Crocodile steak!

Another 'learning and discovery' experience! Thanks to Steve and Bets for being adventurous companions! And no, it doesn't taste like chicken, more like monkfish. Quite good actually!

Zimbabwe Village

As part of our OAT trip, we visited a local village. We crowded into the kitchen with the local family and some curious neighbors. We introduced ourselves and got to ask them questions about their lives. They in turn had questions for us. Mostly they were curious about dating, marriage, crime, pregnancy outside of marriage and diet. They were surprised to learn that men don't have to pay a dowry, but we assured them that diamond rings were quite expensive.

The family's compound

The kitchen / meeting space

The shower

The parents' rooms

 The bathrooms

Victoria Falls by helicopter

Victoria Falls

Victoria Falls is the world's 'largest curtain of falling water' and is one of the 7 natural wonders of the world. David Livingstone named the falls for Queen Victoria but the local people refer to it as Mosi-oa-Tunya, meaning 'the smoke that thunders'.
Seen from the Victoria Falls National Park, Zimbabwe.

Elephant crossing

Zimbabwean road signs :)

Learning and Discovery

This was a core theme of our OAT group safari, and the phrase referred to experiences such as historical talks. Of course we also sarcastically used this term to cover experiences like fixing a toilet or drinking all of the camp's pinotage. 

Our most interesting L&D was in Zimbabwe, when our group leader informed us with a mischievous grin that we were going grocery shopping. He sent each of us in to the store with only the Shona name of the item we were to purchase! Mine was fairly easy, but some had to practice clicks and long words! I think the store employees were amused, and we all found our cooking oil, sugar, soap and other supplies that we would later deliver to a local village. 

Aka mealie meal!

Packing - the safari bag

After three weeks on safari, I've got it down!

Clockwise from top right: Neck/waist wallet with passport and cash (always with me!), crush proof camera case and camera (Panasonic Lumix), binoculars (the cheap ones from REI), ziplock in case it rains, tissues, a bandana for sun/dust protection, pen and notebook (write down those animal names!),  Ultrathon mosquito repellent (fantastic and no strong odor), lip balm with sunscreen, sunscreen stick, hand sanitizer and a bag that can get very dirty!

Black rhinos!

I was fearing the prospect of leaving Africa without my Big 5, so I signed up for a rhino safari in a private game reserve in Zimbabwe. A local woman told my fellow traveler we were cheating by not finding the animals in the wild, but we didn't care! Rhinos are extremely endangered and many are being kept in protected reserves rather than national parks. The crazy Chinese think powdered rhino horn cures every disease known to mankind, and their demand is leading to the decimation of this gentle animal. It's killed for the horn only, which is worth about half a million dollars on the black market! Our guide told us that the chances the next generation would see rhinos were slim.

So, cheating or not, we found them! (It was a 6,000 acre preserve, and our fees help conservation efforts, so hey local lady, lighten up!)

We saw 3, and later saw a mother with her her 1 year old baby, but I didn't get a good shot of them. I thought they were adorable. Their chewing is very loud! And they make the funniest little squeak when communicating.

Life in Zimbabwe - one man's account

In Zimbabwe, I spoke to one of the employees of the camp. He worked in Cape Town for two years but wanted to return to his homeland. Like many people, he lives with his extended family. He is the only one among his wife, sisters, brothers, parents and children who has a job. They share meals, chores, expenses, pay. The economy is 'the same'. Tourism is gaining popularity, following mining and preceding farming as the county's top industries. When they switched to the US dollar, people lost a lot of money. They still have the old currency, in trillion dollar notes, worthless now. A typical meal would be foraged greens/ leaves, vegetables, termites, served in a big bowl with mealie meal (polenta) and eaten by hand. Meat, bread and juice are only served on holidays and special occasions. A person might work several days just to be able to buy one outfit that they keep safe and unworn until Christmas. 

According to the CIA World Factbook, the 2009 unemployment rate was 95%.

Something to think about this Thanksgiving, my fellow Americans.

Zambian culture

It is improper for a man to cook or clean.

A dowry is paid to the family of a woman upon her engagement, in money or cows.

If a man gets a woman pregnant outside of marriage, he must pay a $10,000 damage fee. 

