Guess who's back????

Alice: Hello world! It’s us, a group of 11 teenagers and 4 adults, back from safari! Huzzah!!!!! We had such a good time! I’m running out of my allotted exclamation points because we’re so enthused and happy!!!!!

Grace: Okay no more exclamation points. You’re only allotted three more.  On another note, we really did have a lot of fun. Let’s get to it with some highlights:

Alice: We had such a good time that a blog post describing all of our fun would be never ending and not allow Grace and I to sleep tonight, so this is the highlight reel which will be followed by a surprise.

Grace: We met our friends/safari guides/adventure leaders, Adri and Hendrik at Pioneer Camp to lead us on our adventure. I cannot simply mention Adri and Hendrik, they were the best “guides” ever but they were more than just “guides”, they were our friends and a crucial part of the trip. We drove allllllllllll day and reached the McBride’s Camp at 11 pm.

Alice: We were at the McBride’s for three nights. One night of which was spent at the McBride’s Fly Camp which is a two hours long boat ride away. The McBride’s Camp was so cool, but the actual McBrides are so interesting. If you get the chance, please look up husband and wife, Chris and Charlotte McBride. They’ve lived such amazing lives so far.  Chris took a liking to Tommy and only referred to him as Sir Thomas. He also immensely enjoyed Sam’s clothing. In fact, he brought Sam to Charlotte and said, “Charlotte, I need something like this,” as he pointed at Sam’s clothing.

Grace: Some of the things we did at McBride’s: early morning game walks, long boat rides where we saw elephants and hippos, hearing lions at night from our tents, night game drives, loooooooong walks back from the Fly Camp, and a slideshow of Chris’ work.

Alice: One of my highlights includes seeing a mom leopard and her baby on one of the night drives.

Grace: On the other night game drive we got to see a sevet. Which is a cat like animal with spots similar to a leopard.

Alice: On the 3^rd, we left McBride’s. My journal entry for that day is rather short as we spent the whole day driving. We arrived at the Itezi-Tezi dam where we would be camping for the night. We arrived at 8:30 and ate the best meal of safari yet, that included grilled chicken, and delicious mashed potatoes.

Grace: Aaaaand don’t forget the fake soy chicken, which was bomb. The next morning, we woke up and saw some hyrexes around camp. Hyrexes resemble giant hamsters. They’re totally weird. We left Itezi-Tezi and began the most adventurous car ride yet. We drove through Kafue National Park and all the cars were subject to a tsi-tsi fly invasion.  When we stopped for lunch, one of the safari cars was covered in tsi-tsi fly bugs, as a sign of our victory.

Alice: The bigger car was a very different story. We kept all the windows closed so that no flies could have the opportunity to get in. The car was a sauna. Everyone was dripping in sweat. It reminded me of a hot yoga class.

Grace: We stopped for lunch at Nanzhila campsite where we discovered that our trailer was broken. We decided to forego driving for the day, stay at Nanzhila for the night, and fix the trailer.  

Alice: We woke up the next morning and began our drive to the Waterfront Campsite, which is really close to Victoria Falls. We drove all day and reached the Waterfront at night. After setting up camp, we all decided that we needed a change of pace, so we all jumped into the freezing cold pool. It was awesome!

Grace: The time at the Waterfront was our first time since the start of safari, out of the bush. It was strange to be back in ‘society’.  We all felt like we were staying at some Pirates of the Caribbean hotel in Disneyworld.  The next morning we woke up to a show of vervit monkeys creating havoc. Alice loooved it. Jokes.

Alice: Hecka yeah I luhhhed it. We hopped into the safari trucks, renamed Mock Charge and Threat Stare, and headed towards the Zambia Botswana border crossing.

Grace: From the border crossing you could see Zimbabwe, Botswana, and Namibia.

Alice: Typical us, we missed the first ferry which the trucks were on and had to catch the next one. The ferry was unlike any ferry in Seattle. It was small, flat, and could only contain about 4 cars.

Grace: Once we arrived in Botswana we went straight to our boat tour through Chobe National Park. Our guide, Lets, lead us to crocodiles, birds, hippos, and elephants. We even saw an elephant cross the river in the sunset. It was beautiful and all of us have PLENTY of wonderful pictures.

Alice: While on safari, we’ve discovered that our whole group has an affinity for taking ‘selfies’. Selfies are when you hold the camera out in front of your face to catch you and your surroundings in one photograph. The name selfies comes from the fact that you’re taking a picture of yourself.  There were MANY selfies taken with the animals in the water. They’re quite comical.

