(Almost) Out of Africa

We are on our last day in Africa, flying out tonight from Joburg to London. We had left some clothes in bags checked at the Joburg airport, and it was nice to be able dress in something other than khaki colors (there are strict weight restrictions on the internal flights in Botswana, so we were limited in the extent of our wardrobe while in the bush).

Two days ago we drove into Zimbabewe to see Victoria Falls. It is listed as one of the seven wonders of the world, and we felt that title was rightly earned. It is absolutely huge and boggles the mind to think about much water is making the 300 foot drop. The people of Zimbabewe were absolutely wonderful, so warm and happy. We were a little apprehensive of heading into the country given the recent tourmoil over the elections, but we experienced no problems whatsoever. In fact, we were most troubled to see how much the people of the country were suffering due to the agenda of one man who won't let go of power at the age of 84. With the confusion that has engulfed the country, teachers aren't going to work (because they aren't getting paid), tourists are coming, food is scarce, and inflation is ridiculous. I sincerely hope that the other leaders in the region persuade Mugabe to step down and that a transition can come without war.

While at Victoria Falls we went to a local craft market to buy goodies. We were two of the few tourists in the area and we made A LOT of new friends. Jen was in heaven, since no transaction was complete without a long hagle over price. She even managed to trade a shirt of mine for a hand carved bowl. Luckily, I was not in the shirt at the time of the trade.

Overall, Jen and I have been inspired by what we have found in Southern Africa, despite the situation in Zimbabewe. I feel like any time you turn on the National Geographic channel you are made to feel like the great expanses of the African wild are direly threatened. While it appears that poaching and urban expansion is still a threat in many areas, countries like Botswana have taken a very active role in preserving their natural heritage. The Okavanga Delta (where we were for 5 days) is set aside as a national preserve. This area is rich with wildlife, and the nomads that lived there for years were moved off to set the site aside for wildlife. One of our guides was born "somewhere in the delta" and he said that overall the people understood because they saw the need to protect the habitat. Botswana has decided to offer low volume, high cost safari trips to limit the number of tourists who venture into the area. While it is still possible to go, it is not overwhelmed with backpackers and hostels. From the animal perspective, I first expected that the animals would be quite bothered by the Land Cruisers running around on the dirt trails, but for the most part we seemed to be regarded as a very noisy, clumsy "animal" that bumbles through the bush. They seem to enjoy being able to walk through down the roads that cut through the brush. And no amount of driving off road can compete with the destruction done by elephants when they decided to push down a tree and eat it.