Africa Postcards Are Here!

As you all know, I have been obsessed with the photographs I took during my recent trip to Africa. Well after a major process of trial and error, I am finally making headway with Photoshop and creating cool layouts for some of these amazing pics. Below is my first pass at composing the pics in postcard format. Maybe I should sell these to a postcard distributor in SA somewhere... Hmmm....

If you are interested in purchasing photographs or postcards, drop me an email!

One of the Seven Natural Wonders of the World: Victoria Falls

During my recent trip to Africa, I had the pleasure of visiting one of the most amazing places in the world -- Victoria Falls! Now for those of you who have been following my blog, we spent the first part of the week in Botswana so had to take planes, trains and automobiles to get to Vic Falls (okay, so there was no train per se but we did have quite the adventure!)...

(Above is our charter flight arriving, on the left is our guide Water driving back after chasing a herd of Impala from the runway!)

True to “Africa time”, our charter flight from Xakanaka Camp in Botswana was about 20 minutes late, but it finally arrived and we hopped on for an hour and a bit flight to Kasane in northeastern Botswana. From there we took a charter bus to the border of Botswana and Zimbabwe, went through border patrol and customs (twice, once as we left Botswana and then again when we arrived on the other side of the border and entered Zimbabwe).

Once we paid our $30 entrance visa fee (per person), we walked across the border and then transferred to basically a cab which drove us the rest of the way to Victoria Falls. From the time we took off from Xakanaka to when we arrived in Vic Falls only took about 3 hours and went very smoothly. This part of our trip was all arranged through a travel agent who worked with Falcon Safaris in Botswana/Zimbabwe to facilitate everything. I would highly recommend doing something similar if you ever come to this part of the world. It was so easy and stress-free which is something to say when you are traveling in a part of the world that you do not know at all.

We arrived at the Victoria Falls Hotel around 3pm and were warmly greeted at every turn. The hotel is absolutely stunning in its old Victorian way. The service is first class and everyone is welcoming, friendly and polite.

We (okay, I) were starving when we arrived so we decided to drop our bags and head to the pool deck for lunch. I am not entirely sure how we managed this, but we were given one of the best rooms in the hotel – we are in the Southern wing at the very end across from the Livingstone Suite (where the Queen of England has stayed in the past!). Our room has views of the central courtyard and the Falls! You cannot actually see the water, but you can see the spray billowing up in the sky and you can hear the thunder of the water in the distance.

(Below is the view from our room at the hotel -- it was one of the best rooms in the house with a view of the falls!)

Down at the pool deck we sipped on some cocktails and had delicious sandwiches for lunch while watching the bungee jumpers off the bridge connecting Zimbabwe and Namibia in the distance. The place is absolutely amazing, although the service is very sloooowwwww (something you just have to be prepared for and bring a good dose of patience!).

Okay, so let's get to the best part! Victoria Falls is one of the Seven Natural Wonders of the World and after seeing it firsthand, I am not surprised why! Now for those who are not familiar with the falls, here are some fun facts about this natural beauty.

1) The Victoria Falls actually spans two countries - Zimbabwe and Zambia, are just over 1 mile wide (1.7 km) and 355 feet (108 m) high.

2) During the wet season over 500 million liters (19 million cubic feet) of water plummets over the edge into the Zambezi River.

3) This incredible amount of water generates a huge amount of spray which can shoot up to 1000 feet into the sky and can be seen 30 miles away.

(Above is the view of Vic Falls from the grounds of the Vic Falls Hotel during the low water season)

4) Victoria Falls was originally named “Mosi-oa-Tunya” (the smoke that thunders) by the Kololo people who lived on the north bank of the Zambezi river.

We visited in December, which is the dry season, which means the water flowing down the falls is at its lowest levels for the year (about 1/10th of the water flow of the peak season in April). As it turns out, this is probably the best time to visit Victoria Falls because you can actually SEE the falls during this time period. During peak season, the water is flowing so rapidly and with so much volume that you cannot see anything but spray and rain.

(First view of Victoria Falls from Zimbabwe entrance)

(Below is the first section of the Falls)

(Jason and I overlooking the Main Falls)

(Below is the Main Falls)

(Below is Rainbow Falls - my favorite point!)

(And finally, below is the view from the furthest point on the Zimbabwe side overlooking the Zambia side)

Since Victoria Falls spans Zimbabwe and Zambia, you can actually stay on either side of the falls when you visit. We originally planned to stay on the Zambia side due to the political instability in Zimbabwe, but we soon found out that during the dry season, not much water flows on the Zambia side so it would be best to stay on the Zimbabwe side for better viewing of the falls. We were a little nervous at first, but once we arrived at the Vic Falls Hotel and noticed the security around the hotel, we were much more at ease. Even when we ventured out to a neighboring hotel for lunch (The Safari Lodge) and shopping in town, we did not feel unsafe in any way. I am still curious to visit the Zambia side to see how it differs -- next time for sure (but only if it is during high season)! If anyone has any recommendations -- please share!

