Wednesday afternoon Stacey, our wonderful guide Ba Mambwe, and myself boarded the 13.30 bus for Botswana, Africa. I don’t think either of us poor abusungu’s knew quite what was in store for us. The first leg of the journey was actually pretty nice, though I don’t think anyone else in the bus really appreciated ‘Con Air’ except for Stacey and me. Positive the second, third, and fourth legs would go just as smoothly as the first, I was stoked getting back on the bus after a short dinner break in Lusaka. Boy was I wrong. Ten hours of LOUD African music later with little to no sleep and we were in finally Bostwana though.
Ba Mambwe promptly took us to Nkanga guest house to quickly freshen up and then we were off again to exchange our money, book a boat safari, and EAT. Our host brother, Marvin, is OBSESSED with Kentucky Fried Chicken, so much so that he wants to visit Kentucky solely for the chance of a little KFC. Therefore, when Stacey eyed the KFC in Botswana we were sure to capture the moment in pictures, not to mention chomp down on a chicken wing or two. It’s funny, in the States I steer clear from places like KFC, but the little American culture never tasted so good this weekend. However, I think I was actually more excited to find Greek yogurt and crisp bread. If anyone out there wants to send me a care package some crisp bread would be highly appreciated. Hehe
Okay, enough about food. The real joy in Botswana was the boat cruise we took through Chobe Marina Lodge. Oh this place was simply gorgeous! If you are looking for a honeymoon local *cough Grace and Carlos cough*, or you are just loaded with money and want a Holiday, I recommend this place. Stacey and I had a few hours to kill before our boat cruise so we just relaxed by the pool, wrote, napped, and took in the beauty that was our surroundings. Weather = perfect. View = perfect. Afternoon = perfect! I know I have only been in Africa for two months, but trust me that was long enough for the culture shock to hit hard while hanging out at this beautiful lodge. Stacey and I joined in with some people from Canada, the UK, and South America for the boat cruise. We not only added some American flavor, but we brought the average age down a good 20 years. Hehe. It was good times. Man that boat brought us RIGHT to the animals. I think Stacey thought she was going to get eaten alive by crocodiles a few times. He. Elephants, Hippos, Crocodiles, Baboons, Impalas, Giraffes, and more birds that I can even begin to name was on the list for our cruise. This missionary guy from Canada was obsessed with birds, so it seemed like we stopped every other minute to view some spotted something or other, but he was a nice guy so I’ll leave my complaining about that there. We drove back to shore as the sun was setting, and I think our cruise guide was getting a little annoyed with us because we kept moving trying to get the perfect shot of the sunset. I got some pretty decent shots, but they still don’t do that evening justice. Can I use the adjective beautiful a few more times?! We were welcomed back to shore with a little traditional African music and dancing. Okay, it wasn’t actually for us, but it was pretty sweet none the less. After ice cream and dinner Stacey and I promptly feel asleep. I think I was out by 9:30, and it felt amazing.
We left bright and early in the morning to travel back into Zambia and hit up Livingstone Falls. If you didn’t know, this whole trip was necessary because of a Visa mix-up that required me to leave the country and return again as a Business Visitor instead of a plain, old, ordinary visitor. So this part had me a little stressed, but I there was no need. The man at the border just took my visa, I told him business, and he stamped it without even looking at the nice, official letter Ba Charles wrote up for me. Goodness Gracious. Anyways, I was stoked to see Livingstone Falls. Everyone says that it is a must see when in Zambia, and I agree. We saw it in the dry season, meaning it obviously wasn’t nearly as wet as usual, but it was still breathtaking. I think Stacey and I are already planning a return trip in December so that the ponchos we purchased can actually come to some good use. One part of the falls they even let us wade through as it was so dried up. Our ponchos could have actually come in handy here, seeing as poor Ba Mambwe slipped and fell in not once, but twice! He was such a good sport about it though, letting us take pictures and joking that he was “baptized for a second time”. Hehe.
After hanging out a bit in Livingstone and finally getting Stacey some Hungry Lion (a fast food joint from South Africa), we hopped on the 8 p.m. bus back home so we could travel through the night again, arriving back in lovely Ndola by 10.30 in the morning. I won’t even bother going into detail on the rough bus trip back, but instead simply relish in the good moments. Lots of big animal butts, breathtaking waterfalls, baboons trying to steal our food, ever so perfect weather, and the great feeling of returning home after a long, successful trip. Thanks for the prayers!
Sara Anne
P.S. Posts blatantly bragging about my students to follow as I simply love my class.
No comments:
Post a Comment