Travel & Leisure Zambia & Zimbabwe
A Very Close Encounter
One warm, calm African evening, before the sun had set, I almost wished that time would pause until I was ready to restart ibtr. iIdwgeas pstaannndiinnggtahtetmheigbhotrydZearmatbCehz i,rounedufo, oint itnheZammidbdialeaonfdththee tohtheesrtainrtZoifmabnaobthweer, sqaufiaertilytoreMflaencatinPgo olns.how lucky I was to be at Mclirtatlnzeya,dfaiodmrIamtzheininwgkawsoinaldltrlhiefiaesdelyantscepoAeucunigtaeul:rs.i.t.tBdwuaatystihntah1te’9ss9ea3tntotinhthgaetorMfsaatonforaryPm, aoenordls dwionueloduotnmceanmyotriemperso. vide me with an experience on which I would I was travelling with four friends: three Zimbabweans and an vtAheuersytUrjKaol)lil,ayInpc.aAmrstyet.hiAnesofownrleymhPuaodcmhdmgroiiveoed(nA-nduaostwturnraeltidahnreisbelsbacinagrgp,fombruestnowtmeinewtoonetreheferaom iatnsdglaohrieoiugshtuenperdeadnicttiacibpilaitiyo. n and awareness of raw nature in all We reached Mana about midday and immediately set up camp. I tcorheoceasaemnwpdhnuaeptaIwretehrnottuoogtuhhrtewb‘foaarcsriaoliwtgioesod’dbteslonpcto.ktT.iAhneltlhZaeirmosuhbnaddbewthoeefanacasbmeiglpeasccittaecdia cthaeimsrpew.waWsaevsewmraiufticcehhdeeldvaitadeserntihnceetyhovefeadracyyognwesnhidteleynrptawibclokeebedilgeupbphutalhlnsetcfparmleleseneinacctoea,ctaihaned pthoedisr mwiotuhtthhse.iErlterpuhnaknstasnadrethvenrycfaornedfuollfyatcracnisafeprordesd, athnedmwihnetno the threessearneimshaelds dinintghethreigriponod. s there is usually a concentration of Wcoemcpaamrapteivdealyt Ninycaidmeenpti-froeret,harpeaertnfigrohmts.hTohneefyirbsatdtwgeorswaerroeund the prituuwbnbaiissohinu, tareltnwhtairoydns anali.wgWhetelcthohamadteIaswlilgielhlntrjioenymgeaedsmatbhweroynuadnreteirlnfmuolcyetuvderynninaingl.gdHgaoaywm—eetvheer, dnrigivhetctaopL, omnygAPuosotlr,afolilalnowcoemd bpyanaiofenwanddrinI khse adnedddfionrnoeur.rAefxtecrepationally flimsy tent under the
Faidherbia albida. Itno athneswinefranatnhuorugresnot fctahlleomf noartnuinreg. I wh ads fnoorcinedtetnotiloenavoef tuhseintgent ‘the facilities’ as it would have meant a walk and I did not want to a‘wroauknedu.pT’ommoryehtohrarnorn, eacnedsscalerayr. lAysiduesunatilf,itahboleuginh,tIhheamdoaognoliogdhtl,oIok asanwd athprpereoadcahriknsghoauprestelnotowmitnhgplaorngdeefrrooums bthuet pduirrepcotisoenfuolfttrheeadr.i.v. er buffalo!
Asblanecyekptihinotguocgtohmteoptfeafnutirowtnhi,etwhr hsthloeeegsprpoiegmegmdilyoedfmaiauctmehlebyeleetadvhatphtoartwahtaeekdteoamonndyehIeasdhpeopdtiltyo tphoeptoeuntsaidned. t‘No okeweapyv,’ eIroyrdsteirlle. dI ,toteollminogvheidmatwoamy ofrvoemtoththeescideenstroef of tehtertneintyt—anmdofrtoioznel.eWsse, roemotaeidnteodttheuspfotr.wI khnaetwsewemhyedthaenbuffalo lhoacdatiaorngeptoesdsiobuler tiennwt.hIincahdtvoeprtietcnhtliyt,,Iahsandocthoonsleyneltehpehwanotrstenjoy acacia pods...buffalo do, too.
By now we had both realised the gravity of the situation. The bsAeufprfifacaralao. tWiwneegrcueosuinflrdcohsmeesnaastweritaohyeofmfrommneouvosif,ntoghneslylmotwholseyttodhuaintnsgfiadebreor, iuhcsoooafvntehimreinatelgsnuitnp theiarchaecaiavypobdresa, ct hienwg,inagn,dmcuonucldhienvge,nsnsomretilnl tgh, egirruenxthinagla...tWioensheard hrioprpnlsinsgixthinecshidesesfrofmthme ytebnatc. kI ,troiredwhnaot mtoigthitnhkaopfptehnosifethueyge became entangled in the guy ropes.
There was no time to close the tent flaps and once inside neither ofuursgrdeaarterdetloiemf, tohvreo.uEgvhenthtueaollpye, nafftlearphsowuerssaowf soilnenetbtuefnfaslionamanbdlitnog bofuefltltitoehwseaarrneddmsmathionevinerigdvetowrf.foAi,nsaitnthdbeefsicnaamamlleyedtlhiigrehycttetioroonwheaascdtohfuielldierdccloethmaerpliyranbmioganke. cOoumr phaonrrioen,daonuserosrtdwehaillewcarsoocvoedri.lAe hfeuwntmeri,ncuotuelsdlbaetesremeny hberavdeing sfoary,twhe Gsuenfftesreadt amfauscthptaecaes,inclguatcshtihnegZaimrobllaobfwloeoanpsahpaedr. wNeitendelsesesdto tshite .latter part of the event from the safety of their sensibly chosen My advice to any would-be camper: never pitch your tent under a
albida, or under any tree that might attract animals to erenajosoynafminid nyioguhrtsfeelavsetsainroausnidmyiloaur.sHitouwateivoenr,tsohourlsd, yforuGford’sosmakee Faidherbia close your tent, keep still and shut up!