the Matetsi Game Lodge on the banks of the Zambezi
The guy above was our
0500 alarm clock while at Matetsi. We were told that the hippos would submerge
to tell each other jokes and that if they were funny enough they would have
to surface to laugh.
Interesting grunting sounds - Very Loud.
After our restful 2 nights
at the Vic Falls Hotel we were picked by Towanda, a guide from the Matetsi
Water
lodge on the banks of the Zambezi still in Zimbabwe. We were transported by
open Land Rover (specially
modified 300 tdi 110) complete with rifles mounted fore and aft. Our 1st elephant
encounter was on this ride.
We arrieved at Matetsi to be welcomed by our personnal valet Ober who presented
us with hot towels,
cold juice and a very warm welcome. To the right in photo above is Rob Clifford,
our primary wildlife guide.
Rob was an employyee of Safari
Drive based in London and a remarkeby knowledgable guide.
Matetsi is owned by the
Conservation
Corporation of Africa and as well all their other lodges was amazing.
Our lodging was a stone walled, thatched roof bugalo directly on the river
with a cold dip pool in the back.
We met at the central lodge (pictured above left) for our meals and meetings.
Our days were consumed
with short drives into the game reserve where we would, under the guidance
of Rob Clifford, track elephant and other species "on foot". He
taught us about how to track elephant. How to
determine their size, sex and speed by analyzing their tracks and dung. He
gave us our 1st real look
at "The Circle of Life" up close and personal
These little guys are
vervet monkies and on more than one occasion joined us for meals, jumping
right
onto our dining table to snatch muffins and the like and flee back to the
trees to enjoy their snacks.
Even the occasional Baboon would get a bit close.
And as you might spot
a few squirrels roaming in you backyard at home, we often encountered the
same
thing only it was Warthogs in this neighborhood.
In the
evenings we were not permitted to return to our lodges un accompanied. Maura
was convinced that
this was done simply to enhance the experience. That there was no real danger.
However on our last night as "Spear" (the guard in the photo with
Maura above) was walking us back we first spotted some recent
dung in the path and ahead of it a mother and child pair of elephants. They
were in the middle of the path
that lead to our lodge and there was no way we were going home until they
decided to leave.
Unfortunatley my camera was in the lodge and so didn't get any photos. After
we did return, while preparing for bed we viewed a Hippo coming out of the
water and passing right beside our lodge window on his/her way
apparantly to dinner.