Bath time at Elephant Bay

We'd been doing it tough all morning, wearing ourselves out lolling, lounging and lying around. The wind was up but the wildlife wasn't, which was starting to disappoint. Right about then the stage manager that Tracey is sure lurks up on the riverbank cued the elephants.

Down came literally twenty, including two very young ones, at a fair clip and went straight for the water. Hard to say if cooling down or drinking was the priority, but they fanned out, pretty much took over the beach and saw off a pod of hippos

One of the little guys got right into the mood and gallumphed along through the shallows, uttering some damn cute yelps of what we figure must have been delight.

Leaving the houseboat is a sad moment, because it's far exceeded our expectations. We've been very well cared for by the crew, it's all been very comfortable (all right, the bed was a little hard but who cares in this context?) and we've gotten right up to many animals. Every so often we've spotted a safari vehicle and not once envied their occupants the dust, bouncing around and lack of armchairs and gin & tonic :) Surely safari by boat is the most civilised way to see the wild.

Kisane to Elephant Bay

24/9/2012, Chobe River

Having crossed several borders, from Zambia, Botswana to Namibia, several vehicles and boats later we reach the Chobe Delta. Dozens of elephants. Scores, even. Hundreds, perhaps. We sit in our armchairs drinking a cool glass of wine/beer, on the upper deck of the Ichobezi houseboat, cruising the waters of Elephant Bay.

The number of animals astounds us. A few hours ago we were excited by the sight of a single elephant far in the distance. Now entire herds cover the riverside: bulls, cows, juveniles and babies, all grazing in peace in the 38C afternoon heat. We're told that Chobe is overpopulated with elephants, but no complaints from us.

Alongside them are pods upon pods of hippos, warthogs, herds of impala, clusters of sable and water buffalo, interspersed with cranes, waterfowl, kingfishers and other birds we don't (yet) recognise.

It's tough. Lunch was a delicious hake with salad (crisp vegetables being themselves a delight), and the crew have a sixth sense for the water, beer or wine that needs topping up.

As the afternoon lengthened we ventured out for a sundowner boat trip, on which we got up close and personal with elephants, hippos and crocs, including one that, according to Charlie, "had murder in his eyes" and elicited what sounded like a yelp of fright. No shame in that; we've had disproportionate reactions to less fearsome critters.

Dinner began with mushrooms topped with mozarella with a lovely tomato sauce, progressed to marvellously tender pork in a pleasingly piquant peppery sauce, following which the densely chocolatey brownies were too challenging for some. As we grazed the signature sound of lion reberberated through the dark. Can't wait to see those!.

Nothing soft about the Devil's Armchair

24/9/2012, Victoria Falls

The largest waterfalls in the world. A beautifully clear morning. The chance of a once-in-a-lifetime view.

So we took the plunge. Devil's Armchair is a 20m swim and traverse over rocks from Livingstone Island, a short boat ride out from the shore.

Some of us had pictured a gentle easing into the calm pool of water from which we could casually peer over the edge of the falls in complete safety. We were wrong.

Once you've made it across to the rocks next to the aptly named Devil's Armchair, you are are then instructed to leap into the water toward the waterfall edge. The leap itself is a little unnerving, if you don't leap far enough you land on rocks, if you leap too far to the right you could be swept up by the fast torrent and over the 200m tall waterfall edge. Charlie looked more graceful and less fearful than the rest of us, not saying much, so his picture can demonstrate below. If you're someone who has decided to hang over the side of a waterfall, then you're probably brave (or crazy) enough to take that leap. Taking that leap towards the edge did require more nerve than most pre-breakfast activities (check out YouTube for a sample). We wouldn't have missed it for anything.

The view was unparalleled. As water swept around us and hurtled over the edge, we leaned out and touched the sky (or so it felt), whilst just our ankles were being held. A most beautiful double rainbow arched above and, something we'd never seen before, continued its arch and nearly completed a full circle.

After "sitting" in the "Armchair" we were provide with a well deserved breakfast, sitting in greater comfort overlooking the falls that we now held a more intimate respect for.

Dr Livingstone, I presume

23/9/2012, Livingstone

We woke again at 0330 (darn jetlag), watched the river for hippos and eventually set off to see Mosi-o-Tunya ("smoke from thunder", more commonly known these days as Victoria Falls).

Our lodge's location meant that we had to pass through the national park to get to the falls, and here began our day of wildlife.
A couple of not-so-shy giraffes peeked through the bush to check us out, so we reciprocated.

We're here towards the end of the dry season, which has downsides as well as ups. Fewer people is always an up, although the volume of water on the falls was comparitively low. This afforded the chance to see the volcanic cliffs that would otherwise be obscured - and the cliffs are indeed spectacular, highlighting the serious drop. More about that tomorrow.

We heard a lot of history. None of it from before European discovery of the falls, and none that adequately explains why a Scot should choose to name them after Queen Victoria. One presumes that many names were bestowed during colonialist times that, these days, seem anachronistic. Little doubt that we will encounter more of this...for example, diamond jubilee "celebrations" are scheduled locally for this weekend. Go figure what relevance to African people's lives a German-descended woman is meant to have.

The falls from the Zambia side, on which we were located, are relatively sparse this time of the year. They border Zimbabwe, from which apparently more of the flow can be seen.

