AFRICA

Africa beckons, we must heed the call.

We meet in New York and greet one and all.

South African Air takes us to Dakar,

An overnight flight takes us afar.

Johannesburg then is our first overnight.

Next day we take another short flight.

Victoria falls in Zimbabwe now,

A beautiful lodge makes us all shout WOW!

The open air dining room looks down the slope

To the watering hole, with wildlife we hope.

Our balcony rooms look out on the scene.

And often there, the monkeys are seen.

So keep your doors closed, or they will come in

And paw through your things, a prize for to win.

We drive to the falls, a most beautiful sight.

They rival Niagra in all of their might.

We walk near the gorge for almost an hour

And witness the beauty and its awesome power.

'Twas so hot and tired, I had to get cool,

While Barb took a swim in the 2-tiered pool.

Dinner that night gave us a chance

To sample some game we'd seen at a glance.

Warthog is tasty, the kudu was tough,

Ostrich was nice and we soon had enough.

A group entertained with singing and such.

A delightful change we enjoyed it much.

Next morning we took a stroll through the town.

Saw the first old hotel and then came around

To a market outdoors, souvenirs we bought.

They were so eager, our dollars they sought.

We crossed the border, into Zambia we went

Saw Livingstone Museum.  More dollars we spent.

In the late afternoon we boarded a boat.

Refreshments were served as we went on a float.

An elephant, hippo and crocodile were seen,

Lots of birds and impalas, even warthog, I deem.

Back at the lodge, the chef made a treat,

A Thanksgiving dinner for us all to eat.

Early next morn we took to the air

In an ultra-light plane, if one would dare.

One at a time the pilot flew us o'er

The falls we had seen just two days before.

Magnificent view from 400 feet.

Quite an experience that would be hard to beat.

Chris took us out after lunch to see

How Zimbabweans live, both rural and city.

We visited two day cares, the children so sweet,

Drove through neighborhoods, up and down streets.

Stopped by an open-air market to shop

For vegetables to put in the old lady's pot

Where we visited her home in the country near-by.

It's hard to describe, but I'll give it a try.

Each room was separate and built in the round.

A kitchen, a bedroom, a church was found,

The living room, too, plus dorms for the kids,

An out door cooking area had pots with lids.

Our last evening dinner was special indeed,

A Bama Buffet with all kinds of game, our feed.

Drummers and chanters performed while we ate.

Then got us involved before it was late.

Next day it's good-bye to the lodge in the park.

We drive to the border, Botswana, our mark.

This is the first installment of my recent 32 day trip to Africa & Jordan.  More will come as I have time.