Elephant Rides for All

I have always wanted to ride an elephant, and I decided Africa was the perfect place. While we were in Livingston, the city on the Zambian side of Victoria Falls, we heard there were elephant rides, so we decided to go for it. We each got matched to an ele, and hopped on. My dad and I were able to climb up some stairs to get on ours, but the one my mom was riding was too fat to fit in the contraption so she had to climb up its side.

We each had a guide on our elephants with us. They weren't very talkative, but they did have treats for the eles.

The elephants were all extremely photo friendly. Each of them knew a bunch of tricks, so when it was time for a photo the guide would yell, "SALUTE!" and they would put their trunks on their heads.

The baby elephant followed us all the way along our walk. He trekked through the river with us, even when it got deep. It was a pretty cool idea that we were on elephants just strolling through the Zambezi River, just before the falls...

This one was a really little baby. He was abandoned by his mother in the wild, but was taken care of at this elephant camp. He was very playful, which was a bit of a problem, because his way of playing was head butting. And let me tell you, it's pretty sore when a 200 pound animal rams into your knees.

After riding around for about an hour, we got a chance to hang out with our elephants. They gave us a bag of food, and we got to feed and play with them. The whole experience is one that I will never forget.

AFRICA: it's the place to be

Thank you, World Cup! It seems that everyone seems to be talking about Africa. Whether it's friends pictures on Facebook, a credit card commercial, or an article in this week's Time Magazine, Africa is all the rage. I absolutely loved my vacation in southern Africa, but when I went it was still a below the radar.

While I was in South Africa they were already getting ready for the World Cup. All of the stadiums were under construction, and all of the logo gear was already on sale. You could already feel the excitement for the games, and it was more than 6 months away!

We only spent a day in Johannesburg, because it's really not the safest place. While we were there we had to take hotel cars, because taxis were unreliable. We ended up taking one from the Intercontinental (a hotel attached to the airport), where we were staying, to a very nice mall about half an hour away. We had some local cuisine, which was delicious!

Later, we went on to Cape Town, which is a beautiful city! We stayed at Cape Grace, which is a gorgeous hotel a few minutes walking from the wharf, where there is a mall and excellent shopping. We, as usual, spent a lot of time shopping. Between the mall with chain stores and boutiques and the open market lined with stalls that sold handmade items, I just couldn't get enough!

The Botanical Gardens are a great place for a picnic!

And table mountain is a must! You drive a bit up the mountain, to the cable car station, and take that all the way up.

There is a restaurant up there, which had a great menu with local and Westernized options.

If we had been there for longer I would have loved to take a car toward the peninsula to a beach where there are hoards of penguins! I just love those little guys, and apparently there are hundreds that just hang out at the beach. Another great thing I wish I hadn't missed was Robben Island. During World War II, this island was used as a prison, and now is devoted to a historical landmark and museum. Both of these adventures would have been a half to full day trip. If you have been lucky enough to visit, tell me all about it!

Mosi Oa Tunya

Victoria Falls is one of the largest water falls in the world. It is located on the Zambezi river and marks the boundary between Zambia and Zimbabwe. The falls are astonishing, with 2.4 million gallons of water per second, surrounded by lush greenery. There is also immense power generated by these falls, and recently both Zambia and Zimbabwe have been harnessing some this power with the use of dams further down the Zambezi. We stayed on the Zambia side, in a town called Livingston. I would suggest staying on this side, especially if you go while Zimbabwe is still in political and economic turmoil. Anyway, we stayed at the Royal Livingston Hotel. It was a really nice hotel, beautiful and fun, but very expensive. There another hotel in the same gated area, next to the Royal Livingston, called the Zambezi Sun. (Don't be fooled when comparing the websites, the Royal Livingston is a nicer hotel in person.) The Sun is also a very nice hotel, but slightly cheaper.

After entering the front gate there is about half a mile of trees grass and roadways where African game, such as zebras, giraffes, and monkeys run free.

They also have a swimming pool that looks out over the Zambezi River, and a deck right on the water for drinks and snacks. You can actually see the mist coming up from the gorge from the hotel, it's pretty amazing.

Both cities in the vicinity of the falls, on the Zimbabwe and Zambia side, depend on Victoria Falls to survive and thrive. However, there is a lot to do to fill the time while you're there, more than you'd think. Of course you can just take a walk down the concrete path to see the falls, but that's definitely not the only way. For starters you can always get a day visa to view the falls from the other side. (This was the view we saw from the Zimbabwe side.)

If you have the chance to see the falls from the air, it is really an amazing thing to do. There are a few helicopter day trips, which you can find either online or through a hotel. We actually flew in on a 5 person private plane, and our pilot was nice enough to take the scenic route above and around the falls. The views from above are extraordinary, and from up there you can see much more of the winding Zambezi River, and you can see how expansive the gorge really is.

