Visitor
Tuesday, October 6, 2009
Arrival: I arrived on the 17th and stayed at the Intercontinental Hotel. There are 13 trip participants, including myself. Dr. Bill Branch leads the trip, which brings the group total to 14. We met in the lobby of the Intercontinental, so it was an easy arrival for me. About half arrived the morning of the 18th and were very tired from a 16-hour flight or longer if coming from California. I walked into the lobby and a woman said, “Linda, is that you?” To say the least I was surprised. It was Barbara Bennett, one of the people I would be traveling with on the tour. We would fondly call her the stalker afterward. She had googled everyone that was going on the trip and had found a picture of me. I was very surprised since I did not put a picture on the Internet. It turns out it was a picture associated with work.
The people on the trip are very nice. There are two sets of mothers and daughters, four couples, myself and Dr. Branch.
Mala Mala Game Reserve
September 18 and 19, 2009
We arrived late to Mala Mala but still managed to get a game drive in before a late dinner. The reserve abuts Kruger National Park and has a limited number of guests. We immediately saw Impala, a Nyala and Water Buffalo.
We continued into the reserve and were looking for a female Leopard. So here we are in a jeep, in the blackest of night going over hill and dale looking for a Leopard that is looking for dinner. Surprise to me, we find the Leopard and track it for some time. Luckily we did not see the kill happen but did see that she was successful. As we are driving back, we see a Nighthawk. We have these birds in Florida. They nest on the ground and this guy in Africa was just taking a rest.
The morning of the 19th we started out at 5:30 am. Once again we were looking for Leopard and we found and followed a male. The rangers identify the leopards through their spot pattern. We follow the male to a kill made by a female Leopard and stored in a tree. The male jumps up into the tree and proceeds to eat the female Leopard’s kill. Later in the day, we see a mother Leopard and cub playing.
We also saw a White Rhino and we were able to get quite close. Elephants, giraffes, Zebras, Blue Wildebeest, Water Buck, and Lions are other animals encounted. We also saw the Lions during the day and at night, a male, a mother and her two cubs. One cub is a runt and they are worried it will not make it. The rangers do not intervene as long as it is part of nature’s way. We also saw Crocodile, Hammerkop, Mongoose, Spotted Hyena, and more birds than I can remember. It has been a very busy but great day.
Tomorrow we take a game drive in the morning and then fly by private plane to Botswana.
September 20, 2009
We took a morning game drive that resembled Mr. Toads wild ride at Disney World. Our guide heard Cheetahs had been spotted near the park border. We had to move fast, so off we go. Another woman and I were on the top tier of the Range Rover. Both of us held on for dear life. About a dozen times our bodies were in mid-air and our hands were the only contact with the vehicle. Now I wish the ending of this great ride was that we got to see our quarry. Alas, that is not to be. The Cheetahs were too quick for us. We will get a chance to see the Cheetahs at Botswana.
We have two planes that we use. We had to land to clear customs in South Africa and then a short flight to Botswana. When you see some of the places we land, you understand whey it has to be by private air charter. The runways are dirt and a vehicle has to clear the runway of animals.
The camp is very nice and the Botswana people are wonderful. They laugh easily and seem to enjoy life. We took an afternoon, early evening drive. We had to search but did see a brother and sister cheetah. It was dark by the time we saw them but it was still exciting. Dinner was in a Boma. It is a reed, high fenced in area with a fire pit in the middle. The table and chairs are arranged around the pit. The food is excellent and I am having a great time.
September 21, 2009
At each stop, we get to attend lectures by National Geographic researchers. At Mala Mala, we had a lecture about the geological make up of Africa and the evolution of Victoria Falls. Today we will hear about the research work being done on elephants.
This afternoon we had our Cheetah encounter and it was wonderful. There were three males in a bachelor group. We had to get to them quickly as they were heading toward the Zimbabwe border and we could not cross. None of us were sure Bill Clinton would come save us if we crossed the border. We were able to get to them and before they crossed. I get so mesmerized with the beauty of the animals I sometimes forget to take the shot. But in this case, I did remember.
Our next stop was with a Baobab tree. On my previous trip to Africa, we always had to stay in the trucks. Here we are able to get out and look around to some extent. Here at the tree, I was able to see how very special a Baobab tree is. Elephants are always rubbing up against the tree and ripping the bark off the tree. The tree then puts out layers and layers of sap to try and protect itself. The tree is very fibrous and hollow. The tree had a hole that you could climb into. Other animals often make their nest there at night. It was wonderful! Dr. Branch explained about the tree in such detail.
On our way back, we encountered a herd of elephants. One took a fancy to me and kept coming closer and closer. Everyone got very quiet. I really wasn’t afraid but did remember to get the picture. You can see the shadows of our heads on the elephant, he was that close. Most animals are chased off when they get too curious about people. If they become too comfortable around people, they are considered a danger. But with an elephant, you really do not want to get them angry.
