Into the Wild

  We just got back from our safari in the South Luangwa National Park in Zambia. We stayed at the Flatdogs Safari Camp. The experience was absolutely amazing, one of the best in my life outside of my wedding day, meeting my son, and graduating with my Masters. We took a plane to Mfuwe the town near the camp. Isaac was an absolute superstar on the plane. It was a very small plane and the ride was quite bumpy. He fell asleep for part of it and we fed him for the rest of the ride. I’m hoping that this good behaviour continues when we make the long journey back to Canada. The camp itself is 1km away from the park. As we drove in, we saw three elephants just hanging out by the entrance to the camp. Our introduction to the camp included detailed instructions on what to do when encountering an elephant and how to best avoid having your food stolen by the monkeys and baboons. We had definitely entered the wild. My Mom and I had “prepared” for the safari by reading one of our guide books that had instructions for what to do when for example you are charged by an elephant (if the ears are flapping, it’s just a mock charge, but if the ears are back, good luck) or if you come across a hippo (you won’t be able to outrun it and best not get between the hippo and water). We had laughed at all the tongue in cheek descriptions in the book, not realizing that we might actually have to use that information. After getting checked into our chalet at the camp and getting settled, Isaac, my Mom, and I went for a swim in the pool. Our view included two elephants 20 feet away eating the leaves off a tree and three giraffes about 30 feet away. The camp was truly unbelievable. There were monkeys and baboons all over the place. The workers treat them like pests and use sling shots to keep them away from the restaurant. In my first morning walk to the restaurant, I encountered two monkeys with babies holding onto them, both carrying toast in their hands. The excursions into the park are organized in two four hour drives per day, one in the morning and one in the afternoon/evening. The first day, I went out in the morning and my Mom went in the evening. As we entered the park in the morning, we were greeted by multiple giraffes with babies, several hippos and crocodiles lazing around in the water, and more impala and puku than you could count. We also encountered multiple warthogs, one with three babies, zebras, beautiful birds, and elephants. A highlight of the day was when we came across a pride of lions with a kill. They had killed a small hippo and were also attempting to pull a large, already dead hippo out of the water. Our guide said that this pride, the Mfuwe Pride, was very successful as they had many young lions and were going for big kills. He said they didn’t bother with the impala as they would simply be a small snack. While we were watching, one of the males mated with a female. It lasted all of about 10 seconds. Apparently they do this about 40 times per day. The female didn’t look impressed which I thought was completely understandable.

Elephants welcomed us to the camp.

  In addition to the animals, we also had “interesting” experiences with large insects. The first night on the walk to the restaurant the watchman and I came across a very large spider which he promptly stepped on. Returning later in the evening, I came across a scorpion in our place. I almost stepped on it with my bare foot – a lesson to wear your sandals inside. I called the watchmen to find out how to deal with it and again, he stepped on it. So, later when I came across a huge stationary moth that had been pestering me the night before and a very large spider in our kitchen, I decided that it might be best to follow the advice, “When in Africa…”, and dispatched of the two offending insects in our place. The moth met its end with the sole of my Haviana and the spider with a sharp slap of the spatula in the kitchen. I did feel a bit guilty as usually I try to save large insects in our house, but when they are larger than the diameter of a cup, it makes saving them difficult.

    Our good luck continued over the next few days at the camp. My mom and I both had amazing encounters with animals, some closer than others. I never expected to be five feet away from two sleeping lions, a male and female, or seeing lions stretched out on their backs like our dogs at home. My mom may have been a bit closer to the action than she would have liked. One day, she was pooed on by a baboon and also had a water buffalo attempt to lift up their safari jeep with his horn. We were both amazed by the amount of animals we got to see, even the elusive leopard. The landscape was incredibly beautiful as well. The only thing we probably could have done without was the 45-50 degree weather. It was hot. It made Lusaka feel like a pleasant summer’s day. Always good to have things put into perspective for you. 

You can see his teeth marks on the highchair. Sorry, Flatdogs!

  Isaac enjoyed his stay at the camp. Although he didn’t really seem all that interested in the animals that were around him, he loved the pool and the fact that he got to swim twice a day. He also developed a taste for wood while at the camp. The poor highchair did not come out unscathed after a meeting with Isaac. Apparently, gnawing on the back of the highchair was better than any teething toy we could have provided him. My mom and I felt that we didn’t even need to leave our table to be in the presence of our own little wild animal. I think he would give a beaver a run for its money.

This is Isaac's new surprised look. We're not sure why he's begun doing this, but

 it's pretty cute.