Tuesday, January 18, 2011

JOLLYBOYS











HOLY FUN!!!

TRAVEL: On Jan. 2nd, myself, Hunter, Michelle and Joe hitched from Solwezi to Lusaka at 6am. It took seven hitches to reach our final destination but we got two hitches that were AWESOME! The trip is 14 hours long if you go by PC vehicles, it took us less than nine. One car was doing 130KPH the entire time we were with him. When we arrived in Lusaka, we stayed at Cha Cha Cha Backpackers Lodge (hostel). Upon arrival we all jumped in the pool then had dinner to combat our long day. We went to sleep at 10ish and then I got a call from Will saying he couldn't find our hostel... So I had to wake up and go find him because I couldn't describe the correct location.
The next morning we left the lodge at 7am and set off to hitch to Livingstone! Because there were five of us, we brok up into two groups: Hunter and Joe, and Michelle, Will and I. It is easier for girls to get a hitch so Michelle went with a bigger group. Hunter and Joe walked ahead of us to seperate the groups. We got picked up maybe a minute after the split by two ladies whotook us 300km to Choma (200km short of Livingstone). Our next hitch took us the remainder of our trip. Throughout the entire hitch we only had to pay 70pen total for a 21 hour drive. We arrived in Livingstone six hours before Hunter and Joe who arrived at 21hours (9pm).
Once we arrived Will and I jumped in the pool for a couple of hours. Around 18hours we saw two other volunteers who were also staying at Jollyboys. Hunter and Joe arrived just after we finished cooking dinner.
JOLLYBOYS!!! Jollyboys is a backpackers lodge that gives the visitor exactly what is needed when wanting to see everything in Livingstone. Inside the lodge grounds is a pool, bar, ping-pong, pooltable, internet room, lounge area and a peace and quiet loft! There is also a great opportunity to meet people from all over the world.
PEOPLE I MET: My favorite were the three Australians I met, Conrad, John, and Marianna. Conrad and I played some awesome ping-pong games! I also hung out with them a couple of the nights at the lodge just before they left. I met two girls who are volunteering in Namiia who are from Britain and Scottland. Their names are Ellie and Mel. We met a few girls from South Africa named Ashley, Laura and Donnae. A large group of PCV's from Namibia, who were about to COS (close of service) were also there for one last vacation before going home. We met a group of missionaries from all over the USA including one from Niceville, FL. Her name is Kimberly and we later found out that we have a mutual friend back home! Also in that group was Natalie, Tom, Daniel and Woody. Everyone in our dorm room was PC except one girl whose name is Zoyla from Colorado. She is doing an internship in Namibia.
FUN : When we woke up on the forth of January we took the free shuttle, provided by Jollyboys, to Victoria Falls!!! Thanks to PC we have Alien Registration Cards that gets us into the park for 7pen ($1.20) instead of $20.00 if you're not a resident. The falls are literally too beautiful to explain but I left some pictures. After a few hours of looking around we all decided to go to Angel's Pool (pics of us jumping off a cliff). We had to walk for 20-30 minutes through knee to theigh-high water to get to our destination. The hardest part though was at the very beginning. We had to side-step for 50 meters on a concrete wall that was 4in wide and 8in beneith the rushing water. Once in the Angel's Pool water you can swim to the edge of the falls. After we got back to the trails we decided to head back to Jollyboys and grab dinner!
After a long night of ping-pong, swimming, pool and for some people, drinking, we all went to bed. The next morning a few of us went back to the falls to look at some trails we didn't get to explore the first time. Will and I wandered down a path and kept going after it ended. We found a concrete tunnel and decided to go into it. We put on our headlamps and wandered in. After about 30 meters in, we saw a colony of bats and decided to head back. A little later we ran into a family of baboons who were completely used to humans and were not afraid to steal our food. I was able to get within a few feet of a mother giving a little TLC to her baby. I have a picture of a baboon sitting on a bench as well. After checking out the many other trails, we headed back to Jollyboys. Hunter and Joe did not join us on this adventure but they did include us in for dinner when they went shopping. They bought sausage, chicken, pork, steak and baked beans from a can. It was a protien overload. Hunter does not care for vegetable EVER! Once again everyone hung out and made their rounds of talking to different people.
The next day we spent relaxing by the pool and waiting for 230pm to roll around. Hunter and Will went to the Crocadile Farm and got to hold a snake and baby Croc. Myself, Joe, and Michelle went to a park that allowed you to play with baby cheetah's and lion's. The cubs were each six months old. This encounter was by far the best thing I have ever done. I mean, it's not everyday you get to play with two lions. The whole interaction lasted an hour and we got a lot of great pictures.
The next morning a few of us went and played golf at the Royal Livingstone gold and Country Club. It was by far the worst kept golf course I have ever played on. However, we had a lot of fun. On the 6th hole it began to absolutely downpoor on us. We took a 15 minute stop of play and then decided to call it. Once we got about 200ft from when we called it, it stopped raining. We started back! On the 8th hole it rained again but this time never stopped. After ten minutes of waiting we decided to play through the rain. On the 9th hole I was searching for my ball by a tree and ten seconds after I walked away, the entire tree fell. I ended up winning by 5 strokes!!!
The last day we were there was also our travel day back to Lusaka for our meetings. Will and I challenged Hunter and Joe to a hitch-off. Whoever could hitch back to Lusaka the fastest would win 10pen each. If you pay for the hitch, it is 1 hour added to your time for each 10pen paid. We all made it for free but Will and I won by three hours. Now we are in Lusaka doing meetings for the next two weeks. Atleast I get to see everyone!!!!
Hope you all enjoyed :)


I also wanted to give a shoutout to Missy Cessna! I hope you continue enjoying my blog! ps. your daughter has a shopping problem lol.