September 22, 2009
Today was a long, hard day but another fascinating day. We went to the closest village that most of the staff at the lodge is from. We visited a cattle and goat station. The owner was the father of one of the employees at the lodge. In Botswana, cattle determine your wealth. Even today, if a young man wants to marry a woman, he has to pay in cattle. It starts at 8 cattle and goes on up. If the man does not have cattle, he can buy them. Since education is free up through university in Botswana, many women have gone to college. They say alas, there is no marriage in Botswana since the young men do not have cattle.
We visited a school and were entertained by the children by their singing and dancing. It was wonderful. They are so curious and excited. They asked if anyone would dance with them and no one would. I got up and danced with the kids, as did one of the lodge staff. The kids were laughing so hard only to be exceeded by my touring partners. Thank goodness, at the next song three or four more people got up. It was a wonderful experience.
After visiting the school, we went to some newly discovered cave paintings. What was exciting was they had just been discovered and had not been fenced off. We were able to get right next to the paintings. Then we drove to a riverbed, dry of course, and had lunch. It was lovely.
We had a lecture by Andrei Snyman who is doing research here. He talked about the leopards, lions and wild dogs. It was interesting how technology, gps and remote cameras, is changing what researchers previously thought about the behavior of these animals.
In the afternoon, we encountered a young leopard with a kill. He dropped it out of the tree and we saw him drag it back up and try to secure it. We must have been with that leopard for over an hour but the time flew by.
September 23, 2009
We were able to sleep in this morning until 6:30. It really did not matter since I woke up an hour earlier. We left for the airport via a circuitous route that took us past some Eland. We went on our way and visited Pete’s Pond. Pete’s Pond is the web site maintained by National Geographic 24/7. A lovely woman named Afka is in charge. She has been there going on three years. Volunteers and she watch the site during the day and night. They do sleep in tents at the site but she also has a room in a nearby village. It was midmorning by the time we got there and most of the animals had left. The animals are at the pond early to mid morning and at night. The pond is a very peaceful setting and it was a pleasure to visit.
One of our group is a true “Pondie.” Those are the people that follow the site via web cams on a regular basis. Barbara had already emailed Afka and corresponded with her before she left the states. I should point out this is the stalker Barbara.
After Pete’s Pond, we boarded our airplanes and went on our way to the Delta. The flight took about 3 hours total but we had to stop in Francis Town to refuel and then on to the Delta. The camp we will be going to is on the river and gets power from a generator. We will only have power 12 hours a day. After you have been escorted to your accommodations at night, you have to stay there. Hippos and lions have been known to come into camp at night. I am not too worried since they have not lost a guest yet but you never know.
This will be our most remote location. No Internet and I have been told no cell phone either. They use radios for communication. Another woman, Patricia, and myself are convinced that if there is one bar to be found on our iphones, we will find it.
The trip is really wonderful. I had the opportunity to visit Africa a couple of years before this trip. The trip was to Tanzania and I enjoyed it immensely. This trip is very different. Having private airplanes to take us around really does save time. It is also necessary since that is the only way to get to some of these places. Also, when I first met Dr. Branch, our constant guide and leader, he told me this experience would be much more intimate and he was so correct. We are able to get much closer to the animals on this trip.
The flight to Xakanaxa was smooth and uneventful. The camp is located in a national park and this puts certain restrictions on our ability to get close to the animals. After arriving and having a bite to eat, we went on a game drive. The highlight was seeing the delta and a pride of lions. We had to be back to camp by 6:30.
Our accommodations are very nice but as I said before, we have to be escorted whenever we want to leave our place after 6:30. The generator shuts down at 7:30. For light, we use candles, paraffin and battery operated lights. Our tented rooms face the delta and our bathroom has openings in the roof. It is very nice. The other good thing is we get our laundry done here.
It is very quiet here and you hear the frogs and whatever else is chirping at this time of night. I am in camp #1; it is the one farthest away from the office. There is an air horn we can use for emergencies but I am sure it won’t be necessary. I just looked around and the brightest thing in the room is my computer screen
A guide comes to your camp and escorts you to and from dinner. I thought it might be a little over the top until on the way back from dinner we saw a wounded hippo between two of the camps. I became a believer in escorts quickly. It is very quiet except for the night sounds. Some animal, a bushbuck or some kind of antelope, was making bellowing sounds. You can see fireflies and some light from the moon. Very peaceful and unnerving at the same time.
September 24, 2009
If you are a light sleeper, this may not be the place for you. The ambient noise of the crickets, frogs and other little noisemakers quickly lull you to sleep. However, the first time a hippo does one of its loud, rumbling calls, I found myself sitting straight up in bed. I must have gotten up 10 times last night and each time I would get up with my flash light to see if I could see how close the hippo was. I heard them walking around and the sounds were close but I never saw the animals and did not get a picture.
It is overcast this morning and last night it rained lightly. Having it be a little overcast is not so bad. The sun beating down on you takes its toll. We will be going for an early morning game drive, brunch and later on in the afternoon we will be taking boat rides. This should be interesting.
