Monday Morning Review

Oh my.It’s been a delightfully busy weekend with precious little time for sitting at the computer to record all the wonders. Have you ever had that feeling at a special event that you might be less present if all you did was stay behind the camera? So anyway, that’s my explanation for not blogging...

So a brief review along with a promise to round out this record of our trip with more photos and more details once we are home with faster Internet:

Saturday was our day trip to Chobe National Park where we were treated to a boat ride down the (something-something) river (I will find out the name!) for three hours. A large herd of elephants came to the river to drink and bathe, and we saw many species of birds, some crocodiles, hippos, and antelope. We had a delicious buffet lunch at a lodge on the river followed by a game drive. Riding in the safari truck we were mostly safe from the sun while we saw more elephants, giraffes, Cape buffalo, and a host of other creatures which shall appear in a convenient list for reference at a later date. Our guide, Frank, has done safaris for 15 years and is extremely knowledgeable about the animal kingdom. We got back to Livingstone after being assaulted by vendors at the border of Zambia and Botswana, but all survived and we enjoyed a meal at a local restaurant where a majority of us celebrated with a meal of fish and chips—not completely unlike one of our earliest meals together in London.

Sunday morning was a beautiful African morning. There’s a quote by Ernest Hemingway painted on the wall here at Jolly Boys: I never knew of a morning in Africa when I woke up that I was not happy.

We had breakfast here at Jolly Boys, and our ride to Victoria Falls was here promptly at 10.

We agreed that we would begin our adventure by doing the steep hike down and back up from the Boiling Pot (Google it!) and that worked out well. After working up a sweat and being rewarded by a spectacular view not too far from the base of the falls, we then trekked along the trail across from the spectacular natural wonder of the world. Being that we’re in the rainy season, the falls were full and raging gloriously. We were soaked by the spray and soaked in the power and beauty. Because it was a sunny day, rainbows appeared through the mist (though it’s hard to call it mist—it was more like a steady rain!)

Shopping at the vendors was a rather harrowing experience for some, but we all made it out alive and with a variety of gifts and souvenirs to bring home. The real rain held off until the end of shopping and we piled into taxis to get back to our temporary home.

Dinner was a Jolly Boys because we were a little worn out. My friend Steven came and drove a van load of us to his artist friends Lawrence and Agnes where the girls could spend what they wanted of their kwacha on Agnes’s lovely handmade jewelry.

I think we all had some difficulty falling asleep, and staying asleep. Today is travel day! We are turning our hearts toward home… though part of our hearts will remain here.

On the path to the Boiling Pot

Everyone made it!