December 2013: ZAMBIA!! Sarah Snuggles a Cheetah, Walks a Lion, Swims in Devil's Pool, and Rafts the Zambezi

After going to Namibia, I experienced what is common among PCV's upon returning to site: post vacation blah. I had no motivation to do anything other than watch re-runs of Are You Afraid of the Dark and teach my once-a-week PACT Club. My best friend in Botswana, Diane, mentioned that she was going on vacay in Zambia after our Mid-Service Training (MST) in December. She invited me to go and, after tossing it around in my brain for all of 30 seconds, I decided to make it happen. I wanted to see Victoria Falls, one of the seven wonders of the world. I also wanted to see some animals in Chobe National Park, a safari mecca. 

But first, Mid-Service Training. I left my village the last day of November to have a few days in the big city, in air conditioning, before I had to meet up with my fellow PCV's. I relaxed, played 10 cent video roulette at the casino, and slept on a real mattress. Although I was happy to hang out with Diane, MST was a typical Peace Corps conference: volunteers complaining about the lack of support from the organization and medical. We aired our grievances, cried a little bit, and reflected on our challenges/successes from the past year. After three days of that, I was beyond ready for another vacation. Is it bad that one vacation every two months just isn't enough?

Kazangula border crossing, Zambia and Botswana

After MST, Liz, Eden, Diane, and I set off for two days of bus travel to Zambia. We travelled as far as Francistown the first day and spent the night with the volunteer there. Early the next morning, we boarded another bus, determined to make it to Livingstone by nightfall. Six hours later, we got off the bus at the Kazangula Border Post. Zambia and Botswana are separated by a wide river, crossable only by ferry. The ferry first loads a semi-truck, then the pedestrians walk on and stand as the ferry crosses the river. Best part about the ferry? It's free!

Free ride across the river!

After getting off the ferry and going through immigration, we hired a van to drive us the half hour to Livingstone. Livingstone is a major tourist town, named after the first European to see Vic Falls (he went on to become an anti-slavery activist!) He was so impressed by the giant waterfall that he named it after his queen, Queen Victoria. But enough history. We checked in at Jolly Boys Backpackers, unpacked, showered, ate, and went to bed. One of the advantages of staying at a backpackers hostel is the interesting people you meet there. The first night, I met an awesome guy named Mike, a former marine traveling the world.

Jollyboys Backpackers. Lots of lounging space.

My first full day in Livinstone was by far the best experience I've ever had on a vacation. I signed up to go on a "cheetah and lion interaction." I had heard good things but I was without some of the required "equipment." I needed close-toed shoes and long pants. I had brought neither so I rushed to a cheap clothing store, bought a pair of clearance shoes and some leggings, and ran back to the hostel just in time. A gentleman picked up me and Eden and drove us to a big cat sanctuary. The sanctuary rescues cheetahs, lions, and caracals from the wild and rehabilitates them. They also have a few cats that were born in captivity that serve as ambassadors to raise money and awareness.

Caracal

After paying for the excursion and snapping some photos of a caracal, we were led to a large grassy area bordered on all sides by dense bush. Three men were waiting for us there. Beside the men, three cheetahs were stretched out on the ground relaxing. Each cheetah wore a harness and a leash similar to the kind your dog would wear when you take him for a walk. I started by petting the cheetah, which progressed to hugging the cheetah, kissing the cheetah, spooning the cheetah, and finally, being groomed (licked) by the cheetah. I was in animal lover heaven. After bonding, me and my new cheetah friend, Leela, went for a walk. Leela is a three year old female, born and raised in captivity. We walked around the bush for about 30 minutes
before the cheetahs had to return to their enclosure for the morning.

Me and Leela the Cheetah!

A little kiss kiss.

Leelah loves to be scratched on her chin. She purrs just like a giant house cat!

Just spooning a cheetah. No biggie!

Leela and I take a walk!

Eden, our guide, the other ladies in our group, and I went back to the office to receive instructions about the next part of our adventure: lion interaction. The lions are twice the size of the cheetahs, much more aggressive, and much more deadly. We weren't able to kiss them and hug them and snuggle them. Sad face. We had strict instructions not to touch their heads, always approach them from the back, and to talk to them when we approach. We met three adolescent lions, two females and a male. One lazy girl decided to cool off by laying on her back and spreading her legs wide. I can proudly say that I am a woman who has rubbed a lion's belly. That's right. A LION'S BELLY! After lots of pictures, we took the lions for a walk.

Just pettin' a lion.

Me and Eden with the lion cubs.

Bet you didn't know that lions like to have their bellies rubbed!

Got your tail!

