Sight Unseen: Returning in October 2024

It's been a while...8 years to be exact. I've now served in Kinshasa, DR Congo; Nairobi, Kenya; Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic; a partial tour in Washington, DC; and my previous tour in Guadalajara, Mexico.

I arrived in Islamabad, Pakistan at the end of August, and I feel compelled to bring the blog back.

While I gather my thoughts and my photos, please enjoy this unpublished draft post that I found from September 2016. I look forward to sharing my experiences here in Islamabad starting in October.

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Prior to my June departure from Kinshasa, I took my last R&R. Initially, my plan was to go visit a good friend who had left KIN and was now in Germany, but as life sometimes does, plans changed.

I wasn't keen on a flight much longer than 10 hours, and I hadn't been able to take advantage of my surrounding areas in the almost two years I'd spent there, and thus I decided to stay on the continent.

The one experience that I assumed I would have being posted in Africa had eluded me -- safari. With the help of some easy internet research that I thought would lead me back to South Africa, I ended up booking a package deal to Zimbabwe to go on my first ever safari and to see Victoria Falls.

There is no vacation that I have taken that could compare to this one.

Fifteen minutes into the approximate one hour drive from Victoria Falls Airport to the safari lodge, I saw something scurry across the road, and as we approached, I could see that it was a mother warthog and her piglets (?). I wasn't expecting to see animals as we drove down the road. I wrongly assumed that I would have to wait to get to the safari lodge, and we would seek out the animals. NOT. THE. CASE.

A few minutes more (with camera at the ready), and what do I see crossing the road?

Second Animal Sighting

Did That Really Just Happen?

I barely had enough time to pick my jaw up off the floor from the elephant sighting when I saw something in the road ditch.

Out for a Bite to Eat with Friends

4 Giraffes from the Car Window

At that point, I was confident that my driver thought that I was insane because I could not wrap my head around the fact that there were warthogs, elephants, and giraffes just hanging out by the roadside, and that is an everyday normal happening. And why was my driver not amazed by this?! We just saw warthogs and elephants and giraffes...crossing the road. I had gone into full on tourist mode.

I should have known this would happen. It's the same "I can't believe this really exists" reaction I have when I see dolphins in the ocean in California. What can I say, I'm a Midwestern farm girl. I spent most of my life seeing cows, horses, deer, raccoons, pheasants, gophers, and maybe a coyote or two in the ditches and/or crossing the road. I had now entered a parallel universe that had previously only existed in film or on television.

[Cue Music: Circle of Life; music by Elton John, lyrics by Tim Rice]

My Hut at the Safari Lodge

Hut Porch with Hammock and Chairs

Bed Surrounded by Mosquito Net

Dressing/Sitting Area

Bathroom

Shower

Commode

Survival Gear: Air Horn for Emergencies and Mosquito Spray

The Imbabala Zambezi Safari lodge was the perfect style for me, small, intimate and friendly. There are only nine huts which means there are are only approximately 20 guests that could be lodging there at any time. http://www.imbabalazambezisafarilodge.com/

The lodge is uniquely located on a National Reserve in the western corner of Zimbabwe where the country borders Botswana, Namibia, and Zambia. The lodge property sits on the shore of the Zambezi River, and while on game drives one can see the metal markers that indicate where the border is between Zimbabwe and Botswana.

As it is located on a National Reserve, the lodge is extra cautious and takes great care in guest safety. There is always a night watchman available should you need to walk from your hut to the main lodge after dark. Animals frequently come up to the lodge, which I found endlessly amazing and entertaining...probably because I never ran into any of them outside my hut at night...or inside for that matter.

There is a communal table on the property where everyone eats all meals together and a small pool where people can relax during the day. There are several seating choices in the main lodge as well and plenty of camping chairs around the fire pit.

Guests Come Together at the Communal Table

The days are set up with early morning, early evening (sundowner), and night game drives. As there are no telephones in the huts, morning wake up calls are given at 4:30 a.m. by a person on your porch gently yet persistently saying "good morning" until they receive a response.

I am not a morning person, but I have never been so happy to groggily drag myself from bed to watch the sunrise and wake up with the animals of Africa.

The lodge took great care of the guests. Coffee, tea, and scones were ready for our 4:30 a.m. wake-up and 5 a.m. departure, and supplemental morning drinks and snacks were prepacked in the vehicles. After a couple of hours on a game drive, we would stop near a group of animals, and pull out the coffee, tea, and snacks for round two while we observed the natural beauty of Zimbabwe.

Brunch was served at 10:30 or 11 a.m., and then the afternoon was free to digest and rest during the heat of the day. Private walking or fishing tours could be scheduled during that time as well. Animals often passed through the property at those hours. Monkeys and baboons both paid a visit and frolicked playfully and mischievously around the huts and in the yard during the afternoon.

The Grill Master

Breakfast Spread

Around 4:30 p.m. tea and cookies were served before the evening game drives began. Everyone's favorite drink was prepacked in the safari jeep, and we would take off for more animal sightings and adventure. An evening boat trip was also an option although I much preferred to be in the jeep. As the sun was going down, the guide would find a picturesque view with animals nearby or in the distance, and we would bring out the beverages for memorable sundowner moments.

Dinner was ready at 7 p.m. and was eaten by candle light as it was dark. The food for all the meals was remarkable. It was fresh, homemade, and plentiful. Once we had surprise visitors that we didn't notice until the food was served. As we looked over not 10 feet from where we were sitting, at least one hundred impala had begun to lay down for the night. It was a remarkable moment.

Night drives were markedly different than the early morning and evening game drives as different animals are out and about. In addition to the eery feeling of not being able to see well and being more tuned in to what you're hearing, certain animals are calling it a night while others are out looking for a meal. If I hadn't gone on the night drives, I would not have seen the hyenas, the python, the jackal, or the serval.