Man-o-Man...April has already come and gone. After our fabulous trip to Africa time has been passing rather slowly. Jeni and I are just one week away from being reunited, and I can not wait for her return from Ice Station Zebra!! Spring in Luxembourg can be dodgy as I found out last year, but this April has been quite mild. In fact the sun has even graced our patio from time to time! I am super excited to see Jeni again, and I know she's just going to love the remaining Printemps à Luxembourg. Now that I look back, the month of April was actually filled with several events that kept me occupied. Let me wish you a belated Happy Easter and attempt to regale you with tales of birthdays, banquets and beers!
I spent the Holiday weekend back in Culles les Roches with Tom, Oivi and their daughter Sonya, but before I left one of my neighbors stopped me while I was walking the dogs to give me a few colored eggs (and of course some treaties for the boys). I have no idea how she knew I was a Hokie!
Culles les Roches nested between the frosted hills and the vineyards.
Easter was a feast in the truest sense of the word. As you may recall I am working with Tom and Oivi to create gardens for their country home down in France. That holiday weekend, however, featured absolutely no work whatsoever. Tom and I made a valiant effort to drink all the wine in Burgundy, and between great food and conversations we were able to take a few strolls through the beautiful countryside surrounding the village. The Burgundy region is criss-crossed with old train grades. The rails have been removed, and now these tracks form a network of trails and bike paths that meander all through the valley. I am definitely going to take advantage of this and bring the bikes down later this summer!
An abandoned tunnel we found along the way...
Tom, Oivi and Sonya at Easter supper. They had lamb, I ate a mountain of side dishes...
and the boys helped with the clean-up!
'Don't know what that was, but it sure was tasty."
April also saw a few birthdays including Mom's, my brother Tim and our illustrious wiener-dog Toby turned 13! My friend Christian had a birthday too, and, as is the custom here, he invited many of his friends to dinner and paid for everything. I prefer the American way of doing birthdays. If I'm getting older, I at least want a free night out once a year. Now Christian's roots are deeply set in the fertile valleys of Alsace and Lorraine, so it no wonder the main course was a huge plate of Sauerkraut with pork-five-ways. Needless to say I ordered off the menu, and was pleasantly surprised with a vegetable gratin that was more gratin the veggies. I probably consumed more protein by way of cheese and cream than that entire tray of choucroute contained. Ah La Vida Luxem! The City of Luxembourg also held its semi-annual Flea Market, or Floumaarkt, which is very reminiscent of the Rte 11 Yard Crawl in Shenandoah County, VA. For such a wealthy country, Luxembourg has a penchant for all things Chatzki. I swear nothing ever leaves this place…it simply moves from one family to the next. This appears to have been going on for generations. It's surreal to see women wearing rings that would make the royals blush thumbing through bins of old books or boxes of old jelly glasses…and haggling over the prices! I'm sure there are some hidden treasures, but you'd have to sift through a lot of poop to find that pony.
Jumble Sale doesn't even begin to describe this scene.
Yeah, I got an old glass.
Perhaps the most anticipated weekend of April came on the 26th. A group of us Luxembourg expats trundled up to Leuven, Belgium for the first BeerFestival of the season. The Zythos Bierfestival is host to some 100+ Belgian brewers and well over 500 different beers. Have no doubt, just one week after attempting to drain Burgundy, I went on to dutifully drink my way through Belgium! To my surprise the festival was held indoors, and it was a very proper event. I took notes, I savored the flavors and I even tried a few beers outside my comfort zone…two words for you. Cactus. Beer. We were 15 all together, and we had a wonderful time. I originally thought I'd be reporting on all the various beers throughout the region, but there really is no need. The Belgians have the market cornered, hands down. Beyond the beerfest, we were able to poke around this quaint city that is home to many of Belgium's top universities. Here are some of the highlights…
Leuven's Sint Pieter's Cathedral and Town Hall
Michele (you met him at the International Expo) and Alesandro having fun at the fountain. Please note Natalia in the background…none too amused.
Breakfast for eleven…we needed to keep our energy up.
