Breakfast at 8, transfer to Painted Dog Conservation after breakfast at 9. Painted Dog's are a bit smaller than wolves, they have big round ears like mice and they have many colorful spots all around their body - hence the name, they really do look like they are painted. This conservation camp has a very good overview of their life, exhibition was truly impressive. There are about 200-300 wild animals in Hwange National Park area and around it. Oh, did I mention that Hwange National Park is roughly the size of Belgium :), so just a bit smaller than Estonia :).
Back to the Painted Dogs, so this conservation serves many purposes. Mainly it is a hospital for them - injured animals are brought here where they are cared for and then there is a whole program on how they are released back to the wild. Basically they can't be released alone since the only way to survive is in a proper pack that needs 7 to 15 dogs. At the moment they have 6 dogs ready to be released so they are training them in for being a pack. Dogs need to know their roles in pack and to appreciate the other members. For this the conservation has 35 hectares of fenced area so that the dogs can truly feel like they are in the wild. Human contact is kept minimal so that no domestication happens. There is an elevated track built crossing the fenced area taking visitors to the hospital area. Tried to spot some dogs from there but we were warned that this probably won't happen.
Another grateful deed they do here is that they educate children. They would bring 6 graders from all over the region into the conservation, kids would spend a whole 4 days here (there is a special accommodation even built for that purpose). 4 days would include many educational programs, including computer introductory course, kids would also be taken to the national park and educated on Painted Dog's life.
Then there is the research done on the dogs. At least 1 or 2 dogs from each pack is wearing a special belt that protects them and also has a radio transmitter on it. Protection is against the traps that locals set to catch wild animals, those belts are also reflecting so that in the dark drivers spot them on the road.
On the way back the car broke down :) All the cars here are in pretty bad shape, the doors don't open, there are no windows, none of the speedometers work, seats are falling apart and the noise they make is quite loud. Our driver did not have mobile either so cars who were passing by stopped and took our message to next place (which was the Painted Dog Conservation) so a call could be made and another car would come for us. So we sat there in the middle of the road passing time :) Took perhaps 30 minutes or so when we were rescued.
Quick stop at the lodge and on to Dete village we went. Last night the lady from US was telling us how there is a orphans feeding happening today at the Red Cross building and if would be interested we could go to the village as well. So we did. It is about time that I see the real life as well, not only hostels and safari cars. Ride to the village was not long as the village is only 3 km from our lodge - so I took the 'back seat' of a truck (was sitting in the open trunk :)
Village itself was quite different - a typical Zimbabwean village as far as we would know. There were houses with glass windows and all and then there were clay huts as well, houses would obviously be for better off families. Each house or a hut would have a small yard to grow vegetables. Some yards and houses seemed to have even water pipes, but mostly the water had to be carried by hand from across the village. Yards were very neat and orderly, yards and streets were all wiped and quite clean. Occasionally we would see laundry drying outside and all would be bright white and clean. Even the clothes the people wear are quite clean, they would be worn out, but clean.
Families are big here, the more kids the parents have the brighter future they would have. Many kids don't make it, so if one would have 5 to 6 kids they would hope that at least 2 to 3 of them would make it and care for them in old age. Also, kids are the ones to help grow food and to clean and so on. Basically kids are social security and the hope for better future. Took a stroll around the village, peeked into the yards, talked to the locals a bit and wondered around for about half an hour. Zimbabwe is a former UK colony so most locals speak English in addition to their own language - this makes it easier to communicate with them.
Orphans feeding started around noon. The ideal plan is to provide basic warm meal for orphans 3 times a week. But the reality is that there has not been a feeding since March :( There hasn't been enough food to carry it through. Situation here is quite complicated. It is not even only money that is the problem, it is also the politics and natural causes. For an example to fight starvation one could expand the land to grow more food, but to do that there needs to be a special permit to allow this and then there is the water issue - there is no water for the land. Just complicated all around. Sat at the Red Cross for a while and saw all the kids coming in. Food they made should feed about 150 kids, apparently there is a need to feed 300 of them. There are many orphans as AIDS is a huge problem. Often you see an 8 year old taking care of his/her brothers and sisters who are between 2 and 6 years of age. it is quite sad. I asked about their health checks, apparently there is a Red Cross person going through all the homes 3 times a week checking on the kids and elderly and providing basic health care.
As our bus to Victoria Falls leaves at 4 we had to head back to the lodge, ate our lunch, packed our bags and got on the transfer to be taken to Halfway. Bus was supposed to be there at 4, but just as expected it was an hour late. This time the bus is a bit bigger and more comfortable, they even have a TV and they are playing a movie :) Refreshments are offered and there is an attendant as well. While driving through the countryside we see many cars and buses (!!) in the ditch by the road - so scary. Some cars have been there for years it seems like as they are rusting an all doors and other moving parts have been carried off. Bus arrived at Victoria Falls just a bit before 8 in the evening. Taxi drivers ran us over as soon as we exited the bus, so we got a cab to our hostel, picked out a restaurant offering local food and had a nice dinner in town.
Or accommodation is located in the residential area so basically we need a taxi each time we want to get to town. Our wonderful taxi driver even promised to give us special deal if we keep him for the whole duration of our trip - so be it we said. After dinner we asked him to take us to a bar where we could have a drink or two, it is Friday night afterall :) He took us to a lively backpackers lodge :) Well, the crowd there was definitely lively and it did not take long until locals surrounded us. It was fun though :) A bit before midnight when we left the whole crowd moved on to some other hip bar since this one closed down, but for us it was sleep time.
I just gotta mention that the beds are nice and firm here. I was a bit afraid of what the beds are like, if they would be too soft I would not be able to cope with the back pain, but all is good :) Tonight I opened my mosquito net as well :) Hung it up over my bed - what a wonderful invention, why don't people use it at home? I think I will start to use it during summertime, it is quite perfect actually!
For the closing note - bit more about the names :) So the story is about Previous, Obvious and Innocent :) Previous we met on the bus from Bulawayo to Halfway. Obvious was our tour guide at Painted Dog Conservation center. Innocent took us from the lodge to Halfway. With him it was funny as once we entered the car he goes "I'm innocent", my first reaction was that I didn't say anything or accuse you or anything. I guess he read it out of my face as he just looks at me and says "That's my name" - RIIIIGHT :)
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