Taonga

Zac and I walked about a 1/4 of a mile down to the Zambezi river. It was the middle of the afternoon, and the area was quiet. A monkey was curiously watching us, the water peacefully lapping the shore, and soft music could be heard in the distance. I saw a sign offering a dinner and evening cruise by Taonga safari’s.

It was our last night here in Zambia before heading back to Kenya to complete our humanitarian project. At the time, I had no plans to quit BCK, in fact my life was still full of dreams to continue this work.

All I wanted to do was to instill happy memories in all of us about the continent that I love. I thought that I would treat everyone to a nice little river cruise. We board and find that it will only be us, the boat captain and cook. We are thrilled to have the boat to ourselves, and pour our drinks as the meat starts to cook on the barbie.

The motor starts and seconds later we are going down the mighty Zambezi.

Brightly colored birds zip along the shoreline, as creatures new and old are spotted. Hippo pools and the ancient crocodile once again fill us with everlasting memories.

As the sun begins to set, the mighty procession of elephants fill the river banks. They forage the trees and brush, snapping mighty wood like tinder. They trumpet and stomp in graceful fashion as we gaze upon them in silent wonder.

The pictures we have of each other on this final night speak to how close we became, a true family. Although we may not speak often these days, I’ve no doubt that our bonds of friendship and love are forever cemented from our time here.

Bonds that can only be formed in the Heart of Africa.