Day 36 Wednesday 2nd October
The orphanage and the baby chimpanzees
Chimpanzees… Up Close and Personal
After a fantastic evening meal we slept deeply and our thoughts were with the chimpanzees and with the wonderful hospitality afforded to us. The morning was our opportunity to visit the orphanage properly. We were shown around the organisation and the feeding areas for the chimpanzees. It was also a wonderful opportunity to meet with the younger members of the species. We were all feeling that the longer one spends in the time of chimpanzees the more one realises how close to humans they are!

FURTHER DETAILS CAN BE FOUND BY CLICKING ON THE CHIMFUNSHI LINK

Our visit to Chimfunshi was definitely a most special occasion for all of the team.
The day was spent visiting the orphanage and nursery and learning more about chimpanzees

Day 37 Thursday 3rd October
Visiting the education centre
Sharing Conservation with Africa
The third day was our opportunity to visit the education centre. This comprised 6 chalets surrounding a covered meeting area and a fully equipped lecture hall. The accommodation was used for visiting school groups and other interested conservationists. Mrs Siddle was very interested in inviting more children from within Zambia to visit in order to learn about the environment, wildlife and the future. There was an opportunity to visit the education centre after watching a school group viewing wide-eyed the feeding of the male chimpanzees, often referred to as the 'batchelors' which enabled us to realise the vital role that Chimfunshi can play to share the message of conservation and projecting the natural habitat.

Day 38 Friday 4th October
Farewells to Chimfunshi and depart for Fringilla
Great Sadness
We left Chimfunshi after saying farewell to not only the Siddles but many of the support team and indeed several chimpanzees. The opportunity to spend time in Chimfunshi is one that will remain with every member of the team for a long time. For Al who had met Mrs Siddle one year previously and spoken of a pssible wheelchair visit, leaving was sad but also meant a completion of a promise made in 2001. Whilst at Chimfunshi we had also met one other resident, 'Billy' a 1 ½ ton female hippo, whom the Siddles had reared by hand after the tragic death of her mother. We drove throughout another hot Zambian day stopping frequently for refreshment and rest breaks.
Nearer the end of the days drive we drove through Kabwe and came across a single vehicle road accident. One of the minibus taxis which use the East African roads had slid off the road and overturned. There were many injured and the team tried to offer any assistance possible; unfortunately there were no ambulances or emergency response teams, just one motorbike policemen and an ambulance filled with only administration staff. At this moment we all realised that life in Africa can be considered very cheap - another invaluable lesson.

Day 39 Saturday 5th October
Leaving Fringilla for Victoria Falls, Livingstone
Our Last Long Drive
We took our time packing our vehicle for the last long drive of our adventure. The activities and events of the last few days seemed to sap the energy from all of us. The weather was especially hot, we had only estimated temperatures within the vehicle and our faulty air conditioning unit meant these were much higher than we had anticipated. The last push took longer than the daylight hours available but we decided to drive on further to reach Livingstone ready for the last few days in Africa. Discussions with the few travellers that we had come across had given us the name of a hostel in Livingstone, 'Jolly Boys Camping', which was owned by a New Zealander called Paul and although we were prepared to camp, the option of dormitory rooms and an unused caravan were eagerly accepted. We had at last made it to our final destination!

Day 40 Sunday 6th October
Organized rafting and visited the mighty Victoria Falls
We Had Arrived!
After completing our longest drive so far we awoke in Livingstone with a great sense of accomplishment. The counter on the expedition truck had rolled through several thousand kilometers of East African terrain, indeed we had certainly covered an impressive distance in our 6 week adventure. Livingstone is an unusual town, bustling with the activity of tourists, businesses and many banks. After crossing through 3 countries, countless villages and very few wealthy areas Livingstone was definitely the most affluent. There was a multitude of tour companies offering many packages for several hundred dollars (the main costs always priced in dollars, however a change was imminent as the Government had ruled that Kwatcha, local currency must be used)
The day was spent visiting Victoria Falls Eastern escarpment and meeting with the management of Safari Par Excellence who had offered the opportunity to go rafting on the Zambezi.

Day 41 Monday 7th October
White water rafting and a visit to the Waterfront
The Mighty Zambezi
After an evening at 'Jolly Boys' travellers' campsite chatting with Tony from 'Safari Par Excellence' regarding the feasibility of white water rafting, an early start was important so that the equipment could be tested and checked against the rafts and buoyancy devices. Suresh went to the warehouse with the Aqua Bac, Lite Kite 11 and Fish to confirm compatibility whilst Al and Matt received information as to the 'on raft' team and the expected conditions of the river. Last night's apprehension was put firmly behind us and the adventure was given a green light. All the guides, safety kayakers and porters were from the local town and villages and some of the staff had run the river up to 300 times in a year. The initial hurdle was how to get Al from the top of the gorge down the 120 metres to the lower Zambezi. After the option of a helicopter was discounted on the grounds of cost, the second suggested option was for the porters to arrange a rescue stretcher to strap Al on and carry him almost vertically down the steep path. After a detailed safety briefing the stretcher was prepared and with Al on board the porters slowly made their descent in peak heat (around midday). Al was suffering from the unforgiving sun burning down whilst being strapped in, also from resting on the buoyancy equipment. After a quick shade break as the Aqua Bac was attached to the raft the team launched onto the river. The raft now included Suresh, Matt, Al, our guide, Jeff and a nearby safety kayak. As the raft hit the first rapid the team got the first customary soaking, but the pressure was relieved as the safety equipment, raft and team had stood up to test number one. As we progressed down stream we were able to view the awesome power of the river, whilst also keeping an eye out for the alleged 'vegetarian crocodiles' but luckily the only crocodile seen was under 1.5 metres, so only a baby. The equipment for white water rafting or most water based activities was on loan from the Adventure Designs project at Brunel University.

Day42 Tuesday 8th October
Leaving Livingstone to fly to Johannesburg before flight to the United Kingdom
Packing, Packing and more….
Our final pack took even longer than usual as we struggled to get our belongings into containers suitable for flying. It always seems that one leaves with more than one arrives with, despite the inevitable usage of items brought with us. We arranged the handover with '4x4 hire Livingstone' who kindly offered to drive us to be airport where we said goodbye to our expedition Truck which, over 7460 kilometres, dust and dirt had served us well.

Day 43 Wednesday 9th October
Arrive in the UK
The Finish
After an 11 hour flight the team arrived safely back in the United Kingdom exhausted but otherwise in good condition after the completion of project Africa 2002