Day 6: Worms and other scratchy things.....

7am: The 'Smoke' rises above the tree line , the mists of Victoria Falls. Later in the day they will catch the sun and be a glow of rainbow color above the trees and river. The landscape is classic Africa.... past the trees down across river's edge a line of palm trees on an island, muted in the ever present mist...with the Zambeze sparkling,  running round them.

11am. It's a stay put day, a work day believe it or not.... .but then I can do interesting things in the course of my work day. Today's is judging a culinary competition as part of a promotion for culinary toruism and the integration of local foods into hotel and retaurant menus that tourists frequent. The required ingredient is warthog meat, the rest appears to be up to the teams. Included in Team B's menu are morie worm kebobs. Hummm does this means that I have to taste it.........
Ambassador Charles Ray (U.S. Ambassador to Zimbabwe) has decided to join me and together we work with Chefs Pierre  and Eric .... to identify a winning combination of taste, presentation and creativity. Boaoba Mousse, a pod like fruit which seems a strange fruit for this recipe but it is citrusy and surprisingly well suited as the base for this smooth and creamy dessert. Warthog... my reference is unfortunatly The Lion King... but that hog like figure with a long snout and tusks, like those running around the golf course this morning,  is tasty if a little tough served as chops or sliced. Now for the womm kabobs.... not the whole worm.... grilled and unlike our smooth and slinky worm these seem to have little legs that scurry them across the ground, whatever... grilled they are spiky and scratch going down....

7pm: Wandering off across the golf course following a trail of little kerosene lamps, The stars....the milky way ... everything in the Southern Sky. Elephants are down by the river, warthogs watch and monkeys sleep in the trees except those who lke to party and they are wide awake..

Tonight I 'm at a rock concert on the Zambeze River Plain (the golf course) complete with sound stage truck, spot lights, and massive vibrating bass speakers.  Cultural Night includes local dance, local bands and the national Zimbabwe Rock Star. The surreal part is the bobbing Zulu feathers behind the enclosure fence. Fire pits and grills, the night goes late and cold. This is not Miami.