Day 10 - Kafue, Zambia

Last night as we arrived and started setting up camp, cooking dinner, putting the ground sheets down, putting the chairs out etc., Ernest was already on his rounds around the other camp sites to find out who was there, where they came from, what age were they and what was their philosophy in life. Anyone who knows Ernest will know I am telling the truth. He then arrives back and tells us all their life history while we are sitting around the fire.

One guy was only 60 and had just said “bugger it,” left his house for a year and has just been wondering around for the last two months. Another bunch next door to us, were a group of young kids on a missionary exchange from England. They had finished their stint in some Lusaka mission station and decided to come up to Kafue for a few days before heading home. They had very little to eat, in-fact onion and couscous, one plate between them and one little pot and a knife and a spoon. So we adopted some orphan Annie's there. There were some Swiss guys etc. etc. etc. Ernest always says that his basic purpose in life is an “Adventurer” but I think he has got it wrong, it is an “Entertainer.” So we all agreed we will compromise and call him an “Entertaining Adventurer.”

We had a great big Hippo right next to the back of the truck; he came visiting just as I decided to get some water out the back tap. I thought about it afterwards and realized that I could have just ducked under the back bumper if it had come for me but it really wasn't very interested in any of us and probably walks past this campsite every night at the same time.

Our dear Piza arrived early and took our piles of washing away with him, there was so much that he didn't reappear for the whole day, my gosh it was so meticulously washed and ironed I felt like I was back in Joburg. You have no idea how dirty everything gets out here, especially the dishcloths. Last night someone was drying with one of the unwashed ones and she just looked at it and said

"oh well just close your eyes and pretend it is brand sparking new and clean and who the hell know the difference.”

Ernest and I then went off to go find the owners of the campsite; we had got very muddled as we thought the owner was a friend of AK's. AK is a guide who is now working for us at Safari but spent years in this neck of the woods running fishing lodge on the Zambezi. We found the owner but his name was Patrick.  He is a local from Zambia who started the camp from the word dot (as he kept saying), he built the whole place himself and was very enthusiastic about his future plans - build this, change that, move this, what a delightful man with a very broad smile and a great sense of humor.

It appeared that AKs friend managed one of the other lodges so we took Kobus's car and off we went to try and track them down. The first lodge we went to was a very run down little place run by an old guy, who was practically blind, and his daughter.  On we moved, the second place we found, we hit the jackpot. Lynda had however gone to Lusaka for the day but Jacque was there, a good old Freestate boytjie. Ernest and I had camped at this lodge 12 years ago when we were here with Mark and Jacqui, now they no longer have campsites so that is obviously why we weren't booked in there as we thought we had been.

It hadn't changed much in 15 years except for their resident hippo, Bob, who wonders into the lodge when he is feeling lonely. He has apparently been doing this since he was four months old, he obviously had lost his mother and the lodge was a safe place for him away from predators etc.

We were all set for a game drive in the lodge vehicle in the afternoon. It is a real pain to put down the tents etc, much easier to go with their vehicle. We had to split up though as the game drive vehicle could only fit 8 and the boat could fit a Max of 4. So three went boating and 8 headed for the bush with Patrick as our guide. We had sent Fritz to check on the sundowner site - should we take our own drinks or were there drinks on the vehicle. He came back saying there were drinks but he didn't recommend the Gilby’s if we wanted a G&T as it tasted pretty weird. So we packed our own and climbed onto the oldest Land Cruiser that is still going on planet earth.

Oh my gosh it was a '80s something model but in great condition and obviously well loved by Patrick. The seats were the most uncomfortable ones I have ever sat in on a game drive and we would be shot in SA if we had that standard of cruiser but here it is totally acceptable and with three up per seat I felt a little like an egg sandwich with me the eggie in the middle and Ernest and Fritz the bread on either side--a pretty squashed sandwich at that.

When I asked Patrick when we would be back he said about 9.... Ha ha I thought he was joking!!!

Anyway off we set like a bunch of sandwiches and for the first half of the drive we had a wonderful time, we saw stacks of general game and interesting birds, we stopped at the most idealic spot for sundowners, overlooking the water and in view of about thirty hippos who just got closer and closer. They are very curious animals and really started to give us a wonderful display of opening their mouths and grunting.  The sunset was spectacular and out came Patrick with his drinks. Fritz says Ernest and I are too polite as I just couldn't pull out our own drinks so we had their Gilbys and tonic. Well there was either something very wrong with the Gilby’s (which Ken says they make from Bananas) or there was something very wrong with the tonic. Oh my god it was awful but that will teach us for trying to be polite.

Well the whole thing went downhill from there, we saw literally nothing from then on and he was not joking about the 9 o'clock bit. It got colder and colder, Stanley the tracker resorted to standing up to try and see over the long grass and after a while we were all sure he was fast asleep just swinging  the torch from side to side with a  mechanical arm. I don't even think he was turning his head, just swinging the light back and forth. Kobus and Sonja were huddled up in the front trying to cover themselves with blankets. Me as the egg sandwich was probably the best off as I had two warm bodies on either side of me.... And all we saw was an Elephant Shrew. My gosh it was a moment when we saw this little thing running down the road and he gave us quite a show too, what excitement we had seen one of the" little" five. To be fair you sometimes do get game drives like that when the game just disappears and it was no fault of our two guys in the front who were trying their best.

That night around the fire talking about our game drive was the highlight of the day, each guy giving their version of how they did on the drive and the elephant shrew! We were all convinced that the land cruiser was going to give up the ghost and my bum was so numb I couldn't even feel it by the time we got off the car. Amazing what you can find funny when you are so totally relaxed and on holiday.

We spent another night around the fire, the boys (men) singing and relaxing. We only got to bed at 11.30, our latest night yet after the long cold game drive. To be fair to Patrick he really tried to find us something and he has huge knowledge of the bush which even impressed Fritz.

We awarded the Blond bimbo award to Steve today. While we were sitting around the fire he excitedly showed two big round things to Fritz and asked him if they were vegetable Ivory. Fritz looked at it and said " no Steve those are the Avo pips that the girls through into the bush!!! He did have the grace to blush!

Signing off!