Lower Zambezi, Higher Cost

December 10, 2008 ·  

Africa’s national parks differ a lot from country to country and they are run in very different ways, so I never know what to expect next. In South Africa and Namibia, the parks are over-organized operations with gates, curfews and strict rules, though I found them somewhat bendable despite constant ranger patrols. In bureaucratic Botswana, the seemingly dead plains of the Kalahari Desert are empty from any regime, and, even though certain things are frowned upon, you can easily feel one with the animal kingdom... [Read more]

Private Parts in Zambia

December 5, 2008 ·  

I am far from a nun, extremely comfortable with my body, and if you describe me as “shy” in front of anybody who even remotely knows me – they’d laugh in your face. That said, I would like to think I’m all about respect. Respecting other cultures and their degrees of modesty are highly important during the sort of travel I enjoy most. However, in Africa I officially declare myself confused by modesty regulations and locations of the private parts.

On the surface, Africa doesn’t... [Read more]

Livingstone’s Pets

December 1, 2008 ·  

I could cry – I’ve hugged an elephant. I’ve walked with a lion’s tail in hand, and swam in Devil’s Armchair nearly spilling over the edge of Vic Falls. I’m not a daredevil. In fact, I am afraid of heights (though that doesn’t stop me from climbing the highest whatever in the vicinity). But all these were calculated risks, with tamed animals and lifeguards controlling my every move even in the shallowest of waters.

Now I’m having trouble deciding how highly may I allow... [Read more]