Tag Archives: Zambia

The Beautiful Diversity of Being. Perspectives and (Analog) Nostalgia.

October 5, 2016 Tiny 90 Comments

It’s all about perspective. If you lay on your back on the parched ground, you will see bright blue skies through the opening formed by your body in the tall elephant grass. It is yellowed and crispy. It does not move. You see, there is not a breath of wind. Air is vibrating in the heat adding shifting patterns to the sky. And you think of dance. Relaxing, slow dance of the universe.

african-dance-nos1 — Traditional dancers in Zimbabwe early 1990s

If you sit up your perspective changes. You see a thick wall of dry grass. Covered in dust it is still standing, proudly reaching for the skies. More out of habit than anything else. Elephant herds have not yet passed by here, and the sun has not yet completely broken its back. But it knows from experience that not a drop of water will come down for a long time.

elephants-crossing-luangwa-river-zambia-nos — An elephant family crossing the Luangwa river, Zambia, late 1980s

If you stand up in the midst of the dry grass your perspective will change yet again. You will see the river flowing by. Its speed has slowed down since the rainy season and its banks are higher now. But it still transports the lifesaving elixir to all in need, people and wildlife alike.

luangwa-river-bank-in-zambia-nos1 — Luangwa River, Zambia, late 1980s

Beyond the river you can see an acacia tree silhouetted against the sky. And a lone giraffe seeking shelter from the burning sun. Still months to go before the heavens will open, making the rivers overflow their banks and bringing the savannah to life again. It will get worse before it gets better.

giraffe-2-kenya-nos1 — Giraffe in Kenya early 1990s

These are but a few perspectives on Africa. As seen from a small patch of tall elephant grass.

Before experiencing Africa in the late 1980s to mid 1990s I had no idea how much this continent would adjust my perspectives on life. And of those sharing my journey.

mike-and-mom-in-zambia-nos — Fresh from the plane. Our first day in Africa (Lusaka, Zambia) late 1980s

I embarked on this journey to widen my horizons, and to add to my perspectives on life. I hoped to gain a better understanding of the human experience through immersing in cultures and traditions so different from mine. I wanted to experience the wild. And hopefully to do some good along the way, however insignificant.

aulikki-at-coffee-ceremony-in-ethiopia-nos1 — Attending a traditional coffee ceremony in Ethiopia in 1990

uganda-music-nos1 — Performing Lingala songs in Kampala, Uganda mid 1990s

Those were my hopes and expectations, but I had no idea of how much the rest of my life would be influenced by Africa. That I would feel the passions and pains of its people in my bones. Develop a lifelong love of the wild creatures roaming its savannahs. And come to embrace, at least partially, the differences and similarities of lives lived under the same sun in various corners of our precious earth.

young-dancer-vic-falls-zambia-nos1 — A young dancer in Livingstone, Zambia, late 1980s

What I learned gave me a firm respect for life, and overlapping perspectives to observe it from.

Life is about following your path. Sometimes it may mean leaving behind the safe and familiar to experience the pulse of something new and different. To leap into the unknown in order to contribute, to learn, to discover and respect other perspectives than those one was born with. To see the beautiful diversity of being.

Last week I grew a year older. An excellent opportunity to reflect on what has been. Thinking back to this meaningful passage in my life, I feel nostalgia. And tremendous gratitude for having had the privilege to peek into life on this old continent over several years in several countries. Despite some hazards and heartaches, my eight years in Africa rise to the surface among the good things that have enriched my life experience. I appreciate the hardships and the blessings. Africa captured my heart.

On my birthday I found nostalgia right there in my lap, together with Dylan. And went to try on my Ethiopian national dress. It still fits.

