Adventure Safari
Trip Start
Apr 10, 2006
1
11
47
Trip End
Jul 24, 2006
Zim Bush,
Zimbabwe
Tuesday, April 18, 2006
Janine had chosen Watermark for me to ride, one of the older horses, an old plodder for an old fart, I guess, but he was a fabulous horse, going everywhere asked and never giving a moments grief.
Our destination that night were the 'Bat Caves', and James, two of his guides; William and Nesbit, an amazing pack horse that just trundled along loose following our trail, and myself, set off from Tree tops.
I had no idea what to expect, where we were going, how long it would take or what was there when we arrived, but that was all part of the adventure
Bat Caves camp
.We travelled through more of this fabulous country, with blue sky, a warm breeze and lush fertile landscape as far as the eye could see. We travelled far and wide but, we came into contact with not another soul, it was amazingly peaceful and tranquil. Perhaps it was the remoteness, perhaps the isolation, or maybe just the sheer beauty of this land, but I was falling in love with it. James would occasionally point out a particular tree, bush, flower, insect or bird and part with some interesting information. While Nesbit and William would tell of the healing properties derived from root, leaf or bark of the various plants and trees along the way. One particular tree bark could give a man an erection for a week, so I've asked them to send me a couple of trees; for friends and colleagues of course.
We rode through all types of terrain, up and down valleys and river beds, through woodland, across plains, in deep grass and the horses whilst being asked to clamber up steep rocky inclines or drop into ravines with sheer drops, were fantastic, and I found that simply relaxing and letting Watermark find his own route and footing was the best form of riding.
At lunch time we rested the horses at a water pool with a beautiful waterfall as a backdrop, and after some grub expertly rustled up by William we watched the various dragon fly's and other insects coming an going
Bush country
.We passed through more amazing wilderness in the afternoon, climbed huge granite mountains to survey the breathtaking undulating vista from horizon to horizon, and all against a beautiful deep blue cloudless sky. This was surely as close to paradise one could get. Baboons greeted us, or rather hailed a warning of impending danger as we approached, Eagles flew overhead, waterbuck, wild boar and sable galloped away, and then we came across a herd of Zebra, vigilant but unperturbed by our presence as horse and zebra share the same blood line. We were able to get very close and the colours and magnificent sheen of their coats was a reminder that those in zoos and parks are not as healthy as they should be.
When I was told we were heading for the bat caves, I had envisaged sleeping rough in the entrance to a cave, with bats swooping overhead - I was happy to go with the flow, but being a soft brit, not completely comfortable with the prospect. However, Varden safaris have built another camp near to the caves, complete with Dining room, and a series of three sided, covered cottages open to the front overlooking a fast flowing river in a valley below and huge granite mountain complete with it's own pack of noisy baboons. The cottage I was allocated had a really comfy double bed, and side table, separate outside shower, manually fed by a bucket which the staff were happy to fill with hot water, and a three sided thrown area; my only complaint being that when I went there for my morning constitution the Times wasn't available - have to talk to management about that
Having a drink
.A fabulous evening meal had been prepared and later we sat around a camp fire chatting about life in Zim. Nesbit a retired police officer was great company, recounting tales of dealing with poachers and tribal village life. It was interesting to learn that most elder folk believe the world is flat and when children come back from school to say the world is round they are smartly informed that the teachers are lying. Medicine men and witch doctors still have a huge hold on the people and can assist in any crisis. One farmer put a spell over his field and when a man entered to take some of the harvest he found he couldn't get out, every time he went to the edge of the field some invisible force made him turn back - the local villagers spent three days laughing as they watched his poor guy go round and round in circles until he collapsed with exhaustion.