Because this scene on the shuttle bus might have been the alternative. (Total strangers btw)
Our last 'Game Drive' in the Chobe National Park was quite the experience. We set out in the afternoon, and our guide, RB, was determined to find us some large cats. As she drove through the bush and along the banks of the river she was on constant vigil looking for signs of the prowling felines. She would stop the other guide we encountered to ask if they'd seen anything. For more than an hour she searched and inquired with no results. As we bounced around the backcountry we were treated to a wide variety of beautiful birds and beasts of all shapes and sizes, but no cats. As hope was fading we passed another 'jeep' that had recently come across a group of lions just a bit farther into the heart of the park. Buoyed with this information, our leader shifted the vehicle into high gear and we were off! I must say that the term 'jeep' is a generalization used in Safari lingo. In fact these 4WD juggernaughts were anything but Chryslers. Rather we toured the African wilderness in Nissans, Toyotas and Land Rovers. I point this out because I believe I may be in the throes of a mid-life crisis, and the 12-year-old-boy part of my essence yearns to drive one of these bad boys. Just wait. We have some incredible video in store later in our saga :)
A Nissan 'jeep' piloted by another guide from the Game Lodge
We pulled up next to another group from the Game Lodge and right there, not 15 meters away were nine (NINE) lions! Our first brush with these magnificent cats and we hit the mother-load…literally. There were three adult females with six cubs. It was all we could to to stay in the 'jeep' because the little ones really needed a good ear-scratchin'!
…and so did the big ones.
To be sure these ladies have to work for their living. Check out the puncture on her cheek. RB said it was most likely an Impala horn.
Then she went and did this…who needs a belly rub?
We sat and gazed at the royal nonet as the sun began to set. Once the sun passed behind the trees the great cats began to stir, and our guide became antsy. Oblivious to Park policy, those of us in the truck snapped photos and watched in awe as a large Water Buffalo rapidly approached. Lions and Buffaloes are sworn enemies, and the Buffalo is one of the few creatures in the bush that can rattle the Lion's proverbial cage. As we braced ourselves for a real-life Mutual of Omaha moment, RB said in no uncertain terms that it was time to go. Apparently the park closes at dark, and anyone caught inside would be punished. For our guide that meant losing her license (and therefore her livelihood). For anyone else (not in a Safari vehicle) that means being arrested as a suspected poacher! We learned this fact once we were back inside the electrified fences of the lodge's campus. The trip back was a raucous affair as RB drove her 'jeep' as fast as it would go through mud holes, around herds of elephants and throngs of impalas. For me it was a ride of a lifetime. Six Flags has nothing to compare to a jostle in an open sided truck without seat belts! Perhaps the greatest moment was when the truck's headlights lit up a troop of at least 100 little humanoids sitting in and along the road. With all the incredulity of a New York City cabbie stuck behind a semi in crawler gear during rush hour, RB (obviously at wit's end) shouted at them, "BABOONS!!" The monkeys were non plussed, but eventually gave way. The stress of the situation unmistakeable in her voice. We made it back without incident, and we even passed a group of wardens. I think they would have given our amazing guide a free pass as she was making an effort worthy of any Rally Car pilot!
Too many birds to describe...
….and monkeys...
…and don't forget the stunning scenery.
From Chobe we travelled even farther into the Botswana hinterland. The Okavango Delta is a marvelous natural formation where the Okavango River simply ends. Rather than flow into the sea, the river spills into a massive depression and forms a swamp that seemingly goes on for ever. To reach the Delta one must take a bush-plane. For us this meant and hour and a half flight from the Kasane regional airport.
Here we are at Kasane. Sorry for the quality, but I include this because it was taken by a pirate looking dude straight out of general casting! Nice fellow. He did return my phone.
This is the actual plane that flew us to the Okavango Delta
This was our pilot, Mark. He was born in the 90's...
Bush planes are a major source of transportation because Botswana is so vast with very few roads. We shared our first leg with a couple from Bethesda, MD (small world, huh?). The little eight seater climbed from Kasane and as we approached the clouds, I silently prayed that we wouldn't go above them. We didn't. The plane swiveled and occasionally dropped, but generally it was a rather enjoyable flight. The other Americans were deposited at some random airfield where we picked up another group. We then dropped the second group off at a place called 'Mambo' and climbed once again into the azure skies above the African Savannah. After all the ups-and-downs Jeni and I actually became accustomed to this sort of travel…and the views were breathtaking.
Flying above the Delta
We finally made it to our landing point at Stanley Airfield where we were picked up by our next guide from the Baines Camp. Now, I've never been on a plane that small. I have certainly never flown into a backcountry airfield, but when your pilot pulls out his smart phone and starts taking photos your curiosity is certainly piqued. This next photo really sums up the Okavango experience. We were really going out into the middle of nowhere.
Stanley Airfield partially submerged after the rainy season :0
Mark did great, and we landed safely. Our ride was there waiting for us, and we were able to meet our next traveling companion, a charming guy from LA named Michael who just so happened to be a film director. Our guide was named Ice, and he actually grew up within the Delta before the government relocated the nomadic tribes of Bushmen to create the Game Reserve. Ice is an interesting fellow. He knows everything about the plants and animals of the delta, and over the course of the next few days we noticed the staff at Baines treated him with a distinct reverence. It turns out that he literally wrote the book on the natural resources of the Okavango…they have a copy in the camp's library.
Ice standing next to a mammoth termite mound!
