ZAMBIA!!!

By now, we had started to get used to the long drives in the truck...so, it came as no surprise when Moses informed us that we had yet another long day. We packed up and were on the road by 7am. With the exception of a few bathroom stops and a quick grocery run, (where we picked up another newbie named Nickhel) we remained cooped up in the hot-humid truck until 5pm. It then took an additional 1.5 hours to cross the border into Zambia where by we had yet another hour of driving – fun, fun , FUN!!! Chrisitine and I gave everyone a chuckle when we whipped out our backgammon at the border and where playing while we were in cue. The last half hour of the drive turned into a club as we blasted the music and had the entire truck dancing and grooving to its beat (Jambo Bueano, I Just Cant Wait To Be King, London Underground and Bhomeian Rhapsodey).


When we reached our camp at Mama Rula's, we had just enough energy to set up our tents - the days drive had killed us. After supper, which was served at 9pm, Jeremy and I headed straight to bed.


The following morning (Day 38) was yet another early one where we were up, packed and fed by 7am. We drove the 130km to South Luangwa which took just over 5 hours with the African road conditions – TIA (This is Africa)! When we pulled into the Croc Valley Camp, we were very pleased with the facilities – the camp was situated along the Luangwa River where crocs and hippo's infested the water. There was a swimming pool and fantastic bathrooms with proper sit down toilets and hot showers (total luxury). The owner sat the group down and basically scared 50% of the group with stories about what has happened in the past. All that separated the camp from the National Park was the River and he told us that this does not stop the animals from crossing over. On previous experiences, he has had Elephants drinking out of the swimming pool, a baby elephant stuck in the swimming pool (and there are scratches to prove it), hippo's out grazing next to tents, a pride of lions walking around camp and Hyena's scavenging for table scraps. Moses also informed us that it was at this location that a bull elephant had smashed the back of the truck window during the night to access some fruit it had smelt. So, as a result, we had to be very careful and we were not allowed any food in the tent and all fruits and veggies had to be locked up in the fridge.


Majority of the group cooled off in the swimming pool before departing on our afternoon game drive at the South Luangwa National Park. There were 2 4x4 Jeeps that picked the group up and immediately after exiting the camp, our Jeep stumbled across 2 elephants feeding (Momma and her baby). We continued to spot a lot of elephants as we drove throughout the park and we could not help but notice how small these elephants were (tusks included) to the ones that we have seen in the past. Our guide informed us that this was not always the case but because of the heaving poaching which occurred many years ago, the elephants adapted. Because most of the large tusked elephants had been wiped out the only elephants to give birth to new babies were those with small tusks, forever changing the lineage in the park.


When the sun was starting to set, the Jeep pulled over and we had some refreshments and peanuts before beginning the night drive. The highlight of the night drive was that we stumbled into three different leopards (which is VERY uncommon) and all were separate sightings. I accidentally forgot my glasses so I could really only claim to have spotted two...although I did mistake a warthog for a leopard – not sure if that one counts – lol! The first spotting was really cool because he had hidden himself in a bush. When he was ready to leave, we heard a twig snap and that was it, he was gone and we could not believe how fast he had disappeared. When we were dropped back off at camp, Moses and Robert had prepared for us an amazing supper – I think I would be correct when I say that the group inhaled the food because within 5 minutes of being served, all plates were empty. This is my only negative thing I have to say about the over lander...I hate that we eat so late because there is nothing healthy about eating a big meal right before heading to bed. But with this being said, there is nothing we can do to avoid it because we are either always driving or on the go that by the time we have arrived at camp or returned from an excursion, it is already so late in the afternoon.

