“Hi guys, sorry to make you move, I’m in the window seat,” I said to the two young twenty somethings sitting in 42B and C. They eagerly got up and allowed me in. I settled into my seat, iPod at the ready, watching the stream of passengers behind me file past to find their seats. As soon as I started the music, 42B started talking to me. I pushed pause, took one ear plug out and listened.

“I was here for both – business and holiday,” I explained, “I was in Pretoria and Lusaka, Zambia, for work, then took 5 days to visit Kruger.” His eyes lit up. “We’re from Phalaborwa, right outside of the Kruger gate. How’d you find it?” “Just lovely. I was right outside Orphen gate, on a private game reserve, but went into Kruger for three days.”

We talked of the park, the state of affairs in South Africa, their plans to do a work/holiday in Scotland for 6 months, their jobs in South Africa, and other mundane small talk. 42C tapped the tv monitor in the seatback in front of him. “What’s this for?” I looked at him, somewhat surprised. “Well, once the flight is in progress, there will be in flight entertainment. There are about 50 movies to choose from, tv shows, music, and video games.” 42B piped in, “Are the movies any good? Or all they all old?” “No, they’re recent releases.” 42C added, “But how do we get the sound?” I looked at them with utter surprise. “Have you ever flown before?” They both beamed, “No, this is our first flight.” I explained that the flight attendants would pass out headphones and showed them where to plug them in. They asked a myriad of questions: Could they play their PS2 in the air? Would they be allowed to walk around? What else was on the plan? What kind of food would be served? Was it really true we would be served unlimited alcohol? Could they keep the pillow and blanket? What about the headphones? It was quite endearing.

They marveled the whole flight at things I’ve grown to take for granted: the receding landscape as we climbed higher in the sky, the fact that we were flying above the clouds, the machinations of the wing as we ascended then descended. They complained about the things I’ve grown to take for granted: the lack of leg room (42B insisted he would *never* fly economy again), the quality of the food (“can you believe how watery the eggs were?”), how thirsty one gets while flying (they couldn’t get over my foresight as I shared my bottled water with them), how uncomfortable it is to try to sleep on an overnight flight. Their names were Baul and Jacou. They apologized for their stilted English, explaining Afrikaans was their home language, astonished I didn’t pick up Afrikaans during my trip (“It’s such an easy language…”)

The 11 hour trip passed remarkably quickly. I remembered setting out on my own adventures at 22, first to California, then unexpectedly to Kuwait and Egypt, not knowing what to expect, but knowing I’d find adventure. I laughed almost constantly, each of their questions reminding me of my own bright eyed, bushy tailed 22-year old self.

Once at Heathrow, they followed me to connecting flights, again asking me questions and commenting continuously as we walked through Heathrow. As we prepared to go through security, I mentioned to Baul he needed to take off his jewelry and belt. “My belt? How’s I supposed to keep me pants from falling down then?” I laughed. “It’s only for a few steps.” “Yeah, but there’s thousands of people here. It’d be quite embarr’sin.”

We all needed boarding passes once we made it though security. As we were all flying British Airways to our respective destinations, I motioned for them to follow me to the BA queue. I explained they needed a new boarding pass that would identify their seat assignments on their next flight. We waited in the line until the next available agent signaled she was available. I walked towards her; at the counter I realized the two of them were right on my heels. I laughed once again and explained they needed to wait for the next agent since we weren’t on the same flight. They returned to the queue, waiting eagerly for the next available agent.

Boarding passes in hands, I explained it was time for us to part ways. They were heading to UK departures, I was to go downstairs for international. Jakou enthusiastically and with genuine sincerity said, “Maybe we’ll be on the same flight back from Scotland. We can tell you all about our time there.” I laughed. “That would be quite a coincidence. Good luck and have a great time. It was such a pleasure meeting the both of you.”

After a sunrise bush drive and walk, it was time to say good-bye to Kruger and head back to Jo’burg. An unexpected sadness washed over me. I wasn’t ready to leave this beautiful place. I wanted to stay longer and explore other areas. I wanted to learn more about the animals, about the vegetation that made this such a special place. I wasn’t ready to return to civilization.

King Charles picked me up after breakfast to take me to Maholoholo, the injured animal conservation site. Derrick, our guide, showed us injured birds and animals, explained how they were injured, what their chances for rehabilitation and being released into the wild were, and how each animal plays a part in a delicate ecosystem that works perfectly when all players are in place.

As an English woman and I cooed over a cute tiny bunny hopping freely around, he laughed and said, “Don’t get too attached to her,” then glanced at the vultures’ cage next to which we were standing. Oh.

We entered the vultures’ cage; they eyed us suspiciously. Derrick explained, first in English, then in Afrikaans, about the different species of vultures. He then asked who would like to feed them. I do, I do! He placed the gauntlet on my arm and instructed me to hold tight to a piece of raw meat. As a watched a slew of massive vultures fight to light upon my arm, he mentioned I shouldn’t look directly at the vultures; they might mistake my dark eyes for food. Holy crap.

