Adventures with Big D and Little C

        SO! Finally these pics have loaded and Im overdue for a post. Mom and Dad came to Zambia! its een a year and half since Ive seen them, and our time together was certainly an adventure. They few into Kasama on a tiny puddle jumper, which Big D did not enjoy, but they were welcomed with a good bottle of wine and a icitenge.
        We did a 3 day stint in my village with me and got to see some ponds, meet some great farmers, and we cooked up a goat to celebrate.  We cooked a shoulder in my oven with tomatoes, onions, and a balsamic reductions and rubbed down some ribs with a cajun spice and put them straight on the coals.  My family here cooked some goat in the Zambian way and we had a huge lunch together exchanging food and eating ubwali.  It waas a ton of fun, although there were some mishaps.  On our last day there was an unexpected funeral and I must say my family weathered that storm wonderfully.  I know that Zambian funerals can be overwhelming with the drums, wailing, and ceremonies that last for a day or more but it was an experience and Im glad they were there with me.
        After that we headed back into Kasama and made fish tacos at the Northern House with about 10 of my friends here. I was so happy they got to finally meet some of the people Ive talked so much about, and overall its was an enjoyable and relaxing day between village life and "Safari Europe" down in Livingston.  ur bus ride south was painless, and they got to see the change of topography of Zambia from way up North to way down South.  

      After arriving in Livingston and checking out the falls we went on a walking safari for a morning.  It was just us and our guide, and I think Africa is at its most beautiful so early in the morning.  

7 am bush walk with our guide and Little C leading the pack

     We started out seeing some baboons, lots of birds, learning about the native plants and flowers and as we were rounding a hill this huge white rhino mama and her baby come running out of the bush.  We were all shocked, and a little nervous, since we were only 5 - 10 meters away but after a bit the mama rhino seemed to relax and didnt mind us standing around and taking pictures.  Our guide informed us that the baby, named Emmanuel, was born this past Christmas, and it was thrilling to see them both so close.  White rhinos are extinct in the wild (due to poaching) and Mosi-oTunya Park has one of the highest white rhino populations in Southern Africa, I believe almost 80% of the total population.  So this was a rare and special treat for all of us.  We also were lucky enough to spot a herd of zebras and wildebeest, some elephants, and lots of impala. All together it was a successful walk. 

Mama and baby

      The net day we did a river safari in Chobe Park in Botswana.  This was a wonderfully but very difference experience.  Its the dry season so a lot of the wildlife in Chobe come down to the river and we certainly got our moneys worth.   Besides numerous water bird species, including the Zambian national bird the Fish Eagle, we saw upwards of 50 elephants and giraffes, water buffalo, kudu, impala, hornbills, hippos galore, and crocodiles.  We just missed a lion kill so no big cats for us this round, but everything else was so great we were all ok with that.  3/5 "Big Five" isnt too bad for 1 day.  Our boat companions, Mike and Gray, were hilarious company and we all had a great time making jokes, eating lunch, and enjoying a good Castle Lager on the river. 

Fish Eagle

Cant remember the name of this bird but its sometimes called the "Jesus Bird" since it can walk on water. 

Big D on the front row with the elephants

Baby hippos!!

     We also took a sunset cruise on the Zambezi river one night.  This was beautiful and our boat cooked up a good barbeque meal for us all.  Unfortunately, our boat companions werent as much fun as the ones we had in Chobe.  Its amazing how huge this river is - almost 2 kilometers wide, and is the main water source for several countries (Zambia, Zimbabwe, Botswana, Angola, and it runs into Northern Namibia).  Even when the rest of the country is so dry right now, here everything is so green. 

relaxing on the river. 

sunset on the Zambezi

      The next day was devoted to the Falls themselves.  Needless to say with such a huge waterfall, you can get a little wet.  So we donned our ponchos and braved Victoria Falls.  Poor Big D, nothing in Zambia comes in his size.

tiny poncho, tiny jacket, big man. 

      David Livingston found the Falls in the 18 hundreds and named it after Queen Victoria.  She gave him permission to continue his travels throughout Zambia, during which time he tried to find the source of the Falls.  He was convinced it was connected to the Nile - which it isnt - but he lived out the remainder of his life being a steward to Zambia and its people but never quiet finding the source of the Zambezi. Victoria Falls is named Mosi-oTunya in the Tonga language, meaning "the smoke that thunders", and once you see it you understand why.  Theres so much mist from the Falls at times its completely veiled and you can see the mist from over 30 km away.  In the rainy season its almost impossible to see the Falls at all so we were lucky to see it when we did. 

In this picture you are seeing about 1/4 of the total length of the Falls.  Its terrifyingly huge. 

        After our walk around the Falls we decided to try to be classy.  We dressed up, walked over to the Royal Livingston, and enjoyed some high tea.  After a day of walking and being pelted by rain, wind, and baboons, we needed a good breather break. Well I had a bourbon vanilla roobis which was delicious,  Little C ordered a jasmine something or other than tasted like eating potpourri (we didnt finish that pot), and Big D got a good pot of sencha.  Yum!  But Im pretty sure I ate most of the smoked salmon finger sandwiches which were laid out on the buffet table.  Clearly Im not ready to integrate into high society yet. It was nice to pretend though.  Needless to say our adventure was filled with wonderful food, and much to Big D's delight, very little ubwali, and Im pretty sure Im 10 lbs heavier. 

High Tea. 

     All in all it was a great trip, but I am ready to be back in the village.  My grants been approved, and Ive already started buying supplies so time to get to work.  My next post will probs be an update on how things are going with that project and any other adventures I have in between. 

     Thanks for reading everyone - and to all who donated you are the best! You are all loved and missed on this side.