Hungry, Hungry Hippo!

So last night, after our night game drive, we were all showered and tucked into bed when independently of each other, we started to hear a strange noise. At first, it sounded to me like scratching, and I thought maybe we had a monkey on the roof of our tent. But the longer I listened, the more the sound resembled sloshing…or munching! The three of us tentatively left our beds and approached the netted front door of our tent, staring out into the dark delta to see what we could see, acutely aware of the fact that canvas and mesh were the only things standing between us and the wild kingdom outside. We had heard the pride of lions that was near the camp, and elephants were wandering about as well. What could this be?

The Little Calf and I saw it first. We could just barely make out its silhouette against the night sky – a huge, oval shaped creature steadily making its way across the grassy marsh land less than seven feet away from us. It was slowly mowing down all of the vegetation in its path, and when it started making its telltale gurgly, throaty growl, we instantly knew what it was. A hippopotamus!!

It’s not every night that you wake up to find a 2,000 pound hippo nonchalantly grazing outside of your hotel room! We decided not to shine a light on him, nor did we try to snap a photo (as the Little Calf aptly pointed out, “let’s not aggravate Africa’s deadliest resident!”) It took the hippo about ten minutes to traverse the length of our tent and disappear into the darkness, and we counted ourselves extremely lucky to have been in the right place at the right time to have seen him.

How will life at home ever compete with this?!? 

An Evening with Elephants

The Cash Cow’s favorite African animal is the hippo. The Little Calf’s favorite is the giraffe. And mine is the elephant.

There’s a reason why we say that an elephant never forgets. They have fantastic memories, so much so that elephants who have been separated for decades will recognize each other when reunited. They form strong family bonds. They love their babies and they mourn their dead. They are graceful, sensitive, intelligent creatures with soulful eyes and big appetites. And while we have seen dozens of awesome animals on this trip and they have all excited me, I’m always a little extra happy when I see an elephant.

And you never forget the first time you meet an elephant. During my birthday trip to India in 2013, The Cash Cow and I visited an animal sanctuary and spent a magical afternoon with a beautiful elephant named Lashmi. Every second of that experience was amazing, most especially when Lashmi sneezed on us, mortifying her handlers and sending the CC and me into a fit of giggles. It was certainly one of the highlights of our trip. And this evening, it was the Little Calf’s turn to have his first close encounter of the elephant kind!

Nestled on the bank of the Zambezi River, The Elephant Cafe offers visitors the unique, hands-on opportunity to interact with a herd of rescued elephants before enjoying a gourmet, farm-to-table African dinner. The proceeds from the experience go directly back into feeding, housing, and caring for the ten members of the semi-wild herd, who freely roam about the preserve throughout the day before returning to the safety of their stables at night. The Cash Cow read about the Cafe on TripAdvisor, and we were lucky enough to snag reservations for tonight, our second and last evening in Zambia.

We were picked up at our hotel and transported to a launch site on the Zambezi, where a motorboat then took us and our fellow diners 45 minutes up the river (and past a few grumpy hippos!) to the secluded site where the Cafe and the preserve are located. Before our boat had even docked, we could see the elephants making their way down to the riverbank to greet us, like puppies who hear the garage door opening and know that their humans are about to come home. The lead keeper gathered us together and gave us a short safety briefing (which none of us really listened too…we were too darn excited!) before introducing us to the three elephants with whom we would be interacting before dinner – Bop, Mashumbi, and three-year old Muyuni.

Put me near almost any animal and I get excited. Put me near an elephant and tell me that I can hand-feed him and touch him and I’m a five-year old at Disneyworld who has just been given Mickey Mouse-shaped ice cream bar. I was utterly euphoric!

And the Little Calf was right there with me – giddy all over as he felt elephant skin for the first time. Of course, these human calves went straight for the elephant calf, whose tiny trunk fit perfectly into our bags of treats (maize pellets dipped in molasses.)

 And while I know that animals feel things differently than humans do, three-year-old Muyuni seemed to smile a little as I spoke softly and sweetly to him, telling him he was a good and handsome boy.

But you can still see a twinkle of mischief behind those luscious elephant lashes in the selfie he took with the LC, possibly the best picture of the night.

We moved over to Mashumbi next, the matriarch of the herd, who liked treats tossed directly into her mouth. With the simple command, “trunk up”, she would lift her long, muscular nose and open wide, showcasing her teeth and thick, pink tongue.