Humor, Photo challenges, Photography, Wildlife

My Muse is on the Loose. Weekly Photo Challenge (13 Images)

June 28, 2015 Tiny 45 Comments

To tell you the truth, she’s actually wild. Or maybe I should say she always wants me to shoot in the wild. Take time off from everyday grind. And buy better equipment. Had she a full say, I’d spend months every year on the African savannah or an a secluded bird island in the middle of the ocean shooting pictures of life in the wild. Looking at the natural world through a high quality super telephoto lens.

great egret honeymoon island Florida — A Great Egret on Honeymoon Island, Florida

But like most everyone else, my Muse has to adapt to life’s circumstances. And to my mini-sized wallet. So now she reluctantly allows me to shoot whatever wildish crosses my path. Which is mostly birds. Like this year’s Osprey chicks getting their fish delivery from Papa Osprey. And learning to fly.

papa ospreys fish delivery Sand Key Park, Clearwater Florida — Fish delivery by Papa Osprey.

osprey chick returns to nest Sand Key Park, Clearwater Florida — The middle chick learns to fly.

Or Mama Osprey defending the nest in a preemptive strike against one particular Great Blue Heron, who’d attempted to raid her home several times previously.

mama osprey prevents attack by blue heron Sand Key Park, Clearwater Florida — Mama Osprey prevents the Great Blue Heron from attacking the nest.

Or it could be Bottlenose Dolphins playing in the calm ocean waters early in the morning.

bottlenose dolphins at caladesi island Dunedin Florida — Bottlenose Dolphins play in the water.

While my Muse still occasionally gets to shoot on wild islands, she’s not giving up on returning to the savannah.

fresh water pond on caladesi island Dunedin Florida — In the wilderness on Caladesi Island.

She constantly nags me about it. Opens old photo albums and makes me scan pictures. Reminds me of the giraffes and elephants I spotted on my first safari ever in South Luangwa National Park in Zambia. Gosh, she says, that was over 25 years ago.

giraffes South Luangwa National Park Zambia — Giraffes on the savannah in Zambia.

elephants in South Luangwa National Park Zambia — Elephant mom with teenagers in the bush, Zambia.

And pokes me about the hippo we encountered on one beautiful New Year’s Eve in Queen Elizabeth’s National Park in Uganda. Remember that pink hippo, who wanted to crash the party on the lodge verandah?

A hippo in Queen Elizabeth National Park in Uganda — The hippo who liked to party, Uganda.

Or the baboon, who taught you about food hygiene? She asks these detailed, leading questions to refresh my memory.

baboon mom with her child in Queen Elizabeth National Park in Uganda — Baboon mom with her kid, Uganda.

She remembers all the wild adventures of the past. From the hyena, who came to our camp in Awash desert in Ethiopia to the lions we encountered just before nightfall in Kenya.

Hyena awash Ethiopia — A hyena makes herself at home in our camp, Ethiopia

two lions in Kenya — Two female lions prepare for their hunt at nightfall, Kenya

My Muse is definitely on the loose. Who knows where she’ll take me in months and years to come. But she’d better have a good plan for taking care of all I need to take care of. And provide a generous budget. Cheers to that, my Muse ~

You can find other replies to this week’s photo challenge, Muse, here.

Travel

Throwback Thursday: Lions out of Focus

July 24, 2014 Tiny 23 Comments

Generally speaking, focus is the central point of attention or activity. We may agree that it’s important to focus on whatever we want to get done. I’d like to add that how we focus on something may actually determine whether or not we’ll live to tell the story. Seriously.

I learned this lesson many years ago in South Luangwa National Park in Zambia. Before dinner on our first day at the safari lodge we opted for a sunset game drive. We climbed into a typical “safari jeep” ready for an adventure. Our guide drove us around the park and we saw many different types of antelopes, zebras and water buffaloes. Very exciting! But more excitement was to come.

antelope in Zambia Luangwa National Park — A large antelope in South Luangwa National Park

About an hour into the drive, our guide told us that before we’d return to the lodge for dinner, he would drive us down to the Luangwa River to see the sunset. It was spectacular, he said, and we might spot animals who come there to drink in the early evening hours.

A few minutes later we approached the river banks. Already from afar, we could see a herd of elephants crossing the river. We stopped on the high river bank and the driver left the engine running (we were in the wild). My hubby, who sat in the front passenger seat, rigged his camcorder.

