Blogs from Zambia, Africa - page 70

The Zambezi and the glorious Victoria Falls are just breath-taking. The Falls themselves are the largest curtain of water in the world and words don't describe just how beautiful they are. The whole area is magical. Everything is so green and lush. Butterflies are in an abundance and it feels altogether other-wordly. Think Rivendell! Getting here was easy enough. We took the bus from Lusaka to Livingstone. I was very pleased we had organised bus tickets the day before. The bus station was heaving and we certainly would not have got a seat without our advance booking. Journey time was around 6 hours. It passed fairly quickly and was actually very enjoyable as it provided an opportunity to survey the Zambian landscape. It was interesting to see that not far out from the main towns and ... read more

Well, it's the start of my second full week here; and I really enjoy it. The work is hard, but busy, which is good & I have my own little house and garden, which I love as it's my own space to do what I please with. I think that the other volunteers have been easy to get to know & are all really friendly. We are relying on each other for entertainment as there are no other sources really; no tv, no cinema, etc. Plus, you need to make friends quickly when so many people are passing through. Whether they'll be friends for life is another question, but it's fun to have the company whilst on the journey. I could easily stay here six months at least. There are things I miss from home; other ... read more

It is so surreal sitting here in an internet cafe in Lusaka, Zambia, editing my first proper blog entry of the trip! We have been planning and speaking about this for what seems the longest time and it's just CRAZY now to be actually here. So, where to begin?! Well, the flights were great fun... for me that is! Not only was Kerry setting off security alarms for body checks, she was (unwittingly, so she says) carrying a pair of nail scissors in her hand luggage which caused a fracas with one of the security guys at Glasgow International Airport cos it kept showing up on the x-ray machine but he couldn't find the darn thing in her bag. It eventually turned up in a box of plasters - tsk, tsk Kerry! On top of that, ... read more

Our other major activity in Zambia included a three day, two night canoe trip down the Lower Zambezi River. Hot weather, great river, Canadian canoes, crocodiles, hippos and elephants - how can you go wrong with that?! The highlight of the trip was the second night after dinner, just after the sun went down, we had a herd of elephants walk through our campsite (on an island in the middle of the river). We were only about 10 meters from a huge bull elephant that was feeding on a tree next to our dinner table. We stayed quiet and crouched as low as possible so we wouldn't spook the elephant. It's one of those unforgettable experiences! ... read more

Our first major stop in Zambia was the South Luangwa National Park. Our campsite was right on the bank of the Luangwa River and the Hippos came up into the campsite regularly at night to graze. It's only when one is about 20 meters away from the dinner table completely out of the water that you really begin to appreciate how huge these creatures are. We couldn't stop smiling every time we heard their noises; it's like living in a zoo (only way better). We went on a couple of game drives including a walking safari and a night drive which is supposed to be very good for spotting nocturnal animals including Leopards and Lions. Unfortunately we were in the wrong jeep as we missed the Leopard that everyone else saw; better luck next time. We ... read more