Southern Africa - South Africa, Botswana, Zimbabwe, Zambia, Namibia
August 23 - September 15, 2016
Part Four, Page One - Victoria Falls, Zimbabwe
Marleen and Brian Sabeta, the married couple that own and manage
the Sable Sands Lodge near Hwange National Park in Zimbabwe.
Marleen is originally from the Netherlands. Brian is a native of Zimbabwe.
Photo taken the morning of our departure to head for Victoria Falls.
Marleen owned a restaurant in the Netherlands, then worked in the U.S.
for a while, was a photographer for a while, felt she wanted something else,
ended up in Zimbabwe, met Brian, they married, got this place, and now
are adopting
two kids. We did not see Brian as much, so I don't know his background.
A warm, wonderful couple.
Female baboon - you can identify the gender by the bare skin
on the butt that males do not have. Seen as we were leaving the
Hwange area.
Female kudu and female baboon walking alongside each other
paying no attention to each other.
A home outside the town of Victoria Falls, Zimbabwe
The source of water for the surrounding area. Locals have to
come for their water and carry it home.
A woman with her baby who saw us at the pump and walked over from her
home in the background, as did other people.
Kids who showed up when they saw us looking at the pump for water.
Quite a few people arrived to talk to us.
People were friendly wherever we went on this trip, but
especially in Zimbabwe.
Baobab tree along the road heading into Victoria Falls.
Baobabs reach heights of 16 to 98 ft. and have trunk diameters
of 23 to 36 ft. Carbon dating indicates that they may live to be
3,000 years old.
Me in front of baobab tree. The trunk of the tree is smooth and
shiny, not at all like bark of other trees. The trunk is pinkish gray
or sometimes copper colored.
Kennedy, one of our local guides in Hwange N.P., and his
daughter Michele rode with us to Victoria Falls. It was her
last day of vacation before going back to school.
Fiber from
the bark of the baobab is used to make rope, baskets, cloth, musical
instrument strings, and waterproof hats. While stripping the bark
from the lower trunk of most trees usually leads to their death,
baobabs not only survive this common practice, but they
regenerate new bark. Fresh baobab leaves provide an edible
vegetable similar to spinach which is also used medicinally to
treat kidney and bladder disease, asthma, insect bites, and
several other maladies. The tasty and nutritious fruits and seeds
are sought after, while pollen is mixed with water to make glue.
Young boy who ran, along with other kids, to the roadside when our van stopped to buy
fruit from a woman, as we were heading for the town of Victoria Falls.
Another boy curious to see us
Note on a baobab tree at Baobab Hotel outside the town of
Victoria Falls. Self explanatory.
Entrance to Victoria Falls Park in Zimbabwe
Our tour group ate lunch at the outdoor Rainforest Cafe immediately
inside
the entrance to the Park. A vervet monkey was hanging out in
a tree near the dining area.
The monkey snuck over to a garbage container and started munching
on leftovers thrown in the garbage bin.
Link to Part Four, Page Two - Victoria Falls
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