Elephants crossing Luangwa River Zambia safari — A herd of elephants crossing the Luangwa River (click to enlarge)

The view was magical. On the left side of the vehicle we could see elephants of all sizes: large adults, youngsters and adorable babies. And on the right side a gorgeous African sunset. My hubby was recording for dear life.

Luangwa river Zambia sunset — Sunset on Luangwa River

That’s when we spotted a group of female lions. They were basking themselves in the last rays of the setting sun, probably strategizing about the upcoming hunt. They were very close and very calm. We watched them breathlessly from the relative safety of our vehicle.

Suddenly my hubby moved. His eye still on the viewfinder he stepped down from the open jeep to get a better view. And landed right in front of the lions! He was so focused on capturing the sunset that he had not seen what all others saw, the lions. In an instant, he was the easy catch, a free meal, so to speak. I was about to scream, but the driver was faster. In a fraction of a second and without a word he grabbed my hubby’s arm and pulled him back into the vehicle. Then he backed out of there, slowly and calmly.

Luangwa River Zambia — Luangwa River at sunset

That was a close call. My tiny lesson was that how we focus on something matters. Of course we should focus on what needs to get done. But not so narrowly that we lose sight of what is going on around us. Things can change fast.

Just Life

Softly the Evening Came…

February 27, 2013 Tiny 28 Comments

…with sunset. – Henry Longfellow

“The sunrise is Gods greeting – the sunset his signature”.

– Unknown

“Peace…is seeing a sunset and knowing who to thank”.

– Unknown

“Clouds come floating into my life,

no longer to carry rain or usher storm,

but to add color to my sunset sky”.

– Rabindranath Tagore

“Sunset is a global phenomenon

with a long history”.

– Tiny

“At sunset

Nature is painting for us…day after day…

pictures of infinite beauty”.

– John Ruskin

“Sunsets are so beautiful that they almost seems

as if we were looking through the gates of Heaven”.

– John Lubbock

“Living is strife and torment,

disappointment and love and sacrifice,

golden sunsets and storms”.

– Laurence Oliver

“At sunset

the universe is getting up its hopes

for a better tomorrow on earth”.

– Tiny

Travel

The Smoke That Thunders

October 25, 2012 Tiny 8 Comments

One beautiful December morning some 25 years ago, we stepped onboard a small and very old propeller plane in Lusaka, Zambia to fly south to the Zambia/Zimbabwe border. That was the first of many trips we would do over the years to experience one of the seven natural wonders of the world, Mosi-oa-Tunya. It means the smoke that thunders – a very descriptive indigenous name given by the Tonga tribe to the falls we now know as Victoria Falls.

This worlds largest waterfall stretches one mile (1.7 km) wide and 360 f (108 m) high, producing a huge continuing curtain of falling water during the rainy season. The main streams have also been named: Devil’s Cataract, Main Falls, Rainbow Falls and the Eastern Cataract. The wide basalt cliff over which the water falls into the ravine transforms the calm Zambezi river into a wild torrent with numerous dramatic gorges and true white water rapids.

We have come to visit these falls both from Zambia and Zimbabwe, both sides of the falls offer beautiful views and nice accommodations. Upon arrival, I’ve just liked to relax in the hotel gardens and listen to the ancient thunder of the falls and watch the mist raising towards the skies.

Then it’s been time to take a walk in the two national parks protecting the falls on both sides of the border. The vegetation in the parks is lush, rainforest-like, due to the continuous natural “irrigation”. But there are nice walking paths from which one can admire the wonderous beauty of the falls from many different angles. The thunder is on “high volume setting” when you walk close to the falls, you can really sense the enormous force of the water rushing down. And you get a natural shower completely free of charge!

Often we have also crossed the walking bridge from Zambia to Zimbabwe side of the falls (or vice versa) to see the falls from several different perspectives. It’s often a good time to get some lunch before walking back through the park.