We continued on to the lion and leopard areas – what beautiful, massive animals. There were a few Italian tourists in our group who didn’t understand English, especially the verbal and written instructions not to pet the animals. I watched with anticipated horror as one of the women started to reach out through the fence to pet the lion. Holy crap. Did she not realize these were injured wild, WILD, animals? They may look cute, but they eat her body weight equivalent of raw meat each day. That’s just crazy. Fortunately a translator arrived to explain to “KEEP YOUR HANDS AWAY FROM THE ANIMALS!”

As we were leaving, a baby rhino came charging across the yard, playfully bumping into objects in its path. Over went a solid picnic table, over went a chair, a tree budged. He came closer to our group, nothing separating us. Derrick explained that baby rhinos need constant attention and he was lonely. He instructed us to pet him, just not on the face. The Italians went straight for the horn. I got my camera ready, figuring the tabloids would pay good money for the pictures to accompany their headlines, “TASTES GREAT, LESS FILLING – ITALIAN TOURISTS MAULED AT MOHOLOHOLO.”

Remember how I wondered why anyone would choose to experience Kruger in the enclosure of an air-conditioned, dark tinted window bus? I discovered the answer today. Minutes into our drive, dark rainclouds appeared overhead, opening up suddenly and dumping torrents of water wherever we seemed to drive. Much like an umbrella is useless in a raging storm, the limited plastic “windows” that were rolled down to protect us from the elements were useless as rain whipped in between the seams. Even sopping wet, the day was delightful. We saw multitudes of vultures; our driver, Elvis, dramatically stopped the vehicle, slowly explaining that where there were vultures, there were dead animals, and where there were dead animals there were lions.

LIONS!

After six or so repetitions of this mantra, I thought to myself, “yeah, right,” when Peter, the Irishman sitting next to me, pointed and quietly said, “There he is.” And there, not 10 feet from us, was a lion, sitting serenely in the grass. I couldn’t believe it. Elvis drove closer, the lion walked a few steps away and settled next to his lioness. I was ecstatic to see a lion – such a majestic animal! The huge mane, the velvety fur, the sleepy eyes, yet also respectfully fear inspiring.

As I snapped pictures, one after the other, I thought, “Hm. What are you supposed to do if a lion attacks? He’s pretty close. I really can’t run. How can I appear as un-meatlike as possible?” It wasn’t necessary, as he contentedly just stared at us and we stared back for quite a long time.

As we drove through Kruger Park in our open air jeep, feeling the sun wash over us in hot waves, I wondered why anyone would ever choose to experience this in the enclosure of an air-conditioned, dark-tinted window tour bus. As we peered out over the open bush, searching for wild animals, I couldn’t imagine anywhere else I would rather be. A balmy wind blew over us steadily, the sun beaming, causing us to squint as we looked for any movement in the distance. Every so often, our driver, King Charles, would stop, reverse, and direct our attention to a tree or bush, sometimes far away, sometimes quite close, under which a giraffe, zebra, impala, warthog, wildebeest, elephant, or hyena stood. The binoculars I threw into my bag at the penultimate last minute brought the animals seemingly close enough to touch. I marveled at the designs in their coats, their long eyelashes, their stately elegance.

Most of the day was spent driving from Jo’burg to Kruger, about 6 hours. I never realized how much difference an iPod could make. Thank you Mac.

After quickly checking into the Tremisana Lodge, we went for a sunset game drive. Within minutes I saw baby giraffes to my right, guinea fowl running across dirt paths, zebra tentatively watching us from a safe distance and herds of wildebeests in fields.

Dinner was served under the velvet night sky, stars twinkling brightly. The German couple and I tried to identify the unfamiliar formations – knowing theoretically we should be able to locate the Southern Cross, in reality we never found it. But loved searching anyway.

My work here is done. Not really, but it’s finished for the time being. This morning I’m off to Kruger National Park on safari. I’m looking forward to seeing stars, quiet nights, and being disconnected.

Africans love bell peppers. I don’t. I’ve been unpleasantly surprised when ordering here. The menu lists out ingredients in a dish. No bell peppers are noted; I think I’m safe. The dish arrives; it’s loaded with bell peppers. Ugh.

I asked the waitress what vegetables were in the spinach salad. With a clipped accent, she replied, “Vegetables? There are no vegetables in the spinach salad.”

Surprised, I responded, “Oh., there aren’t? What’s in it?” She answered, “Spinach, lettuce, cucumbers, tomatoes, carrots, and bacon.”

