When Is Now - Part 4

Kapamba Bush Camp

After a delicious breakfast at Mfuwe Lodge, we drove for several hours to reach our camp, which was the equivalent of a game drive. We saw a lot of animals and watched and sat in awe of the changing landscape as we moved closer to our next camp.

We arrived at our camp, Kapamba, at around 2:00 and I immediately realized that Kapamba must be heaven on earth.

We were greeted by Ian, the camp manager, and a few others on his team. our bags were sorted to each of our rooms and we went straight to lunch.

Hidden deep in the bush and right on the Kapamba River, this camp is the ultimate in intimacy and understated luxury. The main area, where all of the dining and lounging takes place, is open air and looks over the very shallow Kapamba river. The great thing about the Kapamba river is that it is too shallow for crocodiles and hippos. You’ll realize why this is “great” as you read on.

All of the Bush Camps are quite small. Kapamba only has four rooms, so the Magnificent Seven took over for the two nights we were there. The rooms are stunning. They are all aligned on the river and you have a view of the river from wherever you are and whatever you are doing. The side facing the river has no wall; Just an iron gate that you close at night to keep the animals out. The tub is massive. It is the size of a six person Jacuzzi and so large that someone from the camp has to come fill it for you.

Beautiful and oh so comfy room at Kapamba

After lunch, we had a little while to rest up and then we went out on our evening game drive. We had a lovely sundowner and some great sightings.

The next morning, Mishek took us on a walking safari, which was great! A walking safari gives you a whole new perspective of the landscape around you. You are out of a vehicle and close to the ground. We saw porcupine quills, various footprints, termite mounds, interesting plants and elephants. What an experience to see an elephant as you are on foot! As our walking safari ended, we were surprised with an incredible bush breakfast right on the South Luangwa River. The food was delicious, the company was perfect and the sound of the hippos in the river behind us topped it all off.

I don't normally go for walks. But when I do, It's with Mishek. — I don’t normally go for walks. But when I do, It’s with Mishek.

As we were driving back to camp, we noticed a family of elephants taking a mud bath in the river. We stopped and watched them for quite a while. These are my favorite safari experiences: taking a moment to just “be” with the animals. To watch them, to listen to them and be part of their world for a moment. To me, this is much more valuable than rushing from sighting to sighting just so you can say you have seen the “big five”.

This family was particularly pleasant to watch. They were taking a mud bath in the Kapamba and quite playful. We saw a very young baby, who hadn’t learned how to use her trunk, drink from the river by mouth. As some would bath, others would rest their massive heads on the edge of the river bank. Once they noticed us, they paraded out of the river, one-by-one, several of them giving us a little mock charge as they walked by. Before disappearing into the bush, one of the them put on quite a show as she pulled up mounds of red dirt with her tusk and flipped it onto her back. A little ele sunblock.

We returned to the lodge and made our way to the river. We grabbed a bottle of wine, some beers and some chairs and relaxed, laughed and watched the kids race all while sitting in that shallow Kapamba river. It was fantastic.

Before long, it was time to shower (with a view of eles in the river) and head out for our last evening game drive.

We drove out to the same spot where we saw the elephants taking their mud bath earlier in the day. It was funny to see the huge hole they left from rolling around. I wasn’t paying much attention as the vehicle came to a stop, but when I looked up I quickly realized two things:

1. We weren’t going to find animals

2. This was going to be a spectacular and unforgettable sundowner

There was a row of chairs set up for us in the river and facing towards the sunset. There were lanterns around the chairs and a small table set up with snacks and cocktails. It was stunning. We kicked off our shoes, made our way into the river and were greeted by Ian and staff as if we had just walked into a five star restaurant. We popped open one of our last bottles of Veuve and toasted to a spectacular trip. It was such a lovely evening and I will never forget it.

Matthew and Jessica enjoying our last evening

With Mishek, we became the "Magnificent Eight" — With Mishek, we became the “Magnificent Eight”

We did see a few animals on our drive back to camp. The one that amazed me the most? A chameleon! I do love a chameleon, but the fact that Mishek spotted it in the dark and hanging from a tree was the most amazing thing about it. When we got back to camp, we had a lovely dinner and hit the sack, so we could be up early for our long journey back to Livingstone.

I truly loved Mfuwe Lodge, Kapamba and the safari experience in South Luangwa. I would return in a heartbeat and hope to someday return to Kapamba and some of the other Bushcamps with the Mr..

