Zambia Field Journal - Day 1

It's finally here! Today is Day 1 of our Zambia adventure. As I most always do, I flew in a couple days early to get to our first group hotel and make sure everything was as it should be. I checked in with our private transport company to ensure they had the exact times for when my guests would be arriving and their flight numbers. I made sure all the guest rooms were the right configurations. I checked and re-checked our reservation for our group dinner and the same for the transportation that will take us back to the airport for our short flight to our first bush camp tomorrow. Am I obsessive? Well perhaps a little but I want to make sure everything is perfect for my guests and no stone is left unturned.

The last couple of weeks have been stressful for a variety of reasons with which I won't bore you but after all the t's were crossed and i's were dotted, I signed myself up for a nice massage to take the edge off and be ready to be my best self. It was fabulously relaxing and just what I needed. Some of my guests also came in early and took in some golf and a visit to the National museum in town. It's always great to unwind and rest up before a big safari trip like the one we're about to embark on. I figured I'd mostly be working on my computer in the room before our official kickoff with the welcome dinner but alas, a few birds had different ideas. Along the walkway between the rooms and the main lounge area are trees filled with nests of the Lesser Masked Weavers. The males are a beautiful yellow and black and the females are mostly a duller yellow. The males busy themselves all day long building what they think will be the absolute perfect nest for their mate. The fly in and out bringing material and shaping the nest into an inviting space for their mates. Once they are done they hang upside down and jiggle their entire body in anticipation of their mate coming along and approving the job they have done. I watched over and over as some of their mates would come along and not approve of the nest after which the disappointed male had to start making alterations. It's amazing how much time can pass just standing and watching these very busy birds fly back and forth, build, and sometimes quarrel with their neighbors. I think I must have stood there for a total of 3 hours at various intervals.

As evening approached it was time to officially kick off our trip! We met at the nicest restaurant in the hotel as a group and as introductions were made and wine was poured the group got to know each other as well as our hopes and aspirations for this trip. For some it was to really get better with their cameras and for others it was very specific shots that they hoped to get. We even threw in some really far fetched things that are not very likely but hey, sometimes the universe delivers when you least expect it. As it always seems to happen, I can already tell that this is yet another fabulous group of people that is going to get along swimmingly and I'm so excited to share our upcoming adventure with them. 

Tomorrow morning we take a short ride back to Lusaka Airport and get on our short flight to our first camp. We should start seeing animals almost right away so even the drive to camp will be like a mini safari drive so cameras ready!

Until next time, have a great night everyone! And tomorrow we are off on safari! Yippeee!