The Signs of Zimbabwe (the southern Africa Edition)

One of Africa's most amusing and endearing features?  Its (creative) signs!

Like this one from Boulders, South Africa--I had no idea penguins bite and I admit it sent me into giggles.

(Check out the penguins here.  Be ready for an avalanche of ridiculous adorableness.)

(For the Senegal/West Africa edition of creative signs: go here!)

All over Zimbabwe are animal crossing signs (elephants, wild dogs, cattle...).

I was so shocked to see the actual animal being warned about near the sign!

Nothing like an (inappropriate) pun to sell some eggs in downtown Harare.

Mana Pools National Park, Zimbabwe -- I think it should more correctly warn you that the deadly hazards are lions, elephants, etc...

The ex-pat in me found this one particularly amusing in a very junior high type of reaction.

Cape Town, South Africa -- totally made my morning when I drove past it.
Nothing like a Chuck Norris reference to make you chuckle.

Well, well, Gaborone, this is a bit risqué! Apparently Botswana has a certain type of humor. 

Nandos, the South African chicken food chain, has a history of pushing boundaries in its advertising.

It aired a commercial called "Last Dictator Standing" (see video below)
that was never aired in Zimbabwe after Nandos workers in Zimbabwe began receiving death threats.

During Zimbabwe's presidential elections, I thought this was one of the more clever ads.
It shows the leaders of the MDC-T opposition party examining the election manifesto of ZANU-PF, the ruling party of Robert Mugabe.


Approximately 30 feet away from this sign was an entire braiding extravaganza in Gaborone with approximately 20 woman getting their hair done.

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Africa Wild Dogs - The Painted Edition!

While in Mana Pools National Park in Zimbabwe, we were visited by a large pack of painted dogs!

The painted dogs (aka African Wild Dogs aka Lycaon pictus) is an endangered species as their habitats are disappearing and poaching targets them.

Here they are standing at attention:

They were waiting for a member of the pact--here they are greeting the member.

Here's a glimpse of their greeting--it was so enthralling to watch, first they circled and circled the member in a cyclone then this:

Aren't they just so beautiful and some how kind of ugly at the same time?

We were very lucky to get to see them!

For more information on the painted dogs, click here!

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Playing Around (an ode to the Elephants)

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

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

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

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.

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

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

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

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Snapshots from the River: Pontoon Safari Style

Hippos chilling at sunset in the Zambezi River in Mana Pools National Park, Zimbabwe.

Hello, hippo!

An African Fish Eagle, the national bird of Zimbabwe, on the Zambezi.

The beautiful sunset from the middle the Zambezi River.

Love, love, love the roots on this tree.  Made me think of this awesome tree in Senegal.

Our sweet ride: the pontoon.

On the return to Ruckomechi Safari Lodge, we did a night time safari.

They shine the light on the animals, searching for a reflection of eyes, resulting in a strange psychedelic effect like on this impala.

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Elephants on Parade

An elephant in Mana Pools National Park, Zimbabwe.

(They get close. Sometimes so close I start to squirm a little.)

When elephants meet, they greet each other by wrapping their trunks around each other's trunk.

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Reading and minding my own business....

During a visit to Ruckomechi Safari Camp in Mana Pools National Park, Zimbabwe, I was minding my own business,

soaking up the warmth of the sun at my tent and enjoying some reading.

When who should visit me?  This beautiful elephant. 

At first, he stayed away, eating near the beautiful Zambezi River.

Then he came closer and sauntered past.

I never thought I'd say an elephant's tush is my favorite photo in a post..but this is.

And he stopped to eat some more and I realized quickly he was so much more interesting than my book.

And then perfectly across the river, a hippo yawned.

I felt incredibly blessed to find such solitude and such beauty around me.

That's my tent on the left, as seen from the Zambezi, where I was minding my own business.

A vulture!  This really has nothing to do with the post, I just thought it was a cool photo from my walking safari....

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The mighty crocodile of the Zambezi

A crocodile on the Zambezi River in Mana Pools National Park -- Zimbabwe.

There were many, many, many crocodiles in the Zambezi.

None to which I wanted to get any closer.

Warthogs may be some of the cutest animals ever.  I had no idea. 

Here a mama leads her two babies away--when they run, their tails go straight up in the air like antennas.

And their hair reminds me of some serious old-school side burns.

A waterbuck next to the Zambezi.  They're easy to pick out because of the bulls eye on their tushes.

A waterbuck and a zebra.

Baboons.  Kind of an unnerving shot with its human-like quality, eh?

A hippopotamus stares me down from his perch in the Zambezi.

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