A Valentine's Weekend!!
- 17/1/2015 <--Prev : Next-->
HeeHoo and I are not big Valentine's Day fans, its sweet, its a money spinner, but it is for the young after all !
I remember Valentines Day when the girls were at school, such excitement - red roses, cards, the school day was a total waste of time because none of the girls could concentrate on anything other than the bunches of red roses arriving at the front office in van loads!!
HeeHoo would send me roses in those days!! A big vase of red roses for Mom, a medium vase of red roses for She Hoo Must Run, and a smaller vase of red roses for She Hoo Must Wear Kevlar!!
But this year we went for a Valentine's Weekend Special to Chilo Gorge Safari Lodge!!
There is much to do at the Safari Lodge - excursions into the Gona-Re-Zhou National Park, walks in the San Forest, visits to a delightful Shangaan Village or to just laze by the pool with a book.
Chilo Gorge Lodge is very involved with the local community, many of the staff is recruited from the community, and some of Chilo's booking agents donate a small portion of every booking to the Mahenye Charitable Trust which is run by Chilo and the Trustees. Some of the local booking agents are even currently putting together a bursary system where they will sponsor one or two children every year through their schooling.
Full marks to the staff at the lodge for making special Valentine's memories!! The lodge was choc-a-bloc, and on the Friday and Sunday three long tables were set beautifully under the shade of the glorious Mountain Acacia.
But on Valentines night, they sent us all for sundowners on the beach, where we drank crisp white wine while the elephants crossed the river to our island!!
When we returned to the lodge it was like a fairyland. Candles glowed from every corner, and the tables we set, in romantic groups of two around the swimming pool! The supper was bream mousse, marinated fillet steak or roast pork and a delicious pudding!! The tables were festooned with red pods and heart shaped leaves, it was a magnificent effort for a beautifully appointed lodge which is really remote on the banks of the Save River, with the nearest civilization many hundreds of miles away.
Our own private chalet overlooked the river where hippos snorted comfortingly, the Nyala grazed peacefully on the river banks and the elephants footprints were etched in the sand.
Thank you to Lin, Joe and the fabulous staff at Chilo Gorge Safari Lodge.
Chilo Gorge / Luxury Safari Lodge - Zimbabwe
chilogorge.com/
https://www.facebook.com/ExperienceAfricaSafaris
