Thursday, June 25, 2009

cover your eyes...



This post is going to be just a little bit different. You'll see what I mean soon. I do think it might be necessary to give a warning to anyone that might be offended by language not normally seen here. Go away now. Or, cover your eyes and scroll quickly to the photos. Okay then. :)

I'd also like to warn my African friends that you are surely going to think this the most ridiculous post you've ever seen on Africa. But I did want to share most of my impressions of our trip, and since what I'm about to write about next might have left the biggest impression of all, I couldn't leave it out.

So...without further ado, here is the thing (unedited, taking from my journal here) I want to share with you...

"...now we are at Musango Safari Camp, our flight took about an hour and a half, the countryside was so green and lush. It was like a tropical island where we landed. A tiny dirt strip and one small grass hut was the airport. Steve was there to meet us, introductions were made all around, we all had a cold drink, bags were tucked in the landy and we were off.
Oh my gosh! it is green and beautiful here. The trees and grass and even the dirt are all so different from where we came from (Hwange). I'm so happy. AND THEN i see a GIANT spider. Ok. Well, we are in Africa, they are bigger here. I saw one or two of these in Madikwe a couple years ago. No Problem. Chuck thinks he's funny and he tickles my neck. I don't think that's funny. So then 3-4 minutes goes by and we're bouncing along when I happen to look over at Karrie (a girl in our party) who is sitting right beside me. And there on her neck is one of those spiders.


OH FUCK .OH FUCK OH FUCK OH FUCK


I am not proud of what happened next, but there it is. I jumped up, screamed OH FUCK OH FUCK OH FUCK and started to laugh and cry all at once. No one knew what my problem was as I was hardly coherent. I was trying to climb to the front seat while shouting fucking spider fucking spider! I managed to let poor Karrie know what was on her neck ( i felt horrible) and then she shrieked and knocked the thing into the basket on the seat behind her. Everyone on the truck knew what was going on by now, Steve had stopped and gotten out. Chuck grabbed it and threw it out. Jesus. I was crying by now and i said I want to go home. And I meant it. I was too afraid to sit in my seat anymore so i climbed over and wedged myself between Chuck & Lindy (my sister). That was a good thing because as we started back driving we saw every 3 feet, another FUCKING SPIDER. Thousands and thousands of them.






They are so huge they catch birds in their fucking huge nets, um, webs. I thought I would have a heart attack. We drove on and passed more and more. I am sure everyone was freaked. Steve said they had a late rain and this is what resulted.


GREAT. GREAT. GREAT. So, i am here, not going home, so i'll pray. Please stay away from me. :( :( :( ."


So that was my most terrifying moment ever. EVER. I felt bad because I made Steve feel bad and my Husband too, at camp we had a lovely orientation and I had an even lovelier whisky on the rocks as I was still reeling from landing on Spider Island. Oh dear. Later that day we went on a boat ride, it was very relaxing, we saw alot, had a great sundowner on the lake (everyone had a good laugh at my shenanigans, Steve saying we'd hardly met and I was already trying to jump in his lap! ha!) and the best part, we did not get near any spiders. YES. And just so you know these spiders are called Golden Orb or just Orb, I'm not sure and I don't want to know. They are HUGE. And no, there will not be any photos. ever. ** shudder**

But I do have some photos of the other little things we came across on our adventure...we didn't have to look hard to find these , they weren't spotted on a game drive, they were all found right close by...right in our tents...


...oh, hello mr.raucous toad under my bed...




...giant beetles are our friends...





...our tent on the Zambezi River, with hippo trails up to the door...


...come inside there's someone else I'd like to introduce...




....one perfectly nice green bush snake, lolling on the clothes closet ...





...our lovely bed, nice hey? My husband lay down and stretched out, only to jump up after the surprise of laying on this guys tail (see below)which was sticking out from under the pillow!...





...see this large gecko here? he was the one under Chuck's pillow :) you may not be able to tell but he is not a small gecko. He is about 8 or 9 inches long. And fat....





...here is a closer look, he is a beauty right? He stayed there for 4 nights. Behind our bed. We counted 5 in our tent. They are harmless and we are in Africa, their home, anyway, the manager mentioned that if you take them out, they just come right back in. It's a nice tent. I could see why...



...oh look! my sister has someone to introduce too...



Ok, you can uncover your eyes now ;)




Love, lori

Saturday, June 20, 2009

ellie's for geli

Welcome to Elephant Valley Lodge and the Ellie post!
(I know i'm supposed to be resting, and I am, right here on our cozy couch, with my laptop)
:)



This is for you Geli, because you couldn't be here, because it was your birthday and because you said you wished you could hear an elephant. I couldn't get the video to upload (my computer,blogger and I are having issues, I think they have a bug too!) but nevertheless, here are lots of Indlovu for you!

Imagine...


...walking into this open air bar~lounge and peering out into the sunlight, only metres away, and seeing Elephants! See them out by the watering hole? and if you squint and turn your eyes on to the patch of grass where the chairs are, you will see where Karen, Val and I stood and called you that night in May...



