Monday, April 29, 2013

Chilo Gorge Safari Lodge

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During a trip to Gonarezhou National Park, Zimbabwe, on the Mozambique-South Africa border, I visited Chilo Gorge Safari Lodge.
This is the stunning view from my room.

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and voila!  My room.

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I loved, loved, loved the lodge's stairs.

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The pool.

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Another guest relaxing.

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Chilo Gorge was so incredibly relaxing.

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And the lodge was beautiful.

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Aren't the wall baskets lovely?

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The view of the Save River.

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For more information on the Chilo Gorge Safari Lodge.



Thursday, April 25, 2013

Playing Around (an ode to the Elephants)

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While visiting Mana Pools National Park in northern Zimbabwe, I met this fellow.

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And boy was he hilarious!  He was rolling around in the mud, cooling off and just so endearing.

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It's almost like he's showing a little attitude!

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While readers of the blog know I have a love of elephants, it's impossible not to heart them when they just face plant in the mud and roll around oblivious to the world.

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Here's a bit of cooling off at the Kanga Camp in Mana Pools:



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A lot of elephants in Zimbabwe, while drinking, rock their front leg back and forth.

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Kanga's beautiful elephants (listen to those birds!!)







Sunday, April 21, 2013

Snapshots from the Zimbabwe roads...

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While visiting Antelope Park near Gweru, Zimbabwe, this dog kept watch.

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Leaving Antelope Park we managed to get stuck in this rainy season puddle.
See the paved road ahead?  Oh it was a tease..and quite embarrassing to fail so close to the road.

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Kwekwe's welcome sign.  You may recognize Kwekwe if you are a watcher of The Colbert Report.
Stephen Colbert did a segment on Zimbabwe (Watch the spot here.)

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The Air Zimbabwe museum...or if it's not a museum, it should be.  The airline's gone under way too many times. 

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A mosque in Zimbabwe.  You don't see them remotely as much as you did in Senegal.

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For some reason whenever I see the lights not working signs (and naturally they aren't working ever), 
I usually find it to be the funniest thing ever.

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A street side market somewhere in Zimbabwe during the rainy season.

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A storm's a coming!



Friday, April 19, 2013

Snapshots from Botswana

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Chobe National Park, Botswana, may be one of the loveliest places I've been on safari.

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After taking a river safari on the Chobe River, you can take land safaris and see surreal images like this one of a giraffe.

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A Chobe baboon.

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The first time I've sighted a sable!
Unfortunately sables are becoming more and more rare in southern Africa.

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An elephant leads her baby elephant toward the Chobe River.

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Beautiful.

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This elephant charged us.  It was the first time I've experienced a charge (but not the last time I have!)
and let me tell you, your heart can drop straight through your feet in no time flat!







Monday, April 15, 2013

Oops....how did I forget this?

I accidentally forgot to include this video.  I thought it was too lovely not to share:






Friday, April 12, 2013

I was not the lion, but it fell to me to give the lion's roar.

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While on safari in Hwange National Park, Zimbabwe,

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we came across these adorable lion cubs.

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Just like [human] siblings, they were playing with each other...
although a bit more feisty than most [human] parents would like!

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I am obsessed.  SO cute.

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A male lion and one of the cubs.

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A lioness.

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The pride.

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I love, love, love this cub's expression.
He was playing with the male and just looks like he's having fun.

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A cub playing with a tree.

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Easy to forget they will grow up to be deadly killers!


What is with the blog's title?  It's from Winston Churchill.



Monday, April 8, 2013

A swimming parade of elephants...in Botswana!

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While in the beautiful Chobe National Park in Botswana,

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a Chobe River safari brought me to this wonderful moment:

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A small herd of elephants crossing the Chobe River.

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It was so amazing to watch the elephants cross the river.

Here's a peek:



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The most breath taking part?  The way they help each other cross.

Part two of the crossing:



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The elephants linked their trunks to tails and at times rested on the other elephants.

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How beautiful are they?

Here they are coming out of the river:



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Living in southern Africa has reaffirmed my love of elephants.  There really is no animal like them.



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