3 – 2 – 1 – Bungee!!

September 12, 2014 / El Rolyat / 13 Comments

Victoria Falls could be called the Adventure Capital of Africa. There is so much here for the thrill-seeker, from Bungee jumping to white water rafting, from riding elephants to walking with lions and just about everything in between.

Last November my Last Born, who now lives in the UK, came to stay and brought his delightful English Lass with him for her first trip to Africa.

When he was nine years old we had visited Victoria Falls, he had seen those crazy people who like to throw themselves off perfectly good bridges and from that day it became his dream to do the same. Of course he was young then and I could still tell him what he could and couldn’t do but now he is an adult there is not much I can do about it.

So one day I took them Bungee jumping.

Bungee!
Not for the faint hearted

Arriving to register (and to sign their lives away on what is probably a pretty water-tight indemnity form) we were greeted by this innocuous notice:

OK. I could probably do this

Then we saw this (that little box on the side of the bridge is where you stand before falling into the abyss):

Perhaps not

And then this:

Nope!

Reading the words on that indemnity form caused English Lass to have second thoughts (I don’t blame her!).

But Last Born, being quite persuasive got her to agree to do a tandem jump with him. Somehow the idea of being strapped to her nearest and dearest while falling 111 metres (365 feet) felt safer.

Even my knees were shaking

Apparently doing the Zip Line is the perfect way to prepare yourself for the Bungee, but it still looked pretty scary to me.

Weeeeeeee!

And then for the pièce de résistance. The Granddad of adrenalin rushes. The Bungee.

It was terrifying for me standing on that bridge (which shook and trembled as heavy-duty transport lorries trundled across in single file) watching my child launch himself into the air and then fall 111 metres – albeit attached to someone else and to a long rope. I think I shook and trembled more than those lorries.

Stepping forward. Into nothing

Even hanging over the bridge rails taking these photos gave me a head rush!

It’s a very Long Way Down

And when I thought my ordeal was over English Lass, now overcome with adventure and excitement, agreed to jump on her own and they both had another go.

3-2-1 Bungee!!

As close to flying as you’ll ever get without wings

Bouncing up and down above the rocks, waiting to be pulled up to the bridge

A little "illegal border jumping" to add to the excitement of the day

A little “illegal border jumping” adding to the excitement of the day

This was Last Born’s first visit back to Africa in five years and I think that day was the highlight of his trip. My highlight of the day was when we walked off that bridge and the ground wasn’t shaking.

Cee’s Which Way Photo Challenge – Going Fishing?

September 10, 2014September 10, 2014 / El Rolyat / 12 Comments

"Worms for Sale" spotted along the main road between Harare and Kariba

“Worms for Sale” strategically placed along the main road between Harare and Kariba

I think these were particularly large worms – perhaps the size of a puffadder?

Elephant Alley

September 4, 2014September 4, 2014 / El Rolyat / 2 Comments

We pump our irrigation water from the Zambezi River and the clearing where the pump house is situated also serves as our boat launching site. We are not the only ones who use the narrow, winding and bumpy road that makes its way through the forest to the pump house — we also share it with elephants, who make use of it mostly in the evenings, when they need to drink after a thirsty day in the sun. If we happen to both be on the road at the same time we will stop the vehicle and let them pass before proceeding and it is usually a civilised affair.

Late one afternoon Piet received a call from the pump house attendant; one of the motors was making a strange noise and he had to go there to see what was wrong. Sarel was away on leave at the time so we were dog-sitting his Jack Russell puppy Benji, who jumped onto Piet’s shoulders, delighted at the chance to go for a ride.

About half way to the river Piet heard the unmistakable sound of elephants breaking branches and then saw about 20 elephants lumbering along ahead of him, some on the road and a few scattered among the trees. He stopped and waited for a few minutes until thought the road was clear before slowly continuing, Benji trembling with excitement on his shoulders.

As they rounded the next corner Piet realised not all the elephants had moved on; there was a large cow, young calf in tow, standing on the side of the road and she was not pleased with him being so close to her child. It was too late for him to stop and reverse, so his only option was to dash past her and hope for the best. By this time Benji was beside himself with excitement, growling and whimpering, his sharp little claws digging into Piet’s shoulders. As they drew alongside the cow she thrust her trunk out, almost into the open window, and bellowed.

All hell broke loose: Benji scrambled down to the floor between Piet’s feet, howling and sobbing, the elephant continued bellowing and Piet, unable to work the foot pedals, yelled at Benji to move out of the way as the vehicle skidded forward out of reach.