Grace: After the boat three hour boat ride, we went to our campsite at Senyati Hills Safari Campsite. We arrived just after sunset and we set up camp in the dark. After another delicious meal we headed off to bed to the sounds of a kill. Apparently a pride of lions had caught something where then a group of hyenas wanted to mooch. This caused a huuuge uproar which then upset the elephants and monkeys and practically everything else in the immediate area.

Alice: After practically no sleep due to the noise, we woke up the next morning and headed to Chobe National Park. While we boated through Chobe the day before, we got into the car and drove through the park. We saw lions, elephants, impalas, kudu, guinea fowl, giraffes, water buck, and warthogs. We drove all day and saw all sorts of amazing things.

Grace: We spent another night at Senyati Safari Camp and the next day headed back into Zambia to visit Victoria Falls. The falls were incredible and we were all soaked by the end of our time there. The falls are so massive and powerful that it was raining upwards from all of the pressure.

Alice: After touring the falls we went to the adjacent market where we tried our best to haggle with the locals. After being removed for so long from human interaction we were all sadly taken advantage of and were ripped off.

Grace: We spent one last night at the Waterfront and then drove back to Pioneer camp.

Alice: And now for the main event! The 1^st Annual Safari Awards!!!!! And now, in no particular order….

Safari Awards:

Gabe: MVP

Gabe is a superstar. He’s always on his game and knows exactly what to do and how to do it. Gabe’s the one who will always be there when you need a lil joke or some nice words to make you happy.  The safari would not have been the same without him. Gabe, you’ve done so much work for us to be here, we appreciate every bit of it. You’re the best!!

Jack: BEST SAFARI SELFIES

As mentioned earlier, selfies have become a trend among everyone here, but Jackson Gode’s selfie skills have surpassed everyone’s skills. We watch in awe as Jack takes selfies with fellow trip members, in front of Victoria Falls, with friends from Birdland, and with dangerous animals in the bush. Our favorite Jack selfie moment from the trip occurred when he was practically hanging out of the boat to get a selfie with a crocodile. As a professional selfie photographer, he was totally safe (I promise Mrs. Gode!).

Alice:  BEST NEW FEAR

Alice Flood is absolutely terrified of the monkeys. Exposure therapy hasn’t been going as smoothly as we had hoped seeing as she was nearly reduced to tears at Victoria Falls when the baboons would not move off the path. Fortunately she had a big group of muzungos (white people in chnyanga) to help her out, and we are sure that she will be able to conquer her fear.

Gigi: BEST WATERPROOF SKILLS

We all were told that there was no way that we’d be able to stay dry at Victoria Falls, but Gigi and her super raincoat proved everyone wrong. The top half of Gigi’s body was completely dry by the end of our walk through the falls. It was rather impressive.

Reed: BEST EAGLE EYES

We all were trying our best to spot animals on safari, but no one could surpass Reed who was the first to find all of the elephants, hippos, crocodiles, and more on the trip. Seriously though, a safari isn’t a safari without some hawk eyes.

Carly: BEST NEW BUSINESS

Everyone who is anyone knows that Carly is the best in the business when it comes to jewelry, but Chris McBride was recently exposed to her talent. Although he called her “Chadwick” until he learned it was Barwick, he really took a liking to Carly and her talent. Chris was super enthused with the prospect of Carly’s jewelry business and as a token of gratitude for his support, Carly made a bracelet for Chris’ wife, Charlotte.

Sam: BEST MODEL SKILLZ
Samuel Edward Sparer Zieve is destined to walk the runways in Paris, Milan, and London. With his special trademark, his cheekbones, there is no ad campaign that can refuse him. Calvin Klein called Pioneer Camp and asked for Sam’s resume. Being the caring boy that he is, Sam refused the modeling contract so that he could hang out with the pupils at Birdland. Whatta boy!

Josie: BEST TRAILBLAZER

Josie Parks is a true athletic superstar. She even went on a few runs before 6 o’clock on safari, but the most epic Josie moment occurred when she beat EVERYONE up the path from the basin of Victoria Falls. The path up is incredible steep and strenuous for even the most fit muzungos. But Josie dominated and unfortunately had to wait for 15 minutes at the top for the rest of us to finally catch up.

