I just got into Livingstone, Zambia today and am at the Maramba River Lodge which is beautiful. The best part was being able to take a long shower, but there was still a baboon in the area & I heard elephants so it's a good transition from the safari life. We camped for 6 nights - 3 in Moremi, and 3 in Chobe - and it was really amazing. Exhausting, dirty, and hot, but absolutely amazing. I did have some major setbacks though despite the fact that I had thought I prepared for everything. I got a cold (in AFRICA which seems so ridiculous) which I blame on the 11+ hour plane ride breathing recycled disease ridden air and my lack of sleep. So my first 2 days were very difficult, and I used up all my emergency toilet paper blowing my nose. Luckily I had brought that and I took Advil and used my Watkins ointment as a kind of Vick's vapo-rub substitute but it definitely wasn't the same. I think the climate helped because by day 3 I was okay and I only have the occasional cough now. In Canada that would have lasted weeks. I also got hay fever as my cold was getting better. I solved this for the most part by not allowing myself to tough my eye with my hands & I used a cloth & whetted it to clean my eyes with. I also took Advil. It seemed to help. But, assuming I go on Safari again I must remember to bring cough medicine & antihistamine stuff with me as well as everything else.
The other major setback was my memory cards for the camera. The ones I bought were not compatible so when I filled my regular one up on Day 2 I discovered my error. I should have known to check it before I came but I took the sales person at their word & didn't think much about it. I have had to delete tonnes of pictures, just saving the best ones. I have almost 300 pictures and some videos so it's not completely tragic but it would have been nice to document EVERYTHING. However, one of my fellow campers will be sending me their pictures so I can at least have some other perspective on the experience and not rely solely on my poor memory.
Despite these issues though it was the best experience. Seeing elephants and giraffes up close, lions eating (or mostly sleeping), animals I have never seen before - it's just so incredible. Tomorrow I am off to Victoria Falls, Zimbabwe for one night and then back to South Africa. Hopefully I can find a compatible memory card before the Kruger Safari in Jo'burg Airport if not before!
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