Thursday, Jan 30. Most of today was transportation.  Flight was routine.  Victoria Falls Airport (in Zimbabwe) had the obligatory singing warriors out front.  Failed to get the proper two-entry visa, so I’ll have to get another when returning to Zimbabwe from Botswana.  Met Mado, our Trip Leader.  48 years old with 6 children.  Doesn’t look 30.  The country’s main east-west road is poor.  Large coal mine along the way, funded and largely built by Chinese company.  Zimbabwe has a dependency on China that I don’t think is healthy, but they are the only country to take any interest in Zimbabwe, which is taking a “gift horse” approach.

At the park entrance transferred to two ten passenger jeeps with open stadium seating.  There’s only ten of us, so we all get an excellent view.  Within minutes we spied a giraffe towering over large bushes.  Spotted a lion, sadly hiding behind a bush.  As forewarned, the greenery is blocking views.  But we’re told that seeing any part of a lion on the first drive is very rare.

Camp is nicer that expected.  24 hour power, a bar, no wifi.  Armed escorts took us to our tents after a late dinner.  Good food.  Pea soup, short ribs (beef), cauliflower with heavy cream sauce, apple pastry with ice cream.  Told to not leave our tents until the area is cleared by staff the next morning.  Not sleeping well yet.  

The country is poor.  Painfully obvious.  

(Closing thought about South Africa.  Wealth disparity is obvious.  The country has a very long way to go.  Mandela had to have been a magician to keep the nation from imploding.)

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