There are trails all around the area, some of which end with great views of the falls. Another intriguing thing to do was a guided tour to the edge of the falls, where the group sits in the pools at the top of the falls. Our family had thought about doing this one, but it seemed a little dangerous. If you are looking into it, I would ask guides about safety procedures. One of my favorite things that we did was go bungee jumping (which I wrote about in a previous post, so check it out!). There are safari opportunities not too far from town, even a Segway Safari. You can also ride elephants on the Zambia side, before the falls, or go rafting below.

If you want any souvenirs or gifts to bring home the Victoria Falls Market on the Zambia side is a great place to go. There are about 50 venders selling all sorts of hand made wooden pieces, stone, and other decorations. So make sure you bring some cash, but also some souvenirs from home! The vendors will actually trade items from other countries or useful things, like soap and pens. I was able to get a wooden bowl with a pair of old socks and a few hair pins. If you forget to bring things, you can always grab some extra shampoo or a sewing kit from the hotel and trade that. Be absolutely sure to negotiate. They jack up the prices expecting to bargain, or waiting for dumb tourists to buy things at escalated prices. It was quite a culture shock, but I had a lot of fun.

We only spent a couple of days in Livingston, but I really wish it had been more! There are so many things to do and see. The area is beautiful, and if you're lucky enough to go, don't take any of it for granted.

Bungee!

So maybe it wasn't the smartest idea to leap off a Bridge in No-Man's-Land, between Zimbabwe and Zambia, but it just had to be done. Looking up from the Zambezi river, it didn't look all that high...

But it was far more terrifying from the bridge. By the time I was over there, and had convinced my dad to come with me it was really too late for me to back out. When we were buying our tickets they said there was a great deal if you wanted to do all three of their "activities", or perilous leaps toward impending doom, so we opted to take the deal. We decided to warm up with the zip line across the gorge. While it was pretty high up, and a long distance, it really wasn't very scary. Honestly, it was more exciting than anything else.

That's me, right in the middle there. My father then followed suit. After the zip line warm up, it was time for bungee!

Maybe thinking it would provide reassurance, my dad asked for their success rate, "Have you ever had any accidents?" And the reply we got was a cheerful, "Not yet!" My stomach flipped. I don't know what kind of answer I was expecting, maybe, "We are very cautious and provide secondary and tertiary precautions." Then again, I guess I forgot that I was literally in between two African countries, one of which is going through political and economic turmoil. So I assessed the situation on my own. The first bounce should least break your fall and you shouldn't hit the water too hard. However, I also concluded that if something does go wrong, and you fall into the water below (given you survive), you still have to watch out for the crocodiles swimming along the Zambezi. Anyway, I summoned every last gut I had and stepped into the harness and out onto the platform. The harness wasn't great, I won't lie. It was just a few strappy nylon ropes configured around my body in the most unattractive way one could think of, but I figured it might work. I had refused to watch any of the videos prior to my launch in fear that they would scare the last ounce of bravery right out of me, so I didn't know what to expect next. They had me sit down on a bench as they wrapped up my feet, because apparently you bungee jump upside down, only connected by the ankles. This little bit almost made me back out, they took four ratty old dish towels, which looked like they belonged to my 80 year old grandmother when she learned to cook, and wrapped two around each ankle. At this point I needed some reassurance, so I looked up only to see my dad with his head cocked, brow frowned, starting at my ankles, exuding nothing less than sure terror for letting his only little girl leap about 80 feet, not knowing if she would bounce back up or not. So I realized I definitely wasn't going to get any help there. Meanwhile, my ankles were bound together with a thick nylon rope and tied it in a knot, yes a knot. Then they finally attached me with a little carabiner to the bungee chords. There was one for my ankles and one for the harness strapped around my body, they said the second was for precautionary reasons only, but I was kind of wishing that was the main one.

Finally, it was time to actually jump. At this point they say that if you don't jump after they say 5...4...3...2...1...BUNGEE, they push you. So really my best option was to jump. I couldn't look down, it was all to surreal, so I just leapt off in a perfect swan dive, so I was told later. I could have swarm I waited a good 4 to 5 seconds before I started screaming my head off, but I was also told later that it was indeed only a second after. Suddenly, I felt to bungee tighten and I was being pulled back up. The first bounce was pure relief, I had made it, nothing broke, and I wasn't falling toward the crocodiles! However, I had very different feelings toward the next 15 bounces. My brain was filled with thoughts of keeping my ankles flexed to make sure I didn't slip out, to how sick I was about to get, to I really should been enjoying the situation because the view was phenomenal (despite being upside down). About a few minutes later than I would have preferred someone came down to get me, and they pulled me up. I couldn't speak for about 10 minutes after, the adrenaline was rushing, and so was the sweat. I think I was more terrified after the experience than before or during. So when they asked if I was ready for the their "activity" I just laughed uncomfortably and walked away.

