We've ended two weeks of safaris in Botswana and Zimbabwe. Getting between camps was in 6 and 8 seater planes landing on dirt strips after the elephants and baboons were chased off the runways. Every day has been cloudless and mosquito-less. It's still the dry season. There no fences between countries so the animals are free to roam. Not a sign of liter anywhere in the parks and the reserves. Conservation is a primary concern. Poaching is low due to the presence of Rangers. Our camps were small. Six to twelve tents/huts/cabins set in God-knows-where in the jungles. We had lions, leopards, hippos, cape buffalo and who-knows-what come thru our camps. One camp...19 lions came thru in broad daylight while we there and took down an impala. We've cruised the Chobe and Zambini rivers and had hippos chase our boat (rowboat). We pulled alongside the biggest crock I've ever seen. These animals in the wild are big, strong and magnificent. Even the birds are striking in their beautiful coloring. At night we dine under the stars with candles as our only light source. The food is incredible. Rivals anything I've had in L.A. We dine as we listen to hippos. The African sounds at night is unlike anything I've ever heard. Not noisy, just awesome expecially when you hear lions roar. You're not allowed to go outside your tent/hut/cabin at night without an escort...no matter how close you are from the main open building. The staff at each camp are the best. We've had a chance to meet people from all over and we'll probably be in contact with many of them for the rest of our lives. In Zimbabwe we saw Victoria Falls from the ground and from a helicopter. If it isn't one of the 7 wonders of the world...then it should be. People told us that this would be the trip of a lifetime. It can't be because we're already planning a return trip. We're in So. Africa now, near Cape Town, with TV/phones/cars. I feel like I left civilization and am in the jungle now. We're spending 8 days along the tip of So. Africa. It's very tropical here amd so the hills are thick with growth. The beaches go on for miles. We start our trip home Oct. 1. Not looking forward to that since it will be about 33 hours of flying and layovers.
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