Sunday, August 29, 2010

Kim's fantastic visit

I am so far behind in putting stuff up on our blog that I am only now - in October (2010) putting in stuff about Kim's visit to us in June. We are always so excited to have visitors - and to have Kim come all the way from Beijing was a real treat for us.

First stop: Victoria Falls! Ironically, we had just been to Vic Falls the previous weekend with a donor group but it was great to do new things and experiencing it with Kim made all the difference in the world! :-)

In June, the rivers above the falls are full of water from the rains - so there was a lot of water coming over the falls.










We donned our customary rain slickers to try and keep some of the spray and mist off our clothes - but of course, we got drenched.





Instead of staying in the fancy pants hotel we stayed in with the donors, we opted to camp - and found a new place where we pitched our tent on the edge of a beautiful lagoon.










Under the bridge that separates Zimbabwe and Zambia (the same bridge that bungi jumpers jump from) - we noticed a steady stream of illegal Zimbabwean baboons who were crossing over to Zambia!! You can make them out below on the horizontal beam.





On our evening cruise on the Zambezi River, we found this group of elephants who seemed to be stranded on the bit of land but I know they can swim...so I guess they were just posing for the tourist boats (like the one behind them).






So even though we were roughing it by camping, we still got to have a drink (or a sundowner as they call them here) at the lovely -and fancy - Royal Livingstone, located right on the Zambezi River. You can see the spray of the falls right behind my head...which shows how high the water sprays!














Next stop: South Luangwa for a safari trip. I was the only one in the family who had been to the park - and so, together with Kim, we decided to drive the 9+ hours to the site. I'm pretty sure that was the first - and will be the last - time we drive!




One afternoon, I looked out our chalet window and saw a herd of elephants walking through the lodge eating the bushes and trees.















I found them drinking water out of the pool! And they had trampled down the little fence surrounding the pool...they can be so distructive (which is why villagers don't like them eating their crops and walking through their gardens).














Next adventure: our game drive.














We were lucky to see lions - everyone always wants to see lions ... but they spend so much time sleeping that I wonder if it's worth all the hype. IF we saw them stalking, killing and eating something, then I'd be happy (although completely grossed out).




We love visitors and love showing them our life here in Zambia...Come for a visit!











During our evening drive, the drivers always try to find a nice spot on the river for us to get out, stretch our legs, drink a beer and enjoy the evening light. Here we saw hippos snorting away and starting their evening grazing.

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