Camping on the Kafue

Seth is in Choma on business, which means…I have time to write. We have just had a pretty incredible few days, the kind that make you “get back in touch with Africa.” Sometimes it just feels like we live in any big city in a third world country. It seems the characteristics, are so similar in the developing world sometimes that I start to forget about the uniqueness of Zambia. But I have definitely been reminded this weekend. We drove three hours west of Lusaka to Kafue national park. It is on the Kafue river. We camped at the Mukambi Safari Bush Camp for one night. We didn’t go on any tours, boat or jeep safaris. In fact we didn’t venture more than a kilometer from our camp sight and we saw: elephant, vervet monkey, warthog, a small crocodile and several varieties of bush buck.

I was a little excited about the elephants.

Tommy and I trucked and mucked through some warthog paths and literally ended up being in their way and about three feet next to three warthogs. Apparently these three are used to humans and left us alone. I was pretty nervous for about thirty seconds there. We climbed up a gorgeous Baobab tree – so iconic.

Minutes from our near death experience...

The perpetrators.

Taking some turds for a ride.

Fishing on the Kafue...no swimming! It is infested with crocs!

Cali had a nasty fall, which is kind of a funny story. First, she fell off of the bed….while we were camping. Yep, we have gone a little soft and slept on a huge air mattress. Second, the said event occurred while Seth, who has never read a piece of fiction since I have been married to him, was reading “The Hunger Games”. So Cali was our little tribute and ended up with battle wounds because of the hunger games…curse the Capital! Also, I will have to submit requests to Seth in writing if I want to leave Cali next to him on the bed...ever.

Then in an attempt to see how negligent we could be...we allowed the following events transpire.

After threats of: "We will take the machete away if you keep waving it around" (we are such good parents) He finally settled on sitting sentinel and keeping the monkeys from the ice chest. A machete is called a "cutlass" in Zambia...I think it makes it sound less dangerous.

Observing nature.
Nature calls.

We fed some vervet monkeys living in the tree by our campsite. I am sure this was a bad move, but it was so awesome watching these little guys eating watermelon. Thomas named on of the “Blueberry” for obvious reasons.

I have a serious soft spot in my heart for momma monkeys...I will give them anything...because, they deserve it!

Then we came home to the finals of the Africa Cup of Nations, Zambia vs. Ivory Coast. Zambia has never won before and in 1993 there entire soccer team was killed in an airplane crash in Gabon (the same country where the finals were played.) I heard it was an intense game. Seth watched it with a bunch of students at the college where we live. It didn’t end until 12:30 AM at which point there were air horns, shouts music and all manner of merriment. I couldn’t be happier for Zambia. What an amazing six months this country has had with the election of a new president (peaceful turn over of power) and then this. I wish I had gotten a picture of all the cars decorated and crowding the Great East Road on their way to greet the champions at the airport. Even now I can hear parties!