Was up at 5 am again, which will be the norm for the rest of the trip. We were met by out walking guide James, and our protection scout Thomas. Both were very friendly, and Thomas had a really good sense of humor, especially in light of our socially inept walking companion Frank ze German arachnid lover (who, I think, had a personal mission to step on every twig or crunchy leaf in Africa).
We drove into the park and found a shady tree from which to begin our adventure. Then we started walking. James made sure to point out all sorts of bird calls, animal tracks, termite mounds, special types of droppings, marks on trees, birds in the area, I was all really interesting. He gave us so much information, it was incredibly impressive. Turnsout that the guides in Luangwa have to go to university and get multi year degrees before they can guide here. Once they have achieved the certification they can guide all over Zambia. It's quite the accomplishment. Even the park guards/spotters go to uni for specialized training. They take their natural resources extremely seriously and it is both evident and impressive.
As for large animals, we did come fairly close to 4 elephants, who didn't see is, but took off quickly when they smelled us. Later we came across a tower of giraffe who weren't too concerned about us so we got quite a few photos, until an Impala called out a warning and they took off. We also were decently close to a dazzle of Zebra.
All in all, it was a lovely morning. I'm glad I had my Moroccan and Egyptian closing with me both for sun and bush protection. The bush is lovely... So crunchy and dry. I can star go understand more of my Dads stories after experiencing this walk!
Now to try keep cool durin the heat of the day. We plan to do another night drive tonight.
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Dah!!! I had typed up the whole drive and lost it! And now I must sleep. Update tomorrow.
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