The next morning (Day 39) Jeremy and I were up and ready for our morning game drive. Majority of the group opted for another game drive although it was an extra expense we had to incur (the first game drive was covered by the group kitty). I was actually on the fence about whether I should go or not but I am so grateful that I did go because nearing the end of our morning drive, Janelle spotted a Leopard!!! Our very old but very cute driver could not spot it so we all showed him where to go. He actually drove off the road and into the bush which Jeremy and I were pretty amazed about. Just as we thought we had lost him, the Leopard darted up out of the grass not more than ten feet from us. He sat there for a few minutes posing which gave every one on the truck ample time at picture taking. As he started to leave, he crouched and in stealth like mode (he was hunting impala's not more than 50 feet from us) crawled across the ground with his prominent shoulder blades sticking high up in the air – so so cool! After he continued towards his kill, our guide starting reversing and had nearly everyone on the truck ready to scream bloody murder. Jeremy and I had been on enough game drives to know that driving off road is a huge offence in a National Park and we just assumed he was scared – I mean, what he just did for us could have cost him his job. When we were back on the road, he apologized and told us it is not encouraged to watch when a Lion or Leopard hunts because our presence could throw the creature off. We accepted this (although we might not have believed it) and then again, he stopped and quite timidly told us not to tell anyone we went off of the road. We were all touched and even the people on the truck that were angry with him before realized just what he had done for us.


The remainder of the day was spent relaxing and lounging in the hot Zambian sun. I relaxed by visiting with Christine, reading and a bit of blog writing (this blog has become a major nuisance but we are sure that in years to come when we look back and reminisce, we will be so appreciative that we wrote our whole journey down) while overlooking the breathtaking view of the river and the hippos below. Actually, at one point in the day, I watched in horror as three locals walked into the river with a canoe – I mean, HELLO...don't they know that the waters are infested with crocs and Hippo's??? Although they did get into the canoe when they reached the mid point of the river, I could not take my eyes off of them and I was sure that at some point, I would hear their screams as they were attacked. Jeremy spent the entire day hanging with the yougins...I say youngins because we have a group of 5 guys that are 18...they have tons of energy and bring tons of energy to the group – we absolutely love them! These are the same guys that stay up drinking at the bar till 3 and 4 in the morning EVERY NIGHT- WTF??? Oh...how to be young again. It was also Willl's 19th Birthday (yes...birthdays = yummy birthday cake!)so the boys made sure that they had Will feeling really good by late afternoon. Jeremy came back to me shirtless and covered in welts from drinking ping pong games that they had been playing all afternoon. After a delicious supper the entire group headed to the bar to celebrate. Will did surprisingly good considering he had consumed loads of beer and had done at least ten shooters before finally succumbing to the 19 year birthday puke (because lets face it, we have all been there and done it...and felt the effects the following day). That night as we crawled into our tents, we fell asleep to the sounds of Hippo's grazing nearby.


The following morning (Day 40) we had the luxury of sleeping in...of course, as it so happened, we were unable to sleep in because as soon as the sun came out, the tents were like convectional ovens. But even with that being said, it was so nice to wake up and kick back and relax and take our own time to eat breakfast before packing up. That day we drove the 130 kms back (5+ hours) to Mama Rula's. When we arrived, Billsy and Laura rallied a decent sized group for a run. Although I was unable to keep up with either of them, Janelle, Rhesa, Christine, Melissa, Anna and I were quite content to hover in the back. The highlight of our run was when a couple of local (extremely adorable) kids joined in our run with us. We were high fiving them and encouraging them to keep up with us. When we were at our half way point, we abruptly stopped and changed directions...this had the kids really confused but they still continued to follow us. I was very impressed because here we were, more than double there size and we were completely exhausted...I cant not even imagine how they were feeling (although they looked completely fine). When we reached back to camp, I got the girls to join in on my boxing circuit. We were told that a German Shepard had just taken a poo right around the area we were at so we all made sure to double check the area of grass we were in and around. I guess Anna had not looked closely enough because on her first sit up that she went down on, she came up screaming with poo smeared all over her shirt – it smelt disgusting (although it was kind of funny!). That night Jeremy's cooking group made the most delicious burgers and rice salad and again, it was completely inhaled. Later on that night, a crowd gathered around Jeremy...or should I say Barber Jeremy as he shaved off all of the hair on Nick, Chris and Trino's hair (he actually left a Mohawk on both Trino's and Nick's hair) and surprisingly, it kept us entertained for the remainder of the night.


