Breaking the Mold!

August 20 – breaking the mold!

After the discussion last night which caught Vitalis totally off guard he came up with a new plan.  And this is it…game drive in the morning, walking in the afternoon.

At breakfast we were offered two options: morning game drive over the basin roads of the concession or morning game drive on the ‘highway.’  By highway he meant driving through the concession, up the hill to the wider smoother dirt road on the ridge that was maintained by the Hwange National Park.  Since not enough wanted to do that we set out for the usual game drive.  We did eventually end up on the highway which was a much easier ride.  We drove through the nearby camping and cabin area of the park to the overlook for our morning tea break.

A few animals were below us in the open, hot, dry, leafless bowl.  But the scenery at each park has been different and this park definitely demonstrates the ‘dry season.’ Sparse Towers of Giraffe fed in the distance on the flowers adorning the bare branches of tall shrubs.  Elephants faked trips to the watering hole only to turn away at the last minute for the distant mud bath.  Wart Hogs always bring a smile as they dart hither and yon and then kneel to say grace before meals.  Because of their heavy heads and stiff necks, kneeling makes it easier for them to eat.  

There are not many animals in this park at all.  They must have migrated to distant watering holes.  But who knew that when necessary, Elephants can dig their own little wells.

We arrived back at camp for lunch.  The food at this camp has been good but pork and noodles at lunch is a heavy meal.  I ate a little of the pork and some cheese bread.  Nothing else appealed to me or were the kinds of things I enjoy.

We had three hours until tea time and then had our afternoon surprise.  So far on this trip we have had only one hike even though we were expecting hikes at each stop and visits to ‘blinds.’  This was supposed to be our place to make up the deficit.  But poachers have begun again here.  They don’t shoot the animals but poison them and follow the elephants to where they lie down to die.  They sometimes then tranquilize them and extract the tusks while they are alive.  Last year this park lost 365 Elephants to poaching.  The law in the countries we are visiting is ‘shoot to kill.’  Shoot first and ask questions later is the standard policy.  Therefore, in order to not be mistaken as poachers and end up being flown home in the belly of the plane, walking is off the program.

I am pretty active but not a walker like some of the ladies here are.  They power walk between the lodge and their tent several times over but it isn’t the same as a long sustained walk they would do at home.  Vitalis contacted the park rangers with the idea of us walking down to the valley, led by a vehicle, to have our tea.  We would remain on concession land.  The response was negative.  The concession still lies within the park so the rules remain intact.

A compromise was reached and we were invited to drive back up to the park campsite and walk there. During tea time Vitalis gave us detailed history of Victoria Falls and also of how our day would be on Friday. Hwange is our last Safari Camp.  It has been an amazing journey of varied landscapes, kind people, and rare and wild animals. 

After tea we set out again, across the valley this time and up to the highway.  Along the way a matriarchal elephant blocked our path while her baby gleefully tossed the soft, dry road dirt over herself which turned her from grey to tan.  

When we reached the camp store while we were waiting to be signed in we chatted with a young couple who live quite close to Woerdan in the Netherlands.  Woerdan is where my friend Diana lives. (I believe I have spelled this city near Amsterdam incorrectly but have no way to check it.  Sorry, Dianna.)  This was their first time to Africa and they are tent camping.  We see many campers here in this self-drive park that are rentals.  These vehicles have fully raised tents on the top which the people climb up into.  The tail gate when dropped revels pull out steel drawers and even a small refrigerated drawer.  Many have the added luxury of a solar panel to generate electricity.  Between the back end and the back seat, behind the cabinets, you can see that they are quite crammed to the roof with black plastic bags of stuff, pillows, blankets, and clothes.  It is $75 USD whether you tent or stay in a self-catering cabin.

We walked back and forth a few times around the cabins and then stopped at what used to be a restaurant that is being re-thatched with hopes of reopening soon.  The view was nice and we took some group photos. We had our Sundowner drinks and realized it would be the last time we would have them on our ‘drive.’  Apparently our fifteen people, plus Vitalis and the two drivers were too noisy for some of the nearby campers beginning to cook over open fires and setting up candlelit dinner tables.  We had to leave.  We all were so surprised by the fires heating water for the cabins and the open pits where people were cooking.  The grass, ground, nearly leafless shrubs and bare trees are all so very dry. 

We drove back to our lodge and went right in to dinner.  I had white rice and a bite of a brownie.  Curried chicken and dressed salads don’t work for me.  If I was getting more exercise on this trip I would be in good shape for my diet when I get home next week.

Since this is our last camp, Susie and I put everything we could into the wash so we could have clean clothes for the next week which is our city touring.  Bed early again.  I am careful not to sleep at ‘siesta’ or I might not sleep at night.   But I must say that the combination of lack of activity, down time, and heat do let me sleep well.