 Apparently lions don't like to wear harnesses. When I asked how I was supposed to walk Terry the lion, the guide said "Just grab his tail. That's how they walk in the wild." GRAB HIS TAIL? Are you sure about that? I grabbed Terry's tail and he didn't mind. We walked through the bush, Terry every once in a while spotting something he wanted to chase. Keep in mind that lions are just big cats. Terry would think about chasing the animal, then he'd lay down, exhausted from the effort it took to consider such an exertion of energy. The lionesses would come up and join him, laying in the shade, yawning. Then we'd have to walk ahead like we didn't care about those lions. They'd eventually get jealous that we were "leading the pride" and they'd catch up and go ahead of us. We walked them back to their enclosure so that they could spend the rest of the day napping in the shade.

I know you've always wondered "how do you take a lion for a walk?" Now you know!

 Of everything I did in Zambia, hanging out with lions and cheetahs was my favorite. It's hard to describe the feeling of being sniffed, considered, and then accepted by a cheetah. An animal that could rip your throat out, but chooses to lick your face and snuggle instead. My colleagues in Peace Corps jokingly refer to me as the animal whisperer, but that day I felt legit.

Booze cruisin down the Zambezi.

Diane, Eden, Liz, and I spent the next day hanging out at the hostel. The hostel has a pool with a small waterfall, lots of lounging areas, and mango trees galore. I can't even estimate how many mangos I ate. They'd fall off the trees willy nilly, just waiting to be eaten by a hungry traveler. That afternoon, Liz and I showered and put on our finest dresses and even, gasp, makeup! We signed up for a dinner sunset cruise on the Zambezi River, aka a booze cruise. For those of you who aren't familiar, a booze cruise is a boat ride in which you eat dinner, watch the sunset, and drink all the booze you can in two hours. Let me just say that 1) I got my money's worth, and 2) I am never going on a booze cruise again. Vodka + chronically dehydrated volunteers = one way ticket on the Hot Mess Express. That's all I'm gonna say about that!

The next morning I woke up only mildly hungover. Thank goodness too because that was the day that we had planned to go to Victoria Falls! The four of us took a taxi to some fancy schmancy hotel on the Zambezi, the rendez vous point for our excursion. A small boat picked us up and took us to Livingstone island, a tiny island in the middle of the river. We were met by a man with a tray of traditional maize drink in tiny glasses. How classy is that?!? Led by a guide, we walked a ways to the most beautiful scenery you can imagine, a waterfall spilling over a cliff, so far down that it is obscured by the steam rising from the falls. In Zambia, Vic Falls is called Mosi oa Tunya, the smoke that thunders. It really is smokey and the smoke really does thunder. Because we are adventurous Peace Corps Volunteers, just looking wasn't enough.

Mosi Oa Tunya, The Smoke That Thunders, the amazing VICTORIA FALLS!

WHEEEE!!! Devil's Pool.

 During the low season, you can swim out to a small pool on the edge of the falls known as Devil's Pool. Believe it or not, we swam against the current to this tiny pool. We climbed out, over some rocks, and back in. The pool is unimaginably deep and scary as hell. You have to hold on to the edge to keep from being swept over. One by one, we climbed onto the edge and looked over while the guide held our legs. It was awesome and terrifying at the same time. After spending a few minutes in Devil's Pool, we swam back to our clothes, toweled off, and followed our guide to our next activity: breakfast on the island! We ate our breakfast in a classy, fancy tent like real rich safari people. We had eggs benedict, toast, and coffee. It was the first proper breakfast I'd had in...a year?

Breakfast at Victoria Falls.

That afternoon we laid by the pool and enjoyed word puzzles. Then it started raining. And just like Forrest Gump it rained and rained and rained. It rained for the rest of our trip. I started to think that maybe I'd somehow ended up in Vietnam, a Vietnam somehow inhabited by Zambians. 

Word puzzlin like champs.

 The rain didn't matter so much the next day as we climbed in the truck for our all day rafting trip. Life jackets, helmets, and a short safety briefing later, we were hiking down the gorge to the wild Zambezi River. All four of us, plus one random lady, were in a raft together. Our guide, Steve, sat in the back with two giant wooden oars. Although we had paddles, Steve did most of the work. On our very first rapid, one of 25 we'd be going down that day, we capsized, sending all of us rushing down the river. We were, literally, down a river without a raft. Rescue kayakers swooped in to save Liz and I before we got too far away. Yeah, I said RESCUE KAYAKERS. Serious business.

Rafting trip of doom.

Being trapped under water beneath an overturned raft is terrifying. Being swept down the river through more rapids, constantly pummeled by water and running into rocks...that's worse. And that happened to use three times. There's  a reason rapid number 7 is called Gnashing Jaws of Death. Class 4 and 5 rapids, no experience needed. Right. We came upon a rapid that was so dangerous that we had to get out and walk around. Steve, fearless leader, went down the rapid in the raft all by his lonesome. But anyway, after the third flip, discouraged and bruised, we climbed out to have a quick lunch. I was about ready to call it quits but Steve assured me that the afternoon rapids weren't nearly as bad. We shuffled the weight around (me and Liz) and finally got our paddling coordinated. The afternoon was smoother sailing. We didn't capsize once but we ended the day cold and shivering from the cool temperatures and all day rain storms.