If you are an experienced safarier (Yes, it’s a word. It’s in the Urban Dictionary), you will probably want to limit your time at Mfuwe Lodge and move on to the Bush Camps. If this is your first safari, Mfuwe Lodge is a great place to start before moving into the Bushcamps. Either way, you will feel welcomed and cared for by the amazing staff, well fed with delicious food and surrounded by beautiful sights and sounds of the African bush. And, if you see Mishek, tell him I say “hi”.

Tags safari, South Luangwa, Zambia

Africa Zambia

South Luangwa’s Mfuwe Lodge

Post author By Andrea
Post date 12:41 pm
4,211 Comments on South Luangwa’s Mfuwe Lodge

Where to begin…I love being in the African bush. It is the only place I have been where my soul is completely at peace. The volume is down, but the silence is powerful, the inner voices retreat and I can just be. Moments in the bush are moments where I am the most present.

This is the third time I have returned home from Africa and with each of these return trips, I have noticed a trend. It seems to take me forever to work my way through pictures and share them. I’ll flip through them hundreds of times and each time, I experience an array of emotions. This process reminds me of the Dr. Seuss quote “Don’t cry because it’s over. Smile because it happened”. And then there is that part about sharing an album that truly tells the story of the experience. I get so hung up on this and struggle with trying to perfectly portray the bliss, beauty, peace and perfection of being in the African bush. But, what I am also learning, is that it is impossible to truly portray the experience, whether it be pictures or words. And, maybe that is the beauty of travel altogether. How you experience a place- what you see, feel, smell, taste, do; what you walk away with- is incredibly personal to you and soley based on your perceptions. This post and the following “Kapamba” post are my experiences in the Zambian bush.

We left Livingstone for Mfuwe with a quick stopover in Lusaka. We arrived in the afternoon and were picked up at the airport by Mishek. Mishek has been a guide for a very long time and has known Jay and Sarah for many years. When they have the choice, Mishek is their go-to guy and it doesn’t take long to realize why. Mishek not only grew up in and around the bush, he has studied long and hard to be a Ranger/Guide. He is knowledgeable, but also has this very calming way about him that just makes you feel comfortable in his presence. And, it is obvious from the first few minutes that you are with him that he has a true love of and respect for the bush. He belongs there. Cool side note: Mishek has an identical twin brother, who is also a guide at the lodge.

We drove down a long dirt road through the town of Mfuwe. The road was busy with people walking and riding their bikes and everyone, especially the children, waved as we drove by. Okay, so maybe we were waving at them from sheer excitement of being there but, they did wave back. We entered the gates of South Luangwa National Park and Mfuwe lodge wasn’t far from the gate entrance. Once we arrived, we were checked in quickly and shown to our rooms. We settled in, freshened up and then made our way back to the restaurant for afternoon tea.

Mfuwe Lodge is much bigger than the 7-10 room lodges I have stayed at in the past and is quite lovely. If you do a quick search on Mfuwe, you will see that it is famous for the family of elephants that parade through their lobby every fall. This is the path that they have taken for years to reach the Mangos from the wild mango tree. It’s just that, at some point, the lodge was built in the path. So, they just roam through it and that seems to work for everyone involved.

The rooms are spacious and cozy. Our room looked out over the watering hole and had a lovely, relaxing deck. As I listened to conversations around me during afternoon tea, I could tell that many were visiting for a second or third time. After filling up on some sandwhiches and tea, it was time to hit the road for our first game drive. I could hardly contain my excitement. There is always the excitement of going out into the bush, but this excitement was charged by knowing that my Mom was going to experience the thrill of seeing beautiful creatures running wild and free and the peace of being in the bush.

As we left the lodge, we immediately saw two hippos grazing on land. This was a first for me – to see them out of the water and this close.

We drove a bit more and moved over to our first sighting: some lions stalking prey. As we pulled up to the area, there were way more vehicles than I was accustomed to seeing. And, as we stayed for a few minutes, more and more vehicles pulled up (these were from several lodges). I started to feel uncomfortable with this, particularly when it became apparent that the hunter we were watching was a very young male.

About 10 vehicles were lined up around the cub and, some followed as he began to stalk. This was upsetting to see and, as I was with friends I hadn’t travelled with before, I wasn’t sure how to react. Before I knew it, Jay asked Mishek to leave the area and was also quite agitated with the situation. Thank goodness!! I later saw Jay give some of the other guides (that he knows well) an earful for participating in this silliness. Unfortunately, I saw similar situations throughout the couple of days we were at Mfuwe. And, just to be clear, these are not all vehicles from Mfuwe Lodge nor are they controlled by Mfuwe Lodge.

