River of Life - Zambezi

The Zambezi river evokes mystery, adventure and exploration and draws us back time and again. Starting in the mountains of north west Zambia and spanning almost 3000km, spreading over vast flood plains, cascading and tumbling over magestic waterfalls, passing through 6 countries on its way to the Pasific Ocean, its no wonder the Zambezi is called the river of Africa

Our chosen destination to fish the river is a privately owned 5km strip of riverfront. We overnight in Mongue after leaving Kafue, a relatively short drive on the worst road of our trip so far (will cover this in a seperate blog) and arrive at Kavumbu in the mild afternoon heat. We are welcomed by David and Elizabeth and shown our accomodations, rustic reed huts nestled under the canopy of huge and ancient trees

Small lodge and kitchen

The open-air lounge-dining room

The trees provide shade all day long. With this view and a log fire, a state of bliss is quickly achieved

Birds abound in the canopy, every chirp or song has me on the lookout for new species

Each sundown deserves a toast

As the new day breaks, John readies for a fishing fest. This is, after all, his time to catch the monster he dreams about

Every sunrise is a poem written on the earth with words of light, warmth, and love

These cute guys hang out in groups and are busy all day in the undergrowth. I am battling to identify them. The closest I get is a Neddicky....Anyone?

Branches dance to the music of the river

Hello there, I see you too

White helmetshrikes flock together. If one calls a repeated "cherow" it is taken up like a chorus by the group. A tick on my list of new bird sightings

A lovely deck, to simply idle away the time, in tune to the slow heartbeat of the river

I'm loving the colours, light, pattern and shade of the background

May your feet take you where your heart wants to go

A halfcollared kingfisher, what a treat! and another tick

So close, so trusting

While John is out fishing, if I'm not reading, I'm photographing anything that moves, or doesn't, looking for that perfect composition of light, shade and colour

'Exquisite' comes in many shapes, forms and size

A pod of hippo move up river and take residence near our deck for a couple of days

The enchanting Ngonye falls near the town of Sioma spans a 1.5km front

(a past memory of a beaut catch at the falls)

After the falls, the river flows through a gorge before spreading out downstream

The slow pace of life on the river

Phragmites mauritianus - reed grass has so many uses, for thatching and to build walls or partitions in houses. Domestic and wild animals eat the young shoots. It can be used for soil stabilization along lakes and streams and if planted in basins or wetlands it treats waste water. With so many medicinal values, ie treatment of malaria, conjunctivitis, pneumonia, thrush and burns, and the rhizomes and roots are anti-emetic and diaphoretic and are used to treat of diabetes, it is undoubtedly an amazing and versatile plant

Harvesting the reed grass is a daily chore for this couple

The spectacular Livingstone's Lourie is extremely loud but elusive. Once I found them, one shot was all I could get

I think I'm in the enchanted wood and this is the Faraway Tree

A tiny ember, glowing, waiting...

The giant kingfisher aren't the only birds catching crabs. A greyhooded kingfisher with a chick (below), tick

Drongo's aerial skills catch flying insects. They also act as sentries when a predator approaches, warning with an alarm call

My spot epitomizes relaxation and rejuvenation

Grey hornbill, another tick

They are sociable birds and hop about the branches whistling 'phee pheeoo'

The heuglin's robin made an appearance on our first night and we didn't see it again until our last

A wood owl has been a nightly visitor, tick

John had some success fishing.....

Hard work this fishing, but happy as a sandboy

If I have ever seen magic, it has been in Africa - John Hemmingway

We reflect on our Zambian trip as we drive through to Namibia/Botswana on route to our overnight stop at Elephant Sands. It's a beautiful country and it's people are gentle and welcoming. As a tourist one hopes to make a small difference in the lives one touches but we leave feeling sad, the poverty-stricken villages and the many teenagers carrying babies on their backs, we wonder, with better education, will they be able to turn things around for a brighter future?

ps; John woke at midnight on our last night, soaking wet with fever. He immediately started malaria med's and was well 3 days later when we entered South Africa