Safari in Botswana

Most people plan out their adventures through Africa in excruciating detail, starting months, or even years in advance. This, however, is not how my family works. We had planned on going to India, but we really didn't have enough time to wait for my visa to come through. So after spending a solid hour at Barnes and Noble looking for countries near Australia (which was our location at the time) that did not require a visa prior to entry, Southern Africa was the public favorite. So we booked flights, hotels, and the like, all in about a day and a half and set out toward foreign terrain.

During our stay in Africa, one of the countries we visited was Botswana, where we went on safari. We had the pleasure of staying at two very different camps in the Okavango Delta, Mombo and Vumbura. Mombo claims its bragging rights over the amount of game one can see on any given day, but has little water to speak of. On the other hand, Vumbura prides itself on the water activities and tranquility of the crystal waterways of the Delta. Both camps are absolutely beautiful, and the food is not only delicious but plentiful. Usually, one has to book a stay at Mumbo almost a year in advance, and Vumbura takes slightly less notice, but still at least a few months. However, we were very lucky that each had openings just at the times we were headed to Botswana. It was probably the coincidence of traveling during the worldwide economic downturn, but I like to think of myself as lucky. Anyway, to get to each of the camps we had to take tiny private propeller planes, since there is no way to drive across the Okavango. The views from the plane were breath taking, and you could clearly see how massive the Delta was.

Mombo was an absolute surprise to me. I had no idea what I was getting into when my dad told me we'd be staying in tents in the middle of no where, but I doubted it could be good. But it turned out that I was very wrong. The camp was beautiful, from the scenery to the "tents" we'd be staying in for the next few days...

...which really weren't tents at all...

...I was envisioning a a hut, like this one to be the entire room, but instead each came with one of these...

There were about 10 total, and each was elevated off of the ground, and connected with elevated walkways, which led back to the main patio.

...the animals seem to like the camp too...

I came across this big guy when I was on my way to bed. That beam was a part of my tent!

While I was still just astounded at our living situation, we were pulled from the camp and into a safari-equipped land rover. I was perfectly happy to stay in the camp all day, seeing as my deck looked out over a field where there were hundreds of antelope just hanging out, and the occasional elephant in the distance. Little did I know, there was much more to see from the jeep. We had barely gone half a mile, and we already seen a troop of monkeys, herds of antelope, and a tower of giraffes. After my ooing and awing (during which time our guide, Cisco, was rolling his eyes, because he called these the "cheap" animals) we got word on the radio about a lioness with a kill. So we headed over to see for ourselves.

At one point she was only about 10 feet from my side of the jeep. When Cisco saw the look of sheer terror on my face he said, "Don't be scared, just take pictures." And so I did just that...

The amount of game was saw at Mombo was really amazing. Cisco said it was so common to see three different animals in one spot the "Mombo Combo". During our stay at Mombo, we managed to see the Big Five, which includes lions, elephants, cape buffalo, leopards, and rhinos. And, of course, we saw many more than just those five.

Apparently December is right in the middle of baby season, and we were lucky enough to be traveling during this time, so we saw baby versions of every animal.

Even though Mumbo is surrounded by fantastic game in every direction, and it would be very difficult to avoid the animals, I thought Cisco was an exceptional guide. He was able to track animals from their footprints and find kills from spotting circling vultures from a mile away.

This is a hyena that just finished scarfing down an entire baby impala. While sad, you really realize that it's the strong that survive out there, and Darwin really knew what he was talking about. Cisco saw a wild dog make this kill and a hyena take it from a mile away. He then exclaimed, "HOLD ON!" and sped off in that direction. And luckily, we caught just the end of it.

Vumbura's focus was water based. While we were there we didn't see as much game, but we took a trip along the river in a mucoro, which is a traditional African river boat similar to a gondola.

The cabins here were also very nice, but the feel of the camp was more laid back, and not so showy.

The schedule at these camps were very similar. They require that you wake up with the sun, have a quick breakfast and head out for the morning safari. As the sun starts to get very hot, and the animals find a shady spot for their afternoon siesta, you head back to the camp to have brunch, and a little rest for yourself. At around 3PM, when all the animals are starting to wake up you have another light snack, maybe even a refreshing beverage, alcoholic or otherwise, and go out for the afternoon safari. Then you return to camp for dinner, just in time to watch the sunset. It is really an experience to be had during your lifetime.