Tiim & Kathy

Zambia: Kafue National Park

Our stay for the next three nights is the Lufupa Lodge in Kafue National Park. The lodge is located at the convergence of the Kafue and Lufupa Rivers.

We left Zimbabwe and drove into Livingstone, Zambia across the bridge over the Zambezi River and had our first glimpse of Victoria Falls. We flew from the Livingstone Airport in 12 seater Cessna Citations landing on a dirt airstrip.

Giraffe viewing as we left the park in Zimbabwe

Our tent/cabin was located on the Kafue River. We could hear the hippos outside our cabin as they left the river for their night feeding.

Zimbabwe: Village and School Visit

Day 3

We left our Makalolo Plains Camp in Huange National Park early in the morning to visit Ngamo Village. We are tasked with shopping at the market for food items to bring as a gift to a family in the village. We all had fun asking for items in the native language. We went from shop to shop interacting with the shopkeepers.

The women in our group were given fabric to wear around our waist. It is called a chitenge. The local women showed us how to wear them.

We proceeded to the homestead of Bette. I was given a tour by Maria.

Following our village visit, we visited Ngamo Primary School. The children in grade 6 were our guides around the school. Grand Circle Foundation helps support the school.

To and from the school we were able to have more animal sitings.

African Safari Adventure Zimbabwe – Hwange National Park

We spent nine nights at four different National Parks and private reserves in Zimbabwe, Zambia and Botswana. It was an amazing trip. We lacked good cell service and WiFi the entire time, so I was not able to update the blog. Now in Victoria Falls, I will begin nine days ago at Hwange National Park followed

Day 1

Our trip leader is Abby, a native of Zimbabwe. He met us at the Victoria Falls Airport. We have a three hour bus drive to the entrance of Hwange National Park followed by 1 1/2 hour drive in a safari vehicle to the Mokololo Camp. We each have our own safari tent. It is comfortable sleeping and has solar powered electricity.

On our drive into the camp we saw quite a few animals.

Our favorite birds of the day were the Lilac-breasted Roller and the Grey-crowned Crane.

The following are some of the animal viewings.

Day 2

Another day with two game drives. Early morning and late afternoon. The staff and guides are knowledgeable, helpful and friendly.

We found a large pride of about 12 lions.

We finished the drive each evening with a sundowner drink watching the sunset. We saw our first cheetah! And saw the hippos climb out of the water.

Johannesburg: Soweto

Today we traveled to Soweto (South Western Township) for a four hour walking tour. We met our guide and five other tour participants just across the street from the Hector Pieterson Monument. Hector was a thirteen year old who was killed in the crossfire during uprising and massacre in 1976.

Soweto was a black township where blacks were moved out of the main part of Johannesburg in the 1930’s. The blacks would have to show a pass to enter the white areas. In 1976 the students from the area’s high schools rose up to protest apartheid. The police violently repressed the uprising resulting in over 170 deaths.

We toured the former home of Nelson Mandela and walked by the home of Desmond Tutu. Both are Nobel Peace prize winners.

We stopped for lunch to have a traditional Soweto street food. it consists of bread, fries, cheese, sausage, sauce. So much for our vegan diet. It was very important how we ate it and where to put our water and napkin.

We walked through an area with the nice houses and then the average houses and then to the impoverished area. A young man from the area gave us a tour and let us take photos. The money we all donated goes to help the entire neighborhood.

We ended our walk at the Soweto tours. It used to supply nuclear energy, but is now used for bungee jumping.

Now to see what the people are so proud of: The world class soccer stadium. They hosted the World Cup in 2010.

Johannesburg

It is a little more difficult to get around Johannesburg than we thought, so we took advantage of the hotel recommended driver. He spent the entire day with us and he was very nice and accommodating.

The Apartheid Museum

We learned so much about the history of South Africa, both their struggles and their triumphs. The entrance began with this quote from Nelson Mandela.

‘To be free is not merely to cast off one’s chains, but to live in a way that respects the freedom of others.”

We were each given an entry ticket with either “white” or “non-white” written on it. We then had to enter in the appropriate door.

Throughout the museum we saw and read about the injustices, racism and all the laws inacted to keep the non-whites separated and in their place. Following are some images.

A nation of signs, a nation of injustices and a few honorable men standing up for the rights of all people.

Our guide drove us around to some other sites of the city.

Nelson Mandela House after he was president.

Amsterdam: Anne Frank’s House, Rijksmuseum and Flowers 🌹

We visited Anne Frank’s House yesterday afternoon. We neglected to take photos. We had an excellent talk before entering the house giving us the history of Anne and her family. We learned that they went into hiding in an annex above Otto Frank’s business. It was interesting to hear how they spent their days. After two years they were discovered and they all were transported to concentration camps. Otto was the only one to survive. One of the ladies at the business that helped them survive in hiding found Anne’s diary. What a treasure for the world to get an insight into this era.