We had some magnificent sundowners and beautiful game drives at Mfuwe. One of my favorite sightings was one that we saw early on. We saw a young leopard cub in a tree feeding on an impala that his mother had caught and dragged up there for him. His mother patiently cleaned her paws on the ground below him and as he shimmied down the tree to join her, we all held our breaths and crossed our fingers that he wouldn’t make a clumsy mistake.

Mom's watching — Mom’s watching. Isn’t she stunning?

Another favorite was this massive pride that was quite content and full on an animal I would rather not mention. Such is the cycle of life in the bush…

The food at Mfuwe was fantastic! They had just brought in a new chef and she was quite talented. For breakfast, the jungle oats were delicious and for lunch, I loved all of the salad choices. There were some other nice surprises, but I will leave them out of this write-up in case you are reading this in preparation for your trip there.

The U Foundation also supports a large school in the town of Mfuwe. One afternoon, we were fortunate enough to visit the school, meet the head teacher and go out onto the sports field and play with the kids and their new, donated equipment.

It was such a fun experience. My favorite was watching some of the girls play Netball. I haven’t seen this game in the states, but it looks similar to basketball (but even quicker) and the girls playing were fierce!

For the most part, Mfuwe Lodge is a stopping off point before heading out to the more isolated “Bush Camps“. There are six bushcamps that are all scattered deep in the bush of the South Luangwa park (hence the name “Bush Camps”). These are much smaller and more intimate than Mfuwe Lodge and I was really looking forward to getting to our Bush Camp, Kapamba.

Tags africa, safari, South Luangwa, Zambia

Africa Zambia

Elephants, Vic Falls & Ice Cream

Post author By Andrea
Post date 11:32 am
4,036 Comments on Elephants, Vic Falls & Ice Cream

No visit to Livingstone is complete without a trip to Victoria Falls, so this was definitely on the agenda. A couple of weeks before leaving for Zambia, Jay emailed Mom and me to ask if we would like to bring some of the children from the school with us. Of course we did! From there, the trip evolved into a visit with elephants before the Falls and ice cream after the Falls and all three of these things would be a first for the children.

One of the teachers, Constance, selected four children (all 4-5 years old) to join us and she came along as well. We were also joined by Peter, who is a bit older now, but attended Siankaba Nursery School a few years prior. The five of them met us at the lodge, had some breakfast there and off we went.

The kid’s eyes were huge as we drove out of the village and they were completely silent the entire drive. Our first stop was a visit with semi-wild elephants. We were all given a brief overview of the elephants we were meeting and then went off to visit with our individual elephants. The kids went over to meet a baby elephant that was barely as tall as they were. As to be expected, they were pretty frightened, as they are taught that elephants are dangerous from very early on. We didn’t spend much time with the elephants before we had a nice lunch and then went off to the falls.

As I mentioned, the visit to the falls was a first for the kids. Again, they were very quiet and wide eyed as we got closer to the massive, water filled gorge that we could hear thundering and swishing the whole way in. We walked a bit with the kids and took them to some lookout areas that they didn’t dare get to close to.

While there, Charlie did not want to pass up an opportunity to zipline across the gorge. I loved the kid’s faces as they watched him get buckled in and then watched him fly off the cliff. I can only imagine what they were thinking as they sat there in complete silence.

After a couple of hours at the falls, we went into town for a stop at the “Hungry Lion” for some ice cream. Again, a first for the kids. I wish I could have seen them enjoy it, but I opted to go with Sarah to take Peter to get shoes for the next school year.

Maybe the shock of the day had worn off, or the comfort that we were going home had settled in or, maybe it was just a sugar high from the ice cream, but the kiddos that were so quiet the entire day were quite chatty on the way home. They were speaking to eachother in their own language, but it was pretty clear they were recounting the events of the day.

As we settled in after the long day and as we continue to tell this story we talk about what a day they had. But, what a day we had, too. I will mention this more than once in postings about this trip, but what made this trip stand out was the people. Not only the people I was traveling with, but the people I got to meet and actually spend time with along the way.

Tags The U Foundation, Victoria Falls, Zambia

Africa Zambia

Real Africa: The Village and School of Siankaba

Post author By Andrea
Post date 11:27 am
4,051 Comments on Real Africa: The Village and School of Siankaba

The next few days at Siankaba were busy and fun. Our first morning we had a delicious breakfast and took a walk through the village of Siankaba and went over to the nursery school. Siankaba is a small village comprised of mud huts, gardens and a tiny store. You don’t see many cars in the village as most people get around by foot or by bicycle. As someone said, Siankaba is “real Africa”. Most of the employees at the lodge live in Siankaba and most of the small children of the employees go to Siankaba Nursery School.