Sonja: BEST ‘PRECAUTIONARY’ STORIES

We arrive at a campsite late at night. We’re all sitting around the campfire as Gabe lays out the ground rules for the campsite, but before we’re allowed to leave, Sonja states, “I don’t mean to scare you, but….”The following phrase depicts the fact that either a cobra was spotted in the campsite years ago, or last year a crocodile roamed camp at night, or something else of the same nature. She has good intentions and we now know that her ‘precautionary’ tales are never to be missed.

Hendrik: BEST CALM

Hendrik is the most laid back person in the world. Once Leora put her chair on top of his bare foot (by accident) and sat down, his response being “Ow. That is my foot” while continuing to cook. We all thought that nothing could break his calm but one night around the campfire a honey badger tried to break into our food supply and Hendrik sprinted across the campfire screaming “Honey badger, honey badger!!” we all had a good laugh.

Adri: BEST FOOD. DUH.

Not much to say about Adri’s food besides that it was amazing. We had more food each meal on safari than we have ever had at Pioneer camp! Everything from spaghetti, to amazing salads, to post roasts, to custard with fresh fruit. We miss Adri and her cooking now that we’re back at Pioneer Camp and I’m sure we’ll continue to miss her at home too.

Grace:  BEST DIRTIEST FEET

Day three of safari. We haven’t showered since we left Pioneer. Everyone is walking around talking about how dirty we are, but all chatter stops once Grace shows off her feet. Grace’s feet are awesome. Dust coated her feet in cool patterns. We all have pictures of intricate designs on her epidermis. Unfortunately now that we’re back at Pioneer Camp, her feet are clean L

Tommy: BEST DANCE SKILLS

Thomas Adams, Tadams, Thomas (TOE-MAH),  Taaaaaahhhh Meeeeeee, Tommy, is a great guy. He also happens to be super coordinated and loves to break out the dance moves whenever he can. My favorite move of his is the head bob/upper body spasm, while the arms sway at awkward angles. Imagine someone trying to get a kink in their neck and you have the Tadams Dance.

Leora: HEALTHIEST EATER

Leora eats, as she likes to put it: everything. Leora eats, as we like to put it: anything green, organic, and sugarless. From the start of the trip we all knew she would have plenty of snacks to munch on considering most thought her snack bag was her clothing bag! Without our girl Leora, we all would have been without cranberries in our oatmeal, almonds in our muesli, and much MUCH more.

Izzy: BEST NEWEST HUNGER GAMES FAN

As we left for safari, Izzy pulled out a new book, but not just any book. On safari, Izzy ventured into the world of the Hunger Games. If you haven’t heard of the Hunger Games, you’ve been living under a rock as everyone on this trip loves the Hunger Games. And now, Izzy has joined the majority of us as a huuuuge fan.  Izzy loved it so much that she was pacing herself, making the book last longer.  The debate about Peeta vs. Gale vs. One Direction is soon to ensue…

Emma: BEST BRITISH ACCENT

Grace and I have come to realize that you don’t really know Emma Paige Yuh Coleman until you’ve heard her English accent. Over this safari we’ve all caught a glimpse of the real Emma. The Emma that engages in spit wars with Jack, mini brawls with Alice, native Zambian dances, and a tumultuous relationship with her Uglydoll, Brad. Besides all of these things, Emma’s English accent is our favorite as it tends to come out during long safari drives as Emma begins to lose her mind. It’s great.

Mercy: BEST BIRDWATCHER

Mercy likes birds. No. False. Mercy LOVES birds. Whenever we’re driving and there’s a bird on the side of the road, we have to pull over and get some pictures of it. Sure there’s a huge elephant on the left, but THERE’S A FLOCK OF BEAUTIFUL SPARROWS ON THE RIGHT. HURRY ADRI! PULL OVER!!!!!!!!

Brad: BEST HIDE AND SEEK SUPERSTAR

As mentioned earlier, Brad is Emma’s stuffed animal, but since the beginning of the trip we’ve all fell in love with him. We’re all so in love with him that we’ve created a game where we hide Brad all over the place.  Emma loves to find Brad in the bathroom at McBrides, taking selfies with Jack in Chobe, hiding in the fridge, and hanging on the clothesline. Unfortunately, Emma and Brad decided to end things together as Brad was, “too clingy.” We considered throwing Brad into Victoria Falls and burning him on the 4^th of July to say goodbye, but we forgot him. We’ll let you know if we give him an epic goodbye…

We’re so sorry this post is so late. As you can imagine it took awhile to write about ten amazing days in one post. 

Thank you, and Goodnight!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Much love,

Alice and Grace