Zambia 2017 - Another take on the final day...

Team TPM had a delightful,  never to be forgotten day. We played  Dr.  Doolittle - we walked  and talked with the  animals.

The  day started with a  delicious  and varied breakfast buffet. Then Petr. Picked us up for our Safari  in Chobe National  Park.   What  a safari it was!!!!  We  saw  warthogs,  kudus,  impala, springbucks,  hippos,  and off in the  distance  Water Buffalo. The highlights were the baboons and the elephants. 
We parked next to a large  family of baboons, including,  as with the all the antelope many new born babies. Then 2 "teenaged"  baboons got into a fight. Well,  the dad,  the alpha male, was not allowing  any family fights.  He ran over to the combatants in second time and grabbed one and "reprimanded him,  shall we say,  very energetically.  No  blood  was drawn.  The other combatant ran about 1000 feet down for river bank and kept an anxious eye on dad.

The other  highlight  was the herd of elephants.  Leo, our driver,  stopped to show us an elephant  footprint  in the sand. We all remarked upon Grace's desire to see elephants.  Leo started saying that the elephants ad moved back into the bush.

THEN IT HAPPENED!! 

A large herd (16 or 17) elephants amazingly appears at the tree line!!!!   We admired them as they stopped and watched us. Leo then moved our truck back approximately 15 yards and the elephants,  including a baby and a number of  youngsters, marched in front  of us. We watched them, they watched us and the TPM team was left breathless. You have not lived until you and a wild elephant have stared each other down.
 
We returned to the Avanti Hotel after some purchases on the Zambezi River bank and met with Mr. Jackson 5. He took us on a tour of the grounds and showed us zebras,  including a ba​by,  a gang of mongoose,  and most spectacularly, 4 giraffes right on the hotel  grounds!!! After the animal adventures, we were  dropped off at the market place.  Everybody bargained, haggled,and bought. 
We closed the day with a final team Dinner including  words of the day,  debriefing,  a look towards plans for  next  year,  and of course,  Amarulla.
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God bless all of you for following Tiny People Matter.   Let us know if you have  any questions or can donate any   medicine,  medical or school supplies. Thank you from the entire TPM team.

Steve and Michele Block