we were in for a lot of prayer, singing and families picnicking in large throngs.  We were being given a tour of the facilities and grounds when the air was pierced with a scream that could only signify something very bad had happened.  Hundreds of people began gathering around the pool, and we looked on, horrified to see that a little girl had just been pulled out of the pool, lifeless and not breathing.

Luckily, several of the guests were doctors and performed CPR on the girl for the next half and hour while everyone waited for an ambulance to turn up.  People prayed, held hands, and looked on, unable to tear their eyes away.

Our orientation canceled, we spent the next few hours hearing the crowds of worshippers praying, and singing for the recovery of the little girl.  We later learned that she did die – and it certinaly cast quite the shadow over our arrival.  I was reminded of Jennifer – the girl who drowned on my diving trip to the San Juan Islands 5 years ago. It was horribly sad – especially when we considered that the girl’s mother failed to watch her kids in the pool, despite knowing that there were no lifeguards on duty and that the girl was not a strong swimmer.

The sadness from the day before was magnified by a very distinct change in weather on the next.  The rainy season was now in full force and we had a night of very heavy rain and even a thunderstorm.  The rain, however, didn’t dampen our spirits as we went out to watch a Lion Feeding.

checking out a giraffe on my horseback safari

checking out a giraffe on my horseback safari

The activities were well worth the money that was charged.  We got to watch Lions being fed an entire cow carcass, being released from their enclosures in a large group that then literally charged towards us and the meat, the only separation between us being a thin chicken wire fence.  I can’t tell you how it felt to see these king of beasts charging seemingly right at you as if intent on taking your head off.  I managed to get really great video footage by poking my camera through the fence, dropping it however, a few moments later when one of the Lions literally jumped right at us onto the fence and I shrieked in an autonomic response of adrenaline fuelled fear.

Wow.

The weather was unabating and we enjoyed a game of South African Trivial Pursuit in the bar that afternoon while the heavens unleashed a deluge on our already water logged tents.  We did manage to catch a peak of the “resident” elephants swimming across the river, and emerge literally right in front of the lodge bar where we were playing.  It was amazing to be this close to these magnificent creatures.

The cubs that are raised from the breeding efforts are taken from their mothers when they are very young so that they “bond” with the trainers as if they are the lions’ parents.  The cubs are then walked each day at least twice, as a way of the beginning process for teaching them how to hunt.  We were invited to walk with a couple cubs who were about 10 months old at dawn.  The cubs were adorable, playing with one another as brother and sister, chasing each other, rubbing against our legs and generally behaving like cuddly kittens instead of the wild powerful animals that they are.  I got the chance to walk alongside the lions, pet them and be photographed with them, and it was wonderful.  Something I will not soon forget.

Great Zim Ruins

Great Zim Ruins

Since the game reserve was also well stocked with other game – giraffe, springbok, antelope, impala, waterbuck, zebra, wilderbeest and other deer – I opted to go on a horseback safari since I’d yet to go on a horse ride, and this opportunity also afforded me the chance to get super close to the animals as well as enjoy being on horseback.

What I didn’t realize, until we were already well into the bush, is that the horses we were riding were trained thoroughbreds, and mine had also competed for years as a professional polo horse.  This horse, named Waverunner, had an interesting personality.  He only liked to amble slowly, and then would trot to catch up to the other horses.  However, if the other horses decided to go fast – he was intent on outpacing them almost immediately.

We cantered several times and Waverunner almost broke into a gallop on several occasions, manoeuvring around bushes and trees with the dexterity of a polo horse.  It was quite a challenge just staying in the saddle.

It was also unique being able to get so close to the wildlife.  At one point, we came across a small herd of giraffe, and my horse was comfortable approaching one of the older males to within a few feet of him.  Craning my neck upward to see his face, so close to my own, was very special.

Lion with his carcass at the Lion Feed

Lion with his carcass at the Lion Feed

The highlight of our three day stay, however, was the Night Encounter.  Basically, the slightly older cubs (in our case they were 24 months old) are released from their enclosures once a week or so (that’s how often Lions’ typically  feed) and will follow their “parents” in the safari vehicle as they are led out at sunset to view the game, and hopefully make a kill and get their supper served extra fresh.

I had low expectations despite the trainers telling us that we had a 50/50 chance of seeing the lions’ efforts meet with success.  Just seeing the lions following us in the truck was a thrill in and of itself.  I will never forget the trainers ‘ thick Zim accents cajoling the felines with “Come, come , come, come come!  Come, Lions!  Good, Lions! This way, Lions!”  It was hilarious..

The three lions also played with each other and at one point had a little tussle that resulted in a catapult-like jump mid-air right in front of our open air vehicle.  It was a scene directly out of The Matrix, and we all held our breaths when we saw it – feeling that we had already got our $95 worth.

We were in for a real treat.  As the sun was setting, our truck came across a herd of wildebeest and zebra and we watched the lions create their hunting formation, splitting into 3 separate tracks as they began a super exciting chase that we got to watch as the sun was setting.  It was incredible, and I really got the feeling that we were also on the hunt…side by side with the lions.

Unsuccessful, the lions looked tired and a little discouraged.  Driving on, it got really dark, and the trainers “helped” the lions by using a red beam light that when scanning the horizon, immediately picked up any sign of life by illuminating the glowing eyes of any unfortunate prey that was around.

Soon enough, our truck crew spotted a single creature – an impala, who was by himself – indicating that he was probably one of the weaker members of his group, since he’d been left alone by his herd.  We circled around the creature until a clear path was established that the lions could take to make their approach to the lone animal.

We watched, our breaths held, as the lions disappeared into the tall grass.  What seemed like only a few seconds later, we saw the impala take a giant leap into mid air, only to then disappear into the brush with a lion attached to its neck.

“We have a kill! We have a kill!” our driver yelled out, and we revved into high gear as the land rover drove within a few feet of where the lions were in the process of the rather gruesome task of killing and eating their dinner.

One of the lions had it’s teeth in the poor impala’s neck , while, rather surprisingly, the two other lions proceeded to lick the impala’s body.  Asking what this meant, we were told that the lion was just figuring out the softest spot for its first mouthful.

The Lions with their "kill" - the impala

The Lions with their “kill” – the impala

After what seemed like a very long time indeed, and unfortunately, a long while after the lions had begun their chewing, the impala died and we watched in awe while they feasted.  It was disturbing, but at the same time, completely mesmerizing.

Even more surprising, the trainers leapt from the truck once the majority of the kill had been consumed, and dared provoking the hungry lions by pulling the carcass away from them, shooing them away, and putting what was left of the kill in the back seat of the truck!  We were told that it was important for the lions not to finish completely, as the carcass would split into 3 and the lions might be “lost” in the reserve to the dark night.  Instead, they would obediently follow the truck back to their enclosure where the remaining carcass was thrown for them to finish off.

And they did.  Which was quite remarkable.

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anitagotravel

anitagotravel

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