It was only once he reached the relative safety of the pump house, heart racing and hands shaking that Piet noticed the dreadful stench – Benji had lost control of his bodily functions, down the back of Piet’s neck, along the front of his shirt, on the floor, on the pedals, on the seat! Understandably, the pump attendant kept his distance during the repairs.

It was a long time before we could persuade Benji to go for a ride with us again.

Elephant Alley

Dialogue

September 4, 2014September 4, 2014 / El Rolyat / 8 Comments

Dialogue: n. A conversation between two or more people.

Have pliers, let’s travel

Have phone, let’s text

I have ‘moos’ for you

Are You Looking at Me?

August 25, 2014August 25, 2014 / El Rolyat / 7 Comments

Grey Foam-nest Treefrog (Chiromantis xerampelina)

African Buffalo (Syncerus caffer)

What are you looking at?

Cee’s Fun Foto Challenge – Black and White

Mosi-oa-Tunya

August 17, 2014 / El Rolyat / 20 Comments

Cee’s Fun Foto Challenge

This is our last week of the Five Elements/Seasons series and today our topic is Water or the Season of Winter.

The World’s largest sheet of falling water, the Victoria Falls (or Mosi-oa-Tunya, meaning The Smoke that Thunders in Tokaleya-Tonga) is listed as one of the Seven Natural Wonders of the World – and it falls almost in my front garden!

“…scenes so lovely must have been gazed upon by angels in their flight …” – David Livingstone

Zambia on the North bank, Zimbabwe on the South. The Zambezi River stretching Northwards as far as the eye can see

The Smoke that Thunders

Water water, everywhere

The Mosi-oa-Tunya providing a dramatic backdrop to our irrigation – all water is pumped from the Zambezi River

The Daily Post Weekly Photo Challenge – Silhouette

August 16, 2014August 16, 2014 / El Rolyat / 11 Comments

The Daily Post Weekly Photo Challenge – Silhouette

Photography is all about experimenting with light, and then positioning yourself (or your subject) in the right spot to achieve a certain effect. One such effect is a silhouette, in which an outline of someone or something appears dark against a lighter background. Silhouettes can be very dramatic and resemble black shapes without any details, but the effect varies from picture to picture.

Yello-billed Kites feasting on flying ants

Yellow-billed Kites feasting on flying ants

Crepuscular Yellow-billed Kites

Midges dancing in the setting sun – Zambezi River

Master of all he surveys

The Textures of Africa – Part II

August 14, 2014 / El Rolyat / 6 Comments

When Piet first arrived here nine years ago the farm now known as Sitikela was bush. Thick, solid, tangled, dry bush. And it was brown. The trees were brown, the grass was brown, the leaves scattered on the sand were brown – even the sand was brown.

African winter bush

As he drove up a sandy, unkempt track he noticed the top of a solitary tree towering above the rest of the forest – and it was green! Although it was mid-winter, the heat of the day was almost unbearable and the shade of this tree looked like a likely spot to set up camp; Piet and Sarel, his business partner, lived in tents under that tree for two years while they set to work developing the farm and today our house nestles comfortably in that same shade.

Home Sweet Home

The rough and the smooth

Guibourtia coleosperma, also known as Rhodesian Copalwood, African Rosewood and Large False Mopane is a beautiful, mostly evergreen tree which occurs almost exclusively on Kalahari sand. The tree is ubiquitous on our farm and we have at least ten growing in our garden. Our offices are also built under the shade of one of these magnificent specimens.

I love the varying textures of the bark, smooth, cracked, knotty.

Pockmarked with borer tunnels

The paired leaves look similar to those of the Mopane tree (Colophospermum mopane) which also occurs in this area and it is easy to understand why this tree is sometimes called the Large False Mopane.

Shining emerald-green in the sunlight

Almost translucent from underneath

The bright red arils, although somewhat tasteless, are edible and the indigenous people pound them into a flour which they cook into a nutritious meal; they do the same with the seeds and I have read somewhere that this has saved many lives in times of famine.

Of course birds love the seeds and arils too, and we are often entertained by the raucous shouting of trumpeter hornbills, sounding uncannily like crying babies as they skirmish and scuffle for the juiciest ones.

Guibourtia coleosperma is a much sought-after hardwood. When first cut the timber has a unique pinkish-brown colour which later changes to a rich, warm, edible-looking dark chocolate-brown.