kimpluscraig.com

"What's the forecast today? Rice, potatoes, some vegetables (probably carrots and peas, or maybe creamed spinach), chicken or beef (or chicken and beef), salad, and some dessert." You might think that when traveling to Africa you may lose a little weight. You certainly aren't concerned about gaining weight. It's not like going to Italy, where you know you're going to gorge yourself on pasta and gelato, washed down with copious amounts of wine. But thank goodness we were engaged in daily physical labor and long walks in the hot sun, because in the heart of Zimbabwe we ate like kings and queens.

Read More »

We're in the van with Nathan, who has just picked us up at the bus stop in Gweru, where we've just arrived from Harare. As we're making the short drive to Antelope Park, he tells us there are two phrases we will hear a lot that we need to know. He first asks if we know what “TIA” means.

Read More »

It never ceases to amaze me how glorious the mornings are here at Antelope Park. Today, we wake up to see the horses enjoying the river across from our tent. I see Silver Dime and give him a silent "thank you" for the lovely day we spent together yesterday. We take this picturesque scene as a good omen for the day ahead, which we're really excited about, because after two days without spending any time with the lions, our morning today begins with a walk with Paza and Penya. Famba ne shumba, "walk with lions."

Read More »

AP has between 20-30 horses and mules on site and every volunteer spends at least one full day with them. I'm excited, but also nervous. I have never been near a horse before, let alone ridden one. Well, that's not entirely true. I do remember going on a pony ride when I was quite little; you know the type where the ponies are chained to a center pole and you go around in circles? Fun for a kid, but I don't consider it legitimate horse experience.

Read More »

It's another glorious morning at Antelope Park as we wake to the roaring of lions and the chatter of birds, have a quick cup of coffee, and start the day off walking with Lewa and Laili. Really, it just doesn't get any better than this.

Read More »

I knew I was going to have a good day today. I was in Africa with the lions - how could it possibly not be a good day? What I didn't know is that today I would have an epiphany.

Read More »

The members of Ingonyama hail from Dete, Zimbabwe, which is near Hwange National Park, and have been friends since childhood, having grown up together in an orphanage. They started out performing at lodges near Hwange and also at Victoria Falls and use their talents and sense of humor to help educate school children about problems in the country such as HIV/AIDS and wildlife conservation, and they work closely with youth camps at Painted Dog Conservation near their hometown.

Read More »

Zimbabwe is a beautiful country, but what we observe as we ride through the capital of Harare and then throughout the four hour bus ride to Gweru, the country appears tired and neglected. Stripped and burned out cars on the side of the road, litter everywhere, the landscape blackened from frequent fires, and little wildlife. In addition to the crammed buses and trucks shuttling people to and from their destinations, there are people walking along the road everywhere, and in the middle of nowhere. Women with babies on their backs and bags of maize meal on their heads, men and women carrying overstuffed luggage, people sitting alongside the road selling small amounts of fruit or vegetables. You can't help but wonder where these people come from and where they are trying to get to as you drive through the countryside. Maybe they're trying to get to the nearest town, maybe to family, to work, to school, to a medical clinic. It just feels like wherever they're trying to go, it's going to be a very long and rough journey.

Read More »

A country of complex history and politics, whose story is jaw-dropping with its incredulousness, hand-wringing with its pain, and heartbreaking with its hope and spirit, Zimbabwe is a place whose intricacies I would never to claim to know or understand completely, but what I've read fascinates me

Read More »

Every morning in Africa, a gazelle wakes up. It knows it must run faster than the fastest lion or it will be killed. Every morning a lion wakes up. It knows it must outrun the slowest gazelle or it will starve to death. It doesn't matter whether you are a lion or a gazelle...when the sun comes up, you'd better be running. -African Proverb.

Read More »