Safari Time

Blessed.  Thankful.  Amazed.  Just a few words that come to mind when I think about our past week on safari here in Zambia.  My extremely generous in-laws came over for a visit and knowing this will probably be their only visit to Africa, they wanted to go on a safari.  Something we wouldn’t be able to afford to do on our own, we are so grateful to them for giving us this opportunity of a lifetime.  I don’t know if we can adequately express our thanks to them, but we hope they know…

Now there are too many pictures to post here, so check out my Facebook page for more photos, but wanted to give you an idea and glimpse into what it is like to go on a safari.  One thing I learned was there is quite a schedule to it all!  We had a choice of a 5:30 or 5:45 am wake up call.  Guess which one we took. :)  You quickly go eat breakfast in the lodge and head out in your truck.  Now, because it is rainy season in Zambia, it is considered off season for safaris.  Lucky for us because we had our own truck and driver, Charles, to ourselves.  He didn't care if we were just a tad bit later than everyone else in the morning.  haha...  Anyways, you drive for a while, then around 9 am, you park and get out, and our driver would serve us tea/coffee and some kind of snack. It always felt great to stretch your legs at this point!  This was another thing I learned, you sit for basically 8 hours each day during the various drives.  I know you mommas understand that it was a strange thing to have that much sitting time!  Anyways, I digress.  You head back to the lodge for lunch at 11, then it is siesta or pool time.  We did a little bit of both each day.  At 3:30 pm, it is tea time, then back out for an afternoon/evening ride.  At sundown, you stop again and have appetizers and drinks.  Got to admit, I liked the stops to get out and stretch.  There were a few times, after just passing leopards and what not, that it was kind of a weird feeling to be out on the ground.  But we survived.  The night rides were pretty cool.  The driver has an assistant at this point who stands up with a spotlight to find the different animals.  After this, you head back for dinner at 8:00, then you are just about wiped out and ready for bed.  So there you have it, our safari schedule.  

Now, please enjoy this picture narration of our time.  It was truly amazing and I am in awe of all the animals God has created and how everything works perfectly out in the wild just as He designed.  

My kids called this an elephant kiss, not sure if that is right, but it was cute!

Lunch was waiting for us upon arrival and it was so cool to eat with an elephant grazing right behind us!

The coolest swimming pool I have ever been too, overlooking a pasture where over the week, we saw zebras, elephants, giraffes, warthogs, baboons, etc.!

Our first sundown experience, they just flip down a tray at the front of the truck and bust out the drinks and appetizers!

Seriously, God is amazing.

So thankful to these two for letting us have this experience with them!

Evan loved sundown because the guys always brought him Fanta-not typically something mom would allow

On our first night drive, we spotted this leopard eying a poor little puku...

We loved catching a glimpse of these little guys on the night rides, they are called a jennet.  You don't see them at all during the day!

The view from our 4 row safari truck, notice the ponchos, we had a couple rainy days!

One morning, they surprised with a bush brunch, we thought we were headed back for lunch and they had set all these tables up with all the food right out in the bush!  It was pretty cool.

Alea walking back to our chalet with Opa, ours was  a two story with the master bedroom in the loft area above.  It overlooked the hippo lake and we frequently had baboons on our back porch!

We saw about 3 different leopards.  They are actually smaller than I thought, but just beautiful and quiet.

Lots of warthogs sightings, which we would shout, "there's Pumba!"

Tea time in the lodge-Evan even got into it, ordering chamomile tea every day.  Oh and the kitchen manager was so sweet, she always made sure Evan had a treat he could enjoy.  

My favorite.We learned the darker their spots are, the older they are.  Never knew that!

Love how each zebra has a different stripe pattern, God makes each one unique.

A Kudu-love the cool horns!

Wildebeest, our driver said these are a rare sighting. We saw just this one.

Crowned hornbill-Alea loved this bird because of its princess crown! :)

Hello again Mr. Leopard.  Whenever we saw one, they always had their eye on something to eat.  Those poor puku and impalas could never rest with these guys around.

One of our fancy dinners-I think I gained about 5 pounds this week, all we did was eat a lot and sit a lot!

Our last dinner-our driver Charles ate each meal with us, which was really fun to get to know him.  

A hippo sliding into a pond for a swim

Some of the birds were just exquisite

Our last drive, we got to witness this baby elephant learning how to walk, the mom was very protective when we drove up and it was stumbling around so our driver thought he or she was only a few hours old!  

And on that not so cute side, we witnessed some hyenas ripping this baby hippo to shreds.  My mother in law didn't really enjoy this sighting.  

Our last lunch before we left-make your own pizzas and they cooked them in a brick oven outside.  Delicous!  

Hope you enjoyed this little glimpse into our adventure at Mfuwe Lodge in South Luangwa Park. It was an experience of a lifetime and one we not soon forget.  Thanks Oma and Opa!