The Zambezi River flows gently above the Victoria falls. We spent a delightful evening on a small boat slowly admiring the wildlife there.
The white clouds all come from the falls, and luckily we did not go too close…
Bee eaters and cormorants were relaxing after a day’s hard work, and the occational crocodile swam by. There were many hippos, and we were lucky to arrive in the middle of a love affair. A heavy male was courting and I wonder how she managed to breathe at all…but obviously she did ”survive”.
It was a delightful tour with good food and many interesting sights and photo ops, and
– we all slept well through that soft African night.
On our African adventure, the jeeps took us out on the savanna at least twice a day – early mornings and evenings. There are of course a multitude of beautiful antelopes here, and the Gnus are frequent. They have such funny, long faces and they eye you very closely before they turn away. I love the look of their satin skin and soft stripes at the neck.
The African Buffalo herds are matriarchal and the large herds can sometimes consist of more than 1000 individuals. The buffalo is one of the Big Five, very heavy weight and strong, and considered one of the most dangerous animals in Africa.
They are good swimmers and can stay for a long time just enjoying the water.
Their young are brown coloured to make it easier for them to hide in the grass.
Such thick and heavy horns are almost impossible to deal with – even for a lion.
I would not want to stand in their way when the herd is running.
Another beauty is the large waterbuck with its long, spiral horns curving first backwards, then forwards. The horns are 55-99cm. This couple was watching us from afar.
I wished time stood still and we didn’t have to leave…but it was time to slow down and return to the camp before dark. Thank you for joining the tour today!
I love the idea of wild animals being so close to humans all the time. And the animals down here naturally feel more wild than those at home…( I guess the Africans feel the same when they visit us.)
Around Victoria Falls Hotel, there were these electric fences set up,
but before they were there – this sign was even more relevant.
Baboons roamed the streets and the forest, and the hotel had a guard to chase them off.
He told us he had a lot to do every day…
There were also many guenon monkeys around. A bit more slender and agile than the baboons.
Banded Mongoose was a new aquaintance to me. They are 12-18 inches, weight 3-5.5 pounds. They are one of few species that use tools – they throw eggs against rocks to break them.
This one had captured a snake – a fairly long one…
..and feasted on it for a long time. It was interesting to watch them. The mongooses are known for their agility, speed and resistance to venom. They can survive a bite from a cobra.
The Mongooses live in colonies and have a complex social system. They take care of their young together, which is rather unusual – only the banded Mongoose live in colonies though, the others are loners. I liked to watch them eat, play and taking care of their young. Fascinating animals.
– I maybe could have become one on this journey! At the Victoria Falls Hotel I fell in love with the coffee/tea set and plates – but don’t think it would be possible to buy any of this. I guess it was designed for the hotel only.
We had excellent food everywhere and excellent service. On the train everything was so delicious, but unfortunately my stomach didn’t agree with me. I did taste everything though.
Gorgeous soups – I love soups and should indeed cook more of them at home too…
And to accompany every course we always had an excellent South African wine.
Just looking at the menue was a treat before every meal, but unfortunately we were not allowed to keep it – so, I only remember a few of the courses. This was a tender springbok.
To my husband’s great pleasure we had plenty of dreamy desserts…
One of the sweet girls from the Diner cars – I wonder how many times a day she had to walk down that narrow corridor with her hands full?
With the train moving, at least we, the passengers, got many bruises from the railings trying not to fall over.
I never forgot to praise the chef and the brilliant service staff working in this tiny kitchen. Always good humoured and a smile ready for everyone.
Adventures, big or small, are treats to everyone. We learn from them, we treasure them…but in the end, the best thing is to come back home again. Or, what do you think?
