Izibulo

It is a great morning to enjoy a leisurely breakfast at the lodge, take in the beauty of this African landscape and prepare for another adventure...elephant riding.

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When we first arrive, we meet the elephants and receive a welcoming introduction about the center for elephants called Victoria Falls Wildlife Trust. We are then assigned to our elephant and driver. Our elephant is Izibulo and his driver is Sydney. Each elephant is paired with a driver and they stay together as long as man and elephant remain at the center. . The drivers are very dedicated and loyal to their animal. Every elephant prefers their "guy" and may be o.k. paired with another "guy" but....it depends who. (You know how it is). Sydney and some of the other drivers sleep there for weeks to earn an income and return to their families for 6 days after a 45 day absence. Sydney told us that he sleeps right next to Izibulo (Izi) and sometimes Izi's snoring keeps him up at night. (How cute is that....). Sydney loves being home with his family, of course, but misses Izi during that time...and vice versa. Izi usually seems quite playful when Sydney returns. He said some of the elephants are jealous of each other and don't get along and others love each other and like to hang out together. (Just like kids...) Sounds like lots of babysitting going on around here.....

Once we return from our ride, we are able to give the big guys some treats which they, of course, love. Anything that falls to the ground, the little warthogs who have been patiently waiting come rushing in to clean up. It's really such a great experience. The animals are not the only ones who get fed. We are also served a very nice breakfast: eggs, bacon (or is it warthog?), toast, juice, coffee... and everything on the table is....you guessed it...elephant themed!

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I did buy an actual foot print of Izibulo's foot. She stepped on a nice piece of cloth paper and for $20 I am now the proud owner of her unique
print...just like our fingerprints. Elephant's feet have a thick layer of cartilage which acts as a shock absorber. When placed on the ground in walking, the soles splay out, and when the feet are raised, they shrink. The mosaic pattern on their soles are as individual as a human fingerprint. The work done here is amazing....how can I not....

As we are leaving, we are introduced to Sylvester...a cheetah that had been rescued a few years ago and has since been brought up at the wildlife center. Sylvester never learned how to protect himself so he remains on the premises and has become the Ambassador there.

Beautiful animal...(nice kitty)...

Oh, and here's an interesting soup recipe....(you'll need a pretty big pot):

www.vicfallswildlifetrust.org
www.vfapu.com

Another fabulous experience!

Time for the return to the lodge and to say goodbye to the rest of our travelling companions who are returning to the States. Three of us and Charl are going on to Botswana for a few more safari's. Can't seem to get enough....