South Luangwa: Safari Extraordinaire

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It’s hard to paint a word picture that does justice to the wildlife experience Neville and I have had the privilege of these last two weeks. I’d like to think it was as good as it gets. To get there I had to cross the Malawi-Zambian border and rendezvous with Neville, flying in from Sydney, at Mfuwe airport. Hardly a dot on the map. I left Lilongwe early with the aim to book in at Chipata in time to watch the world Cup Final and have an easy drive to South Luangwa the next morning.

The Border was, as usual, jammed with industrious Dobadobas looking for business. Darting between trucks, bicycles, scooters, locals in search of easy prey, Mzungus. Avoiding eye contact I parked, crossed my fingers and headed for the office that looked most like a customs building. Passport, tick, easy. Now for the customs. After waiting patiently for the official to emerge from behind a tower of papers she proudly informed me that there was a problem with my Temporary Import Permit (TIP). The official at the entry point had made it out for 20 days instead of 30. I had checked all the add on papers meticulously but not the official customs one. Stupid. The penalty 100 000 Malawi Kwacha. Breathe. Don’t show your frustration. Practice the newly learnt negotiation skills Gail.

After a while another lady joined the conversation and she kindly offered to phone and speak to the entry point official who had made the mistake (TIP=only document stating 20 days). Perfect, thank you. I’ll just sit and wait here for a bit. The minutes ticked by as I envisioned Siya and his Team lining up for the anthem. Pumped. In the zone. F*&$$@@@K I’m going to miss this. So as the Boks were making history, the ultimate win, I was sitting in the grubbiest spot in Malawi. Turns out even officials with a need get sick of patient Mzungus who are not offering any contribution to a Christmas shopping list. You can go.

Brett was sending through the score via What’s App. A world apart I could sense the making of a life changing moment. I drove into the hotel car park, leaped out and ran to the bar hoping to catch the last few minutes. Sh%$#@@@t time to negotiate again. Zambians are into soccer not rugby. Eventually I persuaded the barman to change channels and sat plumb in front of the screen and cried and clapped unashamedly as Siya lifted the trophy.

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While The Boks were nursing fuzzy heads Florence and I headed off to fetch Neville from the airport. As this post deals primarily with the extraordinary I have to mention my siblings, Neville and Claire. Would you believe it if I said we have never had an argument of any importance? Believe it…..It’s true . That is apart from when I was being an irritating little brat sister 40 years ago. Neville is always the one caught up in my fanciful holiday plans. We’ve had a series of amazing holidays together and this was no exception. How lucky am I to have siblings that truly enjoy each others company and support each other unconditionally? Very.

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Holiday’s with Nev always entails activities. Flatdogs Safari camp would be our base for the South Luangwa leg of our time together. Comfortable safari tents, super attentive staff and as much food as you can eat. Great start. Morning walks with and armed guide, Elaston, and super knowledgeable field guides. Afternoon and evening drives in the safari vehicle with a sunset stop for Gins in the bush. See where the extraordinaire comes in? Add to that the Kardashians of wildlife. Perfect

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I can’t think of a single experience that we missed. Painted Dogs gulping water after a hunt. Leopard teenagers making their first successful kill. Buffalo stuck in the mud, easy lion food. Owls. Courting birds by the dozen putting on impressive displays, dancing, rolling like seasoned fighter pilots. You name it we saw it.

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Elephant, Hippo, Giraffe, Bush-buck, Puku and other generals roam the camp without a care. The wildlife are so used to the twice daily intrusion by the paparazzi they just go about their business without a second glance at the flashing cameras. Lenses the size of bazookas drip from the open vehicles immortalising every aspect of life. As you can see below I managed to capture the “legs in the air, like you just don’t care” lioness pose. Not sure Mamma Jenna would have let that one slip through the editing room.

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The greatest challenge is to stay focused. What to take in. A pride of lions sleeping off their buffalo feast. The next snack, stuck in the mud , with lion, hyena and vultures waiting in line. Lilac breasted rollers rolling. Sunsets Extraordinaire. Oh and don’t forget the trees and flowers.

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So what wasn’t extraordinary? My selfie skills…………………still

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South Luangwa National Park. Definitely worth putting on your bucket list. Next up Kasanka and the bats.