Greetings from the South Luangwa. As I type this at 7h00 the lions are roaring half a kilometre away... as they have been on and off all night. Walking to the long drop 'loo this morning was an adventure. :-)
Personal perspectives – breakdown...
It has been so long since we were able to write – just a few weeks, really - but a long time in cultural learning. Assimilating the lessons, looked and felt a lot like shock. Culture shock is something you hear about and think won’t happen to you, as a resilient, emotionally intelligent human being. Our perceptions of course are totally skewed by our socialisation, ‘western’ civil rules and personal experiences to date. No matter how someone might say “be prepared for frustrations” or “expect delays” or “try not to have expectations then you won’t be disappointed” the reality is harsher than one might expect. We have longed for home and the familiar, for the emotional safety of our ordinary lives. A bit of a private break down later.. Yet we are immersed here and take a step in determination to see it through.
The different (not better or worse – just different) ethical and moral social fabric, the personal openness or lack thereof, the view of the world and personal interactions are so different from our life’s experience that we have had much to think about. The expectation that once a thing is given as a gesture of friendship or assistance that there is a moral responsibility beholden on the giver to keep on giving whether you want to or not, or that the quality of the gift is questioned as wonting, or not enough, or should have been ‘value added’. “Thanks for the buns – but there was a problem; you did not give us sugar”- and that the disapproval and anger (or game) that meets a friendly refusal to ‘keep on giving’ just cruels the original intention and hardens one’s heart to spontaneity and kindness. It is a hard lesson indeed. No one likes to be ‘taken advantage of’ or thought a fool for the colour of their skin, us included.
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| "Wary" (c) Judith Price |
The transisition from openness, generosity and trust to cynicism, reluctance to give and distrust has been hard – and has done our heads in. We have experienced a total loss of sense of humour for a couple of weeks. What happened to us in 5 weeks that we would change so completely? Perhaps though this is a temporary state of affairs for us – a learning curve. We are resilient, forthright and bounce back. It is though, a lesson we will not forget.
Two days ‘on offs’! A different sort of breakdown...
Following the crashing crescendo of the Community Event on Saturday – we arranged two days away. The first night at Flatdogs Camp – the second deep in the SLNP at Shenton’s Kaingo camp. Packing up the Landrover (Rover- the Dog) a 1986 landy with a few ‘issues’ we intended to leave Chipembele early, but one coffee and smoke led to another – and Betty Baboon needed taking care of while Steve was out on business, so we finally chugged away at 11.30. Flatdogs camp is an oasis of civility and peace. A lovely permanent camp; with both chalets and permanent tents, located on the Luangwa River 2kms from the South Luangwa Park gates. The highlight is the restaurant – al la carte – from 7h30 to 21h00. Bliss! Beautifully prepared vegetarian and carnist food AND Icecream! Icecream in the bush has to be one of the best things in the world; unless you were the dairy cow.
Following lunch, a sleep and long, hot shower we had dinner, a night’s sleep, then another totally superfluous but heavenly long hot shower! Following breakfast we packed our kit back into Rover- the Dog and headed into the park to take a days leisurely drive to Shenton's Kaingo Camp for an overnight stay. Rover sounded like he was running on 3 cylinders – we found out later this is because he was. About 2km’s into the park – a massive bang and jerk and shclack!schlack!schlak! an awful slapping sound – the rear right hand tyre (steel belted radial) had blown out! Using the big lever jack we started to change the tyre – when one of the park lodge vehicles came on by and the driver kindly gave us a hand – see its not all bad... We would have managed – but it was nice for the testosterone boost to get the nuts undone and the tyre lifted into place. The guests on the vehicle were Zambian and asked “Aren’t you afraid of the lions?” to their obvious incredulousness, Jude replied –“Lions are more interested in tasty impala than screaming humans…” as she continued to unscrew the wheel nuts. Bravado or truth? We meandered through the park visiting the Luangwa Wafa – a now empty ‘oxbow’ of the River, where the river once ran but has naturally diverted away from many years ago. The river-bed has grown over with grasses and is banked by trees a green and lush haven for grazers - with many puku and impala. Sadly – no lion to be seen though.
Driving onward and deeper in the park, we stopped for coffee and biscuits on a high banked bend of the Luangwa – watching hippos fight, crocodiles bask and the graceful Bateleur eagle sore overhead.
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| Kaingo Hippo Territorial Tiff. (c) Judith Price June 2011 |
We knew we had to cross a ‘sand river’ and followed the track. Izzy, from Kaingo, had sent us a PDF map of the last part of the drive – and we booted up the Mac and checked the map. Yep – this was the sand-river. Remembering Steve’s instructions to engage the wheel locks and shift to 4WD, we approached in second gear and keeping a steady pace – made the crossing with no incident. Whoo Hoo! Lets do it again ! Girl Power! and whew, thank the stars for that… Then three kilometres on the engine died…..
The motor would turn over but not continue running. It was 13h00 and hot on a cotton-soil road, luckily though it was open ground so we could see all approaches. The real bugger was that Rover had died not 20 metres from shade on the road but we wouldn’t leave the relative safety of the vehicle for that luxury. Not so worried about lion in the heat of the day – it was buffalo and elephant we kept an eye out for, but they too were elsewhere, probably in their own patches of shade, sensible beings they are… to our relief. We lifted the bonnet and looked in and noted one of the spark plug leads was off – but that was the “running on 3” we had noted earlier, not the reason for ultimate failure. Checking connections, points, leads and scratching our heads we turned the mobile on in the vain hope of having a connection. Nope. The area we were in was close to private camps but the roads were not used often. We settled in for a long wait, sitting in the shade of the Landy. Not half an hour went by when we heard the welcome sounds of a land cruiser coming our way through the bush. Yee ha! It was a Shenton’s vehicle transferring guests to the afternoon flight out of the Valley. The driver-guide radioed back to Kaingo Camp and help was despatched. Within half an hour we had locked up Rover on the side of the road and were on our way to the oasis of Kaingo. With great thanks to Derek Shenton for taking ‘our’ problem and making it his own. He contacted Steve, to organise the vehicle’s removal out of the park.
