Sept '11 - Africa Trip #8

We packed pretty light this year!	Diana took our usual "going away" photo	Off for our adventure, "our backpacks on our backs!"	The Kindle helped us pack so lightly
In Heathrow airport ... we don't QUITE "fit in" sartorially	Our usual scrabble and vodka	Still life	Sunrise over Zambia
Landing at Lusaka airport, yippee!	Our smaller plane, to Mfuwe airport	On the way to Mfuwe, Zambia	On the drive from Mfuwe airport to the South Luangwa National Park
Mfuwe villager	A nice "hello"!	An amazing load	Villagers and safari visitors along the road
Mfuwe shop	Mfuwe village	Roofing thatch	Our first animals of the trip!
Zebras surround the vehicle too	Baby zebra!	Stop for a tea break at a small lagoon	Pelicans and storks
Yellow-billed stork	We pass a dust devil!	The honeymoon tent at Kaingo (we've been here before and love it!)	Siesta time is great for a bath ...
A bath alongside the Luangwa River!	After siesta, we gather in the main chitenge	Frogs in the dining area	Off for an afternoon game drive!
Jim decorated metal water bottles for our drives	Afternoon in the ebony grove	Other guests from Kaingo	Sundowners in the bush ... complete with everything we need!
Sunset in Zambia	The sun is neon salmon!	A bushbuck says "good morning" in front of our tent	Morning game drive with elephants
Mom and baby	Kennedy shows us wild geranium flowers	Still life with flowers	Cyn loves the flowers!
Kennedy does some great game spotting	This used to be a Cape buffalo	This used to be an impala	Waterbuck
Ground hornbills	We love to see impala leaping	Hippo parade	Crowned plovers
Female kudu	Red-billed quelea	Warthog	Back home for brunch by the river
A horrible sight in the main chitenge	Cyn takes a quick shower... and washes her clothes too!	Off for a lunch-time adventure in the hippo hide	The tunnel into the hippo hide
Jim gets settled to take hippo photos	Hippo pile	Baby hippo yawn	Hippos have large teeth
Hippo yawn!	Oxpeckers "singing" on a hippo	Afternoon game drive	Elephants crossing the Luangwa
Elephants deep in the Luangwa	Convenient snorkle	Rolling in the sand after crossing the river	Vervet monkey
Baboon	Elephants on the plain	Elie	Baby elie
Lillian's love birds lift off	Lillian's love birds fly	Lillian's love birds perch	Zebra
Zebra family	Lioness by day	Blacksmith plover	Waterbuck
Jim and Rob compare ... photos?	Female hyena (she's big!)	Female kudu with oxpeckers on board	A trip to the carmine bee-eater hide
Carmine bee-eater	White-fronted bee-eaters	Quelea at sunset	Canoe ride back from the carmine hide
Egyptian geese at sunset	Another beautiful sunset	Zambian sunset	Elephant shrew
Elephant shrew	Giant eagle owl	Water dikkop	Lioness
Lion!	Honey badger	We spend the night in the elephant hide!	It's way up in a tree ... fantastic experience
A visit to the kitchen at Kaingo	Fun to see our name on the organizational board	Writing in the book before we leave for the next camp	The main bar at Kaingo's bush camp, Mwamba
Our rustic chalet at Mwamba	Our elegant bed at Mwamba	The view from bed at Mwamba	Marvelous outdoor loo at Mwamba
Cyn doing the laundry	Delightful lunch for 2 at our Mwamba chalet	A little "hang out" spot in camp	A visit to the small hide in camp
Impala visit the hide	Elies at the tea circle before our game drive	Still life on game drive	Perfect accompaniment for a game drive
Another gorgeous sunset	Mozambique nightjar	Gently caught nightjar for us to observe	Note the bird's insect-catching whiskers
Fires in the distance	Bush hare	Giant eagle owl	We provide our breakfast requests
Preparing breakfast at Mwamba	Slicing freshly baked bread for toast	Ready for a game drive	Leopard and hyena tussled over baboon kill
Hyena finishes off the baboon head (ick)	Crested barbet	Perching doves	Double-banded sandgrouse
Double-banded sandgrouse showing a bit of band!	Lilac-breasted roller	Lilac-breasted roller	Lilac-breasted roller
Lilac-breasted roller	Lilac-breasted roller flies	Bateluer eagle	Bateluer ruffling its feathers
Swallow-tailed bee-eater	Gymnogene	Gymnogene clambering	Gymnogene landing
Cookeson's wildebeest	Cookeson's wildebeest	Cookeson's wildebeest on the run	A baobab in the baobab forest
Baobabs at sunset	Crossing the Luangwa River to our next camp, Tena Tena	Our sweet tent at Tena Tena	Tena Tena tent
View into our Tena Tena tent	Elegant bed at Tena Tena	Outdoor loo at Tena Tena	Washing laundry "smalls" at Tena Tena
Glorious outdoor shower!	Campfire by the sandy river bank	Staff at Tena Tena serving a delicious lunch	Jim's flip flop includes a bottle opener!