I tossed in a handful of treats, and her trunk descended back down, looping around me as she sought out the bag in which I held more goodies. Happiness is a warm puppy, but being embraced by an elephant’s trunk is something magical.   

Throughout the interaction, the elephants’ caretakers educated us about the herd and provided some insight into how its members are cared for. Danny and Bob, the oldest elephants, were rescued from culling exercises that took place in Zimbabwe in the 1960s and 1970s. Madinda, Mashumbi, Liwa, and Marula were near casualties of a severe drought that hit the Gonarezhou National Park in the 1980s. Abandoned by their respective herds during the desperate search for food and water, these four elephant cows were hand-reared by local farmers as calves before they came to live at the sanctuary as adults.

A few of the family members have some interesting backstories. In 2010, the elephants were feeding on a nearby island in the middle of the Zambezi River. When they returned to the sanctuary in the evening, their handlers were stunned to see that the herd had a new member – a year-old calf who had been left on the island by his own group under unknown circumstances. Sekuti was welcomed into his new family and adopted by Liwa, who has raised him along with her two biological calves, Nyami and Nandi. I love this story because for me, it illustrates the innate commitment that elephants have to caring for each other.

And then there is Muyuni, a young bull born in 2013 to Mashumbi, who had been kidnapped the previous year by a wild elephant herd! She was gone for eleven months before finally finding her way back to the sanctuary, and upon her return, her handlers determined that she was healthy…and expecting! Oh the stories I’ll bet she could tell…

After the elephant interaction (which was WAY too short in my opinion), we were shown to a beautiful deck where we enjoyed drinks and a delicious, three-course meal overlooking the Zambezi River.

Insects chirped and monkeys chattered all around us as we celebrated the sanctuary and the amazing animals that call it home.

The entire evening was a beautiful experience both moving and memorable. And what a joy it was to be surrounded by people who love elephants as much as I do!

Hakuna Matata,

The Calf

The Smoke That Thunders

The locals call her Mosi-oa-Tunya. The Smoke That Thunders. But most of the world knows her by her western name – Victoria Falls. And she is the reason we decided to come to Zambia – to see this wonder of the natural world in all of her glory.

This morning, we had the opportunity to explore the Victoria Falls from two different vantage points – first by helicopter and then on foot. Combined with yesterday’s daring visit to Livingstone Island, we’ve had the privilege of seeing and experiencing the falls from all angles, both up close and from a distance. It’s such a splendid sight, and we’ve been lucky enough to truly get to know her in the short time since we arrived. And to know her is to love her.

I’m glad that our schedule took us to Livingstone Island BEFORE I saw the falls from the sky, because I’m telling you right now that I would never have agreed to swim in the angel pool if I knew what the waterfall actually looked like! From our tiny helicopter (it only held three passengers and a pilot), the Cash Cow, Little Calf, and I had a panoramic view of the entire waterfall, the gorge into which it plunges, and the surrounding landscape of both Zimbabwe and Zambia. While ⅔ of Victoria Falls exists on the Zambian side of the border, Zimbabwe’s side of the falls does not dry up during the summer and so most tourists stay in Zimbabwe, assured of a year-round view. We had originally planned on walking over to the Zimbabwean side, but ran out of time. That’s ok, though. It’s always important to leave something undone for the next trip!

As our pilot expertly guided our helicopter from one side of the falls to the other during our twelve minute ride, we were able to snap some amazing pictures. Even hovering 700 feet above it, the power of Victoria Falls could still be felt, and it was both gorgeous and humbling to see that much water plunging into the narrow sliver of the Earth at such a spectacular speed. 

And spotting Livingstone Island, clinging to the edge of the falls as though it, too, might slip into the craggy gorge at any moment, I almost didn’t believe that I had stood there in that water just twenty hours before. What kind of crazy person would swim there?? The answer – this crazy person.

After our helicopter ride, we embarked on a walking tour of the falls with our guide, Mwata. Royal Livingstone guests have free access to the walking trails around the falls, as do the baboons that greeted us as we entered the national park and preserve. 

Again, we were treated to an unbelievable view of Victoria Falls, this time from the path located directly across from it. And once again, we marveled at the power and glory of this incredible natural wonder. It was easy to see how the ancient peoples believed that a God resided here, producing rainbows when he was pleased and satisfied with the state of things. 

The plume of mist rose up over the falls like a cloud, and the smoke truly did thunder. It also soaked us through! And as the castoff spray barrelled down on us, I couldn’t help by think of an alternate refrain for the Toto song, “Africa”.

