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.
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**
...oh, hello mr.raucous toad under my bed...
...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
Welcome to Elephant Valley Lodge and the Ellie post!
...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...
...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.
...here is a tusk of another kind, a broken one stuck in a tree,
...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...
