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156--Zimbabwe: Elephant Safari @ CherieSpotting     Oct 09 2003 - 11:49 PST cherie writes: Kristi, Renee and I went on an 8 Day Bundu Safari. It began in South Africa and took us to Zimbabwe and back. An elephant safari is where you pay $90 US dollars to sit on an elephant and ride through the African Bush and try to spot other animals (warthogs, baboons, lions, other elephants.) One might think that two hours on an elephant just simply isn't enough time. But actually it is 1:45 minutes too long. We got to bond with the elephants (the video we bought reminded us that we bonded with them.) Our bonding time included sitting on them (which I know they enjoyed) as well as feeding them and petting their long trunks. Here's some of the elephant facts we learned: * It's the largest animal that lives on land (from 10,000 to 14,000 pounds.) * Elephants sleep standing up. * The grey giants live from 50-60 years. * Can you imagine 80 pounds of poop a day? Elephants can. * Elephants sleep standing up. Click on each picture to see it full size. read comments (0) | write comment| views: 7000    | rated: 0.0    printer-friendly version   Cherie and Kristi on an Elephant Safari in Zimbabwe. The elephants guide us through the bush. Renee! Did you know elephants stomp when they walk? I'm trying to be artsy by photographing the elephant's shadow. Two hours on the back of an elephant is an 1:45 minutes too long. Julie and Gill! That's one big butt. (Not you Julie!) Susan and Damian. The elephants go marching one by one.... You didn't need to see that. Pumba. Massive, but gentle. Vicki and Laura. I think the elephant was happy to have us sitting on it. Time to feed the elephants. Gill, Kristi and Renee. Kristi feeds the elephant. Look at that cute pink tongue! The elephant just can't get enough pellets. Renee might have been comfy, but her seat kept moving. Cherie sits on the elephant's knee. Show me yours and I'll show you mine. Kristi give the elephant another snack. Warthogs might be ugly, but they sure are delicious. Baboon. I think he's posing. Elephant. Cherie and Kristi on the elephant safari. *Photo by Renee. How many kids can you fit in the back of a truck? Welcome to Zimbabwe. After a long ride, the ladies need a poddy break. Zimbabwe boy runs after our van. We throw him candies out the window. Zimbabwe family. Can you find the tourists in this photo? Zimbabwe dancers give us a show. Kristi tries to blend in with her ostrich feather hat. Arno with the dancers. Kristi dances like a native. Cherie with the dancers. Kristi with a sangoma (a spiritual healer.) The sangoma throws bones, chants and tells your future (and your past.) Cherie learns she is going to have three kids. She askes the bone thrower to re-throw the bones and check again. On the black market, you get 250 Zimbabwe dollars for one US dollar. It takes a backpack full of Zim dollars just to pay for dinner. Adorable little girl.