Well, we managed to leave yesterday morning at 7.15. I hope I get to stay at Red Chilli again sometime. I think we traveled for about an hour before the roads became slightly less pot holed, just slightly! We passed through town after town, village after village all looking the same. Folks selling there goods along the road side and behind them ram shackled houses of rough brick or mud and tin roofs.We traveled for hours and hours and the story was the same. This trip has opened my eyes to the enormity of this country, to Africa and to its poverty in a way that my friends experiences, documentaries and relief programmes never have. Seeing is believing.
After a few hours we stopped for breakfast...........at the equator!! How cool is that!! We took the obligatory photos! Then we were back in the mini bus for more of the journey.
"One of the pleasantest things in the world is going on a journey" - William Hazitt. Not sure who William is, but I agree. The long journey today gave loads of time for reflection, reading, listening to ipods and Sims guitar playing! There's been so much to take in over the last week or so. I'm also very much enjoying just being the passenger, not being responsible! The biggest decision I've had to make all day is what to eat - perfect!
Our journey took much longer than anticipated with food stops, photo stops & flat tyres! We arrived at our destination in Queen Elizabeth Park at 7.30 - 12 hours after leaving Red Chilli!! We were shown to our beautiful, rustic lodges before dinner. Ah, a shower that is more than a dribble. Ah, mosquito nets around the room not the bed. Ah, silence........... I slept well!!
Til........5.30 and our early morning call!! We were off on our game drive with Musa at 6.30. Jack, Zoe & I sat in the back of the bus. The excitement in the bus was palpable!! What would we see?
Very soon we saw 2 elephants grazing by some bushes, they were slightly hidden but what a fantastic sight. We drove, I guess, for 3 hours and saw buffalo, hyena, cob (sp?), & wart hog. We so wanted to see lions but they evaded us today. There was a sense of disappointment in the van as we headed back to Mweya Lodge for breakfast - we hadn't had a really impressive sighting. Then....we spotted another elephant, and another, and another.........we'd stumbled across an entire family! There must have been 25-30 of them all right beside the road and in the road!! it was so incredibly exciting. There were all sorts of sizes, one tiny one - Musa said he'd only be about a week old!! How many times have I see elephants in zoos, wild life parks, circuses even and yet nothing compared to this experience - seeing them together in their herd in the wild, right there in front of me!! It was amazing. And I was sharing it with Jack & Zoe at the back of the bus - this moment was precious, this moment we'd lived together and could never, ever be taken away - priceless.
Everyone was on such a high as we came in for breakfast. As I sat at the table, still elated from the elephant experience, with bright yellow birds in the greenery above me, blue lizards climbing around me, the vast lake stretching out before me and my children beside me I nearly, for the millionth time, cried! This time because I am so incredibly happy.
There's more to come - a river boat trip at 3pm and another game drive tonight - I'll keep you posted!! xx
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