But wait! There's more! If nearly drowning three times isn't enough for ya...the rain had caused massive rock slides along the sides of the gorge. The first time it happened I was like "Hey! Anybody else hear that train?" We looked to our right and it wasn't a train, it was a wall of boulders the size of exercise balls falling down the rock face and into the water. We paddled frantically to avoid being crushed to death, and luckily, none of the kayakers were hit.

 I slept really well that night, despite my aching muscles and fried nerves. Our last day in Zambia, we were blessed with a clear morning. Liz, Eden, Diane, and I went to the local market looking for authentic crafts and fabric. The women of Zambia wear long pieces of fabric wrapped around them like skirts and dresses. They are called chitenges. Chitenges of all colors and patterns can be purchased at the market. I went crazy and left the market with 7 chitenges. I couldn't help myself. I also bought a signature Zambian purse made out of the same fabric.

Shopping!

 During my stay, I befriended several PCV's who are based in Nambia. We hung out and played cards during the rainy times when we couldn't go out or swim. Our last night in Zambia, one of the PCV's, an Indian guy named Mayank, took us out for Indian food to celebrate my birthday. He treated us to a delicious meal and two bottles of wine. After dinner, we said goodbye to him as he boarded a bus to Malawi. Mayank is one of those awesome people that you meet at backpackers hostels. Even though we had only known each other for a few days, he took it upon himself to make my birthday the best birthday I had ever had. If you're reading this, Mayank, thank you again!

Birthday dinner and dancing with my girls!

After a long, wet week in Zambia, we crossed the ferry back into Botswana. A short taxi ride later, we arrived at the Chobe Safari Lodge. We set up our tents on the concrete patio of one of their fancy, expensive canvas tents. It was still raining and it was our only chance of staying dry. Of course by then, everything we owned was damp from the water in the air but at least we wouldn't be rained on directly. Liz and Eden decided to spent the extra money to rent the fancy tent (it has beds in it!)

Our tenting area. In case you can't read it the sign says "BEWARE CROCODILES"

 I spent my last two days in safari heaven in Kasane. Diane, Eden, and I went on a 3-hour land safari. I saw a herd of elephants, a pair of giraffes, lots of monkeys and baboons, wart hogs, water buffalo, and mongooses. Diane and I went on a water safari in the cold rain and saw hundreds of hippos. During the rainy season, the hippos leave the water to graze on the lush, grassy islands. Hippos feel most comfortable in the water so when our boat would get too close, they'd jump in all crazy to hide. At one point, a hiding hippo jumped up out of the water JAWS style beside our boat. I almost peed myself. Did you know hippos can launch their big ol' selves out of the water like that? Me neither!

Rainy safari in Chobe National Park, Botswana

Elephants!

Oh hi!

Giraffes are BIG.

Who needs a beauty shop when you've got friends to groom you?

Baby elephant lady

Me and Diane on our boat safari!

Hippos are hongry. They have a staring problem too.

Nom nom nom!

Ermagerd! Sooo maanny hippos!

Hippos like to swim too.

On December 17th, I boarded a bus for home, sad that vacation was over but looking forward to drying out. I rode with the girls to Nata and then got out as I was going in the other direction. I quickly got a lift to Maun with a teacher. I always take a ride in a car over a ride in a bus. She dropped me off in Maun four hours later. I immediately got on another bus for Ganzi, determined to get as close to home as I could that first day. After 12+ hours of travel, I arrived in Ganzi, greeted by one of the new PCV's. Peggy welcomed me to her home, where we chatted for a couple of hours before I passed out. The next morning, I made the relatively short 4 hour trip to my village. And that was the end of vacation.

I'm wearing a traditional Zambian chitenge. That's 12 feet of fabric clumsily wrapped around my big ol' body.

I relaxed for a few days and then it was Christmas time. Christmas is just another day when you live in a strange country thousands of miles from friends and family. But we do the best we can to enjoy it/avoid getting drunk and crying ourselves to sleep. On Christmas eve, I met up with two other PCV's, Ashley and Adriana, at Adriana's house in Kang. We spent Christmas eve and Christmas day eating good food, drinking bad wine, and enjoying each other's company. I went home on the 26th, spent a quiet NYE at my house, and counted down the days until...

TODAY!!!! I've been waiting for TODAY to happen for a year now. Today I am flying to America. That's right. AMERICA! I'm meeting my mom in Miami for two days of shopping and eating and then we're off on a Carribean cruise! Sunshine, snorkeling, food, beaching, food, food, and food are in the forecast. And also spending quality time with the love of my life: my mama. I'll be returning to the desert on January 18th with 10 months to go until the end of my service.

One of my All Year Resolutions is to do a better job at updating my blog. After this post, I'm gonna put up some bonus short blog posts. I want to start blogging not only about my experiences, but also about the many random thoughts and ideas that occur to me on weekly basis.
Thank you to those who are still following my life here! I promise to do better this year so that you won't have to read hours-long blog posts!

Namaste!