I wasn’t blessing the rains; they were blessing me. 

Hakuna Matata!

The Calf

Livingstone Island, We Presume

Greetings from Livingstone, Zambia!

Today has been insane. Then again, this entire trip has been insane, so I suppose this doesn’t come as any surprise to you.

We were awakened this morning at 2:30am (yes, you read that correctly – 2:30am) so that we could take a 6:00am South African Airways flight from Dar es Salaam to Johannesburg and then another SA flight from Johannesburg to Livingstone in Zambia. So by noon, we had traveled through three different countries on about three hours of sleep. The good news is that the flights were not as uncomfortable as we were expecting them to be (we’ve gotten used to twenty minute flights in tiny safari planes, so flight attendants and lavatories were a welcomed sight) And during our layover in South Africa, we were able to get a preview of the shopping opportunities we will hopefully have in Cape Town (after all, it wouldn’t be a Snead family trip if we didn’t buy a new suitcase along the way to schlep purchases home!)

The best news is that when we arrived at our hotel, The Royal Livingstone (which by the way, is gorgeous!) we were not as zombie like as we anticipated ourselves to be. Which was a good thing, because we hardly had time to shower and change clothes before the start of our first Zambian adventure – high tea on Livingstone Island, located on the edge of Victoria Falls.

Now here’s the thing – when I hear the words “high tea”, I think back to that time last summer when the Cash Cow and I dressed up and went to Kensington Palace in London to sit on the patio at the Orangery, and be served Earl Grey in bone China cups and dainty finger sandwiches on a three-tiered sterling tray by a white-gloved waiter. That’s high tea. And so when we inquired at the hotel’s concierge desk about the dress code for Livingstone Island’s high tea, and were told to take our bathing suits and wear waterproof pants and shoes, I should have known that something unexpected was afoot. But on three hours of sleep, you’re only capable of so much deductive reasoning. And part of our visit to the Island was supposed to include a quick dip in the Zambezi River near the falls. I’d also read that the Island’s location resulted in visitors being able to hear and feel the falls in the form of a gentle mist. So ok, waterproof clothing made sense. I put my nice dress away, opting for my quick-dry safari pants once again (they can stand up on their own at this point.) I also grabbed my swimsuit, in case I decided to swim in the Angel Pool near the falls. At 3:15pm, we were picked up, along with six other people, at our hotel (from which we can actually see the Falls!) by motorboat and within minutes, we were on the Island.

Please pause for a very brief history lesson – Dr. David Livingstone, Scottish missionary, social activist, and amateur adventurer, arrived in Central Africa in 1852 and spent the next four years mapping the entire course of the Zambezi River. In 1855, he became the first European to see the mighty waterfall that he would later name for Queen Victoria. The island upon which he stood to observe the falls now bears his name, and that’s where we were to spend our afternoon.  

The first thing I noticed was the roar. Victoria Falls is SO powerful that its flow drowns out almost all of the other sounds on the Island. I’ve actually never heard anything like it – imagine being in the middle of a car wash during a Category 3 hurricane. And you don’t just hear the mightiness; you FEEL it. The entire island vibrates as a result of its proximity to 2 million gallons of water A SECOND plunging over a sharp cliff into the narrow gorge below. And it should be expected – Victoria Falls is classified as the world’s largest sheet of falling water.

It’s thrilling. And a little scary. So when our guides told us to go ahead and change into our bathing suits so that we could swim in the Angel Pool, I thought I’d misheard them. Weren’t we having high tea??

Ok, so here’s where the day took a turn for the crazypants, and spoiler alert – I’m still processing everything that transpired during our trip to the island. So bear with me. Emerging from the changing room, I was instantly cold. We are below the Equator here, and it’s meteorological winter right now in Zambia. So it’s chilly…especially when you’re in your bikini on an island next one of the world’s tallest waterfalls. Our guides then led the line of swimsuit-clad tourists down a sandy path and through some pretty thick underbrush, to reach the rocky edge of the island. Everything was wet and slippery, and we were getting doused with the forceful Falls’ spray as we continued to follow our guides out onto and across the flat cliffs to the edge of falls. Like Lemmings. And I say that because we just blindly did as we were told at this point. And as I would later remark to the Cash Cow and Little Calf, I was just too cold to be scared. Which was probably good, because if I’d had my warm wits about me, I may not have proceeded.