The following morning (Day 41) was yet again another early day and we hopped on the truck and were bound for Lusaka, the capital of Zambia. We briefly stopped at a Shoprite for supper groceries before making our way to the campsite. The truck ride was uneventful until our truck popped the curb and drove across the meridian onto oncoming traffic. We thought this was very strange but then we saw others around us doing the same and realized it must have been a very common practice in this country...after all...TIA. As we were driving (on the wrong side of the road) we came across another over lander truck called Gecko. We have ran into the Gecko's before at some campsites and I think it is just an unwritten rule that opposing over lander trucks are your 'arch enemy'. It couldn't have worked out any more beautiful then it did because as we crossed back onto the 'right' side of the road, wouldn't you know that we were immediately adjacent to the Gecko's. They smiled at us and started waving...but that was before Nick and Trino starting spraying them with water guns (Gemma earlier that day had purchased some water guns not realizing just how fantastic and useful they would be). They retaliated with their own water bottles and as it worked out, Janelle (an innocent bystander on the truck) was the only one that got wet. So...here we were, 2 overlanders stuck in rush hour traffic having a full force water fight – it was so great.


After we sealed up all the windows one of the young guys thought it would be funny to follow up the water fight with a dance off and before you knew it, we were listening to 'I'm too sexy for my shirt'. So, in minutes the guys were completely shirtless and dancing like I have never seen before. Jeremy and Billsy would probably take the cake for most ingenious dance and I have the whole episode on video! Jeremy at first went down the aisle and after placing his one foot on the bookcase started doing deep lounges. He then placed his other foot on the fridge and was complete off of the floor lounging deeper and deeper (I laughed and told the girls around me that he has been holding out on me – haha!). When traffic finally started to move an hour later, it was not long before we pulled into camp and just as we did, the song, "I Got A Feeling" by the Black Eyed Peas starting playing. When Moses came into the truck to give his spiel about the campground and supper etc., he got caught up in the moment and ended up dancing the entire song (again, I have this on video). I assumed he would dance for maybe like 30 seconds and then ask to turn it down...but nope, he danced the whole song and it was completely priceless.


That night we cooked BBQ Chicken and Veggies. I have never eaten pumpkin before as a Veggie until this trip. We have it all the time back home but in baking and not by itself. I had to consult with my Canadian friends, Melissa and Brandon, to confirm if they felt the same way that I did. They did of course but we made an oath to eat it back home as a veggie because it is so delicious and Jeremy and I can not believe what we have been missing out on all of these years. So those of you reading this, trust us...just go out and buy a pumpkin, clean out the seeds and cut it up into pieces – wrap it in tinfoil and barbeque it like you would a baked potatoe – yummy yummy!


The following morning (Day 42) a small group of us went for a morning run. As usual, Laura and Billsy were at the front with Max and Christine. Janelle,Rhesa and I were in the back and as we were running, we joked that we were on a 'Game Run' as we had run across Impala's and Gazelle's (and the night before there was a Zebra spottingin the campsite). We returned back to camp feeling so refreshed and ready to take on another long day on the truck. Half an hour later, Billsy and Max strolled back in. We had just assumed that Christine and Laura were also back and in the bathroom showering. We later found out that they had not returned because they had gotten horribly lost (we joke that it was the blind leading the blind as they are notoriously bad for their directions) and their 40 minute run turned into just under 1 ½ hours. The truck drive was uneventful, with the exception of a blown tire which was fixed in under half an hour thanks to Robert, Moses and my Jeremy. We were bound for Lake Kariba, a days drive away where we would be spending the following three nights on a house boat. We were informed before hand that there were 2 double rooms and bundles of bunks. The couples rolled dice to determine who would get the luxury of the double bed and wouldn't you believe our luck, our number was drawn as well as Billsy and Laura.


We arrived late at night and spent the first twenty minutes transporting the group's food down a very dark and steep hill onto the houseboat. Once this was done, we had to climb back up the hill and transport our own personal belongings and booze to the boat. It was quite the process. Because we arrived at the camp so late, it was yet another late supper (we ate at 9;15pm) and so of course majority of the people were well on their way to being drunk...especially the birthday boy, Trino (I heart birthdays!!! and mine is next in line). For the remainder of night, the group drank and played cards. Just when I was ready to head to bed, the young Jibaltyo boys decided to jump into the freezing cold hot tub and have a quick splash. Similar to the "I too Sexy"dance off on the truck, they started chanting each others name to 'man up'and join them in the tub. Of course, my Jeremy was first in line and I tried to plead with him not to go because he was sick and the water was freezing. But...of course, Jeremy glad;y through off his shirt and headed for the tub. This continued until all the guys were in the tub splashing around like a 2 year old. The boys next started chanting the girls and they made it as far as Aussie Claire and Rhesa before there was literally no more room in the tub. I again have all of this on video – too funny!


