On our ninth week in Zambia the girls and I had the
opportunity to put away our laptops and piles of paper to join the mass of
travellers staying at Jollyboys in a number of tourist activities in a week of
adventure.
The week began with Jenna, Amy and I heading out for a day
packed with opportunities only possible in Africa! We boarded a safari tuck at 8
a.m. and set off to battle the Zambezi River for the second time, on a canoeing
safari, where we were lucky enough to see a breeding herd of elephants drinking
on the bank and a school of hippos spraying water while submerged in the
Zambezi, before heading through the rapids – which seemed like ripples in the
water compared to our rafting experience. When we stepped off the canoes onto
the river bank we arrived in Mosi oa Tunya National Park and experience our
first game drive. With our beginners luck, we managed to see four white Rhinos –
The only white Rhinos in Zambia - amongst a range of other wild life. To end a wonderful day, we boarded a cruise
boat and watched a beautiful sunset on the Zambezi River. The events of the day
really made me sit back and consider how incredible Zambia is, with its
outstanding views and wildlife. However, I couldn’t keep my mind from wondering
to the real hardship which the local people are facing in there day to day
lives and I wondered if the beauty of their surroundings helped keep their
amazing positive attitudes towards life, which I witness every day.
Upon arriving in Zambia, I have attempted to look upon
every situation with an open mind and take every opportunity which has been
given to me, as Buber (N.D) states that:
“All journeys have
secret destinations of which the traveller is unaware”.
(Pedersen,
2009, p. 167)
This week I was able to visit a few secret destinations of
my journey, as a group of locals took us on a series of adventures which I had
never planned or thought about taking part in. To begin, we visited local
village where we cooked and ate a local meal with the families of our friends,
engaging in discussion about the Zambian way of life and our cultural
differences, which really gave me a feel of the Zambian people. The following
day, we spontaneously took part in a game of Volley Ball with a group of local
people, who happened to be playing in a nearby sports field. For the last and
most exciting part of our secret journey, I found myself upside down in a kayak
attempting to roll myself upright to find air. This experience is one I will
never forget, partly because I was highly enjoyable and partly because at the
beginning of the lesson I panicked under the water, almost drowning (a slight
exaggeration). However, from nowhere found courage that I didn’t know I had and
persisted with the lesson until I was able to make a decent attempt at rolling
the kayak. I feel that during my time in Zambia I have become more courageous,
taking calculated risks and opportunities in everyday situations and beyond
(weighing up the situation and considering my parent’s voice inside my head
saying ‘Is this safe? Are you going to
get hurt?’), which I would just refuse to do in Northern Ireland.
To top of our week
of tourism, we headed off to Chobe National Park in Botswana to experience a
two day safari. Being one of the top ten items on my ‘Bucket list’ it would be
an understatement to say that I was excited and I was not to be disappointed in
the slightest! With our crazy guide Sincar, we managed to see numerous lions, a
leopard, giraffe, thousands of Elephants (Chobe is home to over 60,000
elephants), buffalo, Impala, crocodiles and a range of native birds including
Zambia’s national bird: the fish eagle, as he drove off the safari trail and
into the bush.
After visiting the
Mosi oa Tunya national park and Chobe national park, I have managed to see
‘Africa’s Big Five’ all in one week – another item ticked off the ‘Bucket
List’!
References
Pedersen, L. (2009) Best
Bet ; A novel, Indiana, IUniverse.
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