So, we have traveled by train through Zimbabwe and South Africa – I had only been to the northern parts, Tunisia, Egypt and Morocco before. And, honestly, I never thought I would go on a trip like this one…to the heart of the continent. But, some of my L-A friends have truly inspired me to make this journey. And I don’t regret it. One of the novels that’s made the greatest impression on me, is Heart of Darkness by Joseph Conrad. (If you haven’t read this masterpiece, please give it a try – or see the prize winning movie with Marlon Brando.) It’s an intriguing continent, Africa.
These kind of varied trips are difficult to describe, and it can easily be a bit too much for both friends and readers. It might be a good idea to try a reasonably short version. What were the highlights, what are the memories that will stay with me forever? Maybe the big surprises? The animals, the people, the culture, the landscapes? This week it will be interesting to see how you choose to present a short or long trip (maximum 10 images), what will be your main points and why?
We flew from Copenhagen to the Victoria Falls Hotel in Zimbabwe to start our main journey from there. This Colonial style hotel has a magical view towards the falls. Not to mention its Victorian atmosphere – down to the smallest detail with dress code and grand piano.
Walking the whole stretch of the majestic falls made us both filled with awe – and soaking wet! ”Mosi-oa-Tunya” – means ”the smoke that thunders.” And the sound was indeed deafening.
As this was a once in a lifetime experience… we decided to do the helicopter flight over the falls. We were visiting during the high water season, when this is the world’s largest curtain of falling water. 1700m wide and 108m deep. ”Discovered” and named by David Livingstone in 1855.
The Zambezi River, above the falls, made for a sundown trip with crocodiles (look closely and there are two of them in the picture), hippos and bee-eaters among other things. In the background you see the Victoria Falls sending up steam and clouds.
After some astonishing days, it was time to board the famous Rovos Rail train – a new adventure! A South African man, named Rohan Vos, buys old trains, wagons and engines and restores them to their former glory. It felt like treading into an Agatha Christie movie. Dress code here too, and the local food served was extremely delicious. Breakfast and 5 courses twice a day. My sincere compliments to the chef (we saw the incredibly tiny kitchen they had to work in…).
The Diner cars were gorgeous, old time beauties. After three days on the train, stuffed and without the Milo excercise I am used to do every day, we finally reached the end station in Pretoria. (I promise – I rolled off that train…) From there, we went by bus and jeep to a private game reserve.
The wild life was wonderful of course. One of my favourites (from Tina’s treasures) is the Lilac breasted Roller. What a joy to see it with my own eyes!
One of the main highlights was the opportunity to see the big cats. On our first day at the camp, we came across two relaxing Cheetahs. I was overwhelmed, realising this was what I had been waiting for all along. Our camp was not fenced in, so the animals could walk freely through it – and they did every night. We saw footprints of antelopes, lions, monkeys and more every morning. After dark we had to rely on a ranger following us to our tent. He told us they see lions there at least twice a week .
Then, after some days with antelopes, ”Pumbas”, giraffes, zebras and birds, we met five beautiful, peacefully relaxing lions. I love this picture of one of the males who heard us coming and slowly turned his head to take a look at us.
Big cats are very special, and I chose to close with these wonderful creatures. So powerful, but somehow still looking gentle. I always had cats when I grew up, and there are many similarities between big and small. You never really know when, or if, they will strike…
There are many more stories to tell, but that will have to wait for another day. I haven’t even looked at all the pictures yet…
Thank you, John, for a lovely challenge, and thank you all for the great variety of answers! If you participate, please remember to use the Lens-Artists tag and link to my original post.
Next week, Anne will be our host – be sure to visit her beautiful site for more inspiration. Until then, stay safe and enjoy your precious time.
John is leading us this week – and as he’s constantly on the move, he wants us to talk about how we travel.
Traveling has been an essential part of my life since I was 16 and my boyfriend and I took his car through Europe for two summers. Looking back, I guess traveling by plane is the the most frequent way for us as we often travel far from Sweden with no other roads to take across the oceans.
I generally love to fly, but hate the whole procedure before and after. And the journey is not over there either, because…then we have to take a car, a tram, a train, a bus or a bike to keep moving between different places. The views are always much nicer using one of the latter means of transport!
