Hello Everyone!
So Im almost 5 weeks through my stay in Africa! I can't beleive how quickly its gone. This time next month I will be starting my journey back home :( I will be so sad leaving Zambia as I've made some fantastic friends (both 2 and 4 legged!)
Have been doing so much I don't know where to start!!
My birthday celebrations were definately ones to remember! My day started out with a walk with my 2 favourite girls, Bemba and Bisa and a sunny start to the day. Then a group of us, the handlers/guides and ZAWA (Zambian Wildlife Authority) Scouts went on a snare sweep in the middle of the National Park. We took down 48 snares in the space of 2 hours! Its so horrible to see that this really does go on. We could barely see them let alone the poor impala/bush buck etc who are just going for a munch. Very satisfying to know know 48 lives were saved on Feb 3rd 2011 :) Then in the afternoon, we all drove up into the Dambwa forest for a huge braii and a bonfire. The kitchen staff pre prepared a feast for everyone and then we tucked in! Michael Jackson playing in the background, the sun going down, good red wine and great food. Then the stars came out , it was about 26 degrees and we had cake and marshmallows on the fire followed by ghost stories and drunken games. So much fun and one to remember!
Then last weekend I went out with my ''boss'' here, Cara and had a weekend of naughtiness! Saturday night started with dinner at Oceans Basket - incredible sushi and seafood - then we headed to the David Livingstone Lodge and The Royal Livingstone for drinks! Crawled back home at 3.30am! Then Sunday we went for lunch and I had a tour of Livingstone and climed the 'Big Tree' (yes, Emski climbed UP!) and sat watching the falls and Zimbabwe - heaven!
This last week has gone so quickly and I have been lioning lioning and a bit more lioning! One of the girls, Subi, up at Dambwa, a 4 yr old lioness (HUGE!) is hopefully pregnant so her cubbing den is being finished so she can have her first litter in private. We are still awaiting the arrival of our 7 new babies from South Africa. They are in quarantine at the moment, so hopefully I'll have some time with them before I leave.
This weekend off will hopefully be another chilled one, but I have to go back to the seafood place where I just found out they import...SARDINES AND CASAL GARCIA!!!
The volunteer house here is chocabloc, so its nice that I have my own place away from here as its pretty crowded with 12 vols!
I've yet to come face to face with one, but the lions are enjoying the buffalos in the area...a couple of weeks ago, one group was out walking and the volunteers had to climb up trees to get away from them. All good and well providing the lions don't decide to climb up after them...which is exactly what happened! No one was hurt thankfully and the buffalos also escaped with their lives this time!
It has been absolutely scorching here since my birthday with no rain and clear blue skies. Thankfully, the rains look like they are comming back for a few days to cool everything down. Middle of the days last week were well into the 30s and with no wind and super high humidity levels, we were all sweating like demons! 6am or at around 7pm are times when its the perfect temperature.
Anyways, I best stop writing or I will never get back to work. Off now to see the big guys out in the forest and take some data on them.
Missing everyone and my horse back home and wish I could bring you all out here.
Untill next time, lots of love to all from Zambia xx
P.S. I actually forgot the most important part of the week...the birth of Baby Ibo!! Nix and Richard (general managers) goat, had a baby this week!! The call came in and on a specialist intern work and off we went to see little Ibo(nes)...in the words of Cara 'GO GO GO''!!