My colleague told the taxi driver something I couldn’t quite discern. After driving through town, we approached a strip mall-esque structure and climbed the stairs to a Zambian nightclub, Chez N’Temba. We were greeted by an empty dance floor and rumba music playing too loudly. I looked at my colleague. “Later. The people will dance.” I was skeptical. We positioned ourselves on a couch against the wall, staring at the mirrored walls, watching the flashing red and blue neon lights scatter patterns on the empty room.

People arrived sporadically. Women, oh the women and their bodies. Beautiful strong women with jeans that hugged their ample hips and tops that showcased their strong shoulders. Hair in intricate dos, natural, weaves, extensions, short, long, braids, dreads, sculptures. How I wish I grew up in a culture that celebrated a healthy body. I flashed back to my junior high school years, during which I allowed myself only a pint carton of milk (non-fat, of course) and a Little Debbie oatmeal cookie for my daily nutritional intake as I starved myself to a size 6, a size 4, a size 2. Oh, how many delicious meals I missed out on. I returned to the present as more people entered the club. Handsome men followed the beautiful women, men tall and dark, with solid arms, laughing eyes and booming voices, greeting each other with strong handshakes and embraces. A few Mosi Lagers later, I noticed a few people on the dance floor. There wasn’t the frenetic energy of a Latin club, instead there was an easy-going meshing of bodies and music.

My colleague poked me, “Let’s dance.” These thoughts ran through my mind: “There aren’t that many people on the dance floor. I stand out. Will people laugh at me? I think I’ve got rhythm, but is that just like everyone thinks they have a good sense of humor? I’m dressed completely differently in my long sleeved blouse, loosely covering my non-comparable backside.” Out loud, I enthusiastically answered, “Let’s do it!” Once on the floor we shook, we moved, we thumped, we swayed, we rumbaed. More bodies joined us. We squeezed closer and closer together as the dj spun song after song. I threw my head back, laughing, enjoying, feeling the frustrations of the day disappear with each passing beat.

We took a break, laughing, sweating, holding hands as women do in other parts of the world, walking back to our now-warm beers that reserved our spots on the couch. We squeezed in next to the others, people talking animatedly in many languages. I watched the dance floor, happy to have come, happy we stayed. A Zimbabwean acquaintance of my colleague approached her. They chatted in a language I couldn’t understand then she introduced us in English. We exchanged unheard pleasantries over the thumping of the music. My colleague was pushing us together, saying, “Go dance. Have fun…”

I’m always slightly intimated when dancing with a new partner. Will we follow each other’s cues? Will we have similar moves? Will we trip over each other’s feet? Max’s calloused hands grabbed mine as he faced me on the dance floor. I followed the somewhat salsa, somewhat rumba pattern of his feet as he retreated, I approached and vice versa, our hips swaying side to side, upper bodies still. He nodded, a brilliant white smile illuminating his dark face. I returned the grin, watching his laughing eyes, feeling I was doing okay. His massive arms were suddenly around me, lifting me in the air, spinning me around. As he gently placed me back on the dance floor his voice boomed, “You CAN dance…”

It’s been somewhat frustrating to be on a continent as fascinating as Africa and be confined to a hotel/office all day. Yes, I know I’m here for work. And the work is fascinating. I’m utterly thankful that I have a job where I love both the mission of the organization and the people I work with. But still…

The Plan
Due to the unfortunate/fortunate cancellation of several meetings, on Wednesday afternoon we discovered our Thursday schedule was completely free. The hotel manager walked past our lunch table; I stopped him.
“Is it possible to go to Victoria Falls tomorrow?”
“Why, of course. I’ll have my secretary check transport for you. When would you like to return?”
“Tomorrow.”
He looked at me incredulously. “You realize it’s 500 km each way.”
“Yes. But I only have one day. Is it possible to either fly there and fly back in one day or hire a car?”
He chuckled. “I’ll get back to you.”

The reservations were made. Edgar was to pick me up at the hotel at 5 am. We would drive the 4 ½ or 5 hours there, spend several hours at the Falls, then return, hopefully off of the roads before night fell.

The Pickup
At 5:15 I was in the lobby with only the night guards. I called Edgar on his cell phone. He said, “Oh, yes, I’ll be right there.”
Wanting to confirm we were spending the day together, I asked, “Did Chris ask you about going to Livingstone today?”
“Oh, yes, right there.”

Several minutes later an elderly man appeared.
“Edgar?” I asked hopefully. He shook his head. I sat back down as he asked the front desk clerk for Room 205. I approached him again.
“I’m Lori. From room 205.”
“Oh, you asked for Edgar.”
“Yes. Are you Edgar?”
“No, Edgar is on another assignment. I’ll take you to my house where another driver will fetch you.”

I pondered this. It just didn’t feel right. But I also really wanted to go to Victoria Falls.

“Where’s Edgar?”
“He’s on another assignment.”
“But just yesterday he confirmed this trip.”
“Yes. He’s on another assignment. It’s okay, come with me. I’ll take you to my house.”

