Day 3, Monday. At the Stanley and Livingstone.
On Monday, we got to sleep in. We had a leisurely breakfast on the outdoor deck, talking with Tonia and the tour members as they came and went. Two tour members opted for a helicopter tour of the falls during the morning. When they came back, we all went to the town of Victoria Falls and wandered around a craft fair and some shops, and had lunch at the elegant Victoria Falls Hotel, overlooking the Victoria Falls bridge. (I left my camera at the lodge.)
We returned to the Stanley and Livingstone and had a few hours to enjoy our suite and the grounds. The Stanley and Livingstone is located inside the Victoria Falls Private Game Reserve (also called the Nakavango Estate). Animals rove freely in the reserve, but are kept out of the lodge-grounds by an electric fence (as long as the generator is working, that is). We spent our "free time" watching zebras, impalas, kudus, elands, baboons, and different birds in the field around the water hole.
the beautiful grounds of the Stanley and Livingstone
our group viewing the animals
the water hole they are looking at
and a little to the right of the last photo, lots of animals
as you notice from how small the animals appear in my photos, binoculars help! John used them a lot
John
At the Stanley and Livingstone, the lodge itself and our suite were very elegant. We had a living room, a bedroom, and a huge bathroom. Tonia said the we would have to be taken "kicking and screaming" from the Stanley and Livingstone! It was that perfect. We barely had enough time to enjoy our room, though, as we just couldn't stay away from the animal viewing areas outside.
the outside of our hut, or suite
the pool
pond, animals in the distance
pond - water hole in distance
bar and restaurant
entry to the main lobby/restaurant/bar
our door
One time I stepped out our door and caught a group of baboons right there - they scrambled quickly away before I could take a picture. They jump right over the electric fence.
inside lodge - you can see a hint of its elegance - this is where we had a lecture by an expert on Dr. Livingstone in the late afternoon
our bedroom
our bedroom
John in the living room - there were 2 TVs!
part of our bathroom
part of our bathroom
part of our bathroom
This slow-paced day gave us a chance to catch our breath and think about where we were. So, a geography lesson.
Zimbabwe is located in southern Africa; it touches South Africa on the south, Mozambique on the east, Botswana on the west, a tip of Nambia on the west, and Zambia on the north. The Zambezi River separates Zambia from Zimbabwe. The Zambezi is the fourth-longest river in Africa; it flows east/northeast across this portion of Africa and eventually flows into the Indian Ocean.
I grabbed these from the 'net - image credits at the bottom
Zimbabwe used to be named Southern Rhodesia, and Zambia used to be Northern Rhodesia. Tonia pulled out a map taught us some of the history of this area. (It's quite a story, more than I'm ready to go into here.) The city of Victoria Falls (and airport) sits on the Zimbabwe side of the river; Livingstone (and airport) sits on the Zambia side of the river. So where we are visiting is the edge of Zimbabwe, around the touristy areas near the falls and the game preserves.
Tourism both provides southern Africans employment and encourages the countries to save the wildlife. According to Wikipedia (accessed 7/2012), 60% of Zimbabwe's wildlife has died since 2000 due to poaching eand deforestation. The local people that we met were zealous about saving the wildlife, but a few poachers ruin it for everybody.
On the tour, we had our constant tour guide, Tonia, contracted by Odyssey Tours. In each country, she arranged a local tour guide, who provided not only transportation, but expertise on the wildlife. In Zimbabwe, our local tour guide was Andrew. He met us at the airport and was our guide on all daily activities in Zimbabwe. Andrew has a degree in mechanical engineering, but the economic circumstances of his country prevent his employment in his field. Being very intelligent, he is able to adapt and work in the tourism industry instead. In a way, he serves as an ambassador for his country to the tourists that come from all over the world. There is hope for Africa, because there are intelligent and forward-thinking people living there.
We always had a lot of people waiting on us, ready to carry bags, serve food or drinks, turn down our bed, whatever, including just talk about the state of the world!
