Botswana Zambia Zimbabwe trip

First camp Botswana. Nice, almost empty campsite.

 

So nice next to a fire. It does get a bit chilly in the evenings - well, it IS Winter.

 

Next campsite was at Elephant Sands. The buildings are around a popular elephant waterhole. Just before sunset about 35 elephants came in, 3 or 4 at a time, some even running. Probably about 15 in the water at once. Fabulous place.

And the occasional scorpion can be found with Ultra Violet light.

We were heading up to Sua Pan - a dry salt 'lake'. John is looking at elephant dung. We only saw lots of dung - no more elphants. This is the only road to the pan, sometimes it wasn't easy to follow, being so dusty where the trees were sparse.

Definitely a lion's print.

Good road to the pan.

 

Have to be careful not to go off the faint track. It's possible that the ground towards the centre on the pan is still a bit damp underneath and soft; and a vehicle can sink half a metre.

 

Our destination: an 'island' in the middle of all the sand. No water, the reflection is a heat mirage.

Baobab trees on the island.

Another one. 

Looks like there's no road; but there is. 

 

Camping on the road. At night we heard lions, elephants and a few other sounds. We saw eyes in our torch-light, looking at us from the road 100 metres away, wondering what it was - maybe a hyaena . After 10 nervous minutes it turned out to be a rabbit.

Then on to Victoria Falls. What a fantastic place.

 

The viewing path is right opposite the falls; everyone gets wet.

The noise is almost deafening.

 

 

The falls are so long one can't see all of it at once, except from the air.

Me.

View from the bottom as it zig-zags its way.

 

We came back through Zimbabwe, and boy were we lucky to get out. There is no money in the ATMs, half the garages don't have card machines and those that do: well they don't work. We only just made it with the variety of money we had on us and freewheeling as much as possible. The lady at Todds Motel, where we camped, charged us half price as she knows us.
This photo shows the old Zimbabwe/Rhodesian road. If two cars are approaching each other they each move over so only one wheel in on tar to pass each other. I saw and used quite a number of those in use in remote places when I was first there 30 years ago.

Uganda - free time.

We often had sundowner drinks at a nice bar, on the edge of Lake Victoria. Nice fresh fish for dinner, nice beer, nice view. As the night descends the lights of a few fishing boats light up. So, so relaxing - no deafening music, just the lapping of the water.
Rita, my brother Austin, my brother Keith, Me.

 

  

The zoo was amazing. It all seemed like a very natural environment; dirt roads, open spaces - not so many animals as other zoos but very nicely done - also a nice restaurant, also a good place to swim in Lake Victoria. These chimps (two of many) had an island to themselves.

My favourite bird: the Shoe-Bill. Magnificent.

Also enjoyed the Botanical gardens. Must be very old. Very big and nicely laid out and a brilliant place to relax. Also on the edge of Lake Victoria.

The house we all stayed in: 5 bedrooms, top floor looks over a few houses then the lake. Lovely at sunset. Also the 8-seater we hired for the month.

Obligatory photo where there is a bright yellow line right across the road.

Some of our chickens. Shamim, our niece and farm manager makes sure all is well in the coop; she visits every other day. The ground is covered in coffee grounds and the hens just lay eggs around the edges. We have a couple of store-rooms, another big coop, a well, and fields of maize and sweet-potato (for the pigs). Also a couple of small rooms for the guy who lives and works there.

 

A few of our pigs. I think we have about 20 now. They eat anything at all - dead chickens, house left-overs . . . whatever.

 

The eggs are often collected like this. Eggs go from farm to Anne's place (sister-in-law) and the customers pick them up! No washing (eggs last longer that way), no sizing (nobody cares), no boxing, no stamping. We sell as many as the hens lay. This customer takes the eggs to nearby islands to sell. He even adds another, slightly shorter pile of trays on top of the petrol tank, with no straps and off he goes. 

. . and then the Church Wedding!

 

Quite an event, with 4 photographers, 6 members of my family flew in from the UK, . . .

 

Pastor said he'd not seen the church so full!

 

 

The choir . .

Enoch, Dad, me, Rita, and Irene - who introduced us 12 years ago.,

Me, Rita and Irene,.

  

The flower girls: Emma - Irene's daughter, and Hazel - Bridget's daughter (Bridget: Maid of honour)

 

Now to Photoshop two guys out of the background.

 

Rita is an Amazon.

Dad is very fond of Rita.

Behind us: one of the 4 Mercs  that took us to the gardens for photos. We even had a police escort for the half-hour journey. The police drive in the middle of both direction lanes and we just follow. It felt like a Bond movie. The roads are very wide to accommodate the motorbike 'taxis' (border-borders) so people just move out the way for anyone in a hurry; amazingly relaxed, yet hectic.

And on to the reception.

 

 

Reception outfits.

Even fireworks as we were about to cut the cake.