- Lagoons, Luxury and
Elephant Shaped Soap
- Fears, Feasts and Mud
Fights
- Insects, Sex and Sachets of
Gin
- On the Move, On the Stove
and On the Hunt
- Lie-ins,
Lounging Leopards and Laws of the Jungle
- Dung, Dust and a Midnight
Snack
- Wading, Wobbling
and Fond Farewells
- Candles, Crocs
and Customised Showers
- Picnics, Puppies and Crocodile Cookies
- Sausage Fruit, Socks and a Lifetime of Memories
Wading, Wobbling and Fond Farewells
As it turned out, my midnight elephant experience had been shared by
Reuben and Clare who were equally excited by the night's events. The
mangled tree lay between our cabins, completely demolished with huge
strips of bark and wood hanging off at all angles. According to
Catherine, we had been almost certainly been visited by Big John who is
a frequent visitor to Bilimungwe and who had given us an awesome
demonstration of strength and power.
Our morning walk took us back to the river again, a little further
upstream this time. As the river was so shallow and the water shone
clearly on the sandy bed, Keennan judged it safe enough to take off our
shoes and wade across. Even at 7.30am the sun was hot and the paddle
came as a welcome, refreshing change. In the distance a couple of
elephants were enjoying their morning bath as we followed Keennan across
to the far bank where James (who had gone on ahead) stood guard whilst
we dried our feet. All of a sudden, something whipped out of the side of
the bank and sped off across the river. Keennan launched himself
full-length into the water and came up spluttering, laughing and
clutching what appeared to be a small crocodile. Closer inspection (plus
Keennan informing us!) revealed that it was, in fact, a huge monitor
lizard, over 4 foot long with a magnificent spiky tail which kept trying
to lash itself around Keennan's hand. As it calmed down we were able to
look at it more closely and take pictures before Keennan gently lowered
his hands into the water and allowed it to head off downstream.
After that bit of excitement the walk continued more peacefully. We took
it in turns to 'guess the animal' from the signs that Keennan pointed
out to us and I was very proud when I identified zebra tracks and two of
them promptly appeared from the other side of the plain! As we turned
for home, Keennan took us past a patch of quicksand. I was expecting to
see a heaving, evil-smelling swamp like in a horror movie, but in fact
it looked like ordinary earth that just wobbled when you put your foot
on it. Keennan, James and Andy had had to use a vehicle to haul a
fully-grown giraffe out the week before and I was glad to be following a
guide rather than wandering around on my own.
When we returned to camp, Andy had arrived to bring Catherine some
supplies and to see how we were. He was duly impressed by our close
leopard encounter and last night's meeting with Big John and tried
(unsuccessfully) not to laugh when Shana and I dragged him off to
demonstrate our dung-identifying skills!
This was to be our last evening with Keennan and James and it felt as if
we were losing old friends. They had been the perfect guides and hosts -
friendly, informative, amusing and totally rock-solid in their care and
attention to us all. Over a delicious casserole, we raised a series of
toasts to them both - toasts that got less serious the more we drank.
Our transfer to Kuyenda was by vehicle, leaving at 11 tomorrow so we
stayed up until the small hours drinking beers, swapping stories,
watching the stars and listening to the leopards coughing in the
distance. It felt like the end of our holiday and yet, in some ways, the
real adventure was still to come as we moved to Kuyenda, to Phil Berry,
one of the greatest guides in Southern Africa, and to the final stage of
our Luangwa Encounter.
[continued...Candles, Crocs and Customised Showers]
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