The falls also change with the seasons, like everything else in nature. During the rainy season (November to April) when the Zambezi River swells, the falls are at their peak exhibiting the largest single sheet of falling water in the world. And an enormous spray display that can be seen for miles.

Gradually during the dry season, the river stands lower and lower. And consequently, at end of the dry season the falls have much less water. To the point that some people have tried to walk over the falls – with disastrous consequences. The power of water is enormous even during the dry season – and should not be underestimated. Such daredevil acts are of course strictly forbidden.

If you want to see the falls from above there are other safer options: air safaris by helicopter or small plane, and it is even possible to glide fly over the falls. For me it has always been enough to climb to a safe place and look down into the gorge…

For those of us who want to experience extreme thrills at Victoria Falls, there is also white water rafting or kayaking on Zambezi in category 5 rapids, with the added excitement of possibly meeting a few small crocodiles en route. Those not satisfied with the category 5 rapids can always add bungee-jumping to their itinerary!

We did not try the ultimate adventures but preferred more family oriented, safer activities, such as visiting the wildlife parks and craft shops in the vicinity.

After walking around the falls for hours and whatever else was on our program, we usually returned to the hotel to enjoy dinner, often served with traditional music outdoors. And after dark there was always something to look forward to: colorful traditional entertainment in the form of music, ancient dances and plays featuring dramatic masks. A little bit of mystique for dessert has always tasted good to me!

Victoria Falls is one of my favorite destinations and I hope to get an opportunity to visit there again. It is a must-see natural wonder for those traveling to Africa. I hope you enjoyed the journey and did not get too much of a soaking from the smoke that thunders.

Just Life, People stuff

Grandma and the Lion

August 2, 2012 Tiny Leave a comment

Truth comes out from the children’s mouth. Right. I trust we all have our experiences that confirm this old saying. Our parents may have told us what we said when we were kids, we tell our children what they said, and so it goes. Sometimes this truth may be easy to hear and sometimes it can be a bit embarrassing, mostly for the parents.

I have been told I was a straight shooter when I was a kid. That was particularly true when I was visiting my grandma’s house. I might have figured out there was more lattitude when not at home, more freedom of speech. My grandma was a wonderful person, loved by everyone and her door was always open to visitors. The coffee pot was continually on the stove and cookies baking in the oven. Or so I remember. It seems that I was a keen observer particularly when it came to her visitors. On one occasion, an older “auntie” had been talking about other people’s looks, apparently in a critical way. You know, so and so is fat or not looking good. I listened to her ranting for a while, then went to the rocking chair where she sat, looked her in the eye, pointed to her face and said and you have a very ugly nose. I guess I wanted her to look at herself first before criticizing others. Poor grandma, lots to smooth out.

On another occasion, I’ve been told, my grandma had a tea party. I’d been sitting silently at the table when her friends had tea and pastries. Grandma was serving the second round of tea and offered the pastry tray again when one of her visitors said no thanks, they are so good, but I already had one. To which I immediately replied you are lying, you already took three. Guardian of honesty there, and apparently had learned to count to three, at the minimum. I actually remember getting a lecture from my mom about not talking that straight to strangers, to keep a few observations to myself. I’m not the right person to tell whether or not that taught me a lesson, I might not be completely objective.

However, when I hear this old saying, I tend to think of our first safari in Zambia (See Lions out of Focus). We were on a nice morning drive in Mwufe National Park. I sat in the back of the large “safari jeep” on the highest, 3rd row with my friend and our son, who was about three at the time. A nice British couple sat in front of us. My husband was video filming as usual and sat in the front, next to the driver. We saw large herds of antelopes and water buffaloes, and a small family of giraffes. Very beautiful.

