Todays pre-booked activities with Victoria Falls Guide
Activity
Pick up time
Drop off time
Remarks
Elephant Back Safari
06h15
10h00
25mins Helicopter
15h00
16h30
Cancelled
Back on and pick up time @ 11:15
Sunset and Dinner Cruise
15h05
20h30
Friday 7thof November 2014and I had a Kit Kat from the mini bar before I went to thereception quarter past 6 in the morning. They were waiting for me with a jeep.
A couple from South Africa and we were going to another hotel to pick up a couple from Canada before we would take off to the gaming park.
We were sitting on benches on the back of a pick-up. 6 Fifteen and it was actually quite nice to be up and about. That's the only perk by getting old, it is easier to get up in the morning.
Nice and cool and fresh air, and it had been raining during the night, rainy season will start now in November.But I hope I will be back in Bangkok by then. We don't want the green explosion before I have finished myBotswana safari. Well, anyway, we took off leaving Victoria Falls Hotel behind.
We stopped at a hotel to pick up a couple from Canada and we left Victoria Falls Town behind. We were on a nice stretch of road for about 3 km and then we turned in to a dirt road.
We were going to a private gaming park, the Stanley and Livingstone Private Game Reserve with the BIG 5. 16,000 Hectare and I asked how many km² that was, but no one knew so I don't have a clue how big the park is. But I realise that we were not goingto cover much area in 45 minutes on an elephant. But I was there for the elephant back experience and not the gaming.
Botswana on Monday and there will be enough of excellent gaming. Some say the best gaming in the world.
We arrived to the camp and we got out of the jeep and we had a safety meeting to start with. As you can see on the video below our hero was so nervous he was chewing the nicotine chewlike there was no tomorrow.
The elephants we're going to ride on are domesticated elephants that was saved from some draught. During the day they are with their trainers and during the night they are with their wild elephant friends in the park.
We had the introduction and the elephants were soon arriving to the platform that we would use (thank God) to get on the elephants.
And the elephants had saddles (thank God) so I hope it will be, well, not too bad to sit on theelephants. At the introduction they told us to hold on to the strap like our life depended on it, which it probably did. If we wanted to take pictures we had to ask the driver to stop. HOLD ON WITH BOTH HANDS!
They had told us that they would take pictures and a video of our adventure, 40 US Dollars and I knew that I had to buy these DVDs to have something for my web page.
Our elephants are coming with their drivers
Getting on board
My elephant are the last one to arrive
Look at him spotting me - He don't look happy to get the LARD ASS!
Getting on board
Time for me to get on board - My last picture as it turned out that I had to hold on for my life
Well, we stopped half way of the tour and we had 2 guys walking ahead of us, one of them carrying a riffle. They had to shoot a buffalo once that had attacked them. Again, the buffalo is one of the most dangerous animals in Africa. Anyway, they took my camera and they took a few pictures for me before we continued the trip.
The driver had a bag of pellets and the elephant used the trunk to beg for pellets
The driver had a bag of pellets and the elephant used the trunk to beg for pellets
Looks like the elephant have fun
The one on top or the bottom one?
We saw a few Impalas during the tour on the elephant, but impalas are like, well, there are millions of them and you see them everywhere. You even have to chase them out from your room in the night. We saw an antelope as well, but I have forgot what they called this antelope.
When we were back it was time to interact with the elephant and I feed him pellets. I sucked them up from my hand or I poured them down his trunk and when the trunk was full he blow them in to his mouth. And during the ride they ate pellets and the ripped of branches from bushes to eat.
So I learnt a lot of new things about elephants during the ride. I learned that they ate branches and I learnt that they use the tusks together with the trunk to brake of the branches. The branches looked very dry, but they were fresh inside.
Time to feed the elephant
Time to feed the elephant
Time to feed the elephant
Time to feed the elephant
Time to feed the elephant
There is no bottom in this guy
They were making breakfast for us while we feed the elephants. And I had not any hope of getting any good breakfast, but I was pleasantly surprised. It was very good food and when we ate one ofthe staff came to me with his mobile phone. - It is for you
Well, it was from Zambezi Helicopter Company/ Shearwater. I have been trying to get the long 25 minutes helicopter flight, the ZAMBEZI SPECTACULAR FLIGHT.
But I was the only one wanting to do the long flight so no flight. Now they had found people and they would come to pick me up at the hotel at 11:15. GOOD NEWS!!!
This can turn out to be a very good day, well, I have had a great time here in Victoria Falls. I really can recommend this place, a few setbacks with the water and the breakfast at the Devil's Pool. Otherwise a great time, OK,overcast and the Lunar Rainbow was cancelled and that was not good. But stuff like this happens. And I got 62 US Dollars back from Victoria Falls Guide so it was savedmoney. Good, Africa don't come cheap!
I bought the DVD and the picture CD as I have not had any chance to take any pictures of our elephant back safari. So I will up load them here for you to ENJOY!
And Shearwater's crew they understand how to make tasteful pictures. Devil's Pool, I was upset with the Guides, he would take so many nice pictures. The Guide in the pool was going on non foocking stop: - SITT HERE!! - WAVE AT THE CAMERA! - WE MOVE OVER HERE! - WAVE AT THE CAMERA - HURRY UP! NOW WE MOVE OER HERE!!!
I had to throw most of the pictures from Devil's Pool. We look like a bunch of village idiots waving at the camera NON FOOCKING STOP! But the worst, I looked like a 500 ton blob of lard sitting on the edge. Yes, I have too good taste to never run around without any shirt on. These pictures went straight to the garbage bin and you will never have to see them on internet.
Unless of course you stumble upon the other's pictures on internet, God help me! But Shearwater’s staff took some tasteful pictures and a video. And here are the video and the tasteful pictures that Shearwater's staff did, set me back by 40 US, but it was worth it. And they didn't ask us to weave our hands ONE SINGLE TIME!
Tasteful video by Shearwater's staff
Tasteful pictures by Shearwater's staff
As soon as you're finished with the video and pictures (You can see them as many times you want) you just have to clickHEREand you're in the middle of the helicopter adventure.
OK, it has come to my knowledge that we have senior citizen visiting my web page. How hard can itbe? So it's not very easy for them to see the blue coloured links to the next page.
Jiffy (also jiff)
noun[in SING.] informal a moment: we'll be back in a jiffy.
ORIGINlate 18th cent.: of unknown origin.
So as you understand, in a jiff pretty much depends on your internet.
So I put a “Next” button here and I hope that there isn't any problem to understand how to use that one. So just CLICK the “Next” button on your left hand side and you will be on the next page in a jiff!
Marunong ka mag-tagalog? Walang problema! Magpunta sa kabilang pahina pindutin ang “NEXT” button sa itaas
Faites vous parlez le français? Pas de problème! Pour arriver à la page suivante faites s'il vous plaît un déclic le bouton “Next” ci-dessus!
Haga usted dice el español? No hay problema! Ver la siguiente página sólo hacer clic el botón “Next” encima!
Farla parla l'italiano? Non problemi! Per vedere la prossima pagina lo scatto per favore giusto Il bottone “Next” sopra
Sprechen sie Deutsch! Kein problem! Wenn Sie die folgende Seite sehen wollen gerade klicken der Knopf “Next” oben!