The next morning (Day 43) was a great sleep in for all and Jeremy and I were so SO appreciative for the fact that we were not in a tent and rather sleeping on the ground had actual beds. The day was very relaxed and was just spent reading and sleeping. The sun was still not out which was a huge disappointment for all of us. Jeremy, Claire, Mairie and I helped with the prep work for Lasagna for supper (the boat had an oven so we made sure that for every meal we utilized it to its full extent). When 5 o'clockk hit, everyone eagerly went downstairs to prepare for the 'fancy dress party'or what we liked to call, the 'ugly dress party". We had purchased these awful looking dresses and clothes in a local town in Malawi for 500 kwachas ($3 dollars). It was funny to see the locals, after pulling up in our overland truck,come sprinting at us with bags full of these dresses. I was joking with Brandon (our Canadian Friend) that the dresses looked like the clothes you can pick up from Value Village when we both noticed a Value Village price tag – talk about ironic! We all started to get decked out and I was so excited to pull out my never used before make up bag (I had brought it along for Europe). I gave myself the hot 60's style bangs with very gaudy make up. Everyone loved my make up job that I had done so they asked me to do theirs...boys included. I think in the end, I had done almost all of the make up and it was so easy too because even if I screwed up, it added to the uglyniess look. I was especially pleased with Jeremy's make up as I gave him a long curly moustache with my black eye liner! Before the party officially started we all had our own personal portraits taken which are priceless.


Chris (the fun and hard core party animal) was in charge of making the punch which meant that it was very very strong. So, again, similar to last night, most people were feeling pretty good even before the supper was served. We spent the entire night dancing our hearts out (I totally felt like I was back in my University days and dancing the night away with my girls). Jemma had purchased some outrageously large sunglasses which made for some really funny pics. Jeremy was enjoying his time with the young boys and Tom (who quite possibility had the gayest outfit next to Brandon) in very inappropriate but hilarious poses.


At one point during the night, I was so sweaty that I needed a quick breather. I leaned against a column next to Aussie Claire and then Jemma who just randomly had some Saran wrap wrapped us together. We laughed and thought it was all fine (as we were having a great heart to heart conversation) until Trino, grinning ear to ear held up a large garbage sized container filled with the cool hot tub water. I warned him and told him countless times that if he did what I think he was going to do, that I would personally kick his ass. He hesitated then apparently went for it after Jeremy leaned in his ear and said go for it (I found this out later otherwise Jeremy would have also been a dead man). After being completely drenched from head to toe, Claire and I looked at each other in shock and, like lunatic savages, ripped off our Saran wrap and tackled Trino. We had him pinned to the ground and were successfully ripping his clothed off when Jeremy tackled me in attempt to save him. Thanks to Jeremy';s extra effort, Trino managed to make a run for his bedroom. I had also snuck away at was chasing after him when Jeremy, a second time, tackled me and we both flew into the counter of the bar. We sat there laughing and regaining our breath before Claire and I again went for Trino. By this point, he was safely locked behind his bedroom door. We realized just how scared he truly was and of course we did not want him to spend the remainder of the night locked in his room so we promised him that we would call a truce. He timidly came out of his room and we all had a truce hug but ever since that moment, he has been scared shitless of both Claire and I. When we came back to the dance floor, Billsy was laughing his ass off and showed us his pictures of what just happened. We laughed so hard (I guess we all did minus Trino) when he started narrating the story as an animal documentary and calling us girls "the hyena's" and Trino as the "wounded prey". All in all, it was a FANTASTIC night and memories and pictures that we will treasure forever.


The following morning (Day 44), some of us were starting to get up while others (the young ones) were just heading to bed. Again, the sun still did not shine which made a lot of people very angry, myself included especially when we have had 95% perfect weather while on this trip. I was reading on the top deck when some guys came up for a swim. Lake Karibu is infested with crocodiles but because we were in the middle of the lake, the captain informed us that it was safe out here. I still thought, "HELL NO" would you ever catch me dead jumping into that water. Well...can you imagine who was the first to go in???? Of course it had to be Jeremy!!! Even some of the girls went swimming which was pretty impressive considering they jumped off of the third floor deck - crazy – crazy – crazy people!!!


