|
|
|
|
Life in the bush begins to get a little harder now that Alex is beginning to lose his immediate support network ... Tuesday, 01 November 2005
"Her other points emphasised the wildlife people conflict in the Western GMA. It is valid to say that elephants are becoming a major problem for the villagers here [three locals have been killed in their fields] and she said that she was seen as a joke in Lusaka because she is continually bemoaning the problem of too many elephants raiding the local farms. "The other speeches were pretty much par for the course, written in the halls of Lusaka and, no doubt spouted off at each and every location that these dignitaries turn out to on their endless treks around the country to all the little openings and ceremonies that fill up the evening bulletins on ZNBC each evening... "In the skies above and trees around birds are starting to pair up now. Particularly noticeable are the yellow billed kites and fish eagles that often perch tantalisingly together in the trees around camp. They are never around when I have my camera in position mind you." Monday, 07 November 2005 "Last night I had a real guest in camp, for the first time ever. Kellie is staying here while she is doing her advanced first aid refresher course at CLZ. It felt good to have someone around and she is an ideal guest because she is easy and will help me work through the teething problems of accommodating people. After all, this is not a lodge. "The weather is getting unpredictable now. One minute rain looks as though it is on the horizon and the next a brisk wind blows every cloud clear out of the sky. The dust is nearly obscuring the trees from view across on the Zimbabwean side of the river right now, huge flurries taller than the trees themselves rushing downstream. I seem to be protected here to some extent as to the west of me there is pretty good cover and the dust on this side is leaving from my camp and not coming into it. Chrispine and I have just tied down a piece of loose tin from the kitchen area in the hope that we can stop it vibrating clean off in the gusts." Tuesday, 08 November 2005 "Finally some good news from the garden, the bush that I asked Patros to move from the car park and that he thought would die has sprouted a few new leaves. It is alive. I admit that it does not look too fabulous but it might it through to the rains and then it should be easy. "It is seriously hot now and I am sweating by half past seven in the morning. There has been no rain yet here, just a few teasing drops and some thunder in the hills. This means that we have not had any early rain at all, not even the two or three days that used to be almost guaranteed in late October." Wednesday, 16 November 2005 "Yesterday, a flock of flamingos passed by us, along the Zambezi. There must have been about twenty of them ... they looked fabulous." Thursday, 24 November 2005 "This elephant is getting to be too much. I came back from Lusaka yesterday afternoon with the month’s rations and, soon after we had packed them away, I was chatting to Chops on the radio who warned me that the short tusked elephant was on his way. "He started on the kitchen store and I managed to shout him off before he had really got started on the roof. The guys will hopefully get the tin bent back into shape without too much hassle. Of course there was no meallie meal in there anyway and he would have had to smash open the metal cabinets and fridge to find out that there was nothing for him. Just how do you deal with a junkie elephant? "My shouting certainly riled him up because he came around to the office tent and pushed at the canvas knocking over the filing cabinet inside where I was, probably to frighten me, which half worked but I guessed if he had wanted to, he could have taken me outside the kitchen. Then he went over to the Cruiser parked up in the car port and began to sniff about. "I still, this morning, cannot decide whether he broke the windscreen deliberately or not. He was reaching in to smell the roof tent when his long tusk forced in the glass. Whatever the motivation, the screen is now ruined and I am wondering what the hell I am going to do to get it fixed, even temporarily, out here. "Minutes after he left, a thunderstorm broke. This time the rain came straight down without the usual driving wind that accompanies the first rains so I did not have to run around camp battening everything down but could at least half enjoy a beer watching the lightning and listening to the thunder. Had Radar not broken my windscreen it would have been a fabulous evening.
