"I Dreamed a Dream"

Greetings!

We all have returned safely (and in one piece) after camping at Mayukuyuku Bush Camp!  This camp is about 3.5 hours from Lusaka. Both Mel and I agreed we had no idea what to picture in anticipation of this trip!  What an adventure it was though, and definitely one that will not be forgotten.  Melanie, Mrs. Birner, Molly, and I all road tripped to see the amazing wildlife and enjoy each other’s company during a two night camping trip. 

Here’s our sites!

The body of croc-infested, hippo-infested water pictured above was about 20 feet from our tent.  If you look at the picture of tent, you can faintly see water to the right.  Definitely haven’t had that “risk” while camping before but it made for an adrenaline rush every time we were out and about--especially during the night.

Speaking of the night…  Mrs. Birner had told us it was very common for animals to walk through the campsites during the night because they are used to feeding there.  The first night I woke up around midnight because I heard this slow, steady sloppy footsteps walking near our tent.  My heart was racing because it sounded like it was close enough to reach out of our tent and touch!

 Now, we had been warned to not get out of our tent if there were hippos around because they may attack, especially if we were between the hippo and the water.  My curiosity was extremely high though so I slowly unzipped our tent door just to peek my head out…  And standing right there, within several yards of our tent was one huge hippo - and our tent was between him and the water!!!  SCARY! But seemingly way more awesome than scary at the time.  I immediately woke Mel up to have a look but by the time we both calmed ourselves down for her to take a peek, he was no longer standing there.  I was not imagining this and Mrs. Birner is a good witness to that.  She said she could hear hippos all night as well and she also heard them walking and eating.  So there’s my proof! 

Mrs. Birner (pictured under the hut) was an amazing tour guide, driver, and trip coordinator.  If I could only describe how much of a champion she was for driving through a ridiculously muddy/wheel-spinning patch every time we wanted to enter or exit the bush camp at which we were staying.  As Molly, Mel and I held on for dear life and giggled out of nervousness as we crossed the muddy terrain, she safely drove us avoiding every tree and barrier on both sides.  She is seriously what we would call a “conqueror”.

Well, I have just skimmed the surface of what we were blessed to experience in Kafue.  Stay tuned for many more details about this trip and for other pictures as well!  I will leave you with this picture-our first animal sighting while driving!  Elephants are the best… 

We drove for hours on game drives to see elephants, lions, zebras, antelope, warthogs, etc.  Our time in the car was filled with Disney a capella singalongs, friendly conversations, Susan Boyle’s “I Dreamed a Dream” on repeat, and laughing until we cried.   I do just want to point out that in the picture above, if you look closely at the rearview mirror, you can see Molly, Mrs. Birner, and Mel all grinning from ear to ear.  This is a great depiction of how our faces looked the entire trip.  It was great for us to spend time with Mrs. Birner and Molly and we thank them for inviting us along! 

Stay tuned for more updates on this trip!  Thanks for reading and have a wonderful day!