Jeremy went fishing with Tom on a small motor boat but sadly caught nothing. I relaxed on the top deck with Billsy, Laura, Christine and Gemma. We gossiped, read and played game after game of Backgammon (Christine is my Backgammon Buddy) and I even convinced Gemma to give me a pedicure – my lucky day! When the sun set, we could not believe how fast the day went...especially because the following day the house boating would be over and we would be back to our uncomfy tents. That night after supper, most people chilled out except for Brandon and Mel who had much to celebrate as they had just been informed that Brandon had finished 3rd out of his class of 100 in law – go Canada!


Early the next morning (Day 45) we got up and had to scramble to pack our disaster of a room back into our bags and be off the boat by 8:30. Once we managed to get everything off the boat we were taken on a tour of the croc farm. It was a large farm that takes trouble crocs from the surrounding villages and keeps them in captivity so they don't harm any one us or some local doesn't take things into his own hands. There is thousands of crocs on the farm and as we pulled up to the pool of crocs it was amazing to see them all sitting together not trying to kill eachother...okay well some of them were.


We were on an open jeep and were all a bit timid when they drove us right into an area which had a large pool with thousands of several meter sized crocs. Some of them were sitting no more than a meter off the road and when we stopped beside them everyone leaned farther into the truck to stay as far away as we could. At one point we pulled up to the water and the guide told us to get out of the truck. He had a large stick which he said could be used to poke to the nose of the most curious crocs that ventured up to us. After feeding the crocs and watching them jump over eachother to try and get the food we sat watching them. At one point one of the crocs tried to slyly climb up closer to the guide. He seemed very sure of himself and tried to poke the nose of the croc with his long stick. It did not have the effect he had explained and the croc kept getting closer. This was a bit worrisome but what really scared everyone was when all of a sudden all of the crocs became spooked and started to stir and move quickly around. Luckily they must have been a little scared of us because they all ran back into the water.


After our croc tour we hopped back on the truck and headed for Livingstone. Because all of us had amassed a huge collection of wooden figurines over the last week, we were to stop at a post office and post all of our souvenirs back to Canada. Maira had sent back some of her stuff at our last destination and paid an arm and a leg to do so. Therefore, we were a bit apprehensive of how much our 50 kilograms would cost us so we thought we better look into how much we could take on the plane. We had originally thought we were able to take two bags each at a weight of 32kg per bag but after my mother had talked to the airline we were not certain we could do so. Unfortunately, most of the internet networks in town were down (it is not uncommon for an entire city to lose internet at once). We finally managed to find one and to our horror our bag limit was much less than we had originally thought. Therefore, we quickly ran back to the truck grabbed one of our oddly shaped items and began scrambling to pack it. We managed to finish the packing quickly and luckily had to pay only $150 to send it back home. We still have one more box to pick up in South Africa to repack and take with us. We can't afford to get there and have to pay another $150 per bag because we are already going to be pretty tight on room and weight.


After the post we headed to Victoria falls to see it on the Zambian side of the river before heading to the other side. Many of the people had gotten off the truck and figured that when Moses said we will get wet, that he was exaggerating. We had been to the other side and informed people that what he was saying was true. However, we never realized that it would be so different. The initial lookouts rained down a fine mist but when we went to cross the bridge there was actually a river flowing down it. At this point it was just Katie and I and we struggled to make it up the bridge without following over. At first it didn't seem like it would be worth it but when we were crossing the bridge we passed the most spectacular circular rainbow. When we reached the other side we found Chris wearing his normal attire (corduroy pants and dress shirt) but now he was dripping wet. He had figured it wouldn't be too bad but now realized he had been wrong. It didn't matter because it was so hot out that he was nearly dry by the time we had finished visiting the falls and gotten free laundry service.


We spent an hour and a half at the falls and managed to get great pictures with the two of us and the rest of the group. However, now we can personally say that the view from the Zimbabwean side is much nicer and you managed to stay a little dryer.