Leaving camp is bitter sweet; our first experiences in the bush. Heading out, I spot a large giraffe right by the road. “Stop”, and the truck is reversed even though we are trying to reach our next destination. A beautiful giraffe is grazing quietly right next to us, and she is a lovely goodbye.
OAT believes in giving back to the communities where they operate. In the past few years, they have invested millions of dollars in schools, water systems, healthcare, and infrastructure. Today we are visiting St. Mary’s Primary School and are greeted by the principal. She tells us how grateful they are to OAT and their charitable foundation which provided a roof when the school almost closed due to leaks, along with computers, and teachers’ salaries.
We chat with a group of student in 7th form who will soon take exams to see if they are accepted into upper level education. They are polite and curious about us. It is wonderful to see more of a culture than just the animals that Africa’s tourist trade thrive on. The students sing for us, and we perform our songs for them.
We are heading to our second country today, Zambia, and we will be staying David Livingston Lodge near Victoria Falls. Colorful musicians welcome us along with snacks and drinks before lunch. This is a beautiful vacation destination with open patios, a pool, and situated along the Zambezi river, one of the four major rivers in Zambia.
Our afternoon activity is a sunset motor boat trip along the river looking for flora and fauna. I see birds and some interesting plant life while sipping my gin and tonic. A pod of hippos are in the distance, but as in the past, we don’t venture close. After cruising along, enjoying the river, but not much excitement, I spot gray shapes in the distance. “More hippos” I shout....I really want to get some better pictures, and the guide speeds up. As we get closer, we realize it’s not hippos but elephants swimming the river!
Our guide says this happens during the dry season, but Zambia is at the end of the rainy season. He has seen this before about four months ago, but we are enthralled by this special National Geographic moment! Elephants are good swimmers, and they bob along in a powerful current with their trunks as snorkels. Heads and ears appear occasionally until four large elephants, several with tusks, climb onto the bank. Sunset is an afterthought as we snap pictures and videos, but it’s difficult in a rocking boat. It was another once in a lifetime moment to treasure.
Robyn and I are late for breakfast because the monkeys are playing outside our room. The babies are so cute, but they don’t hold still long for pictures. They climb and swing in the trees and run along the ground jumping on the banisters. Our ground floor room opens to a patio through double doors and a view of the river. We are instructed to keep the doors closed since monkeys love to help themselves to treasures inside. I was going to hang some clothes out to dry, but I figured I would soon be seeing them displayed from the branches! One member did open the doors to get a breeze while she rested and awoke to a monkey playing in the tea and coffee condiments!
No’s escorts us to a local market to buy “chitengas” which are colorful cloth wraps African women wear whenever they leave their home. This is a display of modesty to cover their thighs but can also be used as a head covering and to hold a baby on the mother’s back. We also see beautiful dresses made out of this traditional cloth, and some members plan to use the cloth for home furnishings - table runners, placemats, etc.
The market is interesting with stalls of fruits, vegetables, dried goods including mopane worms and Kasenta fish, toiletries, and cages of chickeninterspersed with shops. Noz introduces us to a friend who discusses her business. I ask about a basket filled with beige chucks of... mineral, plant? These are pieces of termite mounds that women eat during pregnancy for protein. I try a bite, but it tastes like gritty dirt to me!
Large termite mounds dot the landscape throughout our travels. Some of these creations are over two hundred years old and have millions of insects located inside various chambers. The queen lays eggs, the soldiers protect the mound, and the workers go into the bush to gather pieces of wood for everyone to eat. They form storerooms inside for the wood and mushrooms grow on it and can also to be digested. The excretement is carried outside and added to the growing tower, and seeds of trees and shrubs may sprout in this fertile soil. Unlike our termites in America, African termites don’t invade structures or even trees.
Bush men use termite mounds for directional help since they curve at the top in a northwest direction. This is due to prevalent winds blowing from the southeast. Elephants rub against the mounds as scratching posts, and natives love the termites that swarm during the rainy season. Natives catch them by the basketful and sauté or fry them, but they can also be dried and last about six months. Yummmm....haven’t had an opportunity to try those yet!
We have been blessed throughout our trip with beautiful weather. It can be hot during the day, but speeding along in trucks on game drives gives us a cool breeze. Nights have been pleasant, but today the skies open and an afternoon thunderstorm interrupts our lunch. We are scheduled to track white rhinos in a local preserve which will be our only opportunity to see these animals during our trip.
We bundle up in raincoats and head off determined not to let the weather spoil our day. We squash along in wet shoes over rough terrain and wade through streams following guards carrying AK-47s. These rhinos are monitored but without GPS trackers and roam free on this preserve. Their keratin horns are extremely valuable on the black market and locals may poach rhinos in order to support their families. Horns may be worth $7-9,000/kgm and weigh 3-4 kilo each.
We reach a hill, and there they are peacefully grazing. We get closer than I thought possible since we don’t have the safety of a truck surrounding us. Rhinos have small weak eyes and have a history of quick, fast charges over short distances. We watch and struggle to take pictures in the pouring rain so close we hear them chew and snort.
Tomorrow we visit Victoria Falls, one of the 7 natural wonders of the world, from the Zambia side and an afternoon game drive. Another day in Africa!
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