A Special Thanks!!! – To Our Host Family

Although our African Adventures had come to an end, we will never ever forget our experience in Africa. Before we arrived we really did not know what to expect, but we soon felt right at home in a country just about as far away from home as we could be.

We just want to take the time to thank our host family in Harare! From day one until our last possible moment in Zimbabwe were given the royal family treatment as if we were family. For those of us who lost weight in Europe, we definitely were able to make up for the loss in Africa. And for those who gained weight in Europe, we continued to gain weight at an even more impressive rate in Africa!

The food was great, the company was awesome and the experience was unforgettable. We want to thank Bagthimami and Queen B for catering to the needs of six additional guys in a home only used to one. We also want to thank our driver, tour guide, and last, but not least friend/uncle Sanj Man for showing us one of the best times of our lives. Paras, we just want to say thanks for being you dude and how could we forget the original B too! Man do we ever miss her!

Thank You!

The Africtravelers

A Wrap on Africa: The Great Zimbabwe Ruins

As we made our way back to Harare, Sanj Man took us on a slight detour in order to expand our knowledge on Zimbabwe’s ancient origins. To do this we would be visiting The Great Zimbabwe Ruins. This can be considered the “Mayan Ruins” known to most Texans, located in Mexico.

At the ancient site, we were given a guided tour of the ruins which at one point was a decent sized city. As we made our way through the ruins our minds were filled with all sorts of interesting facts from the ancient times. We learned that the ancient kings of Zimbabwe used to have two hundred wives!! We also learned that they died young, very young. Just Kidding.

After our detour through The Great Zimbabwe Ruins we were on the home stretch back to Harare. Back in Harare some of us visited a Lion and Cheetah park. This was a drive through park with wildlife living amongst the road. Inside the lion cage were two female lions and one male. As we were exiting the enclosure, the female lions seemed to be hunting our vehicle. There was one on the side of the van and the other was behind the van. Luckily, we were able to get out without any problems. At this same park sometime earlier a Japanese woman had decided to get out of her car and take a picture with the lions sitting in the background, she unfortunately did not make it out safely and later died in a local hospital. Leaving the park, we were glad to have fulfilled our wishes to see lions, which we were unable to accomplish in Botswana.

A day or two after we arrived back in Harare, Jay and Shivan were taken to the aiport early one morning. They would be flying back through London before finally getting home to Dallas.

And then there were three…

That Friday the fun continued for those whose journey would continue to roll on. We decided to check out one of the few nightclubs in Harare. The night started at Sunrise, Sanj Man’s sports club hang out, where he and his buddies made sure our glasses were never empty. After we pre-partied there, we headed over to a club called “Glow.” It was definitely an interesting experience. Believe it or not the racial diversity was the most surprising part. There were people of all different kinds having a great time.

Over the next few days we spent time relaxing and making the rounds to different homes of Kinesh’s family and friends. We also found time to play nine holes of golf at one of the local country clubs. Kinesh and Sanj Man played with some friends of Sanj Man’s, while Ravi, Paras, and myself played with Mayur, one of Kinesh’s other cousins.

In no time at all, we found ourselves at the Harare Airport departing for ASIA, Bangkok, Thailand here we come!!!

The Africtravelers

Big African Air: Bungee Jumping!

After some much needed rest, we woke up and packed up all of our belongings. Today was the day we would be leaving Vic Falls.

Although we knew we were leaving Victoria Falls, we still had one more adventure in us. During the next hour we would all be making our final decisions as to whether or not we would be diving off the bridge connecting Zimbabwe and Zambia!

