BIG GAME MORNING

The last day here in Livingstone and its a fresh cloudy day with sunshine. Quite a change from what I have been getting used to. 

Mosi-oa-Tunya National Park

Had to get up really early for a game drive in the small game park (660 sq km), which apparently isn't big enough to keep lions. They'd make quick work of the prey in such a small area. Stan, the guide was very informative and knew a lot about the animals and birds we saw. Though it was early it was a perfect time to be out in the game park.    

http://www.safpar.com/gamedrives.html

And now a short movie of this morning's action.

The drive lasted nearly three hours so there was ample time after to have a late breakfast and get down to Barclay's bank to change money and then buy a bus ticket to Lusaka with Sharom bus company again. 

Its very hard to believe that Christmas is only a week away.

HIPPOS AND RAIN

14^th December 2013

Reception girls in their funny hats

The internet connection here in Livingstone is troublesome but I hope this makes it through to the WW Web.

The Falls

It seems that all the talk here at the hostel is about going to the Devil's pool. Its well documented on Youtube so no need to explain too much. I was to have done the 'walk' to this pool on the edge of the falls but decided better not to do it. The past few days rain have made water levels rise so the walk has become a really a precarious 45 minute wade through fast flowing rivulets making their way to the edge of the falls not so far away. Some people did it but said it did seem very dangerous. The guide said, reassuringly, that the route to the pool was bone dry a few days ago, adding that if the water continues to rise this activity will have to be cancelled for the months of the wet season in two days time.

Rain at Victoria Falls entrance

 

'The smoke that thunders'

A couple of days ago I went on a sunset cruise down the Zambezi. It was a fun trip with free food and booze and a chance to see a lot of hippos, crocodiles, and luckily an elephant swimming across the river from the Zimbabwe side. Towards the end of the two and a half hours a couple of African marimba players struck up and the whole compliment of the boat, mostly Africans, ended the evening with dancing to the music. A nice evening. 

Lady Victoria cruise boat

Hippos are very big here

A crocodile waiting for a meal

The elephant heading for the river.

The wet season has begun late, with a vengeance, and now after 4 days of sporadic torrential downpours it is a different place from when I first arrived in Zambia. The humidity has brought on a rather irritating itchy heat rash but hopefully the medication I bought from a pharmacy here will calm it down soon. The rain does tend to restrict activities but lots of interesting people to talk to. One of them, now gone to Namibia, was an Irish motorcyclist with a massive BMW bike. Ridden all the way from Ireland and heading to Cape town.

LUSAKA TO LIIVINGSTONE

10^th December 2013

Its time to move on after too many days of the idyllic lifestyle I have grown accustomed to at the wonderful Paceli hostel. One piece of luck was that two Australian girls were heading to the bus station at the same time as myself and of course I had to pay only a third of what I was expecting for the taxi. Its probably the only safe way of getting somewhere on time.

For some strange reason I cant access photos to load onto this blog so have put them on my Facebook. sorry

It was the first time I had used an African bus station and not a lot different from the Indian variety or a typical European one on a very bad day. The place was in turmoil and it looked like the bus would never be able to get out through the seething mass of vehicles that packed every space. However, the bus started to move exactly on time at nine thirty and it was obviously well organized chaos for we exited the station in only five minutes.

There were several police check points just after leaving Lusaka and for some reason the axle weight of all buses and trucks was weighed. But the worst part was that the air-conditioning was not on and the temperature outside was about thirty six degrees. The bus was pretty new so it was most probably to conserve fuel like all the taxis in Lusaka do. Whatever the reason, it became uncomfortably hot and sticky during the seven hour journey. In this part of the world it has become clear that seven hours is just a training run. Along the often newly (Chinese) tarmacked road, it passed by many small grass roofed settlements and some of those famous red dust African roads.