Victoria Falls, Zimbabwe

So lots has happened since my last post.  I made it to South Africa with no problems after a long 16-hour flight.  Fortunately, I flew "Economy Plus" which didn't cost much more, but gave me 5 extra inches of leg room.  It may not sound like much but it made a huge difference.  I also sat next to a very petite young South African woman who didn't take up much room.

Jacques Senekal, owner of Africa Maximum Safaris and a good friend, picked me up at the O.R. Tambo International Airport and after a short drive to his Woodstock Farm we were greeted by his lovely wife Natalie and their two children, Danielle and Jean.  All of the other clients were waiting for "Uncle Bob" to arrive for dinner.  Apparently, Natalie had been regaling them with stories of hunting with Jacques.

The next day we began our drive to Zimbabwe.  After 10 or so hours on the road, we stopped at Nata Lodge in Botswana.  The next day we crossed out of Botswana and into Zimbabwe.  I must say that the border crossing were relatively painless but did involve walking from building to building to get all necessary stamps for us, the vehicle and the firearms.  Of course, when we got to the final checkpoint, the lone gate guard did not check any of our stamps.


After another 3 or so hours, we arrived at Bingwa Camp (Bingwa is a Swahili word that means "expert" or "competent, although the local people here are Shona and Ndebele), my home for until September 18.  Bingwa is located in the Matetsi Safari Area of Zimbabwe.  Here we will bait for Leopard and Spotted Hyena (which we can hear at night).  We will also try for Chobe Bushbuck and Side Striped Jackal.

There is another party in camp from Minnesota that is trying for a Sable and a Cape Buffalo.  Jerry, Cathy and Cyndi will be good camp companions.  Jerry is 69 so for one of the first times I will not be the oldest hunter in camp.

I must keep these short because of the slow upload speed here.  If there are not photos, you will know why!

On The Way

So the much anticipated 2-month trip to South Africa, Botswana and Zimbabwe has begun.

Of course, I didn't finish packing until this morning.  But, we made it to the airport with plenty of time, and the adventure started immediately.  I had replaced my Passport in Seattle last week and the check-in kiosk wouldn't scan the code.  One of the ticket agents insisted it would, so I just kept telling him it wouldn't until he took us to an expedited line where I got boarding passes and checked my rifles.  Both bags were just over 50 lbs.  Fortunately, the agent let me go without paying an overweight fee.

The, at security, the TSA got all flustered because I had a rifle scope in my carryon bag.  The agent called a supervisor and they had to check for explosives and rerun the scope and the bag separately because apparently it qualified as a "firearm".  Please.

The rest of the wait, boarding and the flight were all uneventful.  It was funny to hear people complain about how long the flight was to Atlanta.  Less than 5 hours.  I barely got settled in my seat to catch up on some lost sleep.  Did I mention my flight was at 6:20 a.m.?  The next leg leaves Atlanta at 7:20 p.m. this evening and is scheduled to get to Johannesburg at 5:10 Friday evening.  The time difference is 6 hours, so the flight time is about 16 hours.

So, now I'm in Atlanta waiting in the Delta Sky Club.  I must say the $25 Day Pass is well worth it.  Free drinks and free light appetizers, plus comfortable arm chairs.  And, until a few minutes ago, no young children.  Two young french rugrats are now climbing all over the furniture and pressing their faces against the windows.  Oh, well.  At least they are quiet so far.

I'm having fun watching the intricate dance of the baggage handlers as they drop of 1 or 2 bags at each plane for later departure.  All the carts darting around to drop part of their loads here and there.  Other handlers loading the cargo containers, separating bags for further destinations.  How they keep track of all that is actually quite amazing.  But like everyone else, I take it for granted that my bags will be waiting when I get there.

I'm feeling a little anxious about the Leopard hunt.  I trust Jacques, but the cats can be tricky.  I do understand they have one on the bait already and have been watching it for about a week.  I get to Zimbabwe on Sunday after an 800 mile drive from Jacques farm near Rustenburg, in South Africa.  We will travel through Botswana on our way to Zim, we have 2 border crossing, each of which requires separate permits and paperwork.

One more free Jack Daniels and I'll head for the gate.  I had to move because of the rugrats.  I wish people would control their kids.

My next posts will hopefully contain photos and maybe even videos.