As we made our way to the bridge our nerves were on edge. After crossing the Zimbabwe border we walked for 10 minutes until we reached the bridge connecting the two sides of the massive gorge. As soon as we stepped foot onto the bridge it was definitely time for some of us to make our final decisions. Some of us were 100% certain sure that taking the plunge off the bridge was exactly what we wanted to do, while others were not so sure. Kinesh, Ravi, and Priya were definitely eager and ready to get a taste of some Big African Air. While Jay, Shivan, Paras, and myself were somewhat undecided. We are happy to say that ALL of us faced our fears and looked directly into the open air over Zimbabwe and dove off the 110+ meter bridge into the river gorge! (330+ feet) Ravi was the first to jump, followed by Kinesh, Shivan, Ryan, Priya, Paras, and Jay.

The view of the gorge and the river was incredible. Standing at the platform on the bridge and looking straight ahead into the open air was spectacular. From the platform you could see the edge of the gorge wrap around the rocky cliffs. Behind the bridge you could see the end of the falls as well as the massive amounts of mist levitating from the water.

The adrenaline rush we all experienced during our free fall will be difficult to top for the rest of our lives!

On our way out of the area we stopped at the larges Baobob tree in Zimbabwe. These trees are incredibly wide at the base, but they also begin to branch out extremely close to the ground. The rest of the day was spent driving back to Bulawayo where we would put up for the night.

The Africtravelers

Zambezi River: White Water Rafting & Sunset Cruise

The next morning we woke up and prepared ourselves for the day’s adventure. Our ride picked us up and we headed off to go white water rafting down the “Mighty Zambezi River.” Before we could go down to the river we had to do one thing first…sign our indemnity clauses! We also were able to polish our Bond-like skills by succeeding in using authentic fake Zimbabwe IDs of some of Kinesh’s relatives. The IDs gave us a huge discount on a lot of the adventures we went on. Once this was complete, and we had a little food and tea in our stomachs we were ready to rock ‘n roll.

At the top of the gorge we put on the top half of a wet suit, life jacket, helmet, and grabbed an oar. After some quick safety instructions and guidelines it was time to begin our trek down the side of the gorge. The gorge was incredibly steep and very deep as well. It was approximately ninety stories high, and at points during the descent we had to use ladders constructed from trees to get down. Once we reached the bottom of the gorge we followed our guide and jumped into our raft before heading downstream.

As we waited for other rafts to get situated and start their drift downstream we got acquainted with our guide, “Gift,” and with certain rafting rituals. We learned to follow every command our guide demanded us to perform, including jumping overboard into the river!

Our rafting trip was to be a half day adventure, we would be completing rapids eleven through twenty-four. The full day trip includes all rapids, but this was unavailable for us due to the violent currents at rapid number nine!

Our journey took us through twists and turns with rapid names such as the washing machine, commercial suicide, the three ugly sisters, terminator, and the afternoon shower. All in all the three people who managed to get tossed out of the raft include Kinesh(2), Ravi(1), and Paras(1). Not that we were keeping count or anything! The leader of our raft (Priya a.k.a. Queen B), Jay, Shivan, and Ryan managed to ride out the all powerful Zambezi River.

When we reached the end of the rafting trip, we thought we thought all of our hard work had paid off. Unfortunately, the hard work had not yet come to an end! The ninety story gorge we had climbed down, now had to be climbed up!

When we FINALLY reached the top we were treated to a BBQ for lunch. Grilled meats included lion, zebra, and croc! Just kidding.

As soon as we returned to the Lokothula Lodge, the name for our hut-like colony, we were instructed that there was no time to shower before going on a spur of the moment Sunset Cruise! The cruise was just like any other sunset cruise. It had snacks and of course an all you can drink open bar! Not only did it include food and drinks, but we were able to observe more wildlife with an awesome African sunset.

The night was ended with a little more gambling…blackjack and roulette were the games of choice…gambling in Zimbabwe dollars doesn’t hit the wallet quite as hard as in the US!

The Africtravelers

Safari: Chobe National Park – Botswana

The next morning we woke up bright and early to catch a 7:30AM charted bus that would take the entire crew to the Zimbabwe Botswana border. The journey to the border took us approximately forty-five minutes. After crossing the border we boarded another bus that drove us 10 minutes into Botswana.