The Cash Cow passed on swimming in the Falls, so the Little Calf and I tentative lyrics tiptoed out onto the rocky outcrop with the guides, arms linked in a human chain for steadiness. Even soaking wet and freezing to death (we actually clung to each other for warmth most of the time!), I was vaguely aware of what we were about to do – we were about to willingly get into the Zambezi River, into the same water that was currently gushing over the rocks. We were about to swim at Victoria Falls.

No exaggeration here – we were just feet from the edge. One wrong step and we were gonners. I could feel the Cash Cow having a bovine breakdown behind us as the guides eased her two  favorite calves to the very rim of the rocks and held us tightly as we bravely leaned over and looked into the gorge. A triple rainbow appeared, and for a second, I stopped shivering and just stood in the moment. There is no lookout platform here, so I was as close to Victoria Falls as any person can be. 
The thunderous growl of the rushing water was all-encompassing. The water and the cliffs and the curtain of misty smoke were all so distinct and yet they blended into one another. It was like being in a Dali painting. And I felt as if I were standing in the presence of Mother Nature herself. The Earth trembled beneath me, and I was suddenly fully enveloped by the power of the falls – mind, body, soul, spirit. I felt small and insignificant and humbled and terrified and at peace all at once. It was altogether other-worldly, like I was passing onto another plane of existence. It was almost like I imagine it will feel to meet God. And then in a second, I was back on the edge of the falls, shivering and wondering who the Hell talked me into this nonsense.

Finally, it was truly go-time. My toes were frozen, and I was actually afraid that I was shivering so violently that I would lose my footing for lack of steadiness. But our guides had a solid grip on our arms, helping us onto some rocks on the Falls’ precipice to take pictures and video before slowly guiding us into the Angel Pool, a shallow hole on the very edge of the falls. We had a safety rope, and our guides were never more than a hands length away as we stepped into the pool to feel the full magnitude of the rushing water. Boy was it was freezing! But for a few magically terrifying moments, we swam in Victoria Falls!

I’m not gonna lie – I didn’t feel the full weight of fear until after it was all over and we had changed and warmed up and enjoyed wine and snacks under a covered patio with our fellow swimmers. It was only when we started looking at the pictures of our adventure that I realized what we had just done. I can also honestly tell you that this calf doesn’t do things like this. This cow is part chicken! So once the shock subsided, I was pretty proud of myself for having stepped out of my comfort zone and gone through with the swim. And I’m glad that we have a ton of pictures, because there are more than a few people who won’t believe this all actually happened. Myself included.

It was also a special bonding experience for the Little Calf and me. We can now add swimming in Victoria Falls to the long list of things we share. And what a thing to share!

African Safari Death-Defying Activity: CHECK

The Elephant Caves

Greetings from Gibbs Farm!

So today is a “down day” for us, meaning that we did not have much of anything planned in the way of activities. After ten incredible, but very fast-paced travel days, we are ready to chillax a bit before leaving for Zambia, where our schedule is going to be jam-packed and crazy tight. If India taught us anything four years ago, it’s that you have to have recharge your batteries occasionally or you’ll just be a dead device by the time you get home. And no one likes a zombie.

Anyway, it was a fantastically leisurely morning for yours truly. Everyone slept well (in spite of the fact that our soothing wildebeest serenade has been replaced by the thunder of avocados falling from the trees onto our metal roof and the high-pitched nocturnal squeal of the bush babies.) So I took my cup of coffee and a blanket and sat out on our verandah, which overlooks the farm and the bushes growing beans destined to be future cups of joe. I heard the (real) dairy cows mooing from their stables and watched as vibrantly colored birds flew between the jungle flowers growing around our cottage. And I took advantage of the early morning speed of the wifi to upload a few blog posts. I know that my primary role on this trip is to document it thoroughly. Hope you’re enjoying the recaps!

But here’s the thing – even when we trade in our travel hats for vacation caps, however rarely and briefly, it’s against our nature to be completely sedentary. So after a lovely literal farm-to-table breakfast, the Cash Cow, Little Calf, and I decided to take the hotel up on one of the daily activities offered to guests – a walk to the nearby Elephant Caves.

Spoiler alert – it was not the leisurely stroll we were expecting. The seven-and-half mile hike, mostly uphill, took us along a narrow path carved through the rainforest by the elephants and water buffalo headed to the mineral-rich caves, where they are able to supplement their grassy diet with necessary nutrients by licking the cave walls to release the iron and calcium deposits found there. We actually ended up walking further to the Elephant Caves today than we did to meet the gorillas a week ago! 

See that black line on the path? Those are safari ants!

