More pictures

One of the girls stalking Impala. At such a young age they are not the best, but they will still make the effort. Its a learning process.








The S's lounging about.






Zimbabwe is a beautiful country.







Me posing with Echo.

A collection of thoughts

This particular post wont really follow any structure. Its more of a collection of thoughts that have been floating in the vast (and some may argue, empty) cavern that is my mind. You've been warned.

The biggest thought winging around aformentioned cavern as of late has been 'God, I really dont want to go back home.' Which is odd, because i've hardly entered crunch time. I've still got seven weeks left. I think i've contracted that most deadly of diseases known as wanderlust. I havent determined whether this is good or bad. Its probably a bit of both. They are starting a brand new project in Zambia which i'm very interested in doing. It would be almost exclusively very young lion cubs and they actually need help there. I REALLY want to do other things, but I have the obligation to be home for christmas and the pressure of doing the college grind. Quite annoying.

One trip that I absolutely plan on doing (Although I havent a clue when) would be going to Alaska or some other place and going on an extended "Hiking trip". I've had the vague notion before, and i'm sure some of you have had the pleasure of listening to me go on about it on several occasions, but this experience has planted it firmly along the tracks that my mind tends to wander.

I've also reaffirmed my belief that I would rather be happy and poor then wealthy and miserable. I would gladly be payed a pittance if it meant I could be happy in my work. Too much stock is placed in money and things. The IT guy quit, so i've been helping to solve the problems in their internet cafe. I jokingly said that if they fed me and kept a roof over my head I would do it full time. After thinking on it, I really would do that if I was given the opportunity. I may not be working with the lions all the time, but just living in this beautiful country would be worth it.

I do apologize for the somewhat sporatic style of writing, but I am doing it off the top of my head. All while a little sandglass at the top of my screen reminds me that my time connected to "civilization" is trickling away.

Pictures and storys! (And, of course, ramblings)

Pictures, pictures, and more pictures! Or, at least, as many as I could upload considering its 10 minutes minimum PER PICTURE. Its your lucky day, because i'm also throwing in storys and ramblings completely free of charge. Thats a 100,000 zimbabwaen dollar value absolutely free.

So, without further adue.


This is, I believe, Puma eating a very prime cut of beef. He may look scary, but he's actually a big teddy bear. Until you piss him off. Then he can be a teeny bit unnerving. I got a boatload of pictures from these boys feeding and also a few videos! They are VERY good videos. I'll have to wait until I return to upload them though. A single picture takes 10ish minutes. Three cheers for Zim internet.



Myself and the two lovely ladies Sahara and Sahriah.








Again, me and the ladies.








Me and Echo relaxing on a rock.


Now that you folks have some pictures, i'll begin with the stories and ramblings.

After adjusting my perspective on things, i've found I love it here. Absolutely love it. The terrain is beautiful, the animals are lovely, and the people are friendly. Best of all, its a very relaxed and easy going culture. As i've said, i'm not really an integral part of the process here. But after thinking about it, thats not surprising. This place has to be fully functional regardless of the number of volunteers. Or lack thereof. I think i'm going to be in trouble upon my return to the states. Its a very different environment. Although, we are in a sort of bubble here. This park isnt nearly as impacted by Zim's current situation as the rest of the country.

Now, for your entertainment, story time!

Thursday morning I went on a six hour long walk (6:30-12:30ish) with Sahara and Sahria and they were very well behaved. They stalked several Water buffalo and almost caught a warthog! Sahara was sniffing around its den when it charged. Sahara chased after it and Sahria ran the other way! Not a very brave for a lion, that Sahria. Lucky for me, they were also feeling very photogenic that morning. I've got oodles of pictures. Yes, I said oodles. Theres that many and they're that good.