Pretty decorations around camp at Tena Tena	Jim's common game drive pose	A romantic game drive pose	Lagoon in the afternoon
Elie reaches high	Saddle-billed stork	Blue waxbill	Great egret
Yellow-billed stork	Male impala	Female impala	Impala leap
Impala leap high!	Impala leap incredibly high!	Crazy horned impala	Baby puku
Baby puku	Back for lunch at Tena Tena	Sundowners on the vehicle (with lions!)	Lioness at sundowners
Young male lion at sundowners	Lioness with scar from previous snare	Lioness stretching	Walking safari with Bertie
Bertie shows us fig fruit and teaches about wasps	The guys fix our tea and coffee	Walking safari coffee break	Giraffe come to watch our coffee break
A "monkey apple" collected on our game drive	Crocs and hippo	Vultures (on dead giraffe)	Banded mongooses
Checking for yummy snacks	Evil croc	Mom and baby	Mom and baby
Tree squirrel	Crowned cranes flying	Crowned cranes come in for landing	Crowned crane gathering
Crowned crane (adult and juvenile)	Crowned crane	Waterbuck	Waterbuck butts
A hot lioness panting	Lunch "in the bush"	Enjoying lunch by the river	The happy couple
Elie mudbath	Elies in the afternoon	Amarula sundowners	Bertie prepares sundowners
Sundown over the Luangwa River	Gecko by night	Genet in the trees	Genet on the ground
At Mfuwe airport, leaving the South Luangwa	Awaiting next flight (4 flights in one day!) at Livingston airport	Our plane from LIvingston to Victoria Falls	Flying over Victoria Falls!
Our flight from Victoria Falls to Manga	Arrival at Manga strip, Hwange National Park, Zimbabwe	Waiting a few minutes for our jeep, Manga strp	Jim back in safari action
A wonderful welcome to Zimbabwe	Somalisa camp, Hwange National Park	Forest of giraffe-thorn trees next to Somalisa camp	Our tent at Somalisa camp
Sumptuous bed at Somalisa	It's a sleigh bed at Somalisa!	Pretty decorations in our tent at Somalisa	Wonderful outdoor bucket shower at Somalisa
Fun view at Somalisa	Jim washes Zimbabwean sand	After a trip to the main loo (this is the marker to show you're in there) we are off for a game drive	Ostrich
Impala leap here, too!	Zebra on the plain	Zebra	Zebra
Sable running	Roan	Kori bustard	Kori bustard
Elephant and black-backed jackal	Black-backed jackal	Bat-eared fox running	Beautiful black-backed jackal
Cheetah!	Cheetahs drink	Cheetahs at sunset	Cheetahs wandering off at sunset
Jim slumbers at Somalisa	One of the water pumps in Hwange park	Yellow-billed hornbill	Yellow-billed hornbill
Crimson-breasted shrike	Lappet-faced vulture	Umbrella thorn tree	Dramatic pose for splinter removal?
Bit of a fight	Mom and baby	Jim and Michael, "termite warriors"	Sunset in Zimbabwe
We encounter rhino researchers	The helicopter getting prepared for rhino darting	Female white rhino in the wild, looking for her baby	Baby rhino recovers after tagging
Baby rhino looks confused	Helicopter hovers for darting	The darting team in place	Rhino is darted ... time to move in!
Rhino team on the way	The scientists get to work	We join the rhino researchers at work	The scientists at work
Rhino being worked on	Rhino with ear and eye protection	Drilling the hole for the aerial	Putting the transmitter in place
Everyone has a quick job to do	Mixing epoxy to hold transmitter and aerial in place	Pouring glue next to aerial	Ensuring aerial is glued in place
There's a large group of scientists!	Cyn with rhino	Jim with rhino	At the rhino tagging!
