Another early morning. It was only a 10 minute van ride to the Wild Horizons Elephant Park. We were gathered in the lodge learning about our tour and we could see the elephants and their grooms coming down the trail. First, we 'met' the elephants--that meant that we could pet them while they were bent over drinking water (we were standing above them on a porch). Their skin felt like dried mud. Next the elephants walked over to the boarding platform. It was easy to walk up the steps, but not as easy to swing ones left leg over that wide animal. Chuck and I were on the third elephant with the groom and John and Beth were on the 6th one. Our elephant's name was Tendai, her baby (almost three) just tagged along. The next elephant behind that was also hers with only a groom riding it. In all there were 8 or 9 elephants. We were sitting in a double saddle with backs --I was in front, Chuck behind. Richard was sitting in front of me with only a blanket instead of a saddle. He was our groom and had been employed by the Park for 17 years. He was a Zulu, married, the father of six, owned some cattle (a sign of wealth), goats, chickens, and had a garden. He was a very good groom and respected for his experience and position. It was with great trepidation that I signed up for this 30 minute ride, but it was a spectacular experience. We rode through the bush, seeing troops of baboons, crossed water, saw and heard many birds. It was a lovely morning that ended too soon. At the end of the ride, we got to feed the elephants treats --provided by the trainers. It is rather weird to put food down the trunk of an elephant or throw it in the elephant's open mouth.
Then there was breakfast in the lodge. Just as we finished, a ranger came in with a cheetah on a leash. The cheetah had been orphaned and raised by the Park for educational purposes. Almost a 1000 school children a year come to the park to experience the elephants and cheetah. After complete instructions, we all had the opportunity to pet the beautiful spotted coat of Sylvester the cheetah who thinks he is human. No, we didn't buy the DVD or the CD.
Back in the van and on to a local village where we met Chief Mpisi. He had plenty of bravado and enjoyed having an audience. His extended family (18) lived in the compound which included several round stone buildings with thatched roofs: a kitchen with an inside fire and an outside fire, an office/bedroom for the chief and his wife, bedroom for males, one for females, a storage building for grain, etc. A small goat followed us around as did a hen and her chicks. Beautiful flowers were blooming, peanuts were drying on a rack, squash was blooming, and corn was growing in the field. They also had a few crafts to sell. It was after noon and hot. We head back to the hotel and lunch.
At 3:30 PM we met and took a van ride to the Zambezi River. Boarded a boat for a cruise on the river above the falls. Today's cruise was more about history and less about animals. A guest historian/story teller told us about David Livingston and his discovery of Victoria Falls. It was a relaxing afternoon. At 6:00 PM we proceeded to a Bush Dinner. No one had any idea what to expect. We left the hotel and drove for several minutes through the bush. Came upon a platform with a thatched roof. It was located on the banks of the Zambezi River below the falls where the deep gorges are located. We eventually figured out that we were literally in the back yard of our hotel. We were greeted by local dancers and musicians. The tables were beautifully set. We enjoyed a three course dinner which started with butternut squash soup and then a buffet supper: green and pasta salad, chicken and beef, carrots, zucchini, mealy, etc. Dessert was a delicious fresh fruit salad. Entertainment by the dancers and musicians. We headed back to the hotel to pack. Tomorrow we travel all day and will be at Krueger National Park for several days.
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