Before we knew it we had arrived at a lodge like structure fully equipped with hotel rooms and all. No sooner than we arrived, we made our way down a path that led us to a river boat tied up at the end of a dock. While walking along the path, we were spooked by a Black Mamba snake coiled around a tree limb. When we reached the end of the trail we all jumped on the boat and our two tour guides steered the boat out into the morning air of the Chobe River.

As we cruised along the river and approached multiple banks and river islands our minds were blown away by the sheer amount of wildlife that surrounded us on all sides. Just listing to the different kinds of animals we encountered does nothing to describe what we were lucky enough to witness with our own eyes, but the list follows anyway. The animals we came across included African elephants, hippos, crocodiles, numerous species of birds, lizards, water buffalo, impalas, other deer family creatures, and baboons, all in their natural habitat. One of the more spectacular sights we came across was a herd of about twenty elephants drinking water from the river. Amongst them were multiple young elephants, along with a baby elephant. The boat was also able to get us about twenty feet from a gigantic crocodile, fifteen feet in length, basking in the morning sun. Not only was the wildlife above ground, but near the river islands hippos were hovering at the surface of the water.

Around midday we headed back to the lodge where we had taken off from and headed up the path all in the name of LUNCH! The food was nothing to write home about, so we won’t. After lunch the entire crew climbed into two sport utility vehicles to continue our safari on land. We hopped in the open air vehicle, while the closed air vehicle was used for added protection for the little kids. The land safari took us off road into Chobe National Park. The land safari began by driving down the river bank where we observed more of the same animals we had encountered from the river boat. Animals that we added to our already impressive list were giraffes and zebras. The most memorable experience from the land safari was definitely when our vehicle was engulfed by a herd of elephants! The elephants were making their way up from the river bank when we got caught on the path, so we stopped for a closer look. The elephants were only ten to fifteen feet away from us! This was truly a thrilling experience that we will never forget.

Words just don’t do our adventures in Botswana justice…for a true sense you have to see the pictures. We still can’t believe it when we see them!

After crossing back into Zimbabwe we went back to the Kingdom Hotel/Casino where we had pizza for dinner and watched the World Cup Finals at the bar. For the record, Italy beat France.

On the agenda for the next day: white water rafting on the Zambezi River!

The Africtravelers

A Prestigious Wonder of the Natural World: Victoria Falls

After driving back into Zimbabwe, we headed for Bulawayo, a small city of Zimbabwe. On our way we crossed over the Tropic of Capricorn, the imaginary line that divides the equator and the South Pole. Once we arrived in Bulawayo we met up the members of Kinesh’s family that would be joining us on our way to the falls from Harare. We spent one night with Sanj Man friends before hitting the road yet again!

Fortunately, we only had four hours to go. It was early evening when we reached Victoria Falls. As soon as we arrived, we all shuffled out of the van and made our way down the ~2 kilometer path that went along the top of the opposite side of the waterfall cliff. As we walked along the path we were in awe at the sight, sound, smell, and feel of the falls. They seemed to stretch on forever! The sheer amount of water being thrown over the long stretch of the cliff was amazing. Victoria Falls easily put Niagra Falls to shame. The falls itself seemed to be situated in the middle of a desert. The mist from the falls bellowed like thick clouds of smoke into the beautiful African sky. With the falls on our left, palm trees on our right, and wildlife amongst us, we were all beside ourselves.

As we reached the end of the path, a bridge came into perfect view. This wasn’t just any bridge. It was the bridge that connects Zimbabwe to Zambia. To the untrained mind this bridge looked somewhat ordinary, but little did we know this bridge would hold a special place within all of us in the near future.

Our lodging at Victoria Falls resembled large dome huts with straw roofs and were fully equipped with a full kitchen and living room too. Our beds were environment friendly with mosquito nets, and we were well equipped with our deet powered bug sprays. The back wall of our large hut was a large zip open door made of a tent like material. We could only hope that wall would hold up against any dangerous wildlife in the area. The only wildlife encounter we had at our lodging was with a wild warthog that was waiting for us on our front porch one day.

