The trip in photos

March 11

Hi all!

I've had a few days in Canada to relax and reorient since my time in Zambia. It's both strange and perfectly normal to be back home. Today, I took some time to sort through my photos (a massive 2100 images!) and I pared them to just 136. Please take a look and click any photo for a bigger version!

Leaving on the Greyhound

Skytrain

Arriving at YVR

Meeting up with the intrepid quad

Hanging out in Heathrow

Sam excitedly pointing out our destination

Finding the rest of the nursing crew

Touchdown on Zambian tarmac

Our plane

Nervously walking toward the airport and immigration

Success! We're in!

Everyone was happy to finally be in Zambia

All of the trees seemed so exotic

Our first of many, many cab rides

The giant flat bed truck that took us to our temporary home, Cheshire House

Susie and Rachel, a little worried about sleeping with bugs

The girls' dorm

The walk into Cheshire

Some of the kids

Amanda showing off one of our staples - Long Life Milk

Cheshire Home

Our first experience with mangos 

Travelling around downtown Lusaka

Mmm, the beginning of a beautiful relationship with Fanta

What would a trip to Zambia be without a little Bollywood in 3D? (Don 2!)

Typical scene as we crush into a cab

Lusaka Bus Station - always a nightmare

A little anxiety!

Zambeef... Feeding the Nation

I wasn't a huge fan of Lusaka

Arriving at the Mongu bus station

We can always fit one more

Our happy family in the medium house

"Downtown" Mongu

Our big group after learning some cultural competency with regard to the Lozi

Riding around town

Biking out to enjoy the sunset over the floodplains

Never disappoints

Bleaching our food - Mmmmm

Some of our Zambikes which we later gave away to some local friends

The local kids were always super friendly and often wanted their photos taken

Oasis (oh-WASS-iss) - love to hate it

I don't know if I ever mentioned just how many bugs there were

Typical scene as we lounge outside reading the Hunger Games

First day of clinical

Hanging out in the Operating Theatre

We were beyond surprised to see these wheelchairs!

At the Mongu bus station getting ready to leave for our safari trip!

The beautiful Mukambi Lodge. Oh the fun we had here!

The beautiful pool

There were warthogs everywhere

Zebras off in the distance

Rest stop halfway through our first game drive

Elephants! Incredible

Fay, one of our fearless leaders!

We ate like royalty each meal

And watched fantastic sunsets

Back in Mongu, wildlife right on our window ledges

Denee and I about to embark on a boat cruise fundraiser for the Zambian Nurses Union

Click for larger

Lovely scenery

Barker by the bark!

Typical clouds rolling in - everyone close the windows and take in the laundry!

Nat being pensive

Driving to a school to give a talk on nursing

The kids were great

And were excited to meet us!

Back at Oasis, Julet was enjoying her souvlaki 

Girls at the Liloyelo orphanage

Getting ready to go to Oasis to see Macky 2!

Esther and I had heard him plenty on the radio so we were excited

Susie and Sam were pumped too!

Macky 2 (aka, Flava Boy) makes his grand appearance

Semifinals: Zambia vs Ghana (Zambia won of course!)

Outreach: our bathroom

Community gardens

Kuku (grandmother) and Ima (mother) teaching us to prepare cassava

Toni giving it a great shot

Village kids

A man teaching us to make mats

Our much-loved clinic

A good reason to bring a loofah

Community health workers at taught by our students

Surprise! Happy retirement Fay!

Alex and me: frenemies for life

Sitting in the bed of a truck as we go to an orphanage

Susie had a great time!

The kids became big Canucks fans

  

Visiting a crocodile 'farm'

  

Travelling back through Lusaka to Livingstone: garbage and markets

Julet and Coreen killing time

Baboons: they're terrifying

Esther and her bungee game face

Michelle and her swan dive

Fallon's bungee freak out!

Giraffe outside of the Royal Livingstone Hotel

And a few zebras too

It's a beautiful hotel

  

Going dangerously close to the edge of the falls

You can see, just right there, where the world ends

Rachel and I braved it

Hold hands so you don't die!

Jolly Boys Funky (Chunky?) Monkey smoothies, mmm

Family photo on the Sunset (booze) Cruise

  

Hungry for hippos

High tea at the Royal

We ate well that day!

Boat cruise in Botswana

Crazy water buffalo!

I loved the Kudu - super neat animals

More eles

And, of course, giraffes

  

Nat and Britt falling off a cliff

Just before we rappelled to our near-deaths

Super Susie zipping across the gorge

Esther and I pretending to be happy before we dropped off the cliff

No longer happy

Susie and her lion

Kitty!

  

Me and mine

  

Riding elephants that afternoon

Over the river and through the woods...

And a chance to feed them too!

Nyami Nyami drinks (more like nummy nummy!)

A few desserts to sample

They looked okay, I guess

Mmmm

Finally seeing Victoria Falls

With fantastic friends!

Gorgeous people by one of the seven wonders

All wearing dresses as we walked across a drenching bridge

Nat is always a great sport

Back to Lusaka

And onto our plane

And finally back home to Vancouver!