The smoke that thunders! We loved our trip to Zimbabwe, and particularly enjoyed visiting Victoria Falls, one of the seven natural wonders of the world. The falls are known as “the smoke that thunders”; it is twice the size of Niagara Falls, and there is so much mist and fog you cannot see the entire falls at once. It is like a rainforest, green and leafy and lush. Rainbows are present beneath you on sunny days, rainbows within rainbows! If you were in a plane or helicopter you could see the entire area, and if you dare to jump into Devil’s Pool you can really get a view! You have to be in Zambia to do it though, on Livingstone Island. Check out how awesome the view is! http://images.search.yahoo.com/search/images?_adv_prop=image&fr=yfp-t-656-s&va=devil%27s+pool+victoria+falls [Read more…] about Victoria Falls, Zimbabwe is the Home of the Smoke that Thunders
Walking with Lions
June 19: Victoria Falls, Zimbabwe
Today we flew from Joburg to Victoria Falls, Zimbabwe. The airport in Victoria Falls is small. Small? Very Small, no computers, nothing technological. We are no longer in 21st century South Africa. I’m pretty sure Botswana will be the same.
We were greeted and transported to the Victoria Falls Safari Lodge where we were met by the Zulu Chief. Baboons and warthogs and velvet monkeys are everywhere! In town as well as on the grounds of the Lodge. There are no fences keeping any animal out of any place. The lodge is beautiful with a stunning view and great balconies which we must close when we are not in our rooms, or when we have food in the room. The monkeys and baboons come in to eat any food you may have. So we were told, and I heard the truth of it: the guest above us began screaming shortly after we arrived because she opened some potato chips and immediately had guests…the monkeys swung onto the balcony and into her room…took her chips and all other food while she bolted out the door. I have advised Randy and the kids to keep the balcony doors closed!
We had a free afternoon, so we went to Lion Encounters, an African Impact program teamed with ALERT that is repopulating the bush with lions. Lion populations are down 80% in the last 30 years which endangers the African ecosystem. ALERT and Lion Encounters take lion cubs born into captivity and allow small numbers of visitors to interact with them (for a fairly large fee) until they are sexually mature, around 15 months.
When they are sexually mature they are moved into phase II, released in a pride into a large enclosure where they live as a wild pride. They are closely monitored for research purposes but at this stage there is no human contact or intervention. Stage 3 is when the pride is relocated to a larger area, where they will spend the rest of their lives. This area is big enough to have many different species in it, including competitive ones. For stage 4, the cubs born and raised in Stage 3 can be relocated into those areas of Africa that need them the most. We are happy to aid in that endeavor while having the experience of walking with lions in the wild. Alexandra, our cat lover, was beside herself with anticipation….lion cubs! I was expecting small cubs, or maybe a little bigger, but We WALKED WITH, and among, LIONS. One male and one female, not yet sexually mature….but very close! They are huge. They are beautiful beyond description. We touched them, walked in the bush with them, watched them, took photographs, and were completely inspired by them. We are all overwhelmed by the experience. Did you know that young lions have spots, and the spots disappear with sexual maturity? I never knew that until today. I cannot even begin to describe the wonder, the excitement (tinged with fear, certainly) of being close to, and walking in the bush with, these young lions….and nine rangers! Photos are worth a thousand words.
Tonight at dinner we watched a herd of elephants make their way to the waterhole in the distance. Everywhere we have been so far has been a dream come true…the food has been excellent, the service exceptional, and we are at a lodge where animals are everywhere! Tomorrow we are off to the Falls and a cruise on the Zambezi River….hippos! Crocs!
More from Lake Travis
Ah, the longer we stay on Lake Travis, the more I like it! Lakeway is a wealthy, small town with all the amenities, easy to get around in, and deer are sighted on every drive in the neighborhood. The only real issue is how low the lake is. There are boathouses and stairs just sprawled on the ground in so many places….Villa de Vistas has a dock that is in the water, but it is quite a way down, then back up, to get to it. I made the trip with the dogs today, and we swam in the lake. I mean, how can I come to the lake and not swim?
Oh, Villa de Vistas also has a wine cellar where they do wine tastings for their guests! As I said, Villa de Vistas has everything you could possibly want…if you are a cook, they have an herb garden you can harvest your herbs from! They also have a home theater. complete with an old popcorn maker, soda, and a candy case! The owners have thought of everything, and it is all executed in grand style.
We enjoyed a lovely dinner at Hudson’s on the Bend with Jeri and Michael of Villa de Vistas. We absolutely loved the restaurant, it is rustically charming with an elegant flair in its decor. They grow their own herbs, indeed, herbs were growing on the roof! The excellent sauces are for sale in the restaurant store, and so are cooking classes held by the chefs. The food is tasty as well as tastefully presented. I had a Crab cake with corn, cheese and avocado….delicious! If you are visiting Lake Travis, you should give it a try, I highly recommend it. There is also an Italian Beef place here called Chitown, as in Chicago, Chi town, great for lunch, especially if you are from Chicago like my husband is! I’ve never met someone from Chicago who did not love Italian Beef….Randy cannot go by an Italian Beef place without stopping for one. I, on the other hand, don’t eat meat, so they certainly do not tempt me.
Tomorrow we head back to the Big “D”, but I do believe we will be back to visit!
Our last game drive in Sabi Sabi
Our last safari drive at Sabi Sabi Earth Lodge!
As always, a great morning with a herd of water buffalo, impala, zebra…rhinos and a herd of elephants with a baby who came charging at us! He was so tiny and so cute! Elephants are amazing creatures, and we are looking forward to our trip to Chobe, Botswana where over 60,000 elephants live.
