Catching up on Wednesday

Sunday, Monday and Tuesday were filled with adventures like you cannot imagine!  Let me try and catch you up quick and I will try and fill in the details later

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Sunday we left Lusaka and travelled to McBrides Camp in the Kafue National Park. 

I am going to post a picture of the road for you to see, but in order to get the full effect you will need to shake your computer up and down . . .  no, shake harder . . . now rock it back and forth while shaking . . . there, now you have a better idea of the road from Mumba to McBrides. 

I loved being with Lynn, listening to her tell about living in Zambia.  She was telling us about flying ants that emerge from little holes in the ground for a couple of weeks each year.  Well, the frogs sit by the holes and catch the ants and get so fat that their legs cannot touch the ground, so the snakes come along and eat the frogs – everybody is happy, well for a little while.  We chatted and heard stories and became better friends as we travelled the bumpy road dodging people, bicycles, goats, chickens and holes. 

Lynn also laid out the rules of the bush: 

-Never go out exploring by yourself

-When you get out of the car, shut the door quickly behind you so that the tsetse flies don’t get in the car –these flies bite and can carry disease like sleeping sickness

-If you see a large animal like a lion or leopard don’t take off running, they will think you are something to eat (elephants won’t be very happy either but they won’t eat you).

-On the safari rides, you must be very quiet.

-Keep your eyes open all the time, be alert for animals of all shapes and sizes

Road signs to destinations are simple in the bush, so we were trying to carefully follow the website directions to McBrides and only made one wrong turn.   We stopped for lunch by a tree facing a big field.  Tsetse flies were all around, so we tried to get out of their range by walking into the open field to eat our sandwiches, it sort of worked.   We also saw some Puku grazing in the field.

When we returned to the car . . . it wouldn’t start – not even a click.  What to do.  Lynn estimated that we were 10 km from the camp.  The best option we could think of was to go get help, so Lynn and Angela decided to walk for help, while Maureen and Michael waited with the car, in case someone passed by or in case it would decide to start.  We estimated that it would take us about an hour and a half to walk – the current time was 2:30 – so armed with a water bottle we set off into the bush.  

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Well, since it is Wednesday and I am typing this, you know that everything turn out okay . . .more than okay   . . .delightful.  I want to send this off now from the comfort of Lynn's living room.  You will have to stand by for more to come.