Hiking with a backpack used to be our favourite way to be on the move. But, as we age, the backpack has to get lighter and our days in rough terrain with a tent are over. But, we still enjoy hiking. For us, it is the ”real thing”. We still walk from early morning to dinner time every day on our destinations. With some nice stops for a coffee or beer with a sandwich or a piece of cake.
For many years, the car was almost our ”home”, but this has also more or less faded away. Pollution and environmental awareness says we shouldn’t. And today we seldom do.
Train is a very relaxing way to move from one spot to another, and you see a lot of the landscape and people´s daily life through the windows.
The train to Tibet from Beijing treated us with stunning views every day.
I don’t much enjoy cruising, but canoeing has always been a favourite. The quietness in nature close up, with birds, insects and fishes, trees and fresh air.
So, what way do I prefer most? Well, something like this: A minibus with few people, a skilled driver and a knowledgeable guide. You can stop when you want a photo and you have someone to answer all your questions. (And preferably an electric car!)
Share photos of your favorite ways to be “On the Move!” You can also share pictures of the places you’ve discovered or the snapshots of the journey itself. Be sure to link your response to John’s post or leave your link in the comment section. Also, use the “lens-artists” tag to help people find you in the Reader. To find out more about responding to Lens-Artists Challenges, check here.
Thanks to Egidio for taking us back to Lens-Artists Challenge #31. His “Looking Back” theme allowed us to share some great landscape photos for us all to enjoy! Next week, it’s Patti’s turn to host the challenge, which will go live on Saturday, November 22, at noon Eastern time. Be sure to follow her Pilotfish Blog so you don’t miss her challenge post.
Landscapes – chosen by Egidio, needs no presentation. And, his choice was no surprise to me. He is a fantastic photographer and his landscapes are always extraordinary. Be sure to visit his beautiful site for inspiration!
How to choose photos…well, I have chosen from some of the places that had and still has the greatest impact on me. (I didn’t choose any of those from my entry #31.) I am not really a landscape photographer, so, there is not a multitude to choose from either. I guess you have seen some of these before, but I hope you will enjoy them anyway.
My first landscape is the Sahara desert dunes – I was not prepared for the love that immediately struck me. The stillness, the silence, the beauty. The surprise at how many creatures actually live here in the dunes. We saw scarabs, a gerbil and a fox the same day. And camels of course…
The desert had the same colours as an Autumn day in the forest in Sweden. In fact, the rest of my pictures are from ”home” – Scandinavia. This photo was taken yesterday in ”my” forest. I hope a forest counts as a landscape…
In my own garden I find different landscapes too. Lying on the ground, they become tiny dreamscapes through my lens.
In norhternmost Denmark there is a spot where two oceans meet (Skagerrak and Kattegatt). The sky is incredibly beautiful at Skagen. This is the place where famous painters go to catch that special Nordic light. In the 19th century the Skagen Painters resided here.
Iceland is a country with very different and rugged landscapes. You who follow me know it is my favourite place to go. Only once we were there during the winter season – but it was magnificent. And cold. This is the frozen Gullfoss waterfall.
Finally, the most beautiful landscapes I have ever seen, are all in Lofoten, Norway. Wherever we went, they just took my breath away. I have never before, or after, taken so many photos in so short a time. Not many were discarded…
”Can you select only a few of your best landscape photographs?” Please choose no more than six images for your post. It should be a challenge… And, don’t forget to use the “lens-artists” hashtag so everyone can find your post in the reader.
Thank you for your beautiful responses to Tina’s Ephemeral challenge. There were so many wonderful images, and some I never would have thought of! Next week, it’s John’s turn to give us a new challenge. It will go live at noon EST in the USA. Tune in to find out more about the challenge then. Please see this page to learn more about the Lens-Artists Challenge.
Leya 
Du måste vara inloggad för att kunna skicka en kommentar.