Our fist safari experience has been out of this world. It is humbling to see these animals in their own environment, it makes me realize that we truly are part of the “circle of life”. We mustn’t take more than we give….we must protect these habitats for them. Our “Big Five” was achieved within our first 24 hours, and we are still reeling from all of the excitiement!
After our game drive we had a quick breakfast with Pieter and sadly said our goodbyes and exchanged contact information. The rangers are quite remarkable. They go to school in order to become a ranger, the knowledge they have is seemingly endless. At the Earth Lodge rangers are “in charge” of a certain group of guests, and this includes game drives, meals, escorts to the lodges after dark and first thing in the morning (the big feeding times). We have really enjoyed our time with Pieter, he is a terrific young man. I hope we’ll meet again.
The Big Five: Cape, or Water, Buffalo:
LION
LEOPARD:
ELEPHANTS:
RHINO:
Hamilton Pool in Dripping Springs, Tx!
5/12/15: a little reminder about how wonderful the Texas Hill Country is! First published on 6/6/13
I took a little trip this morning in order to hike to Hamilton Pool. Hamilton Pool is an historic swimming hole, about an hour outside of Austin. Hamilton Creek empties into the Pedernales River, spilling over limestone outcroppings to create a 50 foot waterfall. In Cozumel, this would be known as a cenote. I thought it would be worth a look, and I was absolutely correct.
The pool is about a mile from the entrance to the trail. It is the Hill Country, so it is up and down, up and down. The path is rocky and uneven with plenty of gnarly roots. I had no trouble on it, actually, I love nature and I love paths like this. I am quite surefooted on uneven surfaces, it is only on smooth flat ground that I fall…or smooth steps. Hamilton Pool is one of those places where generations of people have enjoyed the “swimming hole”. The water is cool and green, and looks inviting, but sadly, there are times when one cannot swim because of high bacteria levels. Today was one of those days.
After the hike, I could see why you would want a swim. Whew. So I checked out the caverns and the pool, and enjoyed some time just watching and listening to the waterfall. It is nice and cool under the roof of the outcropping. It was nice to actually sit behind the falls as well.
I headed back after 20 minutes at the pool (since there was no swimming I didn’t stay for a long time) and somehow, I missed the turn off to the main path back to the parking lot. Instead, I hiked an additional mile along the Pedernales River. I have no idea how I could have missed the main path….but I was in unfamiliar territory, and I thought, great, I can see myself lost, wandering along the river to the pool and back again for hours. I can hear Randy and the kids already, another “kooky” mom story! Fortunately, I managed to find the path again and headed up. And I mean UP. The Hill Country is very hilly indeed! So I did over 3 miles of up and down terrain. I can hear some snickering that 3 miles is not much distance. But hey, I am over 50 (I cannot believe that, it is astonishing to me) and I have a few health issues. I have an erector set in my spine, 8 pedicle screws and rods holding it all together, so I am pretty happy with my hike this morning. Of course, diving or snorkeling would be better, but the water didn’t look too clear, and I admit that freshwater fish are kind of boring. Most of my trips tend to be near diving, but not freshwater. I have been diving in the cenotes, with incredible geological sights, but there are no fish at all in cenotes, so I only did it once. Kind of boring. I need action! Anyway, if you are near Austin, Tx or in the Hill Country, take a hike to Hamilton Pool. It is a beautiful place to relax.
Evening: Tonight we headed to the Oasis, one of the most popular restaurants on Lake Travis. The views are panoramic! On the way home, we ran into some of our neighbors! I LOVE wild life!
Eating at the “McDonalds” of the Bush
Tonight was another incredible game drive. We saw warthogs, kudus, impala, and zebras…then went looking for lions. Instead of lions, we witnessed two leopards who had taken their “McDonalds” up into trees! These leopards were sated, and protecting their kills. One was nearly finished with her impala while the other in a nearby tree had a freshly killed impala hanging in the branches. Under the tree was Wesley’s hyena, waiting to scavenge any pieces that might fall to the ground….and the organs were ready to fall. Apparently, these two leopards are mother and daughter, and the daughter just recently went out on her own, obviously not too far as we pretty much sat between the two trees and could see both. We were closest to the mother, though, as she had a very fresh kill. To see something like this is truly like being in a documentary. I do have some video as we were very close, but mom only began to come down to warn the hyena after it was dark. Leopards are nocturnal animals. We were all speechless with wonder, and felt incredibly fortunate to be able to see something like this, not on tv, but up close. We hung out for over an hour, perhaps more. Coming upon two leopards with kills so near to one another is such a rare occurrence that Pieter, our ranger, sat back and told us to enjoy, there was really no reason to go looking for anything else. The leopards stayed right there, and always kept their eyes on the kill. The mother caught the scent of the hyena and growled down at it, warning it not to interfere with her kill. I have to say, the poor impala looked pretty pathetic hanging from the tree. Pieter told us a story about a call he received at another lodge he used to work at. Someone staying at the lodge called the front desk to let everyone know that an Impala was stuck in a tree outside their window and someone needed to come and help it get down. Impalas don’t exactly jump into trees on their own, so Pieter told them to be careful, that a leopard must be very close by. He went to check, and yes, there was a leopard sitting at the base of the tree. The rangers just howl with laughter at that story!
Photos speak louder than words:
The four of us are completely amazed by everything we have seen, and we are sad to leave Sabi Sabi tomorrow. This has been an incredible adventure … a wonderful stay at a quality establishment and in an unparalleled location. We have one more game drive tomorrow, then we head to Joburg for one night before departing for Victoria Falls. We know more adventure is ahead in Zimbabwe and Botswana…but we do love the Earth Lodge, Pieter, and Pat and we are sad to leave.