We stopped to say hi to some of the villagers and made our way to the school where all of the children were waiting for us at the entrance. This was their day off, but when they heard that visitors were coming, the majority of the students came to school…dressed in their uniforms. The kids who attend this school range in age from 3-5 and some of them walk several miles, from other villages, to go to school here. The U Foundation has worked hard to create a beautiful, safe place for these kids to get a start on their education and what the U foundation has created with the nursery school is revolutionary in this area.

We brought out a lot of Charlie’s donations…mostly sporting equipment and toys. Some of the toys were LEGOS, which the kids had never seen before, so we had to show them how to play with them. Of course, it took them less than 30 seconds to catch on.

We watched the kids play Mr. Wolf, set them up with some footballs (soccer balls) and Charlie taught them to play Cricket (and may or may not have hit a few kids with the ball. Charlie!). Owen, one of the teacher’s son, was celebrating his 4th birthday, so the lodge made a cake for him and the rest of the children.

We also got to put our handprints on the wall!

Mom putting her handprint on the wall. (Photo by FP)

After a great afternoon at the school, we headed back to the lodge to freshen up and head for sundowners on the river. We had crossed to the mainland by mokoro earlier in the day, but this time, for whatever reason, we tried to attempt the local’s way, which is standing. This was difficult and terrifying and I’m pretty sure my Mom was trying to push me in.

We should sit down. (FP Pic)

Choongo, who is a Dr. at the local hospital and a friend of Jay and Sarah’s, joined us for the day at the school and for Sundowners that night. This time, we were able to pull up on Hippo Island.

This was also the night of the “Super Moon”.

A wonderful dinner followed the sundowners, some time by the fire then off to bed for another full day. The nights were pretty chilly, but every time we climbed into bed, our heating blankets were on and warmed for us. Warm cozy blankets, the river flowing below us and the fresh cool air…It was perfect.

Tags africa, Zambia

Africa Zambia

The Zambezi, Sundowners and the Village Choir

Post author By Andrea
Post date 11:23 am
9,822 Comments on The Zambezi, Sundowners and the Village Choir

There is something really special about Islands of Siankaba. I can’t quite put my finger on it, but it just feels good. It feels like home. The majority of the staff here for this trip were here during our last trip five years ago and they are wonderful. They all seem genuinely happy to be there and nothing you could ask for would be too much.

The lodge itself is set up on a series of little islands connected by rope bridges. The main area, with the restaurant/ lounge area and pool and spa is on one island and the rooms are on little islands from there. Everything is open air. The rooms themselves are luxury tents, on stilts, with hardwood floors and claw-foot tubs. They are beautiful. The best part is the balcony overlooking the Zambezi. It is so wonderfully peaceful. You go to bed to the sound of grunting hippos and wake to playful Vervet Monkeys scrambling across your canvass roof.

By the time we arrived, it was late in the afternoon. We had just enough time to hear the rules of the house, take a quick tour and then board the pontoon boat for some sundowners on the Zambezi. I am a BIG fan of sundowners. What a wonderful thing to be out in nature and pause to celebrate the sun setting on a beautiful day in a beautiful place. And there is nothing like an African sunset. Oh, and the other reason sundowners are great- they include cocktails. Cocktails are key.

Just to back pedal, about 10 days before this trip, I completed my third Ironman. Jay and Sarah came ALL THE WAY FROM LONDON to see me race in Whistler. As a congratulations, they gave me a bottle of Veuve-Clicquot , which I told them was my favorite champagne. While we were laying over in Johannesburg, Jay (Fancy Pants) disappeared for a bit and when he returned, he had 8 bottles of Veuve in tow. One for each sundowner.

Okay, back to the pontoon! So we rushed out to the river just in time for the sunset. Jay popped open the Veuve and there we were, our first night in Zambia, on the Zambezi, listening to the flow of the river, singing birds and grunting hippos with great company and a glass of champagne in hand. Our first sundowner as the, self dubbed, “Magnificent Seven”.

As we waited in the lounge area to be called for dinner, we heard a woman singing in the distance. The singing got closer and we realized it was coming from one of the bridges. It was so incredible and right as she came out of the darkness and into site, an entire choir came in singing behind her. They all filled the room and sang for us for about 10 minutes. The setting, the entrance, the voices…everything about it was magical. Jay (Fancy Pants), surprised us all with the village choir. We had only been in Zambia for a few hours and it seemed impossible to top what little time we had been there.

Africa Zambia

Welcome To Islands of Siankaba

Post author By Andrea
Post date 11:21 am
3,983 Comments on Welcome To Islands of Siankaba

After a long journey, we have finally made it to Islands of Siankaba in Zambia and it is as spectacular as I remember.

