A SAFARI TO OURSELVES

As September arrives, very little seemingly has changed since March.  Borders are still closed.  Face masks are the norm.  COVID cases continue to rise.  Zimbabwe still has a lockdown in effect, though it has eased greatly since the early days.  Restaurants are now open for takeout.  The curfew has been extended to 8PM.  And the national parks reopened in July.  We jumped at the chance to get out of town and visit Hwange National Park – in the eastern part of Zimbabwe, near the Botswana border.  We recruited a few friends and colleagues from the embassy to come along, rented out a self-catering (pack in / pack out) private camp, loaded up the cooler and all sorts of provisions, and headed out for a 5-night getaway.

 

Why did the zebra cross the road?

Elephants ambling through the landscape.  So Africa!

The trip out to Hwange is an all-day, 12+ hour trek on terrible roads, so we decided to break up the drive and stay the first night at a regular ol’ hotel in Bulawayo.  After spending months in near isolation, only occasionally venturing into the office and seeing no more than a few people ever at any one time, the hotel stay was a bit of a shock to the system.  LOTS of people crowded into the hotel bar, most without masks.  We ordered dinner quickly and headed to our rooms for an early night.  We were up and out by 9AM the next day to make a quick getaway so we could get to camp in time for sundowners (happy hour).

 

We glimpsed a few giraffe strolling by our tent one afternoon.

A couple elephants get a drink from the water hole outside our camp while a herd of buffalo pass by.

The camp was absolutely beautiful.  Five tents (but with full baths and running water – this was glamping for sure) set around a large common-area tent with a kitchen, sitting area, dining area, and huge deck overlooking a small water hole where elephants, water buffalo, and antelope made daily visits.  In the mornings, we would drive a few kilometers to a larger water hole that was visited by just about every safari critter you can imagine.  Look to the left – a herd of elephants, straight ahead – an obstinacy of buffalo (my favorite collective noun ever), over to the right – some kudu, impala, water buck, and other antelope.  Oh, and just over there – a pride of about 15 lions with the huge male presiding over a recent kill.  (A water buffalo, and we didn’t see if happen.  Just got to watch as they enjoyed their feast.)

 

The common area tent and viewing deck at our camp.

Hard to really call it a "camp" when this is a "tent." 

The wildlife diversity at the water hole a few kilometers from our camp was astounding.  Here we have some hippos - with some oxpeckers (birds) hitching a ride on their backs.

And elephants.  Hundreds of elephants.

And water buffalo.  Hundreds of them too.

And a pride of lions enjoying their feast.  (Resulting in one less water buffalo.)

And all manner of antelope.  Here we have kudu (the bigger ones in the foreground) and impala (the smaller ones behind).

Back to the camp for the afternoon, and then off to another water hole or some other viewing spot to watch the progression of animals for their afternoon drink of water – and our afternoon gin and tonics. 

 

Showing us their best side.

All sizes well represented.

This photo has a little bit of everything going on. Buffalo, elephants, a hippo, and even crocs.

We saw one other family a couple of times during our stay.  Otherwise it seemed we had the entire park to ourselves.  The animals seemed particularly happy too.  I'm sure we were the first people they’d seen in at least a couple months since the lockdown began and the parks closed.  I’m sure they appreciated the break from ogling humans.

 

Mom showing the little guy how it's done.

The winner of the "Smallest Elephant" contest.

There are times when this job seems particularly frustrating and difficult.  Human rights abuses.  Corruption.  Food insecurity.  And, of course, COVID.  It seems my work is an endless stream of reporting on these issues with very little progress to show for it.  But being out in the southern African savanna, watching the wildlife go about their routine, taking in the breathtaking vastness, listening to the birdsongs and the elephants’ trumpets and the dear-god-what-was-THAT???  To see it, to be a part of it, to live it (if only for a couple years).  I realize how fortunate I am to experience this, and so I will go on monitoring the day-to-day struggles.  But I will look forward to our next opportunity to get out, recharge, and see more of this beautiful country.