Dodging squads of dangerous safari ants, clusters of stinging nettles, and piles of every kind of animal dung imaginable, we finally reached the site and once there, the LC and I followed our guide across a creek and up the steep embankment to inspect the caves more closely.

Animal activity was immediately evident. The walls were covered with holes and channels that had been carved into the soft rock by elephant tusks and buffalo horns, and the ground was carpeted in poo and small piles of multi-colored minerals, no doubt coveted by the humongous horde of baboons watching us intently (and loudly) from the surrounding trees. In spite of the arduous journey required to get there, the caves were very cool…in both interesting factor and in temperature, which was appreciated!

I don’t know that we would have made hike if we’d known that it was going to be so strenuous, but I’m glad that we decided to finish it, even though it wasn’t at all what we were anticipating. We returned a little more knowledgeable about this part of Tanzania.

And of course, after all of that exercise, we earned seats at the most important event of the afternoon…lunch 😀

Hakuna Matata!

The Calf

Finishing up The Big Five

They are known as Africa’s Big Five – Lion. Buffalo. Elephant. Leopard. Rhinoceros. Read any guide book or peruse any tour company website and you’ll almost always see something about the Big Five, once prized by African game hunters and now known as the animals most visitors want – and expect – to see when they go on safari. As you already know, the traveling cows are equal opportunity animal lovers, and so far, this trip has proved itself to be an abundance of riches when it comes to close encounters of the wildlife kind. We have been extremely lucky!

That being said, one member of the Big Five has eluded us – the Rhinoceros. Only six or seven still live in the area of the Serengeti where we were staying, and our guides were honest with us about the low odds of seeing one. Nearly wiped out by poachers for the price of their horns, wild rhinos are rare, and while I have been overwhelmed by the sheer number of incredible animals we have seen so far (and should not look a gift zebra in the mouth – we’ve spotted more creatures than most people do!), a part of me wondered if we might leave Tanzania rhinocerless…

Until today.

Yesterday afternoon, we left our mobile tent camp and traveled, again by safari plane, to Gibbs Farm on the edge of the Ngorongoro Crater in Eastern Tanzania. Named for the sound made by the cattle bells used by the Masai herders (“goron”…“goro”…“goron”…“goro”), the Ngorongoro is a self-contained wildlife refuge located in the crater of an inactive volcano. Unlike the Serengeti, the Crater only has a few roads leading in and out, and entry is highly regulated. All visitors must register with the park office and purchase a permit that gives them access to the Crater from 6:30am until 6:30pm. We spent the majority of today in the Ngorongoro on a game drive.

And the very first animal we got to see was a rhinoceros! He was very far away, but he was there with his tell-tale, double-horned profile and suit of gray, muscular armor. And even though we were not able to get a closer look, he was thrilling to see – Big Five checklist complete.

I wish I could say that the rest of our visit was as noteworthy. But after spending three glorious days out on the Serengeti in an open jeep, practically alone in the vast wilderness and coming within mere inches of some of the world’s most exotic creatures, it was hard to find the Ngorongoro appealing. The convoy of safari jeeps – dozens by my count – kicked up so much dust that the Crater seemed endlessly hazy, and we were not permitted to drive off of the road to get a closer look at anything. It was traffic jams, not skilled trackers, that identified animals’ locations. And while the Serengeti was tranquil, the Crater was…well, touristy. Then again, the Ngorongoro covers just 100 square miles compared to the Serengeti, which spans over 12,000, so I suppose we were bound to run into a few more people! AND there was a flush toilet at our disposal in the Crater compared to the termite mound I utilized on the Savannah. That’s worth something. Trust me!

Any animal sighting is exciting, though, and along with the rhino, we also saw a ton of hippopotamus and stood closer to them than we ever have before now. We even came across a flamboyance of flamingos, which was a delightful surprise (they are my FAVORITE bird!!) 

And because most of the Crater animals are desensitized to the presence of human visitors, we were able to get some great close-up shots of zebra, hyena, and everyone’s favorite, the wildebeest (they were all too skittish in the Serengeti to smile for my camera.) 

And we enjoyed another meal – lunch this time – overlooking a pod of the Cash Cow’s favorite African animal.

Regardless of what we expected, the Crater and its inhabitants were beautiful, just in a different way than we’ve become accustomed to. But I think we all agree that we are glad we were able to see it in order to have a more well-rounded perspective on the diversity of environments found in Tanzania.

Hakuna Matata!

The Calf