The generator came back to life right at 5:30 am and my computer quickly began charging again. Even with all the unnerving wildlife sounds, the beauty of this camp can take your breath away. I just looked up and saw the head of a hippo swimming in the river. Like I said, it takes your breath away.
We took our last full game drive this morning. From here on out our sightseeing will be associated with water. We had some nice sightings of elephants and saw a very lazy male lion. The highlight of the drive was the hippos. We saw two submerging and then we saw the star. This hippo was watching us as intently as we were watching him. He did a command performance for us. He made the very unusual act of getting out of the water during the day. He posed, ate and amused himself. Upon returning to the water, he slashed and displayed his full fury. The guides told us to be quiet and return to the trucks. We left and he stopped his approach.
After lunch, I went back to my room to take a nap. This would have been a great idea since this is the first time on this trip we have not had an activity. Unfortunately, a troop of baboons thought this would be a good time to visit the roof of my camp. The bathroom has an opening to the outside. It is a little unnerving to be using the facilities while these guys watch. Oh well, welcome to the delta.
We took a boat ride through the delta and it was very nice. We went to an island area and took canoe rides with one of the guides acting like a gondolier. We were able to see a lot of birds. It reminded me of the Everglades without the bugs. It was a lot of fun. We were in two boats that hooked up and we all talked and laughed as the sun set. Champagne, wine or soft drinks were served along with some appetizers.
Before dinner, the staff entertained us with singing and dancing. Of all the camps, I think this one has the best singers. We had dinner and retired.
September 25, 2009
The hippos were out and about again last night but I was not able to get a night photo. Around 4 am it started to rain but has stopped. We have been very lucky with the weather. It was cooler than we expected at Mala Mala and Mashatu but after one day of the sun and heat beating down on us at Mashatu, cooler weather did not seem so bad.
This morning we flew to Chobe National Park in Botswana. This began the last phase of our trip.
Chobe is a very popular park because of its proximity to Victoria Falls. We boarded a wildlife river cruise and toured on the Chobe River. As we boarded the boat, we saw a couple of elephants across the river. This turned out to be a good omen. During our boat tour, we saw elephants play in the water, more hippos than we could count, Cape Buffalo, and Red Lechwe. The day was overcast and we were treated to the hippos coming out of the water during the day. Hippos will come out when the day is overcast. Their skin is very sensitive to sun burn which is why they feed at night or on overcast days. It was a wonderful tour and a great lunch.
We boarded our planes and flew to Livingston, Zambia for the last phase of our tour. During our flight, we do a fly by with our other plane. We have been traveling in two chartered planes during our trip. We were able to take a picture of each other from our planes.
As we came into Livingstone, we were able to do a figure eight over the falls. This allowed us to take some pictures. We could immediately see the falls were not flowing to full capacity. Even though there was rain up north, it would take a few months for the water to reach the falls. This low flow of water did allow us to walk around the falls easier than if it were flowing at 100%.
The Royal Livingston Hotel was very nice. The rooms put you in the lap of luxury. We were greeted on the lawn by the hotel staff and given refreshments. As if on cue, four zebras came charging around the corner, bucking and fighting. Here we were coming out of the wilds of Africa and we were confronted with this unbelievable moment. I do not think any of us got the photo. We had to keep the doors to our rooms shut like the other camps because of the monkeys. They like to shop at the bags of tourists.
September 26, 2009
After a wonderful breakfast, we went to Victoria Falls for a walk. It was very interesting and quite pretty. The day was overcast so none of our pictures included the rainbow we all hoped to capture. But the walk was a great thrill. A stop at the craft market and a walk back to the hotel rounded out a wonderful morning.
Plans for a helicopter ride were soon abandoned because of a cancellation. I walked back to the falls and went across the rocks of the dry riverbed. I was able to get the photos I wanted after an hour walk.
Our tour ended with a wonderful dinner aboard the historically restored Royal Livingstone Express steam train. This train transports you through the neighborhoods of Livingstone and the countryside. As we pass, families wave and children chase after the train. We had the train to ourselves.
The food on this trip has been in great quantities and of wonderful quality. The quality and presentation of the food on the Royal Livingstone Train were stunning and the best meal of the trip. After our dinner, the chef came and talked with us.
Dr. Branch bid us farewell and gave us an overview of our adventure. We went back to the lounge car, talked and laughed. A couple of the guys went up to the engine and shoveled coal. While we have enjoyed the company of each other and we are all sure our pictures are works of art, the people of Africa are the true joy of this trip. The animals are stunning, the scenery breathtaking but at the end of the day what has changed me are the people. The kindness, the knowledge, the children and most of all the laughter of the people we met are to be treasured. Africa may have gold, diamonds and oil but most precious are the people.
My trip home was made much easier because of my new friends Lucy and Patricia. They were flying first class and got me into the Crown Room. I was very grateful since the airport was packed with no place to sit at the gate. Lucy also was the professional photographer that got a great picture of me. Their kindness made my trip home that much nicer. The kindness of people that are no longer strangers.
Linda McKinney
2009
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