Back in camp for siesta with elephants	Lunchtime at the pool, Somalisa	We love the elephants so close!	Cyn moves closer
The elephants come really close!	Cyn in heaven with elephants	Game drive "activity"	Jim having fun
Break for coffee and tea	White-browed sparrow weaver	Orange-breasted bunting	Baby underneath
Baby on top	A small baboon argument	Secretary birds	Secretary bird
Leaving Zimbabwe for Zambia again	Enjoying "nshima" at Livingston airport	The fantastic "Cassia suite" we've been given at Chongwe Camp, Lower Zambezi, Zambia	Our gorgeous suite by the Chongwe river
The sitting area in our suite	Elegant bed in our tent at Chongwe	View of the river from our tent at Chongwe	Our own little pool by the Chongwe river
The happy couple in our little pool!	Wonderful bathroom in our suite by the river	Our Chongwe suite bathroom includes a clawfoot tub!	Cyn showers at Chongwe (notice leg!)
Jim showers at Chongwe (notice leg!)	Kids from Conservation Lower Zambezi education center!	Not enough food for elephants during a drought	Cyn's favorite game drive experience: lions roaring
Lion exhausted himself by roaring	Lions laze	Hippos run to water	Hippo moving fast
Enjoying the pool at our Chongwe suite	View of our pool at night, with dinner table in the background	We sit by the fire to enjoy Amarula while dinner is prepared	Elegant dinner in our Chongwe suite
Elegant breakfast in our Chongwe suite	On our boat ride to Tsika Island in the Zambezi (need a little battery repair)	The main chitenge at Tsika Island	Firecircle out front at Tsika Island
View of the Zambezi River from Tsika	Relaxing by the Zambezi, Tsika Island	Still life on Tsika Island	Nicely decorated chitenge at Tsika Island
Our chalet at Tsika (we are the only guests!)	Lovely bed on Tsika	Chris provides Amarula for our sunset cruise	Ready for sundowners!
Sundowners on the Zambezi River	Local fishermen in a mokorro	Morning tea and snacks being prepared in our room, Tsika Island	Breakfast cereals, Tsika Island
Cultural village museum nearby Tsika Island	The kids in the nearby village	Older sister is responsible	Love to see sisters taking care of each other!
Posing for a photo	More kids posing for a photo	The kids go crazy, posing	Kids wander along to the cultural village
Cyn shows off the old-fashioned clothes made from baobab bark	Villager demonstrates how to grind maize for nshima	Watching the villager's dance	Accompaniment for the village dancers
Cyn enjoys meeting kids in the village	Arriving back at Chongwe camp	Elephants greet us at Chongwe	The main gathering area at Chongwe
Elephant at the central loo!	Lunch being served at Chongwe, with elephants	Lovely lunch table at Chongwe	Jim in front of our tent, Chongwe
Nice open-air loo at Chongwe	An elephant joins us at siesta, Chongwe	Standing on the loo, Chongwe, in elephant ecstacy	Off for a game drive
Chirapira mountain in the clear air	Baobabs against Chirapira mountain	The red cliffs	Cyn loves baobabs
A baobab holding hands with a sausage fruit tree	Stopping for a tea break in shade	White-browed coucal	Pied kingfisher
Black-winged stilt and hadeda ibis	Hadeda ibis	Saddle-billed stork	Interesting erosion near the Zambezi River
Sundown on the Zambezi	Sunset point, Zambezi River	Sunset with Chirapira mountain	Amarula at sunset, Zambezi River
Our chalet at Old Mondoro, our last safari camp of the trip	Delivered to our Old Mondoro chalet by vehicle ... too many elephants in camp for walking!	Our Old Mondoro chalet	View from our Old Mondoro chalet to the little lagoon
Old Mondoro open-air loo is marvelous!	Enjoying our tub at Old Mondoro	The tub at Old Mondoro is wonderful!	Elephants come to camp every siesta at Old Mondoro!
Elephant visiting our chalet at Old Mondoro	Enjoying our chalet on the lagoon	Typical siesta at Old Mondoro	Old Mondoro bedstead is lovely
Chameleon in camp!	Lunch table at Old Mondoro	Lunch at Old Mondoro	Elephant joining lunch at Old Mondoro
The happy couple at lunch at Old Mondoro	Elephant in camp!	Jim is ready for another game drive	Cliff erosion on the Zambezi River
Tea time on the game drive!	Five painted snipe	Warthog	Yellow-billed stork ... with a KILL!
Baby giant eagle owl	Senegal coucal	Red-billed quelea flock	Leopard tortoise
Lilac-breasted roller	Lily pads	Mom and baby	Baboon familiy
Saddle-billed stork	Red-winged pratincole	Sundowners at Old Mondoro	Our last game drive of the season
Leopard in a tree OVER us!	Leopard runs down from tree	Leopard begins her hunt	Leopard by night
TIme to leave Zambia -- until next year!