On the edge of Devil's Pool - Victoria Falls

Kind of CRAZY!

You wouldn't be allowed to do this in the USA!!

Waiting for instructions on how to proceed to Devil's Pool

Helicopter Ride over Victoria Falls

Helicopter ride (notice the cool baobab tree)

Last evening here...zebras graze by the pool side!

Victoria Falls from the Zambia Side....

Our view on the walk...next up a view from a helicopter!

Zambia Welcome!

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Zambia Zebra Crossing!

Zambia

River cruise on the Zambezi River. It is HOT & HUMID! G & T's help cool us off! It is about 100 degrees F with humidity just like NE!

We arrived in Zambia and are staying at the Royal Livingston Hotel. Everyone that arrives gets a 5 minute hand & arm massage. (Advertising for their spa:)

Signing out of our Safari!

Margo &  Lawrence spotted lion foot prints near our turn out of our lodge.....found them less than 30 yards from camp!

I probably should have read this sign more carefully on the way in, but did manage to read it entirely on the way out! Yes, LIONS were growling on camp this morning, but I mostly heard crazy baboons going NUTS at 4:45 AM sending out warning signals because the LIONS were in the area!

Heading to Zambia...via the dirt runway!

Our Micato guides. Brian & Margo....the best. A truck had to drive down the side of the runway to get the African buffalo off the runway! Pretty crazy, you could see animal droppings of impala, elephants and kudos on the dirt runway!

Target shooting.....

I was the first one up for target shooting. I had little expectations of myself as I have not shot a gun since high school.

Nailed it on the first try and the soda sprayed out! So proud....but not much luck after that!

Hyena!

Remember these guys from Lion King? They are nocturnal so we had to spot them at night!

Hippo

We couldn't get very close to the hippos. They kill more people than any other animal. What a surprise!  People near the water are in danger! They will stomp on you or clamp down and crush you. 

Bush Dinner

Last night we had a bush dinner. Each guide had to carry their rifle. Good thing too, their were three lions within a block of our lodge in the morning.

Thank you, GOODNESS!

Meet GOODNESS, she is the gal smiling next to Mike & Dave. She has been serving us and taking care of all of our needs. Here in Africa, she is called a BANAKELI, which means HOST, WAITER or BUTLER. She is wonderful to us. And YES, her real name is Goodness!

Bush Plane....

This is the plane we took to get to the Singita Lodge. First time I have ever been on a DIRT runway!!

Lawrence is our tracker, and Margo is our guide and driver at our Singita Lebombo Lodge. We say that Lawrence is in the "Meat Seat!" Mike calls them "Lucky Lawrence and Magic Margo." We love them. They are educating us about the bush. We travel with a rifle & bullets!

Safari Saturday Evening, Mike's shots!

African Water Buffalo

Giraffes are so elegant!

This little bird is busy eating bugs off the zebra.

This male lion is getting old. It is not an easy job to be the king of the jungle, even if you sleep 19-20 hours a day. You have to defend your status to the death.

Kudu

Wildebeest 

Very unusual sighting of a leopard. We chased one all morning. In the evening we changed to a road not as dusty and this little male was walking down the dirt road. 

Saturday Morning Safari!

Zebra Crossing! 

Having lunch inside with a monkey & her baby  observing us from outdoors.

Fire pit area at Singita Lodge where we are staying.

Yep, that is one of the rooms. They are all nestled into the mountain and  based on a theme. Ours is the eagle's nest.

We are not allowed to go to our room at night without an attendant & his flashlight. Not sure if he has a gun or not:)

Krueger National Park

This big teen ager charged our Land Rover and Margo, our guide, had to talk him down.

Zebra...looks just like the skin I bought!

Taking a break!

Found a pride of lions. There were 14-16 of them. They were resting and stretching.

Traditional music and dancing! What FUN!! Gotta get to bed...wake up call is at 5AM!

SPINNING!

Nelson Mandala Tour...signs represent stroke brushes .... and  FREEDOM!

Coffee house that scared Star Bucks away from coming into town!

@Truth Coffee

Skinny Latte

YES! These are fun. Not for sale or I would have brought one home for Claire Bear!!

Cape Peninsula.....

Tim Murman, you would LOVE to surf here!

Penguin Colongy at Boulders Beach...the jackass penguin...named for how they sound!

Baboon sighting!

We have had a difficult time staying to the left. The South Africans drive on the left, steering wheel on the right. You have to share the sidewalk the same way. We are usually in the wrong lane!!

We need to wait for the ostrich family to cross the road.

Citrus Brule baked in a lemon shell at the "Foodbarn Restaurant. Not aptly named as it was French food and OHHH so GOOD!

Cape Town below us.

Dinner at Suzette and Peter James' home. Anne, a friend, and our guide Brian join us. Suzette holds the "knocker!" We had lots of laughs, and an amazing dinner in a private home of world travelers! There is a funny story about the "KNOCKERS!"

We drank specially selected wine from their cellar, toured their home and garden and traded travel stories. When we entered their home, the first thing Suzette asked me was, "Oh, are you ASIAN?" She spent many years in Japan and Asia and was sure I had that blood line. She thought I should have ancestry testing done:)