That night we went to the Kingdom Hotel and Casino, which was most likely the only place for night entertainment in the area. Along with the hotel and Casino there was a small club inside. We all enjoyed a few drinks and fun before heading back to face another day in Africa!

The Africtravelers

Jo-Burg, South Africa (Little America)

In the morning we finished our first class breakfast, prepared by Bagthimami and Priya before loading our chariot, a green Mazda MPV. Because our huge backpacks would not fit into the van, we were given duffel bags that would allow all of our luggage to fit into one vehicle. Our journey into South Africa would take us around twelve hours. There was only one road that would take us south.

Along the way we witnessed people on the sides of the road waiting for someone, anyone that would lend them a ride. Other sites include buses that we would every once in a while speed passed. The buses were filled beyond capacity and their luggage was stacked five feet, sometimes higher beyond the roof top. Driving such a long distance required us to fill our gas tank at almost every chance we got. We stopped at countless stations that had run out of “petrol,” leaving us to move onto the next station. On top of not knowing whether the station had petrol for us to fill with, Sanj Man would have to pay for our gas with straight cash. The economic situation of Zimbabwe required that cash be used for everything.

Unfortunately, the official exchange rate of the country was one US dollar to somewhere around one hundred thousand Zimbabwe dollars. The unofficial exchange rate was more along the lines of one US dollar to four hundred thousand Zimbabwe dollars! Either way when it was time to pay for the gas, two bricks of Zimbabwe dollars were pulled from a bag in the back of the van, each brick had a height of about seven inches!!

Crossing into South Africa from Zimbabwe was definitely an experience to say the least. One word that can be used to summarize the situation best would be…TENSE. As Americans, and more specifically Texans, the situation at this border crossing seemed to parallel the current situation found at the Texas and Mexico border. The only difference is that we were the Mexicans. The entire area seemed to appear out of the desert. With the assistance of Sanj Man, we cleared the border crossing as smoothly as can be expected.

As we approached an area of greater population density, the difference between Zimbabwe and South Africa was blatantly apparent. The closer we got to civilization, the more in shock we were as the sparse streets of Zimbabwe turned into what appeared to be a Little America. The two way road that took us through Zimbabwe turned into a six lane divided highway that led us into a road system mirroring roads we have come to know from the US.

On our way into Jo-Burg we stopped in a city just north of our destination, Pretoria. In Pretoria we enjoyed dinner at a restaurant where Sanj Man is a silent owner. After dinner we made our way to downtown Johannesburg where we found our hotel and settled in for the night.

With the sun shining on the South African lands, our speculations from the night before were proven. Surrounding us in all directions were extremely modern buildings that could easily rival those of America. Not only were they modern, but they looked as if they were brand new. Although we knew that not all of South Africa could be this way, it sure felt like it.

The next day was spent touring Jo-Burg. Sites included the downtown area, Nelson Mandela Square, and parliament. The downtown area was just like any other downtown area during the late morning hours of a weekday. Nelson Mandela square was an area surrounding by a high class shopping mall. While in the area we ate breakfast a place called Mugg & Bean before taking our picture with Mr. Mandela himself. We then headed in the direction of Pretoria’s parliament buildings. The buildings were located at the top of a hill and had a great view of the surrounding area as well as very well manicured landscaping. As the late afternoon approached we decided to catch a few drinks in an area near a college campus. The rest of that night was spent visiting a mall with a uniquely designed roof that resembled a circus tent structure. Dinner that night dinner was at an Italian restaurant called Chiao Baby.

The next two nights in Jo-Burg were spent at two local casinos, Monte Casino and Emperor’s Casino. While at Emperor’s Casino we were able to catch a “Vegas” style show complete with feathered dancers and the like. Some of us even managed to scoop quite a few free drinks from the complimentary service in the high roller’s gambling room. In case you’re wondering the high roller was The Sanj Man and the name of his game roulette! The only big winner that night was Kinesh, he made out with the equivalent of approximately $500 US in South African Rands!