We are travelling as a group of seven, so before I go any further, let me introduce our crew:

Mom (also known as Mum)-My Mom. I am so excited to have her on this adventure and she has been such a trooper in the journey to get here.

Jay (AKA Fany Pants)- Jay is…”highly affiliated” with Islands of Siankaba. He is from England but a Zambian at heart. I will elude to his nickname throughout the trip, but it came from his immense effort in putting this incredible trip together for the group of us and making it absolutely perfect.

Sarah- Sarah runs The U Foundation, which is the foundation that built and funds the nursury school that is in Sinakaba Village. She is an incredibley sweet and patient person who cares so much for the people in the village and works hard to make sure the people of Siankaba are cared for.

Charlie- Charlie has been a U Foundation supporter for many years. He works for a sporting goods company and is constantly donating sports uniforms, sports equipment and other items to go to the Siankaba Nursury School, as well as other schools in Zambia. This is his first trip to Zambia and a wonderful opportunity for him to see where all of his donations have been going and the good they are doing.

Matthew and Jessica (AKA smiley)- Matthew and Jessica are Sarah’s wonderful kiddos. Jessica is 10 and forever has a perfect dimple on each side of the smile that is always planted on her face. Matthew is almost 12 and as sweet as he can be. They are awesome kids who are such a pleasure to be around.

That being said, the entire crew has been enjoyable to be around. Several of us have met for the first time and everyone has hit it off from the beginning.

Mom and I flew from San Diego to London (10ish hour flight), spent the afternoon and next day in London and then met the rest of the crew at London Heathrow for our flight to Johannesburg.

Jay, Sarah, Charlie and the kids showed up in one car and the 30 pieces of luggage they had arrived in a van behind them. All but a few pieces of luggage were full of donations for the school. Despite Jay coordinating with the airline ahead of time, getting all of these bags checked in took several hours. To add to the chaos, Mom left her carry-on at our hotel in Kensington. After three hours of negotiating and coordinating, Mom had her carry-on and all thirty bags were on the flight. We made it to our flight just in time for boarding. Thanks to Jay (Fancy Pants) pulling some strings, our entire group of 7 was upgraded to business class. We had a great time getting to know eachother and got a little bit of sleep on the way over (11ish hour flight).

Mum and Fancy Pants getting to know each other on the flight over.

We had a couple of hours layover in Johannesburg and then hopped on a 1.5 hour flight to Livingstone, Zambia. Collecting the 30 pieces of luggage and getting them through customs in Zambia was also a lengthy process. Several pieces didn’t make it, but we were able to collect all but one of them the next day. Once we had everything (in the three vehicles that came to collect us), we were off to IOS.

We were all exhausted on the ride over, but found our second wind once we arrived at IOS and were greeted by drumming, dancing, cold drinks and an incredible boat ride over to the lodge. Four days of bliss at Islands of Siankaba had begun.

Sarah, Matthew and Smiley on the boat to the lodge.

Tags africa, British Airways, islands of siankaba, Zambia

Africa

You’re Going to Africa Again?

Post author By Andrea
Post date 11:13 am
674 Comments on You’re Going to Africa Again?

This is the question I get each time I tell someone about my upcoming trip to Zambia. And, the answer is yes.

Our first trip to Africa was in 2009 and it was a “once in a lifetime” trip. The problem is that one of us came back completely obsessed with the three countries we visited: Zambia, South Africa and Mozambique. One of us came home with African footprints on her heart.

In 2012 I somehow managed to convince The Mr. to return to Africa, this time to Tanzania. And again, I came back completely obsessed.

This trip is a little different and somewhat spur of the moment. “Somewhat” because we typically plan our trips pretty far in advance. “Different” because The Mr. won’t be going this time.

On our first visit to Zambia, we were fortunate enough to meet the wonderful owners of the lodge we stayed at and have remained friends with them over the past several years. We have been lucky enough to see them on several occasions and on the occasion back in April, Jay told us of their plans to visit Zambia in August and he invited us along. How could you say no to that? Unfortunately, The Mr. is unable to go, but I (easily) convinced my Mom to go.

So, as I write this, we are about 60 hours from our departure. We will spend a night and an afternoon in London and then we will be on our way to Zambia. On our way to a tented lodge on the Zambezi that is completely connected by rope bridges, sundowners with Gin and Tonics and the most magnificent sunsets you have ever seen, the sound of grunting hippos, Victoria Falls, game drives morning and night and great friends. There is only one thing more exciting than all of these wonderful experiences and that is, I get to share the mysterious magic of Africa with my Mom.

Tags africa, safari, Travel, Zambia