11 Days in Paradise

AMAZING CONTINENT....BEYOND SOUTH AFRICA

Our alarm rang at 5:00 a.m. the next morning, and we began our 11 day adventure.   Instead of heading straight home to the USA, we opted to travel to other countries.   First, we flew to Victoria Falls, Zimbabwe.   Breath taking scenery!   Our photos are very blah compared to the real life version.   We spent 2 hours walking along the falls with our guide, and stopped at all 16 viewpoints.   We also took a 12 minute helicopter ride which gave an entirely different view of the falls. The falls are so long, that it is hard to view the entire area at once.    We have seen Niagra Falls, but that paled in comparison.  The falls were so fierce that we were literally soaked to the skin from the spray, even though we were wearing raincoats.  A rainbow completed this spectacular sight.

View from the air.

There was a complete double rainbow.  Awesome!

Completely drenched to the skin despite our rain gear.

We were able to go on an elephant safari!   So fun!

The fabric they tied over our clothes didn't really help us to look "native" for the  evening program.

Things are very expensive in Zimbabwe and tourists are everywhere, so it was puzzling about the extreme hunger and poverty.    We learned that the government takes the tourist dollars to keep the country functioning.   Tourist money is what keeps Zimbabwe's government in business but very little goes to the people.  

We had planned to get cash from the ATM machines while in Victoria Falls.    However, often there was NO currency available.   The banks, cash machines and government literally had NO currency.   If there was currency in the bank, there was a withdrawal limit of $150 per week!  Not much.

People are humble and very friendly.  Crime rate is low.  The beauty is inspiring.

VICTORIA FALLS was a dream vacation, but I felt "flat" all during the first day.   For a long time, I could not figure out what was wrong with me.   I finally realized that although we love to travel, maybe missionary work makes us happier than traveling.   I longed to be back with our African saints.   It took awhile for us to adjust to leaving our mission.

Botswana

Two days later, we headed for Botswana with our guide.    We booked our tour online and gave our preferences for what we wanted to do.   The price was right so we accepted, but we had no idea we would be the only ones in the tour group!   Andrew made all our arrangements, transported us, guided us through border crossings and shared his incredible knowledge with us!!!   He was from Zimbabwe and we learned first hand about life in that country---starvation, deprivation, corruption in the government, and every adult and child hustling to make a "dime".  Every morning they wake up and struggle to earn money or find food for that day in Zim.   

CHOBE NATIONAL PARK

We were fully in the swing of sightseeing when we arrived here.   Two land safaris and one boat safari left us in awe.  We saw 2 prides of lions, giraffes, warthogs, dozen of birds, amazing waterfowl, crocs, cape buffalo, zebras and a sable (we had never seen one before).      

Rarely seen Sable.

Looks harmless-but looks are deceiving

Looks almost human!

We love to see monkeys with their babies.

King of the jungle. 

We saw herds of Cape Buffalo.   They are very fierce.

The female lioness are the best hunters...they are much faster than the males.

Isn't he magnificent?   He strolled right in front of our jeep.   Our guide knew the habits of the animals so well.  He was able to predict where the lions would go to hunt.  Off he drove and to another location.   For the new hour and a half, we tracked this pride.   What an adventure.

But our favorite was our boat safari (in a small 6 person boat).   Eventually, our guide pushed the boat into tall reeds and onto the shore of the island.  We were so very close, but our guide was ready to push off at any time in the event the elephants became agitated or charged.   Here we sat for 1 hour and watched a large herd of elephants.   They pulled up tall grass, washed the grass in the river, shook out the sand and excess water and ate it.   If there was any sand or dirt left in the grass, the elephants spit it out or re-washed it.   Elephants are social and also travel in families.   We watched them push each other, play tug of war, fight, nurse their babies, and drink gallons of water.   These elephants were on an island in the middle of the river during this time.  The sun began to set and our guide said we might be lucky enough to see the herd swim the river to the main land.   We waited, and sure enough, the leader began to guide the entire herd into the water and across th river.   Majestic!   Breathtaking!   A gorgeous African sunset as the backdrop for viewing the elephant "migration".   

We are sitting in the front of our small boat in this pic.   Look how close the elephants are!

This was the first time we had seen elephants in a river because South Africa is in a severe drought and many rivers are completely dry.    Our guide explained how they pull up the grass with their trunks, then shake them vigorously to get rid of the dirt.  If there is dirt or sand on the grass, it ruins their teeth and grinds them down faster.   Each elephant grows 6 sets of teeth--and no more.   If they wear out their teeth too quickly, they will be unable to eat.

