CHRISTMAS WITH THE TAYLORS

Christmas this year was going to be very different for us, Our first in Africa, our first away from a home and Christmas Day itself just us two.

The schools in Zambia closed early in December as it is the end of the school year, unlike in the UK where the school year ends in July. We had a few bits of clearing and sorting out to do including finishing a security fence around Kawama school as well as continuing  the frustrating job of importing the car. All our colleagues in the team out here finished and went of to South Africa or back to UK. Daily trips to Zambia Revenue Authority (ZRA) followed chasing the documents for the car. It was so close to being completed, they had all our documents (well ok copies and scans many times as we refused to part with the originals as they get lost too easily). Yes it would be completed tomorrow…. Tomorrow does not exist in the Zambian language, it just means in the future. We knew we could not get the car out of Zambia without it being sorted. We had a week to go and each day bought more frustration. We had a hire safari vehicle on reserve in Livingstone just in case. Then we were told it was all done, we go into collect the documents and was told… Ah just one more, Lusaka need a Bank Statement to show how you paid for it. Sorted that out on the internet and gave it to them. We now have 2 days before we leave and we have still to get the documents and only then can we actually do the import with having the car checked, get new number plates, get police clearance and more documents to temporarily export the vehicle when we go abroad. At 11am two days before we were leaving Ndola we actually had placed in our hands the letter that said all had been completed and the car was now Zambian. We immediately start the next process of getting it registered with 3 visits to RTSA (Zambian Road Transport Agency plus Police, Interpol and various other places. Thanks to a great friend here, Jason, at the end of that day we had a car with a new registration, new number plates, taxed and with documents allowing us the temporarily export it and bring it back into Zambia again. It had taken since August and we had made it with one day spare.

AT LAST THE CAR HAS ZAMBIAN PLATES

Car loaded and of we went on 19^th December down to Livingstone. This was a 800 km drive through Lusaka with a night stop over. We got to Livingstone the next day and camped at Zambezi Waterfront, a great place right on the mighty Zambezi River a few kilometres above Victoria Falls. We managed to fit in a days rafting and another trip to the very dry Victoria Falls and a swim in “Devils Pool”, right on the lip of the falls. Both were amazing.

MIDDLE OF A RAPID AND HOLD ON

ITS A BIT LATE TO HOLD ON NOW

VERY DRY VICTORIA FALLS FROM ZAMBIAN SIDE

STORM APPROACHING OVER THE ZAMBEZI RIVER

SWIMMING RIGHT ON THE EDGE OF VICTORIA FALLS

On 23^rd we made the short trip and crossed over the border to Botswana and Chobe National Park where we were booked into Senyati camp until 27^th. After sorting out supplies, we settled in and had a few drives into the National Park seeing the animals. We had already decided that Christmas Day was going to be postponed for us until Boxing Day as that was when the family we going to join us. Andrew, Karen and Louise (Andrew’s Partner) had booked this trip before we even came out in June. Jan and I were going to take them on a “trip of a lifetime”. Although Karen had been here in 2014 none of them had driven themselves around and camped fully in the wild among the wildlife that Africa has to offer. We had hired them a 4x4 safari vehicle all kitted out for this sort of travel and as we had not seen them for nearly seven months we both could not wait. Christmas Day came and went and then Boxing Day was upon us. We met them at Kasane airport after a long flight, sorted out their vehicle and started as we meant to go on, straight out into Chobe Park, a drive along the river to a welcome reception of 1000s of elephants and a very early Sundowner. We only had a short game drive that time as we needed to get back to Senyati camp, light the camp fire and get Christmas Dinner cooked. A whole roll of sirloin was to be roasted along with roast potatoes, Stuffed Butternut Squash, cauliflower cheese plus carrots and beans (Not bad for an open fire). It was great to see the family once again and catch up.

THE FIRST SUNDOWNER

CHRISTMAS DINNER IS COOKED

The next day we left Senyati, filled up with fuel and left on our trip around part of Botswana. The route through Chobe onto Savuti, Khwai, Moremi and to Maun for resupplies and fuel before heading of again along Boteti River to Madgadikadi and Nxai Pans before returning once again to Kasane and a couple of nights in a luxury lodge and a trip into Zimbabwe and the world famous Victoria Falls.

Most of the driving was done on sand and it is supposed to be the wet season but unfortunately Botswana is desperate for rainfall and so it was very deep dry sand. Camping was in sites that are unfenced and totally in the wild mainly so many animals are in and around the camps. Cooking was on open fires.

Rather than say about everything just look at the photographs. The trip was amazing and just so many animals, especially young ones everywhere. Besides no rain we also had a heatwave where temperatures rose to 45+ in the day and dropped to a very hot 30+ at night.

NEW BORN ZEBRA IS JUST ABOUT STANDING

KAREN WITH A FRIEND SHE RESCUED FROM THE TRACK

BEAUTIFUL LIONESS

GIRAFFE

WE CAN SEE YOU

HERD OF ELLIES

KUDU WATCHING A WARTHOG

OPEN WIDE

CATTLE EGRET NEAR A LEOPARD

LEOPARD

WILD DOGS

BATELEUR EAGLE ON A KILLED MONITOR LIZARD

MAJESTIC LION

WATTLED CRANE

A PAIR OF OXPECKERS ON BUFFALO

PAIR LIONS

THE FAMILY AT BOTETI RIVER

BAINES BAOBABS

BAINES BAOBABS AT NXAI PAN

GIRAFFE

SUNSET PICTURE

VILLAGERS PLOUGHING WITH DONKEYS

MEERKAT

MEERKAT AND FAMILY

A BAR WE FOUND

AT THE SPACE STATION BUT LOOK WHO IS WATCHING

ELLIE BATH TIME

PHOTOBOMBED

SMALL CROCODILE

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A SMALL PUDDLE

TIME TO FILL UP

OUR ONLY AARDVARK SIGHTING

BABY WILDEBEEST

BIG ELEPHANT

ZEBRA AND WILDEBEEST

AHHH!!! BABY IMPALA

SECRETARY BIRD

NEWLY BORN

LION AT A KILL

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RELAXING WITH A BEER

LEOPARD

ELLIE

ANDREW WITH HIS BABE!!!

ANOTHER SUNDOWNER

BAINES BAOBABS

ON MADGADKADI PANS

VICTORIA FALLS

VICTORIA FALLS

DAD AND CHILDREN AT VICTORIA FALLS

The two weeks went to fast for all of us; it felt as if they had just arrived but we knew that they would soon be leaving. It was very hard for all of us to say goodbye back at Kasane airport when the family left. For us then it was a 900 km drive back to Ndola, crossing the border in record time and stopping again for the night once we had passed Lusaka. The trip was one we will think about for a long time and now we are back at our home here in Ndola and getting back to the “Zambian” way of life.

Thanks to all for looking and we do like to read any comments you like to send. As you would expect this is only a few of the 1000s of photos that have been taken, more get put onto my instagram account found at

Jan and I would like to wish everyone a Happy 2016 and keep following us as we will put more blogs up about what we are doing

Mike and Jan