The Victoria Falls visit provided a chance for the Kentucky Smiths to see a small herd of zebra, which roam the grounds of the Zambezi Sun hotel. The hotel grounds are near one of the entrances to the falls, and are populated by zebras, monkeys, and a variety of birds and reptiles, as noted by the cautioning sign.

We left Livingstone at 7 a.m. on July 10 for the long drive to Lusaka, where we would stay in the guest cottage at the compound of Trevor and Monica Robson. After a mid-afternoon arrival everyone enjoyed a relaxing evening; Isabel and Sophia enjoyed romping with Viggo and Putti, the Robsons' friendly Jack Russell terriers.

The Smiths flew out of Lusaka International Airport early in the afternoon on July 12. As they boarded their flight, the president of Zambia, Levy Mwanawasa, arrived in a small plane at the other end of the tarmac. Though he had taken only a brief trip to Livingstone, an elaborate red-carpet ceremony was organized to greet his return. Jeff and I ate lunch in an airport cafe with large windows overlooking the tarmac to watch the ceremony. Six hours later we were back at the airport to pick up Jeff's cousin Carl Brown, arriving from the U.S. via Johannesburg.

Carl's flight was a little late, delayed by some strayed passengers in Johannesburg, so his checked bag did not arrive until the next day. We explored a bit of Lusaka on Friday, returned to the airport to pick up his bag, and stayed one more night with the Robsons. Then it was off to Livingstone once more, so that Carl could enjoy the sights and sounds of Victoria Falls.

We reversed the route that we took with the Kentucky Smiths, going back across the border by ferry into Botswana, with stops at Elephant Sands, Nata, Maun, and finally home to Shakawe. Carl is with us until we leave Shakawe on July 29. We will slowly wend our way to the Botswana capital of Gaborone, which is Carl's departure point and where we hope to sell our vehicle. The progress of the sale will determine when and from where Jeff and I will leave Africa bound for the U.S. Carl's flight is scheduled for August 4.