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Dear Virginia, Please forgive my poor attempt at writing to you in Shona. I'm sure I've horribly mangled your wonderful language in doing so, and can only hope it's not too embarrassing to read.
Dear Virginia
Category Archives: Travel
Famba ne Shumba
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."
A Horse Is a Horse, of Course of Course!
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.
The Mountain Has Fallen
We finally reach the top of the hill and, a little breathless, look out over the valley. It is a spectacular view. Absolutely spectacular. You can see why it was the seat of power. Philip smiles and says, "Nice view, yes? The king was thought of as the mountain, and when the king would die people would say, 'The mountain has fallen! The mountain has fallen!'"
I Love a Man in Uniform
Yawns stifle Penya and Paza's usual eeowws, but they're happy to be taken out and oblige us with some ridiculously cute moments, even if some of them involve rolling around in elephant poo. The morning light: sublime. The cubs: amazing, as always. The company: perfect. It's becoming harder and harder to find new ways to describe these walks, but it never feels old or worn to us. Regardless whether we're walking up the path with them (one eye behind me, watching for Penya's ankle taps), standing under a tree as we encourage them to climb, or lazily dozing on some boulders – it is beautiful. Chakanaka. Famba ne shumba, chakanaka.
Question!
"Question! I'm just wondering if the Great Zimbabwe Ruins trip is going to be on a weekend, because I would be up for going if the trip was on the weekend," Michael once again asks. "Why the weekend?" Nathan responds, slightly frustrated. "Because don't we get weekends off?" comes Michael's reply. After the laughter in the room dies down and Nathan can unscrew the look of complete bewilderment from his face, he responds. "Michael, we don't get weekends off here. Do you think the lions look after themselves?"
Meet the Elephants, Not!
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.
Finding My Inner Bush Girl (in Zip-Off Pants)
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.
Zumba Like a Giraffe!
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.
Shovelin’, Shovelin’, Shovelin’
Chirp-chirp, chirp-chirp. Sorry, what was that? Chirp-chirp, chirp-chirp. Oh, right. Hang on. Chirp-chirp, chirp-chirp. Okay, okay! Zvakwana!