Once we were finished negotiating with the craft vendors (completely sure we were not the winners), we went back to the Maramba River Lodge. Here is a photo journey of that area. Meghan was awake early on Saturday, stayed quiet until she woke Mary up. On their walk they discovered the gate to the national preserve.
This sign was on the ground, on their walk around the Lodge. They met Kate for an early morning game of Chess, and Snakes and Ladders!
This was a very, very enjoyable part of the journey. Here are some more photos of the Lodge, ending with Tom and I outside our Chalet enjoying a morning cup of coffee.
There were a large variety of metal sculptures .. here is a warthog ...
The paths were lighted, and well trod.
Some bird sculptures
A teak elephant sporting a Santa hat at the bar.
Swimming pool, at the bar, and next to the river. Next visit we plan to stay more than one night, and spend some time just relaxing at the lodge.
There were several gathering area, all covered with traditional thatch roofs, and open to the air. We enjoyed a dinner of various appetizers, a nice bottle of wine and Malawi Shandas there the night before. Our waiter told us the bellowing we heard was from a baby hippo calling out to its mom.
The edge of the Maramba River. We were woken dark early to the shouts of people chasing the hippos back into the water. Just prior to that the bellowing was coming from up and down the river.
Several more of the chalets. In addition there was a tent camping area (closer to the river) and some luxury chalets and platform tents.
Early, early morning view of the rail fence separating the Lodge area from the river bank.
Can't tell if this is real or a metal sculpture... and yes, it is real, and huge, like everything else in Africa!
Mary and Kate near more of the Lodge grounds. The entire lodge was well kept, peaceful. Definitely a place we want to visit again!
And the sign wasn't just for grins! We didn't see any, but heard plenty during the evening, and thankful we were inside a chalet, and not in one of the tents closer to the river.
Mary overlooking the river. Likely there are plenty of crocodiles in the water!
The flow was fairly slow, and another reason to avoid the water was parasites! No need to bring home unwanted hitchhikers.
This is the terrace for the dining lodge, again, overlooking the river.
Tom, Yvonne and Kate ... all rested and ready for breakfast. Our stay included an English breakfast. When one of the girls asked if they had pancakes, all we received from our Zambian waitress was a completely blank stare. The kids were introduced to stewed tomatoes and baked beans (English style.) Most of us opted for yogurt, fresh fruit and cereal.
Metal sculptures included the windows. Here are only a few of the whimsical iron works we enjoyed.
The main gate to the Lodge. Our exit was on a slick, muddy road as it had rained most of the night. Glad we were in our Patrol.
Next post will be loading up, and the drive back to Lusaka.. Hope you are hanging in here with me. As I mentioned in earlier posts, the internet is a bit slow as we have had far more rain than sunshine this week!
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