So here I was in Zambia as an explorer. I was no less than Livingstone trying to make sense of the world and its many wonders. One such marvel is the Zambezi cruise that I went on. It was one of the most invigorating experiences of my life. I was thrilled to bits but before that, we had an opportunity to see some reptiles and serpents in the crocodile park. I roamed amongst these vicious animals and observed them sucking on a lemon drop. Cobras, vipers, and many creepy crawlers were all available for me to see and take pictures with.
Nick was at his animated best as we then drove towards the Zambezi sunset cruise. I chatted with the people who had come to enjoy the cruise as we all hopped on a trawler full of booze with chicken and sausages being served for all to enjoy. I sipped away on glasses of whiskey and lime as the hippos in the river tried to come close to us. There was a group of them all floating under the water with only their noses being visible, but the most interesting part was when they yawned and widely opened their mouth. I managed to take a lot of pictures of hippos, elephants and cranes. It was as if they wanted my attention and were posing for my lens. I have also learnt so many things from these animals and that is another story.
Then all of a sudden I heard ‘ooooh’s and ‘aahha’s. As I turned around, I saw the sunset. There it was, the sun as a radiant orange ball in the sky that made me feel like I was in love again. The fresh fizzing barbecue, the banter of good friends, flying cranes, bobbing hippos and the astonishing sunset. It was all too much to enjoy. I clicked away as Roger urged me to take that perfect shot. “Maybe I will travel to Botswana also. I think I am enjoying Africa.” Roger smiled and said. “We would love to take you there if you so wish.” “I have to finish Zimbabwe first, then I think I can get to Botswana. I will let you know.” That was that. The salad was nice and so was the chicken.
The cruise was about two and a half hours long and we were back to the banks of the river by 7:00 PM local time only to be greeted by the traditional dancers. Their dance was a vibrant traditional Zambian dance that was very similar to the ones I have seen in Zulu. The loud banging of the drums along with a robust shaking of the hips and legs. I wanted to join them but I felt exhausted. So I let be but yes, I did get some pictures of their fantastic costumes. I loved it as hell and was struck by the sheer spirit and power of their dance. They were just high on rhythm and music. All they had was their dance and it was as if the dance had merged with them and as if everything was one.