Heading home for the night.

ELEPHANT SANDS

We thought nothing could compare to Chobe, but we were wrong.   At Elephant Sands we stayed in a tent (very nice tent with a great bed and bathroom) very close to a watering hole.    This watering hole is in the middle of the desert and it was the dry season so the animals travel long distances to drink.   Luckily, we sat in camp chairs on a concrete patio about the size of a large bedroom. Just 15 feet away (or less) was the watering hole.   As we sat there, between 10-20 elephants arrived to play.   We continued our fascination with the elephants and learned even more from our guide.  As the sun set, they served us a buffet dinner of traditional african food (there were people from 18 tents and some camping trailers).   When it became completely dark we continued to watch as elephants came and left.   Finally, it was time for bed and we headed back to our tent.   Our guide whispered, "Watch for elephants."   We laughed, but as we were finding our way in the pitch dark, we heard a noise.    I turned and saw a HUGE elephant right behind us.   I yelled, and we both began to run for our tent.    We had been warned so often about how dangerous and unpredictable these animals are.   As we were running, I yelled, "Remember, we are NOT supposed to run from them."   But neither one of us stopped running until we were inside our tent!   It was quite a scare.

  

Differences

Safaris in Botswana and Zimbabwe were different than South Africa.    In South Africa we might see 2-8 elephants or Cape Buffalo or zebras.     In these areas we saw 50-150 at a time!   Another major difference is how the countries manage their game parks or preserves.   In South Africa the parks are all fenced.   They are HUGE and contain thousands of animals but there is a fence around the perimeter. 

However, in Botswana and Zimbabwe, there are no fences.   The entire country is the game park.   There are no fences.   They allow the towns and villages to be built inside the game preserve.   We saw zebras and wart hogs wandering the streets a block from our hotel.   Animals have first priority in all matters.   Humans are guests.  

OKAVANGO DELTA

On our drive to the Delta we saw ostriches on the roadside.

Our last stop in Botswana was at the Delta.   The rains had begun and the delta was flooded.   We were able to ride in a traditional dugout canoe.   Our "poler" was a young African woman who stood and pushed the canoe with a long pole for an hour until we reached an island.   We then did a 3 hour walking safari.    These local people have developed a way for their village of 500 people to survive economically.   They take tourists through the delta in the same canoes their ancestors have used for 100 years so we could view crocs and hippos. We were so happy to be a part of this and to help support their efforts to be self-reliant. 

 On a side note, when our group of about 20 people arrived, someone asked for a bathroom.   A man said, "Follow me." and we did.   We arrived at a very primitive porta-potty but it was padlocked shut.  The man yelled, "This is supposed to be opened for 20 minutes for the tourists.   She did not do her job!"   There was shouting, and eventually a lady arried with the key and unlocked the door for us.   No toilet paper.    No one in the village was allowed to use this "first-class bathroom."

Our traditional canoe with our"poler" who took us all over the delta.   The canoe edge is barely above the water  when we are moving.

Baobab Tree is common in Botswana.   You can tell how large the tree is by looking at our van parked  nearby.   The trees are very unique looking.  

CAPETOWN

Andrew drove us to Maun the next day and we flew to Cape Town, South Africa.  We had spent 8 days together and we had learned so much about the people, culture and sights of Africa.    Cape Town was completely different from the Durban area or anyplace we had visited.  

Cable car ride to the top of Table Mountain.

Table Mountain is the Number 1 tourist attraction and we understand why.  The view was breath taking from every vantage point.   There are many trails and viewpoints on top.

View from the top.

We also did a harbor tour.

Seal sunbathing.

Look at Table Mountain in the background.   You can see that it resembles a table.  

Always entertainment in the harbor area.

Here We Come

We couldn't believe it when it was time to head home.   Where had the time gone?   We flew back to Durban and picked up our suitcases we had left behind.  The next morning we flew to Johannesburg, then to Atlanta and finally to Denver.   It was so exciting to see many of our family there to greet us with posters and screams.   Stephanie and Dave and their 4 children (including Charlotte, our new granddaughter) , and Angela and 4 of her children gave us hugs and kisses!   It was the best welcome!   The chatter was deafening as we all tried to talk and to listen.  There truly is "No place like home."   We felt such love and comfort as we looked at our family.  It was a perfect ending to an incredible mission.     Our children had planned a family reunion in Winter Park for August 6-17.   So we were thrilled that we would soon see our entire family!!

Thanks

Thank you for letting us share our mission and travels with you.   Great experiences are always better when they are shared.  We appreciate your love and support.

With much love,

Sandy and Larry