Victoria FALLS and LIONS
Sunday. 8/10
help
in the end it was not quite so bad. the hardest thing was crouching down behind them as you cannot stand. I was ok with crouching but not so good with getting up requiring the assistance of 1 husband and 2 guides to do so without upsetting the lion. no worries......
just as an aside, I saw a tv program that stated that one good indicator of long life and health in old age is the ability to lift oneself from the floor without assistance. Hopefully this is not true.
Paul, who had said a lot about being able to outrun me if being chased by lion(s) was by my side and helped me the whole time. Not sure what would have happened if there had been a threat, however.
We have a video of the whole thing including each of us patting the cats and walking behind them holding a tail or 2. Vince, from our tour who is an animal lover got to hug the lion, his dream, but in the end they told him to let go as the cat was becoming less happy.
The 2 lions, Milo and Mona were about 18 months old and getting to the stage where they can no longer so these walks. if they are much bigger they are less compliant and their natural instinct to attack and eat you is stronger....
We got back to the reception area with the lions still roaming in the bushes behind us when they both suddenly ran to the reception area straight past us to try to get a pussy cat that was hanging around in reception. all the handlers and people in reception screamed and hugged each other and it took a few minutes for the lions to be controlled. Very exciting.
An amazing experience.
Today is our second day at the Avani hotel at Victoria Falls. and what a day it is.
After a great breakfast, we prepare for the helicopter flight we have booked to take us over the falls including the Zimbabwean end which still has water. This is our first helicopter flight but many of our group are also doing it so that helps.
The helicopter is a six seater and gives an amazing view.
This is more like what they are meant to look like.
nice shot of Pauls phone. he had the window seat but we were both in front with the pilot.
The bridge from Zambia to Zimbabwe
It is a great experience to do this flight and much easier than both of us imagined it might be.
After a huge pizza for lunch, traditional in this part of Zambia..., we went for a walk to the sister resort of ours, the more upmarket Royal Livingstone. nice and very colonial looking..
I still like ours better.
And then to the 'walk with Lions'
It was one of the scariest but most exciting things I have done. Steve from work had recommended it and it sounded easy. But when we got there, it was nothing like we expected. We did it with another couple on our tour as well as an extra guy on his own. So 5 of us. There was a tour guide and another 3 guys, whose job it was to keep us safe as in not be attacked by the two lions we were walking with. a little unsettling as were the instructions.. stay behind them, be confident, don't sneak up on them and when patting, do so firmly, very firmly as they don't like being tickled. and if they turn their head toward you, give them your stick to bite on (instead of you). and if one is behind you and the guide tells you to stop, you need to follow their instructions and do this this this this... blah blah blah. I wasn't going to hear anything from behind with my hearing. adding to my stress.
This is more like what they are meant to look like.
nice shot of Pauls phone. he had the window seat but we were both in front with the pilot.
The bridge from Zambia to Zimbabwe
After a huge pizza for lunch, traditional in this part of Zambia..., we went for a walk to the sister resort of ours, the more upmarket Royal Livingstone. nice and very colonial looking..
I still like ours better.
And then to the 'walk with Lions'
It was one of the scariest but most exciting things I have done. Steve from work had recommended it and it sounded easy. But when we got there, it was nothing like we expected. We did it with another couple on our tour as well as an extra guy on his own. So 5 of us. There was a tour guide and another 3 guys, whose job it was to keep us safe as in not be attacked by the two lions we were walking with. a little unsettling as were the instructions.. stay behind them, be confident, don't sneak up on them and when patting, do so firmly, very firmly as they don't like being tickled. and if they turn their head toward you, give them your stick to bite on (instead of you). and if one is behind you and the guide tells you to stop, you need to follow their instructions and do this this this this... blah blah blah. I wasn't going to hear anything from behind with my hearing. adding to my stress.
help
in the end it was not quite so bad. the hardest thing was crouching down behind them as you cannot stand. I was ok with crouching but not so good with getting up requiring the assistance of 1 husband and 2 guides to do so without upsetting the lion. no worries......
just as an aside, I saw a tv program that stated that one good indicator of long life and health in old age is the ability to lift oneself from the floor without assistance. Hopefully this is not true.
Paul, who had said a lot about being able to outrun me if being chased by lion(s) was by my side and helped me the whole time. Not sure what would have happened if there had been a threat, however.
We have a video of the whole thing including each of us patting the cats and walking behind them holding a tail or 2. Vince, from our tour who is an animal lover got to hug the lion, his dream, but in the end they told him to let go as the cat was becoming less happy.
The 2 lions, Milo and Mona were about 18 months old and getting to the stage where they can no longer so these walks. if they are much bigger they are less compliant and their natural instinct to attack and eat you is stronger....
We got back to the reception area with the lions still roaming in the bushes behind us when they both suddenly ran to the reception area straight past us to try to get a pussy cat that was hanging around in reception. all the handlers and people in reception screamed and hugged each other and it took a few minutes for the lions to be controlled. Very exciting.
An amazing experience.
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