August 17 - Saying of the Week

Cai is speaking very well - long sentences, clear diction and amazing comprehension. The other day he said to me "I've got a snotty nose. Do you have a kleenex ?"

Zambian Bird List

Here's a list of birds that have been seen around the farm house or with-in a 20km radius while we have moved through the area since late March. Many of them are very common but several have never seen before, so quite exciting. Likely some of the more unusual ones are wintering in Zambia before moving south again for the summer.

The list will be updated as new sightings are made with the more recent ones at the top of the list :

Stonechat (July 10)
Longbilled Crombec
Miombo Rock Thrush (July 1)
Bluegrey Flycatcher (June 30)
Yellowbellied Sunbird
Tropical Boubou
Viloetbacked Sunbird (June 29)
Greyheaded Bush Shrike
Chispot Batis
Blackheaded Oriole
Black Flycatcher (June 28)
Namaqua Dove
Green Spotted Dove
Yellow White Eye
Fortailed Drongo
Blue Waxbill
Cape Turtle Dove
Swainsons Franklin
Pied Crow
African Pied Wagtail
Helmeted Guinea Fowl
Heuglin's Robin
Blackeyed Bulbul
House Sparrow
Lilacbreasted Roller

Victoria Falls Fun

During her recent visit to Zimbabwe Jenny took a week-end break at Victoria Falls with Carol.

Above : viewing the Falls; Below : enjoying dinner at The Boma Restaurant

Above : going for an elephant ride; Below : feeding their "steed" after the ride

Sunset Shadows

Cai and Bumpa watching the sun set with some interesting shadows on the garden wall

Bronwen's Zambian Outfit

The headmaster of the school and his wife were very taken with Bronwen and all her efforts in connecting and working at the school and in the community. So before she left Zambia they took her to a tailor in Kapiri, had her measured up and this traditional Zambian outfit made for her. They had a matching one made for their own daughter, who Bronwen had interacted with, as a reminder of their Canadian "daughter" !

Watermelon and Campfires

In the abscence of a supply of grapes Cai has been quite happy to have watermelon instead. A good thing as they are in season right now and a large one can be bought for the equivalent of $ 1.20 !

We have been enjoying lots of campfires in the evenings around the fire pit built by the Taylor team.

Mexico Update

Jenny, Cai and Gordon are currently in Mazatlan, Mexico for a much needed vacation.

We have already been here a week - hard to believe - and thoroughly enjoying ourselves. The flight down was great. Fortunately it wasn't full so we had three seats to ourselves and Cai didn't have to be on a lap for the whole 4 hour flight. He really enjoyed his first experience of flying and was fascinated about going up and coming down.

We are staying in a hotel - The Hacienda - in the older part of the town - quite a way from the Golden Zone which is the main tourist area with the fancy resorts. The hotel is cheap and very comfortable. The large room, on the 6th floor, has a beautiful view over the main bay - facing West so we get some beautiful sunsets - and comes with a kitchenette so we can do our own meals. There are a couple of regular supermarkets close by so we can buy our groceries when we need them. We have seen a couple of traditional markets in the area but haven't plucked up the courage to buy anything there yet !

We have been having a busy time. Most days we spend time on the beach, just across the road from the hotel, in the morning then after Cai's mid-day siesta we go walking and exploring. We've been in all directions - into the older part of town in the South and also down the main tourist zone a bit further North. There is an amazing promenade called The Malecon right along the coastline which stretches some 15 km in length. For those of you who can relate - a great deal of Mazatlan reminds us a lot of Durban or Beira in the old days. Most days are sunny and hot - in the high 20's C - but we have had a couple of afternoons and evening with a chilly wind off the sea which have forced us to wear our sweaters.

Cai was a bit wary of the beach and sea when we first arrived but is now enjoying the sand. Still not sure of the sea itself and prefers to paddle in the pool at the hotel. Still he's having a blast and so excited about all the sights and sounds he's experiencing. Of course he charms everyone - particularly with his curly blond hair - and (Mexican) people are always stopping to talk to him and touch his head - a sign of good luck. We've bumped into a few Canadians along the beach or promenade who are also staying in the quieter part of town and they have shared information with us about where to go for sightseeing and food.

The other day we spent a few hours at one of the huge resorts in the tourist zone. They have lots of pools and a nice play ground so Cai really enjoyed all that. We had a buffet lunch there - stuffed ourselves with all sorts of tasty delicacies washed down with mugs of local beer - included in the price of the meal ! We didn't have to cook dinner that evening so reckon we got our money's worth ! They make a delicious (cooked) relish here with tomato, onion and sliced cactus leaf - which looks a bit like green pepper. It tastes just like the relish we make to eat with sadza - very yummy.

We are very pleased that we decided to be here for two weeks as one week is definitely not enough and it would have been terrible to be going back today already.