Just a quick update...a lot has been going on the past few days....
Coley and I decided to go on another bicycle tour with Cowboy Cliff on Wednesday morning. On our way to the village where his "Local Cowboy" school is located a family of elephants crossed our path. We were a few hundred feet away and able to take a lot of photos. That is until the mama elephant saw us and started to walk towards us. Cowboy Cliff told us, "Get on your bikes now!!" What a rush.
Cowboy Cliff's school is absolutely amazing. Especially considering it all started when one man in Zambia with one bike decided to start his own business. I told him I would write to Oprah to tell her his story and I definitely plan to.
Nemanja (my friend who I met in college in London) came to meet Coley, Regina and myself at our lodge in Livingstone Wednesday and we had dinner at the Royal Livingstone. The next morning we went to Botswana where we were supposed to have a guide-lead tour of Chobe National Park/Game Reserve, however in true African style our reservation did not exist. Nemanja took it in stride and decided to be our guide and drive his SUV around the park. This was wonderful until we got stuck in the sand...not a good place to get stuck based on the number of wild animals living in the area. A nice family got us out and we were on our way.
We saw giraffes, a lioness, buffalo's, crocodiles, hippos, impalas and so many elephants, many of them were within 100 feet away from our car. It was amazing.
Then about one hour after we got stuck in the sand we discovered we had a flat tire and needed to repair it--again in the middle of the bush/where the wild animals live. It was all okay in the end and quite the real life safari.
Then we went to the Royal Livingstone for the sunset where we were only a few feet away from wild zebras. One of them got very close to kicking me...Coley has the photographic evidence.
Today we drove to Lusaka where Nemanja and his family live and we are staying at his house. It is the perfect end to an amazing journey in Africa.
Thank you all for supporting me along the way.
Love to all.
Friday, July 6, 2007
Tuesday, July 3, 2007
Zambia
So Coley, Regina and I are in Zambia, we arrived on Sunday and it is gorgeous. The first night was quite interesting in terms of our accommodations but now we are staying in a slightly nicer place called the Livingstone Safari Lodge. We have a big cabin to ourselves that is basically open air other than the mosquito netting so it is a lot like camping.
Yesterday we rode elephants. That's right, elephants. It was insane and a lot of fun. We took some fabulous pictures. Coley and the baby elephant were fast "friends"--the elephant rammed her with her head which means it thought she was another elephant to play with. This "baby" elephant weights more than 150 pounds.
We got to see Victoria Falls from the Zambian side and it was absolutely spectacular. A local man who is called Cowboy Cliff took us on a bike tour from our lodge to the falls. He stopped along the way to point out various plants and herbal remedies used by the Zambian people. Then we went to the falls and got soaking wet but the views were incredible. Then we rode back into town. The bike ride was great--wonderful to finally get some real exercise in. We also got to see wild Zebras and Giraffes along the road: We truly are in Africa.
At the end of the ride Cliff shared with us photos of the "Local Cowboy Pre-school"--a school Cliff started in 2003 with the profits from bike tours like ours (we paid $25 each for a five hour tour). He hopes to expand the school. I couldn't believe that this man, who could have had a more comfortable lifestyle through his successful business, chose to open a school with his excess profits to give back to the community. If anyone is planning a trip to Zambia anytime in the future please look up Cowboy Cliff.
Today we were supposed to go on a rafting trip down the Zambezi River but it got cancelled. We are going to try to reschedule for tomorrow. Tomorrow evening my friend from college in London, Nemanja (who lives in Zambia), is coming to meet up with us and get some dinner and then Thursday we are going on a safari in Botswana! Then we are off to Lusaka to stay with Nemanja's family, see some more animals, etc. Then Regina and I return to Livingstone for one night and then we go our separate ways. It has truly been an amazing trip.
I don't know what I would have done without Regina and what a treat to have Coley come meet up with us. My love to you all. My next correspondence may not be until I am in Bali in about a week.
Yesterday we rode elephants. That's right, elephants. It was insane and a lot of fun. We took some fabulous pictures. Coley and the baby elephant were fast "friends"--the elephant rammed her with her head which means it thought she was another elephant to play with. This "baby" elephant weights more than 150 pounds.
We got to see Victoria Falls from the Zambian side and it was absolutely spectacular. A local man who is called Cowboy Cliff took us on a bike tour from our lodge to the falls. He stopped along the way to point out various plants and herbal remedies used by the Zambian people. Then we went to the falls and got soaking wet but the views were incredible. Then we rode back into town. The bike ride was great--wonderful to finally get some real exercise in. We also got to see wild Zebras and Giraffes along the road: We truly are in Africa.
At the end of the ride Cliff shared with us photos of the "Local Cowboy Pre-school"--a school Cliff started in 2003 with the profits from bike tours like ours (we paid $25 each for a five hour tour). He hopes to expand the school. I couldn't believe that this man, who could have had a more comfortable lifestyle through his successful business, chose to open a school with his excess profits to give back to the community. If anyone is planning a trip to Zambia anytime in the future please look up Cowboy Cliff.
Today we were supposed to go on a rafting trip down the Zambezi River but it got cancelled. We are going to try to reschedule for tomorrow. Tomorrow evening my friend from college in London, Nemanja (who lives in Zambia), is coming to meet up with us and get some dinner and then Thursday we are going on a safari in Botswana! Then we are off to Lusaka to stay with Nemanja's family, see some more animals, etc. Then Regina and I return to Livingstone for one night and then we go our separate ways. It has truly been an amazing trip.
I don't know what I would have done without Regina and what a treat to have Coley come meet up with us. My love to you all. My next correspondence may not be until I am in Bali in about a week.
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