Deb Carr
2 min
Photo credits: @Iwasreddotted
Having said good-bye to Nkwali and travelling 30km up the river, we were welcomed to Nsefu off the boat by the friendly staff that offered us a cold wet face cloth to refresh our sticky hot faces. Our journey on the tinny gave us some amazing photographic opportunities, which we all took full advantage of.
Once we had disembarked it was time to relax in lovely soft chairs under the thatched roof of the lounge and enjoy a few ice cold Mosi beers.
Lunch included chops, Boerewors, Bredie (tomato sauce) and local farm fresh produce, all sourced locally. Guests then had a choice to have a nap or a relaxing sit in the lodge. There is a phenomenon over here in this region; it is animal siesta time when they all go quiet between 12 -3. Literally, the whole bush becomes silent. So we did too.
Click to enlarge thumbnails
Following lunch and our downtime, we took another boat trip. This time it was to source out hippos. We succeeded as you can see when this one decided to yawn for us, and a mama with her baby.
After returning to our camp, to enjoy dinner and drinks it was time for a well-earned sleep as we had a big day planned tomorrow. The accommodation is very comfortable, and as I mentioned in my last post, it’s like being in a hotel but out in the wild.
Our next photography models were from the stork colony and we managed to capture some amazing photos. This is the only yellow billed stork colony in the world, where these magnificent storks roost and nest in the trees. They were a cacophony of beaks squawking and wings flapping; everyone was busy! It took us 2km to walk to the colony, and we needed to have a scout with us because without one it is too dangerous; after all this is Africa.
Because the Colonel was not able to keep up with the rest of us, Jacob escorted him to the colony, showing great patience, care and respect. The Colonel, a Vietnam veteran marine aviator, finally showed up thanks to his determination and tenacity.
Jacob showed the human side of this photography adventure. Sometimes the Colonel would need to rest in a folding chair, but that never stopped his focus on arriving at the destination; it came from his military training.
The Colonel used my tripod as a walking stick and Jacob held the his hand the whole way. He mentioned that no man ever held his hand ever in his life, and this gesture showed this connection transcended race, gender, and age.
On our return on the river, we took this photo of an upside down tree, that we thought looked like one of the storks.
As we ventured back to Nsefu, we took some more photos of the wildlife including this impressive crocodile.
Finally, it was time to settle in for the night with a delicious dinner and drinks. Tomorrow we venture to River Camp.