Friday we work up ate our breakfast and hit the road for Zambia! Depending on time spent crossing border the drive can be 6 hours or more. We wanted to get an early start so we could arrive before 3pm. The drive was fun because everyone was excited. This group laughs a lot and over the course of the trip we have had a lot of funny moments that have turned into jokes. We also all know how to tease each other since by now we know each other so well. We are snacks, told stories and also listened to our driver Eddie tell us about the things we were seeing as we drove.
As we approached the Malawi border I collected everyone’s passport and told them that it was my hope that I could handle everything inside the border post and they could sit in the car. Sometimes this plan works and other times it doesn’t. We parked and Eddie and I jumped out. There was a small line so I got in the line to wait for my turn. I should have remembered that in Malawi a “line” means nothing. A few people pushed in front of me and I quickly remembered that whoever has their documents on the counter first and closest to the boarder guy wins! I had a stack of 6 passports and I pushed them forward. The man gave me 6 exit cards to fill out so I stood there at the front of the line and began filling one out for each passport I had. After I was done I pushed them all forward again. He told me each card needed to be signed. So I grabbed them and signed each one 🙂 he didn’t seem to mind that I signed for everyone. Our passports were stamped and we were through!
A short 100 meter drive and we arrived at the Zambian border we had to go through almost the same process here. Eddie seemed to know the man behind the glass so it went very quickly. Lots of smiling and the guy just stamped us through! In record time we had made it past both borders.
The national park is about 3 hours from the border so the last part of the drive is a bit longer than the first. Almost everyone fell asleep, even me for a bit. It wasn’t long before we stopped for a break to use the “bush” bathroom and then back on the road we went.
Arriving at the safari camp everyone was in awe. We stayed right along the river and as soon as we pulled in the volunteers began snapping pictures. They were seeing hippos and hearing all kinds of monkeys playing in the trees. We were given a brief on the rules and safety guidelines and then shown to our tents. This group is 6 so we had 3 tents. All seemed happy with their new accommodations. We had some lunch and then it was time for our first drive. Over the three days we would have 3 drives. 2 afternoon drives and one morning drive.
I don’t want to spoil things for the next group so I won’t go into to much detail about the actual drives. This group saw A LOT! I was thrilled at the experience they all had and so excited at the special things they got to see.
The weekend flew by and soon it was time to get back to our village in Malawi for the volunteers final evening. We all were missing out huts (believe it or not). The drive back was a little sad because we all knew that the next morning this group would head for home. A lot was planned for the last night though so we tried to focus on the fun we would have and not on the impending goodbyes.
At the end of trip it always feels as if it’s gone by to quickly. I’ve started to think about adding optional days or extending some of our trips in order to give volunteers more time with their projects.
Thanks to all who are still reading the blog! I’m sorry things have been a bit slower this year. Internet hasn’t been as easy to get to as it has been in past years.