I stood there, weighing my options. The hotel desk clerk said, “I think you do not feel safe. I will write down the license plate number.”

I thought about this. Okay, so if I were abducted, they could look for the license of the rental car, by that time probably rented to a couple from Australia. It just didn’t feel right. But maybe this was the way business was done in Zambia. Maybe I just needed to go with the flow.

I got in the car with not-Edgar. He drove me to the outskirts of town. We arrived at his house and he hopped out of the car to open the ever-present gates that surround every home, every building. “Have you had your coffee?” he asked.
“No, I’m fine.”
“Oh, come in. Have some coffee.”
“No, I’m fine.” Even as I said the words, I thought, “Hell, this is like hitting a 13 in Blackjack when the dealer’s showing an 8. You’re all in. You don’t stop until you have a winning hand. I might as well make the best of this.” As I was getting ready to tell not-Edgar that yes, I would have a cup of coffee, a taxi arrived and a man jumped out and approached the gates quickly. “Ah, your driver is here.”

The Journey
Words were spoken, cash exchanged. The driver entered the car. “I am Joseph,” and with that we were off.

The first few kilometers were in silence. I didn’t know which direction we were supposed to be going. My mind often races to the worst case scenario. Hm. If this was a plot to abduct me, I should be proactive. Supposedly it’s harder for a kidnapper to hurt a kidnappee if a personal bond has been established.

“So, have you done this drive before?” Joseph explained, yes, many times, but this was the first time this year. I began inquiring after his family, what I’ve noticed is the common and expected thing to do here. “I am a widower for three years now. My wife, she was carrying our fourth child and it died inside her. She went to the hospital to have the dead baby delivered, it did not work, she bled to death.”
“I’m so sorry to hear that.”
“It’s hard, you know, to find someone like your wife, someone to spend the time with.”

Silence filled the car.

Hm. What question should follow the story of how you became a widower? His question broke the silence, “Miss Lori, are you married?” When I replied no, he exclaimed, “Oh! You are a bachelor like me. You move to Zambia and take care of my children.”

Hm. Not sure how to respond to that one either.

I steered the conversation to more innocuous topics: weather, the drive, sports. As soon as we left the capital city of Lusaka, we were in the country. Greenness surrounded us. Trees, grass, fields of maize, infinite beautiful green pressing up against an increasingly bright blue sky. The only other traffic on the road was people walking to work and/or school, an occasional bicyclist. Small round huts with thatched roofs occasionally peeked out from the roadside.

After passing through a few small towns, a few smaller villages, and 500 kilometers of open road, we arrived to Livingstone. We walked the narrow path from the parking lot to the entrance of Victoria Falls. I’d seen pictures of the Falls at the hotel; I’d heard about them; nothing prepared me for what I was about to experience.

The Destination
I turned to Joseph, “What’s that noise?” He laughed. “We are here.” A thunderous roar greeted us. I turned the corner of the trail, and there, through the trees, were the Falls. I stood awestruck. Unbelievable amounts of water cascaded, no crashed, into a steep ravine. The torrents hit the bottom of the chasm with such massive force that the water then sprayed back up to nearly the top of the drop. I stood there, my mouth agape.

After several minutes, we continued along the trail, getting closer and closer to the edge of the ravine where the Falls fell. As we got closer the mist became thicker and heavier, until we were standing in a virtual downpour. I laughed as the water pelted me, drenching my not-waterproof jacket, my not-waterproof pants, and my not-waterproof t-shirt. I stood at the edge of the ravine, mesmerized by the Falls and the absolute magnitude of them. The roar, the wetness, the expanse, the smell of the air purified by such massive amounts of water. We navigated each trail, stopping to admire the Falls from every vantage point. At each location, I couldn’t pull myself away from the view – the beauty and true awesomeness was hypnotizing. Words escaped me; each view was met by squeals, gasps, clapping, or sighs.

After several hours of meandering from view point to view point, we made our way upwards to the River Trail. Suddenly we were before the Falls, walking alongside an incredibly calm, gently flowing Zambezi River. This was what turned into the Falls a mere meters away? No fences prevented us from dangling our feet in the river, though there was a rock with childlike letters proclaiming “No bathing. No washing.” We sat on the hot stones of the riverbank, relishing the warmness of the sun as it slowly dried our drenched clothes. I lay back, watching the fat, unnaturally white puffy clouds drift over the calm river. My eyes grew heavier and heavier listening to the calming sounds of water passing over random rocks in the river.

I suddenly woke up, almost dry. Joseph still sat beside me, watching the pattern of the river as it crept toward the edge of the Falls. I yawned, then stretched. I knew we needed to go back to the car. I knew we had a five hour drive and had been warned not to be on the roads after dark. I knew I didn’t want to leave this peaceful place.