This morning I went on another six hour walk with Echo and Ektosha and they were feeling very silly apparently. After walking and watching them stalk each other, we settled down for a rest and a bite to eat. Echo got ahold of some rubber and threw a hissy fit when Tinofa (the handler) tried to take it away. Just so your aware, when a 18 month old male lion throws a hissy fit its a bad thing. Much growling and snapping and Tino almost got his head taken off. We finally got it away from Echo and he settled down and slept. Until a mule drawn cart went by. Upon which he BOLTED in the other direction and wouldnt return until after it had departed. Evidently the big, bad, stubborn Echo has an irrational fear of mule drawn carriages. Hes quite the spaz.

Todays afternoon walk of the two S's was particularly eventful and amusing. Despite being fed that day, they were very active and stalky. We encountered a group of Zebra with a particularly nasty stallion leading it. There was a standoff of sorts that happened. The stallion would charge the two cubs, who would then back off. Then the cubs would charge the Zebra...who would kick and narrowly miss them with its massive rear legs. After ten minutes of this, the cubbys decided to take a seat. The old man (his name given by the folks here, apparently hes chased off quite a few of the lions here.) did not appreciate this. He charged them and chased them into the distance. Evidently Zebra can be very nasty creatures.

The rest of the volunteers returned tonight. They're a very fun/hilarious group. Its going to be a fun two months.

A typical day so far.

Well, i've roughly ten minutes left on the internet so I figure i'll make another post.

First things first. A single typical day here beats soundly ten at home.

Wake up time is, to my deep despaire, at 6:00 AM. At roughly 6:30 I usually go on a lion walk with either the two S cubs (Sahara and Sahiva) who are a year old or the infinitely more rambunctious Es (Echo and Ektosha) who are 18 months and nearly twice the size of the S's. This walk usually lasts until 7:30-8:15 depending on how energetic they are. Its really alot of fun and actually very relaxing. Relaxing for me, at least. Some folks that come here have a strange fear of these incredibly powerful and potentially deadly beasties. I find that as long as you use common sense you are not in much danger at all.

Breakfast is at 8:30 and we eat VERY well. Very. Very. Well. I think i'm going to come back home weighing more then when I left.

The next activity is at 9:30 and can be anything from cleaning enclosures to feeding the lions (which i'll see five of the fully grown boys fed tomorrow for the first time!) to possibly just joining the handlers on an elephant training session/eating session or walk.

At 1 the activities can again range from cleaning to meat preperation to cleaning the stables.

At 4:30 the afternoon lion walk takes place. This again usually ranges from an hour to two hours. The cubs are very affectionet which is both good and bad. Its fun to have them cuddle with you but if they get too playful you could get a nasty scratch. Injurys dont happen often at all though thanks to the very stern guides/handlers. I have found them to be both a help and a hidrence. They keep the lions in line but dont really seem to feel overly compassionate for them and are very buisness like. Not surprising I suppose as they ARE payed to do it. Some are better then others in this respect.

At 7 is dinner and we again eat exceptionally well thanks to the efforts of a top notch group of cooks.

Our nights are free and for me they have typically been spent relaxing by the fire pit, getting on the internet quickly to update, reading, and going to bed VERY early. This will change, I am told, when the younger volunteers get back from Victoria Falls. They range from 20-28 and the two with me currently are in their upper 40s. While very nice, Jo and her friend are not prone to staying up late or having a very good time.

One annoyance I have noted is that we are seemingly baby-sat at all times by some sort of guide or staff member. Honestly, do we really need supervision while picking up poo and bones or preparing meat?

Enough rambling for now. I'll have pictures of the lion feeding tomorrow up soon hopefully.

Expectations....

Hello-hello.

It is currently Tuesday and i've had a bit of a chance to settle in. This trip is many things, but one thing it is not is the experience that I had envisioned.

One large difference from what I had expected-they really don't need us that much for labor. They have a decently sized staff on hand that takes care of most major things. The things we seem to be doing places us more of in the role of the third wheels. Enclosure cleaning, for example. Yesterday it was myself and two other older volunteers here. Plus three of the "Guides". We had two shovels, a bin liner, and a scrubber for the bowls. Do the math. The same applies for preparing meat, walking the lions, 0r other such activities.

