Part 1 - Are Ze Germans stealing our Mojo
South Luangwa National Park, Zambia
November 16, 2011
Chindeni is a tent camp, but using the word tent to describe our room is like using the word colour to describe a rainbow; It is horribly inadequate to do so. The canvas cabins are built on a raised wooden platform with decking all the way around. You enter from the lagoon side off the deck that has 2 hammocks. Inside the screened french doors that you can lock open there is a desk & chair to the right & our canopied king-sized bed with a chest in front of it. The en-suite is to the right with a large open shower, toilet, double sinks & a wooden chair with cushions. There is a large sitting area with a table, 2 sofa chairs & 2 ottomans. Along every wall there is screening, flaps & curtains. So, you can enjoy a nice breeze, close everything up if there is rain or close the curtains for some privacy. I think our cabin is larger (& much nicer) than most 1 bedroom condos in Toronto; It is probably around 700 square feet.
The lagoon was noticeably smaller today
. Gilbert & James commented that some of the smaller crocs moved out of the lagoon & over to the river overnight. We are surprised to see that there are still some left & that that there seems to be some fish left too.
I am sleepy & running late this morning. Just as we left the room I notice I have deodorant all over the front of my shirt. I went back to wash it off & notice that I am staining the towel green & my bra with the colour from my shirt. I decided to make a wardrobe change & deal with my shirt later.
We had porridge for breakfast again & headed off on our walk from camp. The wind had calmed down & there was a nice breeze when we head out.
At tea time it is starting to heat up again & the breeze does not feel cool any longer
. The Mopane bees are loving me today 'cause I am sweating like crazy. They must think that they can make honey from me. We did see one of their hives on a Mopane tree, they use the sap of the tree to manufacture honey.
We have only seen baboons from a distance, a fish eagle, a sun squirrel, impala, puku & warty this morning. The only highlight was that we saw the drag marks of an impala horn from a leopard kill. Then we found the remains in a nearby tree. It looks like the impala was killed a few days ago & we can see the skull, ribs & one leg dangling from the limbs. Our walk was so dull that I took many photos of things like hyena & buffalo prints, nuts, leaves, fungi, spider webs, flowers, quinine pods, nests & collected feathers.
It is confirmed
. Ze Germans have stolen our Mojo! Thank goodness we are parting ways after brunch.
Brunch was delicious. We had pork schnitzel, beet salad, salad with tomatoes, bacon & avocado, couscous with figs & melon.
We have had a wonderful time at Chindeni. James has been an incredible host. We have really enjoyed visiting with him & hearing stories about his childhood in Kruger, his travels, sports (loved his story about playing ice hockey in SA) & guiding. We are both going to miss sitting by the lagoon & watching all of the birds, baboons, waterbuck, elephants, giraffes, crocs, buffalo...
We were treated to one special moment before we left. We saw a hippo wander out of the trees & head toward the lagoon where the elephants were drinking. It is really odd to see a hippo alone & to see him out of the water during the day. He must be really desperate because he was heading toward the elephants too. From our vantage point the water looked only like a puddle & we have learned that hippos really like to be fully submerged, so were were wondering what was going to happen when he made it to the water. When he made it to the water he half dove & have slid into the water & disappeared from our site. I think there is going to be a permanent full body print of this hippo in the lagoon forever after. LOL! Maybe this is a sign that our luck is changing!
Calvin, our transfer guide, is taking us back to Mfuwe. We are joined by another gentleman who's name I could not quite catch, so James said I could call him Moom Boy. Much to his dismay, I did. James was quite amused.
On the drive back we had our first really good look at the woodland kingfisher. What a beautiful bird with so many shades of blue. We also saw a grasshopper with red wings. I am not sure what kind of grasshopper it is, but when it lands & closes it's wings, it blends with the ground & confuses it's predators. We were also able to see another new bird, an African hoopoe which has a neat crest on it's head.
New animal that we saw today in South Luangwa National Park:
sun squirrel
New bird that we saw today in South Luangwa National Park:
African hoopoe