It was emotional for me to leave Tanzania and I thought, "How can it get any better than this? I could go home now & be satisfied." Then on to the Mara.......... By the time we left the Mara, I was convinced that it was the most fantastic place on earth.......... Then to Victoria Falls - gorgeous, would not have missed it for anything........... On to Mana Pools - the one leg of our trip that I was a little worried about - We had never canoed & I was somewhat fearful of Hippo's! This turned out to be the highlight of our trip & it was perfect that you scheduled this last. I don't know if I would have been ready for walking, canoeing, & the "up-close & personal" encounters with the animals & the Zambezi at the beginning of our safari. I sat under a tree less than 10' away from a huge bull elephant watching him eat. We followed several elephants swimming across the river, only their trunks & top of their heads visible -- so many magnificent experiences with elephants. What beautiful animals. We had to get out & drag our canoes twice thru the mud to avoid stubborn hippos that would not move out of our way! It was somewhat thrilling but I never really felt threatened. I actually came to respect & kind of like the hippos. I fell in love with the Zambezi River - I have never seen such a beautiful river. The sunsets, the birds, the tranquility, the animals - it was almost too specacular to take it all in. Nights in our tent by the river - continual hippo sounds surrounded us, one nite 2 hyenas fought right behind our tent - we woke up thinking they were in our tent! There was only 1 other couple canoeing with us, & they were there for 4 days, we stayed 5. Nick Murray & his assistant Rick were great -- I cannot say enough about how much I appreciated Nick. (It was entertaining to have guides Nick & Rick, the other couple was Dave & Sharon, & us, Dave & Karen. Dave, Dave, Sharon, Karen, Nick & Rick. We were all getting confused with names for a while!) Spending an extra day with Nick after Dave & Sharon left was special for us. Nick's love & committment to Zimbabwe was admirable, His experience & knowledge of the river & all aspects of it was extensive & made me feel very comfortable with all our experiences. He would observe all animals from a distance would know by their actions & mannerisms how close we could get to them. Conversation around the dinner table was always fun & informative - Nick never ceased to amaze me with his knowledge - not only of Africa, but also of America - everything we talked about he knew. Great experiences - One night (very dark except for candles on our table) we heard a noise, shone the flashlite & there was a bull elephant eating off the tree about 10' away from us. We finished dinner,& so did he - I have never experienced eating dinner with an elephant before! We fished out of our canoes in the Zambezi (I caught the largest Tiger Fish) & on our last day we actually ate lunch on a sandbar IN the river (about 18" of flowing water). Nick & Rick actually set up tables & chairs in the water, then lit a propane grill (in the water!)& cooked the hamburgers - the current knocked over the grill once, the four of us scrambled to get the burgers out of the river, we relit the grill, finished cooking them, sat in chairs in the sand with the river flowing around us & had burgers & beer (Nick named them "Zamburgers" since they were doused with river water). How many Americans have experienced that kind of cookout?! We were amazed at how emotional we felt when we left after 5 days -- The intimacy of our involvement with the animals, the land & the river, knowing that we have no plans to return, caused us to feel great sadness upon leaving - and as we flew along the river on our way back to Victoria Falls, I cried as I realized I will not see it again. ...................The people were wonderful, the land was gorgeous, the animals were spectacular. My one regret is that I cannot adequately describe our experiences to our friends and family. No words or pictures do it justice. We cannot describe the depth & range of feelings that occur coming upon magnificent animals in their own environment -- we were a guest in THEIR world, raw nature surrounding us, the smells, the noises, the sights - it all contributes to something that cannot be explained, it can only be experienced. We felt awed & humbled at the same time and absolutely PRIVELEGED to be there. You know, everyone can remember important "firsts" in their lives (first kiss, first date, etc...) -- we felt like there were so many "firsts" in this experience, and not only "firsts", but also "lasts" because each experience was so unique -- it can never occur exactly like that again. The next person on this safari will not see the exact things we saw, if we were to go back & do it again, everything would be different. The realization of that day after day almost overloads your senses!
- David & Karen Breedlove