MAKING UP FOR LOST TIME

It has been three months since my last blog post, which came out a couple days before Zimbabwe went on a lockdown to try to stem the spread of COVID-19.  For the first month, the government closed all but essential businesses and restricted people from driving around or being outside without a genuine need to do so.  The restrictions gradually eased, but intercity travel was still prohibited.  Finally, after months of waiting, that ban got lifted at the end of June, and we jumped at the chance for a change of scenery and a distraction from what has become an endless cycle of Groundhog Days.

First stop, a private game reserve less than an hour from Harare for a quick weekend getaway.  We stayed in a self-catering (i.e., pack-in, pack-out) house and practically had the hundreds of acres to ourselves.  We went for walks, Andrew did some mountain biking, we had some quality reading – and napping – time.  The reserve had all manner of antelope, zebras, giraffe… and even some white rhinos that we got to see up close during their afternoon feeding.  After months of seeing only the inside of our fenced yard and doing walks around our neighborhood, it was amazing to be outside – really outside – and feel like we were in Africa again.

 As we were on our way to the afternoon rhino feeding, a group of sable was waiting for us.  Clearly, they knew what time it was and were looking for some handouts. 

The baby sable are too cute.

A lovely vista at the rhino feeding spot. 

"Got any more?"

Having gotten their fill, they headed back of from whence they came.

Over the 4^th of July long weekend, we took off the training wheels and headed a bit farther afield to another larger private reserve a couple hours outside Harare.  We went with a work colleague and spent a couple of nights at another self-catering place in the reserve.  We spent almost the entirety of each day outside – on game drives, a morning walk with a couple resident elephants, an afternoon feeding with some black rhinos, sundowners (i.e., happy hours while watching the sunset) at a couple of scenic overlooks... and taking lots of photos of critters.

A mama white rhino and her 2 week old baby.

Awwwww...

Some serious horns on this big male kudu.

Never get into a staring competition with an eland.  You will lose.

Horses in pajamas.

Everything about this photo says "Africa."

Giraffes are definitely one of my favorites.  (Don't tell the other animals.)

One of these things is not like the others.

Nyalas look like their legs came from a different animal.

A fire was waiting for us in the fireplace each night when we got back (it is winter here now… and definitely feels like winter at night), and we played games (and drank wine) and generally had a few days to recharge after months of constantly being “on.”  (I only go into the embassy for a couple days every other week.  Almost all of us have been teleworking since March.  My commute most days involves walking from our bedroom to our dining room… which is great for saving on gas, but not so great for saving my sanity.  It is hard to fully switch off, especially since many of my colleagues are on “authorized departure” and have returned to the U.S.  The 6-9-hour time difference means someone is always working.)

Feeding the black rhinos some tasty treats.

He's waiting for more.

This huge bull elephant demonstrates his pruning technique.

These are both adult elephants - but the bull was HUGE.

Andrew for scale.

These elephants have been at the reserve for years and are used to people.  Do not get this close to wild elephants.  (I even hesitated here.  This guy was enormous.) 

H. U. G. E.

He liked posing for pictures though.

Another quintessential Africa photo. 

We are really going to get adventurous this coming weekend when we’ll head to Hwange National Park near the western border with Botswana.  I’m taking next week off work, and we’re heading out with a few work colleagues.  Looking forward to really getting out to see some uncharted territory and have a chance to spend more time in real, wild Africa.  There’s still so much we haven’t seen!  Victoria Falls, Lake Kariba, the national parks in the southeast (Gonarezhou, Kruger)…  After spending almost four months of our two years here on lockdown, there is definitely the sense that we need to make up for lost time. 

One of our sundowner spots.

A pretty spot to enjoy a gin and tonic as the sun goes down...

...and the moon comes up.

R&R WITH FACE MASKS, PART 2 - BACK TO THAILAND... AND RETURNING TO A WHOLE NEW WORLD

From Myanmar, we headed back to Thailand.  We started in the northern part of the country with three nights in Chiang Rai.  After jet-setting from Bangkok to Yangon and back, we decided to lay low at the resort for the first day.  But after a day of lounging by the pool, we booked a day tour to check out some of the sights of northern Thailand, including temples, tea plantations, and some lovely scenery.  The temples really are a sight to behold with their ornate designs and vibrant colors, and we thoroughly enjoyed seeing this part of the world. 