Zambians are very religious. Even when young people embrace modernity and move to the city, they still observe tradition when in their villages. 

They consider it rude to look someone in the eyes.

Divorce is taboo. Homosexuality is illegal. Polygamy is not. About a third of the population is polygamous! If a man wants to marry, he must be able to afford the bridal dowry and a house....for each wife. HIV/AIDS is a serious problem. Polygamy has contributed to its spread. 

Facebook and cell phones are a major distraction during dinner time. 

(This information was gleaned during a cultural talk at camp and was not verified by independent research. )

Zambia photos

River safari!

A lion watching us from the river bank

My tent

Sunset over the Lufupu River

Job opportunity in Zambia

MetLife Zambia!

Night sounds

Chortling hippos, car alarm frogs*, alarm clock birds*

*not their scientific name

Afternoon

The exquisite heat of midday in southern Africa ...no respite provided from the breeze or even the fan, like a blow dryer on medium. The direct sunlight is a laser beam singeing my flesh. A cold shower provides temporary relief, but my skin and even my hair dry within minutes. Clean clothes, the chair, the bed, all have become radioactive,  hot to the touch. I'm surrounded by tents filled with my fellow travelers, but we suffer alone. Rendered unable to talk or even move, we attempt fitful sweaty naps, or try to lose ourselves in thought until released from the stifling weight of the afternoon heat.

The bush

I'm getting much better at waking up at 530am, killing spiders and peeing outside!

Botswana's riches

Botswana has much to offer. I especially loved the Okavango Delta. There is an excellent tourism infrastructure. The country is making sustainable tourism a priority by educating its workers (everyone at our camps had a tourism degree), phasing out trophy hunting (which brings in millions) and involving the local tribes. One of our camps was run by the bushmen. They benefited from the tourism and had a vested interest in conservation, which meant a win win for both the locals and the animals. The people I interacted with were educated, proud and passionate. I look forward to returning!

Elephants

Elephants and impala (aka the McDonalds of the bush!)

Baby hiding under mother. 

Baby

Enjoying a mud bath!

Leopard

Leopards are shy, solitary animals and hard to spot. In the delta, we met the super model of leopards. She was sauntering around and posing on logs and termite mounds while 50 people clamored for photos. Actually, she was taking care of business, trying to ignore the chaos and hunt for food for herself and her cub. Leopards' kills are frequently stolen by lions and hyenas, so that drag their prey up into trees. They can climb carrying more than twice their own weight!

Botswana lions

We were able to off road and pull up right next to these feasting (and then resting) lions!

Okavango Delta, Botswana

We had some fantastic wildlife sightings in the delta. We also enjoyed a mokoro (canoe) ride, in spite of the hippo blockade!

Mokoros, the traditional way to explore the delta

These hippos were not letting us by.

Never get between a hippo and the water!

Wild dogs!

We were lucky to see a pack of wild dogs in Chobe National Park, Botswana. (This is a rare species of dog, not feral house pets.) You know it's a good sighting when even the guide is excited! Our guides estimate that there are only a few thousand of these dogs left on the continent! They live as a pack, and when the hunting dogs return home, they regurgitate food for the young, old and sick members of the pack. Sharing this way also easily spreads disease or poison, which is contributing to their rapid demise.

Botswana airport

And no, Susan Zinder, the wifi wasn't working ;)

I (heart) NY

I found a great burger place in Cape Town, where I had an ostrich burger and some pinotage. When I read the menu, I learned the owners had travelled to NYC to learn how to make awesome burgers. Later I researched jazz clubs, and the hot spot was The Mahogany Room, modeled after NY's Village Vanguard. And so it began, my case of NYC-compare-itis. I'm sure my fellow NY-ers are familiar with this travel malady, in which comparisons of the current city to one's hometown induce anxiety, sweating and mild nausea. My suffering culminated in a fruitless search to buy 5 basic toiletries all at the same store, exacerbated by the stress of 5pm closing times. 

Are these comparisons unfair? Probably. But unavoidable.

And no, I didn't try the pizza. That makes the sickness worse!

Cape of Good Hope / Cape Point

This is not the southern tip of Africa, nor is it the place where the Indian and Atlantic oceans meet, but it is beautiful!

 Simons Town penguins