It is also MUCH more laid back then I expected. To clean the enclosures at the main breeding center takes eons. First we have to find the guy with the key to the equipment shed, then we have to find the guys to move the lions, then we have to find the wheel barrel, then usually there is no wheel barrel so we need to go back to camp to get one, and so on and so on. Once you remove yourself from the American mind set of time is money, though, its not that bad at all.

As for timing and punctuality, its more of a suggestion then an requirement.

Once you shift your expectations and perspective, however, its really quite enjoyable. Not exactly the experience I had expected and i'm hardly an integral part of the process...but enjoyable nonetheless. The relaxed air really suits my personality. I'll often have an hour in between things where I can choose to just go sit underneath a tree or take a stroll.

Its only been three days and I already feel that i'll have difficulty assimilating back into the American lifestyle.

22 Hours of flight time and still kickin'

Okay! So. A minor update as I only ten minutes of internet time left.

My trip down to Zim. went off with relatively few hitches. I managed to get on the correct flight and thus did not end up in Siberia. I was lucky enough to have a pretty cool fellow sitting next to me for the whopping 18 and a 1/2 hours of flight time. The food was of a surprising quality for airplane fare. A large dinner and a buffet in the back of sandwiches, drinks, and snacks throughout the entire flight. Upon touching down I contacted Gertie who was the propriater of the inn I was staying at. She proceeded to give me horrid directions as to where I was to be picked up. "Go left. Look for a giant yellow container thing." What she failed to mention was how long left or that the container was actually in a parking lot wwwwaaaaaaay down and around a corner on the left hand side. The bed was decent, but being hassled about paying them was a bit of an annoyance. They seemed to think I was going to stiff them. No clue why.

The flight to Zim. also went well and I managed to get to the park without any troubles. Its an interesting country. Much much different from the US in terms of culture. That aside, its BEAUTIFUL. I saw quite a bit of scenery on the two hour drive from Bulawayu to Antelope park. Upon arriving I was given a nice room to myself, a tour, and was greeted by pretty much the entire staff. This tour took around fifteen minutes and I was then given the option to do a lion walk. I, of course, took it.

It too was amazing.

The two lions (Sahara and Siva), despite being only a year old, are massive. They could easily do quite a bit of damage. We walked and played with the "Cubs" for around an hour and a half. At one point they climbed up a rather large tree with the ease of giant meat eating squirrels. Apparently lions can be quite the climbers. Once this one done, myself and the two other volunteers and two staff members went back for a bite to eat. The food was great, although I feel very guilty eating it. The staff are only allowed minimal amounts of food whilst we get our pick of some very high quality chow.

As for my fellow volunteers, six are at victoria falls until Friday and two have remained here. The two here are very nice and friendly, although apparently the younger group at Vic Falls are a very rowdy/hilarious bunch. I've already been entered into a drinking contest with the current absentee champion Elaine. Should prove to be an interesting two months.

I also lied about the minor part of this update. Go go amazing typing skills.

I'll have pictures the next post.

T-10 hours!

I have decided to listen to Andrew's advice and as a result you are now reading my own little addition to the "blogosphere". I'm not quite sure, but when I hit the "Create" button I may or may not have felt a piece of my soul die. Then again, it could have just been gas.

Regardless.

Roughly ten hours before I board my plane and begin my whopping 21 hours of air time. I pray my neighbor is not of the plus sized variety.

As further testimony to my oddness, I have come to the realization that i'm more hesitant and worried about the actual traveling there than I am the two months i'll be spending with people I don't know/doing things i've never done before. Should be fun!

If I successfully survive the travel ahead without any major blunders I am confident that my...er..unique personality will allow me to settle into this new life with relative ease.

Provided i'm not mauled by a lion cub or kidnapped and raped by angry rebels - I plan to update this somewhat regularly with ramblings and pictures. So stay tuned!

I suppose I should be getting to bed, though. Eventful days ahead and whatnot.