Close Encounters of the Hippo Kind

Just got back to Malawi after spending two wonderful weeks in Zambia meeting and catching up with my Engineers Without Borders teammates and fellow volunteers. We spent four days in Siavonga (slightly south, east of Lusaka). Siavonga is a beautiful place on the shore of Lake Kariba (which borders Zambia and Zimbabwe). We spent all of our time outside by the lake. Days and some evening were spent deep in strategy and discussion, and nights were spent fireside.

On the first evening we spent in Siavonga we packed up the campfire just before midnight and the group began its slow but short journey back to the dorm where we were all sleeping. I was in the middle of the pack for this usually unexciting expedition but a few hundred meters from the dorm I caught up with the group leaders who were coming back in our direction. After a few moments I understood that there was a hippo in our path and that those who were eager for bed (and leading the pack) had almost run into it. Our group was now split into the people who sincerely wanted to avoid contact with the hippo and those keen for a hippo sighting. ('The hippopotamus is one of the most aggressive creatures in the world and is often regarded as the most ferocious animal in Africa.' - says wikipedia, so perhaps the hippo avoiding group had some sense). Two us ventured forward with heart racing. Sadly, hippos are quicker and more nimble than they look because we didn't see or hear the hippo again that evening.

In the morning, we checked with our hosts and found out that a baby hippopotamus was a fairly regular visitor and that it liked to come and nibble on the vegetable garden - usually around midnight. Our hosts said that the baby hippo wasn't a problem as long as you didn't startle it. Unfortunately, we didn't see the hippo again during our stay. It did make for entertaining walks to and from the fire pit though, especially when walking alone. I took to singing a little jingle that I composed just for the hippo... it went a little something like 'hippo, hello hippo, hippo, hello hippo...'

More Zambia updates to come.