Walk this way A tour of Zambia’s National Parks on foot brought Jan and Mike (right) close to birdlife, lion, flora and elephant
ZAMBIA
Jan Pester and Mike Widdis traveled to Zambia with Audley
“I
t could be impala,” I ventured, “or perhaps kudu.” “Well, it’s not elephant or hippo,” said my husband, not very helpfully. The two of us, together with Joseph, our guide, and Goodfellow, our ranger, were standing looking at a pile of dung. Joseph gurgled with laughter. “Elephant poo is massive – and hippo! Do you know about hippo?” We shook our heads. I hadn’t expected to be engaging in an early-morning conversation about dung. We’d gone to Zambia for a safari in three of its national parks, staying in three different safari camps. Our second camp, Luwi, was very simple – it had just five thatch-and-reed huts, which were rebuilt by hand every year after the rains. We ate
outside under the trees by a small thatched bar and an even smaller ‘kitchen’, which nevertheless managed to provide great meals. An ‘animal highway’ ran across the plain right in front of camp, and we watched families of elephant wander past during the day on their way to the nearby lagoon.
A HIPPO’S TALE
Activities here focused on walking safaris, and it had been with a degree of trepidation that we’d set off on our first walk. After a 5:15am wake-up call and a breakfast of coffee, toast and eggs by an open fire beside the river, we left camp at 6am. Joseph led us in single file, while Goodfellow brought up the rear – no loud talking, which would disturb the animals and birds. We stopped whenever we came
across something interesting, so Joseph could tell us more about it, or whenever we wanted to ask a question. It was far from the fierce variety of trekking that I’d been fearing. “Let me tell you about the hippo,” continued Joseph. “You need to understand that God was tired when he created him. It was his last day, and he didn’t have much material left. So he put together what he had and made it into a clumpy shape with a big ugly head and dumpy legs – and told the hippo he had to live in Africa.” “But it’s so hot there,” said the hippo. “Can we at least sit in the water?” God considered this but decided not. “Look, I’ve made the rivers and put the fish in and we don’t want them eaten by you. So, no, you can’t sit in the water.”
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