Greeted by Izzy, Lisa, guide Mayam and house staff it felt like coming home. We were last at Kaingo in August 2008 – a beautifully situated lodge on a permanent flow area of the Luangwa –hippo, croc and elephant abound. ‘Kaingo’ means Leopard in Nyanja – and the camps’ location and surrounds are renowned for Leopard sightings. Following a welcome cool drink we dumped our kit in our lovely twin room and availed ourselves of the private ‘hanging’ deck overlooking the river. We boarded a game drive vehicle for a night drive at 16h00. (Mayam had been our guide in 2008 when, near Shenton’s Mwamba Camp, he found a hyena den and we were the first people to see the inquisitive and fearless cubs. We were astounded Mayam spoke immediately about that night from 4 years ago. That he would remember us – given the thousands of people he has met and provided guiding services for in the interim was astonishing.) We were accompanied by a community scout, Charles and four other guests, Scott and *Rebecca from West Virginia in the US and Ivana and Peter from Melbourne, Australia – we set out for a peaceful meander through Lion Plain area. No lion this night – but an amazing sighting – close to 100 crocodiles surrounding the last few hide-and-bone remains of a hippo on a sand spit in the river. Fully dark when we arrived, the yellow reflective sheen from the spotlight showed the many crocodiles eyes burning bright, some eating, others chasing each other off the carcass. A seething mass of croc from 3 ft to 8 ft monsters. It was phenomenal. Two days previously the adult hippo had died, succumbing to wounds from fighting, his body immediately a life-giving boon to the scavengers. The other four guests had been witness to lion feeding on the hippo the day he had died– the lionesses - fending off the crocodiles, chasing them away from “their hippo” into the water, the crocs returning relentlessly for their fair share. Many vultures including several of the rare lappet-faced waited patiently for their chance of a meal.
It was a ‘Night of the Genets’ – seeing four, one particularly relaxed and in the open – another great sighting. Following a group dinner back at camp we hit bed at 21h00 trying to get to sleep to the irritating; but 100% natural wildlife, sound of a ‘squeeky wheel’ bird. “Eee-eee (pause) Eee-ee (pause) Eee-ee…” Ad naseum… to awake, all too soon, at 5.30 to drums. Shenton’s kindly transferring us, via a game drive with guide Ian and guests Rebecca and Scott, back to Nkwali Camp which is relatively close to Chipembele. Steve had sent Victor, Chipembele’s driver, and the Landcruiser so we made it home by noon. Rover- The Dog now left in the capable hands of the blokes to arrange removal from the park.
Fully Restored - An Evening with Bookey and Richard Peek
We were beside ourselves happy that **Bookey and Richard were still at Chipembele. Bookey is the author of two fabulous books about life with orphaned wildlife in the Matebele Hills of Zimbabwe on their property Stone Hills. All the Way Home -Tales from African Wildlife Sanctuary and Wild Honey - More Tales from Stone Hills. We thoroughly recommend them! We had met Bookey in 2009 – when she launched her second book and toured Australia, giving an entertaining talk and presentation about “Badge” the Honey Badger who was the main character in Wild Honey. We had told Anna and Steve in an email that we were going to see Bookey and they asked us to extend a personal invitation to Bookey and Richard to visit Chipembele. Kaye and I made a proper card with a picture of Steve and Anna on it and fancy font extending the ‘formal’ invitation. We gave it to Bookey whilst lined up for her book signing– much to her surprise! So it is serendipitous and really fantastic that two years later we would happen to be AT Chipembele when Bookey and Richard visited. We were so sad that Anna wasn’t here though! They had arrived while we were away in the Park and we were unsure if they would still be here when we got back as the place was deserted. We were so glad when they turned back up after a drive through the Lower Lupande GMA. Jude opened up the centre and showed Bookey and Richard around telling them about the classes, activities and leaving them to marvel at the wonder of the Interpretive Centre. Bookey and Richard also provide Conservation and Wildlife Education in schools in their area for year 7 and 8 pupils. It is such a shame Anna wasn’t here as Bookey was agog with the centre and wanting to find out as much as possible about the curriculum and subjects.
We all shared lively, interesting, diverse and funny conversation over sundowners and continued, unabated, over dinner. Jude cooked up a couple big pots of Vegie curry, Chicken curry and rice. It was a great night. We hope they will return again when Anna is home to share their mutual passion for the unique and diverse wildlife and education of the children and young people of their respective areas, so it may be conserved for current and future generations.
This evening and our two days rest has restored our humour, perspective and energy.
Here's a little series of Busy Betty and life in the Luangwa... Enjoy!
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| Jude and a short visit by Sprite Bushbuck. |
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| Betty has been busy as this run from this morning shows... |
*Rebecca is the founder of the US based org “Pack for a Purpose”
**Bookey Peek is a Zimbabwe Author (Sanctuary manager and conservationist) and has lived a wonderful wild-life with her husband Richard, her latest book is due for release on 1 July - keep an eye out!
FYI
An earlier interview from ABC (Australia) in 2009 is here: http://www.abc.net.au/local/stories/2009/05/12/2568273.htm
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