We trekked down to the "Boiling Point", which is a set of rapids near the base of the falls. From there we could watch the "adventurous types" (this is Foodivore code for "crazy buggers") bungee jumping off the bridge that links Zambia with Zimbabwe. Deb demonstrated the quality standards of her shoemaker when one of her soles fell off on the way back up.

At the top we were entranced by baboons with several tinies in tow.

Finding ourselves with plenty of time on our hands we visited a reptile park. Lots of crocs, one with a supreme underbite, and many snakes including the infamous black mamba. There was a brief croc-shock when one frisked into action...apparently it didn't care for Andrew's whistled rendition of "Never smile at a crocodile".

We further tested our endurance by checking out the Livingstone souvenir market. Who would have known that "Aussie Aussie Aussie Oi Oi Oi" had become our national signature? (To be fair though, one of the souvenir spruikers at Vic Falls had demonstrated knowledge of Australian political history that would surpass most Australians of his age by rattling off each PM back as far as Whitlam.) Many wooden and stone hippo viewings later, we made our retreat. We really suck at souvenir shopping. Though some were happy to trade goods for a pen. Must carry more pens when travelling.

Being incapable of sitting down for a rest, we struck off into the bush for a walking safari, accompanied by two guides and a Zambian soldier. It seemed a little over the top until we reached the white rhinos. In part the guard is because of the dangerous beasts, but even more so to defend these greatly endangered creatures from poachers. The advantage afforded by their need for protection is that they're constantly guarded by soldiers, so guides can know the precise location to take tourists. There was a youngster as well, but our photos don't do it justice.

Sadly, finding other creatures was trickier. Still a walk on the plains of Africa is itself a treat, though a hot one in 39.8oC with little shade. We did see many "signs" of animals. We are now well versed in animal dung, territory marking (frequently involving the former) and footprints.

Zambezi sunset

23/9/2012, Chundukwa River Lodge, Livingstone

Having (finally) reached Livingstone, off we headed to Chundukwa River Lodge, our home for the next couple of nights. Thanks to BA there was no time for siesta: straight into the boat for an evening cruise.

Rivers are typically calming, and the Zambezi proved no exception. We cruised along in the warm afternoon air, sneaking up on pods of hippos and watching enrapt as they went about their hippo-ish ways (submerging, blowing spouts of water and, of course, "the open the mouth").

As the sun turned from a rosy pink to a classic African red orb we also spotted a juvenile croc, baboons, a bush buck, multicoloured birds nesting in the riverbank itself, and more hippos (yay! Everyone loves hippos).

As the strong Zambezi current pulled us back to the lodge we sipped our G&T (it being Friday) and contentedly contemplated the adventures yet to come.

BA blues

22/9/2012, OR Tambo airport Johannesburg

Something about the aircraft run by BA....when we flew from London to Paris a couple of years back we noticed how run down, frayed, unclosing and generally clapped-out the plane was. Waiting to board our flight to Livingstone, we wondered whether this would be similar.

Well, maybe they send old planes to Africa to eke out a few more years. For here we sit, stranded on the tarmac at Jo'burg, waiting for engineers to fix a start valve. Essential to starting engines. You'd think that testing one of those might be a standard first step when checking flight readiness- maybe even before loading passengers. Apparently not.

It's only 30C onboard (sometimesI wonder if it's really a good idea to have a thermometer on your watch)....,,,and I fondly recall the Slow Lounge that we left in the terminal, with it's aircon, oversized armchairs, fridges full of cool refreshments. (Readers should expect to hear more of this oasis when we transit through Jo'burg again - which we will several times - and travellers could do a lot worse than join Qantas Club just for this. It even has rooms where you can shut the door and curtains, lie down and take a kip. Nice. Makes other lounges look ascetic.)

Still, we'll put up with a lot to get to see Victoria Falls. Just a shame that seeing them is taking longer than planned.

Update: after 45 minutes it turns out the engineers were wrong about the start valve. They're going to try something else. Inspires confidence.

Conclusion: two hours later the diagnosis is complete. Nothing mechanical, the starter switch itself in the cockpit was broken. Hmm electronics. Always love it when they have issues - so little on a plane depends on them.

First meal

Having now spent our first night in South Africa, we wake to the roar of engines, not lions. Our first African sunset is caused from the power factory we see from our hotel window, not the dust from the African Savannah.

We have seen our first sprinkbok and Impala...as it was served to us for dinner. The carpaccio of springbok was devoured, as was the Impala with penne and loin of springbok. All washed down with the local drop, Pinotage, which proved a dark, viscous number with plenty of ripe blackberry notes.

The meal was an excellent start to our African adventure...or should i say, second start. We had sat down to have dinner at our hotel restaurant, our first mistake not having looked at the menu which consisted of mac and cheese, toasted sandwiches and chicken korma. To be polite we ordered a salad to have with our wine then went in search of something a little more traditional, which obviously was found.

Duty free here is extraordinarily cheap, we picked up a litre bottle of Tanqueray Gin and Balvenie Doublewood single malt for around $60 Australian dollars in total.

This morning we leave our concrete jungle for Victoria Falls. It's supposed to reach 35 degrees there today. As we've been awake since around 4am, we might need a siesta in the heat of the afternoon.

It's cold outside

Still a little under eight hours out from Johannesburg and what a surprise: Antarctica! We've been expecting blazing sun and wild mammals...but our first new experience is sheets of ice and (we fancy, because we haven't actually seen any) penguins.

Pictures don't capture our excitement, and the zoom struggled to pick up the continental landmass, but still pretty cool.