Thailand definitely had a high monk:regular person ratio.

The blue temple - aptly named.

The ceiling of the blue temple - so elaborate and beautiful!

The white temple - another appropriate name.

We had a stop at a local tea plantation for a thai iced tea - and a spectacular view.

From Chiang Rai, we took a bus on a 5-hour journey to Chiang Mai.  Our hotel was right next to the bustling night market, so we enjoyed some great food, live music, and sidewalk shopping in the evening.  Some of the markets were empty since the usually large contingent of Chinese tourists were decidedly absent as coronavirus was starting to take a toll on tourism.  We heard that a hotel that catered to the Chinese tourist market had closed its doors and sent its employees home.  (A sign of what was to come to the U.S. a month later…)  I must say that I quite enjoyed playing tourist during the lull.

Pretty sure this night market is usually waaaaaay more packed.

This is more like it... though still not as crowded as I had expected.

While in Chiang Mai, we also took a day trip to an elephant sanctuary that was home to quite a number of elephants who had retired (or been rescued from) toiling away in logging or giving rides to tourists.  They seemed to have quite a nice life now, hanging out together and getting to go for dips in the river that ran through the property.  The sanctuary was also a home to several dogs who were up for adoption… but I was able to restrain myself and not some home with a dog... or an elephant... as a souvenir.

First a snack...

...and then a dip in the river.

Making new friends.

We ended our R&R with a few days in Phuket.  Lounging poolside, getting our final fill of delicious food, and having putting competitions on the 9-hole putting course right outside our hotel door.  We did yet one more day trip out to the coast to do some sea kayaking among the sea caves that occur throughout the haystack islands.  It was a beautiful day to get out on the water and explore some incredible new scenery.

About to head off the boat and into the kayak.

The haystack islands are so unique.

We were able to kayak through narrow caves into the open center of several of these haystacks.

Never did find the Old Man Toilet at Phuket's central market.

We flew back to Zimbabwe on February 29, and were greeted at the airport with temperature scans and forms to complete regarding where we had traveled.  Coronavirus had not yet arrived – or at least not yet been detected – in Zimbabwe, though we heard news of its spread throughout Europe and into the U.S.  But it was obvious that we had returned to a very different world than we left.

The weekend of March 14, we got back on a plane to meet up with friends Teri and Andre and their daughter Jessica in Cape Town for a few days.  Jessica had been volunteering with the Peace Corps in Eswatini, and Teri and Andre had come to visit her and go on a family trip around southern Africa.  Cape Town was the final leg on their month-long journey.  We had a wonderful time getting to catch up with them for a few days – and to have yet another chance to this beautiful city.  This time we visited Robben Island and had a memorable meal at La Colombe, one of the best restaurants in South Africa (if not THE best).

The presentation of each course at La Colombe was as spectacular as the food itself.

One of the communal bunk rooms at Robben Island.

The cell where Nelson Mandela spent 18 years.

Looking back toward Table Mountain and Cape Town from the ferry to Robben Island.

The day before we were due to head back to Zimbabwe, news came out that the Peace Corps would be sending all their volunteers home.  We started hearing that South Africa would soon close its borders.  We made it back to Harare just in time, but Teri and Andre had to make some quick changes to their itinerary to get back to the U.S. after their original flights were canceled. 

Shortly after we returned to Harare, the State Department issued a worldwide authorized departure for all staff to have the option to return to the U.S.  Zimbabwe announced its first COVID cases and the first death at the end of March, and the president announced a 21-day “lockdown” on March 30, with all but essential businesses closed through next weekend.  While about 1/3 of the embassy staff have returned to the U.S., Andrew and I have decided to hunker down here, at least for the time being.  I am mostly teleworking, as is Andrew (business as usual for him).  We are thankful to have a lovely house with open space to be able to self-isolate, and lucky to have jobs that have been unaffected by the pandemic.  Being this far away from friends and family during these strange days was a difficult decision, but Zoom and Skype help close the distance.  And given that we're all social distancing right now, probably not that much different than if we were in the same zip code.  We hope you are all well, and we send much love to you all.