Although Johannesburg is considered one of the most unsafe places in the world, if not the most dangerous, we did not encounter any unpleasant experiences. However, we didn’t exactly steer ourselves down any back alley’s or venture into the unknown.

Our stay in South Africa had come to an end, but the best was yet to come! Victoria Falls here we come!

The Africtravelers

Harare, Zimbabwe: The First Days

As we departed from London Heathrow Airport on our way to Zim land we caught the England vs. Portugal futbol match on a flat screen TV, surrounded by English futbol enthusiasts. There were a few Portugal fans making their presence known, but luckily the overwhelmingly English crowd was able to keep their cool. As the seconds wound down on this crucial match, the clock was also ticking on the departure of our plane! No sooner than England lost, we began our brisk walk to our gate and found ourselves right on time for our British Airways flight.

After our long flight, we (except Kinesh) landed in a foreign world completely unknown to us. Not knowing what to expect we made our way through the airport, just like any other airport in the world. As we waited in line to go through customs we were all tired and excited at the same time. Before we knew it Kinesh’s Uncle, Sanj Man, Kinesh’s Aunt/Cousin, Priya, and his Uncle/Cousin, Paras found us in line and directed us straight to the front of the line. Priya and Paras had come from Canada to visit their family in Africa. As we stepped into position at the front of the customs line, that had not even opened, the former leader of the line boasted, “The line starts back there.” We happily turned to him and said, “Yeah, we know. We’re with her.” That’s right our paperwork was being handled in VIP fashion by the customs agent director. Later we were made aware that one of Kinesh’s uncles is the leader of the Civil Aviation board for Zimbabwe. That might have had a little something to do with it. After being whisked through customs, Priya and Paras wheeled our enormous back packs to us and we made our way to Sanj Man’s house.

On our way to the house, Sanj Man gave us a driving tour of downtown Harare. During our tour we learned about the current economic conditions of the country and about how the city once used to somewhat thrive. Some parts of the downtown area seemed nice and well built, while others seemed run down and almost abandoned. The number of people walking into and within the city was astonishing. As we drove through the area, our eyes were opened to an entirely different world. Upon arrival to our home far away from home, we desired nothing more then to sleep and eat too. Luckily for us, Sanj Man’s wife, Bagthimami always had food ready for us at every major meal and anytime our stomachs beckoned.

We slept for three hours that midday before heading out to a family friend’s home for dinner. Dinner consisted of homemade pizzas, fresh garlic bread, paneer, and of course a good stock of alcohol. From the time we got there the power had already been out for some time. The power situation was definitely interesting. The area was undergoing staged power outages. They were staged due to the fact that the demand for power is too great for the current power resources. To resolve this issue the government had decided that the best thing to do would be to shut off specific grids at planned times during the day. In this instance “Planned” is being used in a very loose sense of the word. That night, the power did not work in our favor. Our dinner was driven over to another home in a different grid and promptly returned for us to devour!

Somewhere during the first day or two of our visit we made our way to “The Round House.” This was actually a round house that has been in Kinesh’s family for many years. There, we were introduced to a lot of Kinesh’s family members including more Uncles, Aunts, Grandparents, Cousins etc.

In preparation for our upcoming road trip, our clothes were hand washed and hung dried, not to mention perfectly ironed by the house maid…Barbara. Not only were pants and shirts ironed, but so was everything else, down to our underwear and socks too! “Barbara” soon became the household name used to describe every house maid encountered from that point on. Not only was the term used to describe the local house maids, Priya soon became known as “Queen B,” as she helped to serve not only the five of us, but her cousin Paras too.

That night we went to sleep knowing that we needed our rest. The next day we would be hitting the road and heading south to Johannesburg, South Africa.

The Africtravelers