The King of the Jungle: Two Days of Photos

One of the hardest animals to spot in the bushveld is a lion -- first of all, it is a nocturnal creature so it is usually sleeping in the shade during the daytime, and it blends in so well with its surroundings that it is very difficult to see! Imagine my delight when we came across a pride of ten lions lounging around during the daytime! Apparently this pride had brought down a pair of giraffes the week before we arrived but had been MIA for a few days before our arrival on a hunting mission deep in the bush.

We came around a corner and spotted them under a thicket of trees - they were moving around in the shadows so we thought we could get a better glimpse from the other side of the trees. As we pulled around the back, the pride began to move in our direction and decided to flop down in the shade directly in front of us!

We were literally 15 feet away from these magnificent creatures as they rolled around in the grass, cleaned each other, and slept in the shade. I could've watched them for hours on end -- and definitely wanted to bring one home with me! I don't think my kitty cat at home would have like that though... :-)

Here is the first younger male who came and posed for us.

(Below is a series of him making a really big yawn, but looked like a snarl at the end)

And then he promptly fell asleep...!

And here is the Lead Male up close and personal

Isn't he SO cute?!?

On the second day, we spotted the pride lounging in an open field. Now, you would think since they are out in the open, they would be easier to see right? Wrong! With the grass being so long, when they lie down to sleep you can barely see them! Luckily we caught the young male lion causing some trouble -- it seemed like he was trying to wake up the rest of the pride to get them to move to a different location. I was able to get a few good shots of the pride in the grass though...

(This is another favorite of mine! Lion Hug!)

My New Obsession: Water Lilies

So while traveling in the Okavango Delta, I developed a fascination with water lilies. They are beautiful flowers that pop up from the water in the middle of nowhere, often times with stems that go on forever reaching for the bottom of the waterway.

Our guide, Water, pulled a Day Lily from the delta and showed us how the women of his tribe make necklaces from these flowers by taking the stalk and splitting it into two pieces, then wrapping it around your neck with the flower in front like a pendant. Many women make these necklaces for their wedding since they do not have much money to by jewelry or other adornments. A picture of the necklace that Water gave me is here on the right. Cute huh?

So my obsession officially blossomed (no pun intended) during our boat cruise around the Delta. I started snapping endless pics as we drove by the various pockets of lillies. Unfortunately with a moving boat and ripples in the water, many of the pics did not turn out (I mentioned that I am a new photographer right?!), but I did manage to capture a few good ones to share in the process!

Below is my absolute favorite, and to my amazement, did not require ANY post-processing in photoshop (not kidding!) -- it is of Day Lilies on the waters of the Okavango. Somehow everything came together perfectly -- the late afternoon sunlight, calm waters, and the boat stopping to watch some hippos on the other side of the waterway -- and I was able to capture this simple but stunning image (in my humble opinion).

Below are my other favorite pics. Hope you enjoy!

Coming Soon! An Ode to The King of The Jungle

For those of you who know me, I am definitely a cat person -- always have been, always will be. Well, after visiting the Okavango Delta and watching a Pride of Lions for a few hours from literally twenty feet away -- I have a whole new respect for these cats! Stay tuned for more incredible photos of these beautiful creatures...

Birds of the Okavango

What I had heard prior to visiting Botswana and the Okavango Delta was that it has an incredible variety of birdlife. I must admit that I was not that excited about seeing a bunch of birds, but thanks to Water (our fabulous guide!) we saw such amazing birds and learned a ton about bird calls, nesting habits and how to identify males and females. An interesting note about the bird kingdom is that the male of the species is usually the more brightly-colored and beautiful of the two sexes. Did you know that? ;-)

Typically on a “safari” you focus on the animals, but Jason and I were fascinated and quickly lost track of how many species we saw throughout our visit, although when the bird-watching couple from Johannesburg joined us on our second day they reported we had seen over 92 different species of birds in one day! This couple was on a mission to spot a Pels Fishing Owl – apparently one of the hardest birds to spot since it is only located in certain climates and is close to becoming an endangered species. We did manage to catch a glimpse of one in a tree but unfortunately could not get a good photo (need to invest in a better telephoto lens!!!).

But, I was able to get a good selection of pics of some gorgeous birds of the Okavango so I hope you enjoy!

(Saddleback Stork landing in a tree)

(Ruff Sandpiper)

(Pied Kingfisher)

(Pelican Nest)

(A second Pelican Nest!)

(Little Bee-Eater)

(Grey Hooded Kingfisher eating a Frog!)

(Hornbill)

(Flamingo in flight)

(Probably the most amazing bird ever -- the Fish Eagle!)

(Fish Eagle at dusk )

Anyone else a bird fan now? :-)