Friday, 25 November 2005 "My bedroom tent is an insect version of the killing fields this morning. There is a certain beetle that comes out at this time of year that has cords down its abdomen that it vibrates to make a very loud noise. In their hundreds, they are almost deafening. Attracted by my bedroom light as I was reading last night, around twenty got into the tent and met their fate as victims of electrocution, chemical warfare or the solifuges. It is hard to find clear spots to step through the door now. Having done a rough body count I have totted up over forty corpses in and around the doorway area. "While I was taking my shower last night I was reminded of the start of a hundred trash horror movies as the beetles flew in and crashed into me as I was bathing. There I was, covered in soap and shampoo swatting away scores of massive bugs flying crazily around me with this incredibly loud background noise." Saturday, 26 November 2005 "Nervousness is now spreading to my bowels, but it may be the heat. It is more likely anxiety in regard to the next few days. We have got to get through one more night without the elephant bothering us and it must not rain till I get the car safely to Lusaka. Thunder is rolling through the escarpment and thick clouds cover the sky down here, it is not looking good. "The car is loaded for the trip to Luiwa Plain and everything (ignoring temporarily the lack of windscreen) is sound except that the secondary battery is practically flat. That is primarily a problem for the fridge which needs to run when the engine is off but I can get Toyota to quickly charge that up when they do the windscreen on Monday. "The road map has completely disappeared, which is another problem easily solved but annoying because I would not have thrown it away which means somebody has nicked it or I have inadvertently thrown it out. "This trip to Liuwa Plain is going to be a critical one for Kelvin and me. If I cannot develop a bond of trust with him and he does not gain a little respect and maturity it is not going to be possible to keep him on the project. The whole Lusaka saga has shaken my confidence in the staff considerably. I still do not know what happened to Kelvin and he has not attempted to explain what he was up to all that time. The last few days with Patros in camp have been difficult. The guy cannot seem to work to the clock and simply forgets to carry out daily chores or does them at the wrong times. Then he has a good day when he is rushing to get everything done right but he learns like “Careful Hans” and completely fails to apply common sense or logic to his attempts to please me. His sole motivations seem to be money and the respect of his peers back in the village. He is certainly the vainest of the crew and I am sure he is upset to have to be travelling in the car tomorrow in its current state. "Chrispine is a lot more practical with some practical intelligence but he does tend to saw first and measure later. Planning is his weak spot but at least I feel I can trust him to carry out a task once I have explained exactly what I want. I have given Chrispine the responsibility to construct the meallie store and look forward to seeing what he makes of it. I expect the worst but hope for the best." Monday, 28 November 2005 "So back in Lusaka again and right now sitting in the Toyota office waiting for Bruce to arrive and take me back to the hotel. The journey up to town was very tiring with what seemed like conjunctivitis in my left eye due to the shattered windscreen and its plastic cover. "We got in Ok though with just a small hiccup at the Kafue Customs and Police Post where they were wanting me to provide a Police Report that I had not bothered to collect from Chirundu. After a little banter and back and forth they let me proceed without a bribe." |
|
© Afrikeye 1999 - 2007 (certain items under permission of original copyright owner) |
"Oh,
how the Zambians love to talk. The speeches [at the Conservation Lower
Zambezi Education Centre opening ceremony] yesterday seemed to go on
forever. In the heat of the day, I made the lame witticism that the hot air in
Africa comes mostly from the mouths of politicians. Within each of the speeches
though were sentiments and content that deserved hearing. Orla [the Danish
Ambassador] in particular made a speech of some interest and, very
pleasingly to me, managed to bring CLZ’s role in anti-poaching support back into
focus, pointing out the still present need for day-to-day patrols in the park
and GMA. He also offered his personal opinion on the hunting issue which is a
suspension for five years while the science is undertaken to evaluate its
sustainability in this region.
"The
Chieftainess was pretty upset with this element of his speech and her face
visibly hardened into complete antipathy with Orla’s sentiments. She got her
chance to reply in her final vote of thanks though and insisted that
conversation with utilisation was the key to sustainability in the area. She was
speaking, of course, as a director of Royal Zambezi Hunting.
"Earlier
in the day I met Ian and Lea on their way out of the valley. We stopped for a
short chat but Lea looked decidedly quiet and flat. It must be very saddening to
abandon five years of work and not be confident that it is being left in good
hands. What should have been an emotional exchange of hugs and good wishes was
reduced to a brief discussion about keys and road conditions. That seems to be
the way of all significant partings."