From the airfield the trip to Baines Camp is another hour into the bush. The camp itself is an off-the-grid resort unlike anything we've ever seen. There are five cabins surrounding a central lodge ensuring that even at the busiest of times there would be no more than 10 guests at this remote outpost. Indeed, we shared this shangra-la with only Michael and the staff (who fly in and out in three month 'shifts'). There are no electrified fences nor any sort of barrier between visitors and the wilderness. Communication between the management and the rooms is via walkie-talkie, but they have managed a wifi connection in the lodge by way of the two-way radio antenna (i.e. really slow). I really don't see the purpose of wifi in the bush. In fact this purlieu is so harmonious with the environment (especially at night) one is completely enveloped…especially when the hippos come rummaging through after dark. For this reason guests are required to have a chaperone once the sun sets.
Our 'room'
Walkways connect the rooms to the main lodge...
…and you can wheel your beds outside at night!
Oh yeah, I should mention the bubble baths drawn on our own private terrace overlooking the 'Hippo Lagoon'.
All the buildings at the camp are made from recycled cans, water is treated on site and the entire operation is completely 'eco-friendly'.
Our daily commutes consisted of bouncing along jeep roads and bobbing through flooded tracks that ran hundreds of yards. I mentioned earlier that I must get my hands on a Safari 'jeep'. And here's why…
These things are nearly unstoppable.
I say 'nearly' because Ice did mount a rescue of another group one afternoon.
Yet another nice amenity of the Baines Camp is the closeness and personal connections you have with the team. For instance I was casually chatting with the manager, and he was very open and honest about the 'jeeps' they have. They actually have three vehicles, but only two typically run because the third is used as a remote salvage yard! Apparently everything in the back country has a double purpose. Another example would be our dug-out canoe guide, Steve. He was a super nice guy that grew up just outside the Delta. Very mellow with an amazing eye for detail, Steve would spot the tiniest frog or a wildflower from his post at the back of the boat. Needless to say we were awestruck when the same Steve later arrived at out table dressed in his chef's whites to ask how our dinner was. He is an accomplished chef who creates Michelin Star quality meals in the backwoods of Botswana.
That would be Steve the Chef poling us through the swamp!
…and that would be a hippopotamus dead-ahead!
Our wonderful companion, Michael.
Jabu posing for the camera.
Here I am walking with Thembi.
Beyond the game drives and river floats Baines offers an exclusive opportunity to walk with a group of rescued elephants. Their stories are quite sad, but thanks to a devoted couple (Doug and Sandi Groves of Grey Matters) these three elephants now have good lives educating and enriching anyone lucky enough to meet them. Talk about commitment. Doug and Sandi rescued Jabu and Thembi in 1988, and Morula came along in 1994. They are all quite young as elephants with this semi-wild lifestyle can live to be at least 65 years old! At any rate we were very lucky to meet these incredible pachyderms and their truly unique guardians.
Of course we had lunch with the trio.
I promised to heap praise on our travel agent. We booked everything through a company called Green Rhino. Janet was incredible, and I swear she has psychic abilities. After a couple of quick emails, she had this entire excursion sorted out, on budget and on relative short notice. I can't thank her enough, and if you, dear reader, are entertaining the idea of a trip to southern Africa, you must contact Janet because she's a genius!! I leave you now with even more photos of the beasts and birds we encountered in the Delta. Please enjoy. I promise to get back to our Luxembourg shenanigans on my next post. Thanks for reading!!!
We may not have seen a proper Leopard, but we did see this guy…a Leopard Tortoise
This poor hyena was rather beat-up. Probably tried to tangle with a lion.
Woodland Kingfisher...
…and a Crocodile hanging out with some plovers...
…Wildebeests...
…a baby Giraffe, ooh...
…and a Bateleur Eagle.
We came across this guy just lounging on the side of the road. Ice says he is 'The Man' for all of the eastern side of the Delta
Certainly looks like it!
I nearly forgot to show you the 'Emergency' horn from our room. Seriously, this is what you were to sound if there were any unwanted wildlife sightings. I assume Ice would come running with his 50 calibre rifle. It was nearly used when I discovered an enormous beetle INSIDE my pants! I was, however, brave and ran around the room like a ninny with no pants solely for my wife's amusement! I did not sound the alarm.
April also saw a few birthdays including Mom's, my brother Tim and our illustrious wiener-dog Toby turned 13! My friend Christian had a birthday too, and, as is the custom here, he invited many of his friends to dinner and paid for everything. I prefer the American way of doing birthdays. If I'm getting older, I at least want a free night out once a year. Now Christian's roots are deeply set in the fertile valleys of Alsace and Lorraine, so it no wonder the main course was a huge plate of Sauerkraut with pork-five-ways.