Westerkerk Church near Anne Frank’s house. She would have been able to hear the bells each day.

Friday morning we take a short walk to the Rijksmuseum. It is a huge beautiful building that houses the art of Dutch the master artists. We were able to enjoy the paintings of Rembrandt and Vermeer and a few Van Gogh. We could have spent all day there.

Unfortunately the famous Rembrandt “The Night Watchman” was being renovated, so difficult to see.

Our next mission was to find Rudi’s Original Stroopwafles. It is located at the Albert Cuyp Market. It was worth the walk! The fresh stroopwafle was so delicious! And the market was several streets long.

Next stop, the Keukenhof to see the flowers. We were early in the season so many more Tulips to bloom. We saw lots of crocus and daffodils and a few tulips. Here are a few photos of the beauty.

Amsterdam: Canal Cruise and Anne Frank House

We began the morning early with an 8:00 am cruise on the canals with Captain Dave. He has an historic boat that is over 100 years old, the Jonckvrouw. Our Pilate was Tony and he did an amazing job sharing the history and highlights of the city and the canals of Amsterdam.

After our canal ride we walked around the historic center of the city. Here are a few highlights.

Lunch at a Pancake Restaurant located in one of the very narrow houses with the steep stairs to the upper floors.

The challenge walking around Amsterdam is watching out for the bicycles, trams and cars. There are bikes and bikers everywhere.

Creative garden in the Jordaan neighborhood

We finished the afternoon with a visit to the Anne Frank House.

Amsterdam March 19, 2025

We arrived in Amsterdam yesterday morning, but didn’t get settled in our hotel room until mid-afternoon. We took our jet-lagged selves on a walk around the city. Here are a few photo highlights.

The most interesting place we visited was the Beginhof. It began as a home for a community of Catholic women who dedicated their lives to serving God. They were called Beguines. When Protestantism came to the Netherlands, it was not lawful to practice their Catholic faith. The church in their community became a Presbyterian church. But the Beginhof had a secret Catholic Church on the property inside a building with a plain facade.

Stained glass window in the Presbyterian church depicting the Pilgrims setting sail to America. The pilgrims had escaped persecution in England and had come to Amsterdam. It is thought that they worshipped in this church while in Amsterdam.

Quito, Ecuador

October 12, 2024

We spent the last day of our trip in Quito, the capital city of Ecuador.

We began the day at the equator outdoor museum. Intiñan Museum.

The museum had a little history of the Incas and interesting science about the equator.

Tim in southern hemisphere, Kathy in northern hemisphere

Tim and I were the only ones in our group to balance the egg at zero latitude. What a claim to fame!

Old Town Quito

We spent the remainder of the day exploring the historic center of Quito. This is the first city to be named a UNESCO world heritage site. It was founded in the 16th century by the Spanish on top of an Inca site. The San Francisco Plaza is where we began our tour. It is dominated by the San Francisco church and convent.

Just a block away is the Iglesia de la Compañia de Jesus.

Gold leaf Interior of Iglesia de la Compañia

There are many churches all within blocks of each other.

We had lunch at La Negra Mala, a restaurant named after the song that was composed in the house. This lovely lady cooked for the whole group and served the best empanadas we had on the trip!

Our farewell dinner was held at the lovely Mindalae Museum.

This is the end of our amazing trip with Overseas Adventure Travel to Colombia and Ecuador. Thank you to our wonderful Trip Experience Leaders, Dani in Colombia and Marcelo in Ecuador.

Also thank you to Juliana, our knowledgeable bird guide with Bogotá Birding and Colombia Wildlife Tours. We enjoyed the adventure.

Cuenca: Hats and an Unusual Artist

We began our day visiting an artist with a disability who learned to paint and draw with his mouth. He is a real inspiration.

We then went to a local family owned hat factory. Paja Toquilla Hats. These hats are known the world over as Panama Hats, but they are 100% made in Ecuador. Some of the family had moved to Panama and when the Panama Canal was being built many of the workers wore these hats to protect them from the sun. When Teddy Roosevelt visited the building of the canal, he decided he wanted one of these “Panama Hats”. The name has stuck. All the hats are hand woven by local women.

We flew to Quito and settled into our hotel. We finished the evening with a taste of the traditional food to celebrate The Day of the Dead in Ecuador. They have a warm red fruit drink , Colada Mirada and bread in the shape of a baby, Guagua de Pan. November 2nd is a day to remember relatives who have died and to celebrate new life.