Before dinner, we enjoyed a fascinating talk on the Scottish explorer David Livingstone by a local historian. Our dinner, again, was amazing. The table is set in the elegant lodge area with white tablecloth and napkins. Three courses: prawns/mushrooms appetizer, cream of cauliflower soup, chicken stew over rice or steak, profliteries dessert (cream puff-like with whipped cream and chocolate).
map image credits: map1 and map2
Navigation: first safari blog entry
Next blog entry
We returned to the Stanley and Livingstone and had a few hours to enjoy our suite and the grounds. The Stanley and Livingstone is located inside the Victoria Falls Private Game Reserve (also called the Nakavango Estate). Animals rove freely in the reserve, but are kept out of the lodge-grounds by an electric fence (as long as the generator is working, that is). We spent our "free time" watching zebras, impalas, kudus, elands, baboons, and different birds in the field around the water hole.
the beautiful grounds of the Stanley and Livingstone
our group viewing the animals
the water hole they are looking at
and a little to the right of the last photo, lots of animals
as you notice from how small the animals appear in my photos, binoculars help! John used them a lot
John
At the Stanley and Livingstone, the lodge itself and our suite were very elegant. We had a living room, a bedroom, and a huge bathroom. Tonia said the we would have to be taken "kicking and screaming" from the Stanley and Livingstone! It was that perfect. We barely had enough time to enjoy our room, though, as we just couldn't stay away from the animal viewing areas outside.
the outside of our hut, or suite
the pool
pond, animals in the distance
pond - water hole in distance
bar and restaurant
entry to the main lobby/restaurant/bar
our door
One time I stepped out our door and caught a group of baboons right there - they scrambled quickly away before I could take a picture. They jump right over the electric fence.
inside lodge - you can see a hint of its elegance - this is where we had a lecture by an expert on Dr. Livingstone in the late afternoon
our bedroom
our bedroom
John in the living room - there were 2 TVs!
part of our bathroom
part of our bathroom
part of our bathroom
This slow-paced day gave us a chance to catch our breath and think about where we were. So, a geography lesson.
Zimbabwe is located in southern Africa; it touches South Africa on the south, Mozambique on the east, Botswana on the west, a tip of Nambia on the west, and Zambia on the north. The Zambezi River separates Zambia from Zimbabwe. The Zambezi is the fourth-longest river in Africa; it flows east/northeast across this portion of Africa and eventually flows into the Indian Ocean.
I grabbed these from the 'net - image credits at the bottom
Zimbabwe used to be named Southern Rhodesia, and Zambia used to be Northern Rhodesia. Tonia pulled out a map taught us some of the history of this area. (It's quite a story, more than I'm ready to go into here.) The city of Victoria Falls (and airport) sits on the Zimbabwe side of the river; Livingstone (and airport) sits on the Zambia side of the river. So where we are visiting is the edge of Zimbabwe, around the touristy areas near the falls and the game preserves.
Tourism both provides southern Africans employment and encourages the countries to save the wildlife. According to Wikipedia (accessed 7/2012), 60% of Zimbabwe's wildlife has died since 2000 due to poaching eand deforestation. The local people that we met were zealous about saving the wildlife, but a few poachers ruin it for everybody.
On the tour, we had our constant tour guide, Tonia, contracted by Odyssey Tours. In each country, she arranged a local tour guide, who provided not only transportation, but expertise on the wildlife. In Zimbabwe, our local tour guide was Andrew. He met us at the airport and was our guide on all daily activities in Zimbabwe. Andrew has a degree in mechanical engineering, but the economic circumstances of his country prevent his employment in his field. Being very intelligent, he is able to adapt and work in the tourism industry instead. In a way, he serves as an ambassador for his country to the tourists that come from all over the world. There is hope for Africa, because there are intelligent and forward-thinking people living there.
We always had a lot of people waiting on us, ready to carry bags, serve food or drinks, turn down our bed, whatever, including just talk about the state of the world!
Before dinner, we enjoyed a fascinating talk on the Scottish explorer David Livingstone by a local historian. Our dinner, again, was amazing. The table is set in the elegant lodge area with white tablecloth and napkins. Three courses: prawns/mushrooms appetizer, cream of cauliflower soup, chicken stew over rice or steak, profliteries dessert (cream puff-like with whipped cream and chocolate).
map image credits: map1 and map2
Navigation: first safari blog entry
Next blog entry
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