Then we drove quite a while without finding any animals. Our son had his new miniature car with him and started playing with it on the seat while we were trying to spot something in the wild. And soon we did. A little bit to the right of our vehicle, close to some shrubbery, we saw a lioness with three cubs! How wonderful and rare was that? We were careful not to disturb them, so we didn’t go too close. They were clearly visible to us, the mom lying on the ground and the cubs climbing on her, falling down and climbing up again. Fascinated and completely silent we watched them play…until we heard an ear-piercing scream: mommy, look a lion! My son had lifted his head from his toy as he realized we had stopped…and had spotted the lion. He didn’t want me to miss it! And poof, there were no more lions. The lioness hid her cubs and herself in a second. Luckily our fellow passengers were of the forgiving kind. Later on during that same drive we were happy to spot another lion, and we all got our memories on film. Like pouring balm into the wound…there she was.

Now I’m just waiting to hear what memorable truths my granddaughter might tell me in a year or so. I can only hope she likes my nose.

Just Life

Lions out of Focus

July 17, 2012 Tiny Leave a comment

Focus is the central point of attention or activity. Of course there are other meanings for specific areas such as optics, geometry and geology. But in a general sence, we may agree that it’s important to focus on whatever you want to get done. My tiny lesson is on the how we focus on something we want to accomplish.

I learned this lesson many years ago in the early evening hours of a beautiful day in Zambia (there are many lessons I learned in that country, will come back to some of those in future posts). We had embarked on our first safari ever. Not driving ourselves like we used to do later, but actually buying a “package”. That meant flying from Lusaka to Chipata, a small town in eastern Zambia close to the Malawi border, in a small plane with huge windows reaching almost to the floor. And then taking a four-seater to the smallest grassy air strip you can imagine (seen “Out of Africa”, that kind) in Mwufe National Park.

We had arrived at the lodge and gotten settled in our room by five in the afternoon. Having two hours to spear before the camp dinner, we opted for a “sunset drive” in the park. Maybe we would spot some animals, with a bit of good luck even one of the “big five” on our first ever safari night? So we settled in a typical “safari jeep”, you know one that’s completely open and has a couple of seat rows behind the driver, each set a bit higher up than the one in front of it. My husband sat in the front passenger seat on the left with his RCA camcorder (they were huge then!) ready to capture the sights and any wild animals we might encounter. I sat in the next row with our son, who was about three at the time. Our guide drove us around in the park and we saw many different types of antelopes, zebras and water buffaloes. It was very exciting!

About an hour into the drive, our guide told us that before we’d return to the lodge for dinner, he would drive us down to the river to see the sunset. It was spectacular, he said, and there was a good chance we would spot animals who came there to drink in the early evening hours. A few minutes later we approached the river banks. Already from afar, we could see a huge herd of elephants crossing the river. My husband rigged his camcorder. Can you picture the long line of elephants against the orange-red sky, moving rhythmically in the shallow water? The sight was almost magical. They were of all sizes: large adults, youngsters, teens and babies. The babies were hanging onto their mothers while trying to hold their heads over the water. They were adorable. My husband was filming them against the gorgeous sunset. We stopped on the high river bank and the driver left the engine running (we were in the wild).

Just at that moment we spotted 22 (I counted) lionesses! They were laying on the driver’s side of the vehicle, basking themselves in the last rays of the setting sun and strategizing, I imagined, about the upcoming hunt. They were close and very calm. We watched them breathlessly from the relative safety of our vehicle (and the driver of course had a rifle, just in case). Suddenly my hubby moved. He stepped down onto the ground from the open jeep – to get a better shot of the sunset over the river! He was so focused on filming the herd crossing the river and the huge red ball going down that he had not seen what we saw, the lions. He had also not heard the driver’s whisper warning us about the lions (quiet, don’t move!). His focus was solely on what he wanted to capture. In an instant, he was the easy catch, a free meal, so to speak. I was about to scream, but the driver was faster. In a fraction of a second, or so it felt, and without a word he grabbed my husband’s shoulder and pulled him back into the vehicle. Then he backed out of there, slowly and calmly.

That was a close call. My tiny (my hubby’s big) lesson was on the how we focus on something. It actually matters. We should focus on what needs to get done, but not so narrowly that we lose sight of what is going on around us. Things can change fast.