Tuesday 3 March 2009

My parents come for a visit

My parents love Africa and so they were all to ready to come down and visit me. The original plan was for me to just meet them at the airport and then see them the next day. But turns out Ive earned some big karma points and it was time to cash them in. The captain of the flight that brought my parents over gave me his room! (he was going on safari somewhere). In what must be the best hotel in Zambia. So now I was able to spend the day with my folks. Me and mom had a huge breakfast, they had tons of stuff and even a chef at the ready to make you omelets and waffles or whatever you wanted. Then me and dad went to a local small safari lodge and went on a small safari, seeing plenty of antelope and some giraffe. Lunch was thrown in and I was shocked at their prices, $180 US dollars for both of us. But the bill only came to $48….which just about covered the free lunch and drinks. Our taxi was more expensive in the end!.

Got back and we went out for some really good steak and drinks. I went up to my room and was THIS close to trying on the captains hat and jacket. THIS = the space between atoms. But thought it abit rude considering he gave me his room for the night.

Next day we went to Chamanuka, definitely the best safari place Ive seen and a really great place to stay it seems. We meet the owners who knew a friend of ours (BA co pilot) and Sister marieola who knows everyone. They were very nice and gave my parents an awesome room with a view, we got free lunch and drinks. The tests of manliness are coming thick and fast round here.
The safari itself was really good although the grass was very high so made a lot of things hard to see, as we pulled up to the lions who were in a separate enclosure. Another car pulled up and some kids ran out near the fence. The guide told them to watch their fingers, a lioness crouched and pounced at them and scared them senseless. Comedy gold. More giraffe!, zebra’s, antelope, GIANT termites nests as tall as a house some of them. Damn elephants have evaded me again!.

I consider their evasiveness over a castle lager or 5.

Next day parents come and stay the orphanage, I give them a tour, we goto the reptile park, and have a good evening. They are off the next day and I meet two new visitors, an ex BA flight hostess and her 9 year old daughter, they are currently living in Portugal and actually had heard of BJJ!.
The only slight downside was a bite I must of scratched during the night on my achilies heel, not painfull just annoying.

It occurs to me that sister marieola is like an inverted mafia don, she has incredible influence and her karma discount is 100% on everything, people will goto a huge effort to help her anyway they can. I put this down to Kasisi’s fame, her potent charisma (she could do stand up) and goodly nun status (30% of Zambians are catholic).

1 comment:

Philpot Lane said...

looking forward to seeing the pictures. When are you back in the UK?