...here is a closer look. We weren't this close at the Elephant Valley, but with a good lens here is how it looked!


...same photo but notice the addition of the graceful trunk in the foreground...


...here they come, out from the bush, to get a drink...

...now there are five ellies...

...now there are many...

...if you would like to see more of the African Elephant, gorgeously filmed by Dereck and Beverly Joubert and all on location in Botswana, this is a wonderful movie for the entire family. I have my sister to thank for telling me about it. Thanks Lindy ♥



...we sat in hushed awe as this mother and child walked right past us...


....can you see the wee one?! ...sigh...


...oops. We are being trumpeted at! haha!...


...an elegant pose...

...now we are visiting a lone male, he was busy eating this grass...


...he is so smart, he tears a bunch with his nimble trunk, then swishes it through the water in order to clean it. We learned that the elephant is born with a set of teeth, when each set wears out, a new one comes in, kind of like a conveyor belt of teeth. So, when he cleans his food, there is less wear and tear on his teeth, and he can live longer. Because when the last set is worn out, he dies.


...not only is he smart but gorgeous too, look at these tusks!...



...here is a tusk of another kind, a broken one stuck in a tree,
I wonder what this ellie was doing?


...and here is Tendai our most excellent guide showing us an elephant skull. Tendai said that this ellie died from natural causes at an advanced age....


...in this photo you can't see any ellies, but they are there often. How do I know? Well, this little village is Zambia, in the middle is the Zambezi River. We are staying right across on the Zimbabwean side. Every night when I would go to bed I would hear these people. They would begin banging pots and pans. And singing loudly! I asked Sibbs, one of our guides about this. He told me that the villagers sleep during the day and stay awake all night to keep the ellies out of their gardens! I couldn't help but shake my head, can you imagine?...


....i'm almost done, but before I go, I thought you'd like to see this little tiny ellie bottom...


...trying to hide behind this not quite big enough tail...


...we still see you, baby dear!...


...ahh... I don't believe that they're not really smiling, do you?...



Happy Birthday Geli
it's still your month!

with much love,
Lori


Update: Val has given me some valuable information I'd like to pass on as well,
Dereck & Beverly also did a movie called Reflecting on Elephants - more of
a docudrama than the Disney one. They also have a website:
thank you Val ☺




Thursday, June 18, 2009

a little detour

hi dear friends and family,

i have something. i don't know what it is. i've been treated for malaria since symptoms were there but it continues so i kept having tests to find out what exactly was going on. the drs are reluctant to give antibiotics before identifying the disease or parasite, if that's what it is, but i'm starting them now anyway (still can't name the bug) and a probiotic (feeling a bit better, just weak) my sister was in the same boat, she's feeling much better. i do hope this works so my family can stop hovering nervously and i would like very much to stop being a host now :(

cross fingers. many many thanks.


love, lori

p.s. thank you so much for the messages and info (and phone call!) everyone, i'll show the text to my dr. but i've already done 3 days of malarone. sorry to reply to you all here, it's just easier at the moment. love you all.

Thursday, June 11, 2009

a wild welcome

Sorting through hundreds of images is an arduous time consuming task (a good pinot noir helps ), but gratifying in the way that it allows you to relive every single moment of your adventure as you look, name and sort through each photo...


So, since pictures do really tell more than words, let me introduce more of the many friends we met on our safari to Zimbabwe and Botswana...

~ this little lilac-breasted Roller was spotted on our first game drive. Our guide had stopped to see a herd of lovely Impala, but my view was blocked by a bush. My husband said "Look honey" I whispered, "Okay, but the bush is kind of in the way". He nudged me softly and said "Not there (pointing out on the veld), there"(pointing to the bush). Right in front of my face, in the bush, was this little beauty here. And I remembered right then that if you can't see the forest for the trees, then look in the trees...thank you little Roller for helping me to see...

...Hwange Giraffe nodding hello...


...lovely big Ellie on the shores of Lake Kariba...

...umm... Large Corn Cricket (harmless!) waving hi!...

...little White-fronted Bee-eaters flying in...

...hippo welcoming committee on the Zambezi River...

...The intrepid travelers...ok, them anyway!
I had a couple moments that were not quiet fearless... :)
My sister Lindy, me & Chuck...


...fabulous Zebras came to meet us on a runway...

...Africas "Branch Managers" the Baboons saying Yebo!...

...Thank you for the Grand Welcome Everyone, We are SO Glad to be here!...


...Sunset on Lake Kariba...

There is really no way to show how exciting and moving it is to be on safari, I think it was Karen Blixen that said something about champagne and bubbles and that feeling. And I have to agree. The land and sky that go on forever, the animals wild and timeless in their natural surroundings, the smell when walking or driving through the bush, falling asleep in a tent to the sounds of hippos grunting or lions calling.
Anticipating what or who you will meet and see next...

If safari means to journey and life is one too, then i'm glad to do just that...

'till next time...



Love, Lori