BY PAMELA BOWMAN LUSAKA ZAMBIA AFRICA - We were told not to miss the African sunrise, but most of us found our beds too warm and our pillows too deep. It was curiosity that got me out of bed. I couldn’t wait to take an open air shower! I am weird, I know, but it was cool, because there was warm water and pressure and a tree to hang my towel and I could look outside while I shampooed my hair! I walked outside our hut and down the path to my personal chair overlooking the gorge. It was so quiet and peaceful even with the sound of the rushing rapids.
I walked down to our open aired dining room and found the crew and other guests visiting. The conversation sounded loud and inappropriate. I wanted to shout “Be quiet! Listen to the silence!” I wanted to take a moment and sit and reflect and think and just be in the moment. I was not able to do that. We might be in a beautiful place, but we were there to work. I promised myself to get up early the next day and take the time to ponder and think and reflect.
Off to Victoria Falls. We hiked as far as we could. It felt so good to feel the mist on our faces and the clean air in our lungs. Then off to lunch. Food! Yea! Back to the lodge to enjoy the evening at the top of the world. There is nothing quite so odd as blogging on a laptop under mosquito nets. Sleep came quickly. I love it here!
I managed to wake up for the sunrise. I sat at the edge of the gorge and watched the day begin. I thought how much I wished my family were here to share this amazing experience. I even shed tears and watched them dry in the red dusty dirt. I whispered words on the wind and felt them float away. This place is sacred.
I climbed aboard the helicopter and didn’t even have the chance to think about what I was doing and where I was going. We flew over the falls, over the river, over the elephants, over the villages and soon we touched down and the other crew members climbed on board. Was I just in a helicopter? Yep!
On the way home we toured the animal park. Tons of elephants (Really!) Zebras, monkeys, wildebeests, water buffalo, impalas, and hippos. Now for the long ride back to Lusaka! Back to the cast and our last days of shooting. Will we get it done? Of Course we will. We are the most stubborn bunch of filmmakers I know. Actually, we are the only filmmakers I know!
There have been so many memorable experiences, but for me the lodge and the gorge and my morning of solitude have been the most meaningful. No matter where I go I will always remember the rising African sun.
After a moment of forever, 40 minutes, we arrived. We exited the bus and were greeted by a voice that could rattle your bones in fear and did! Raspy, deep, brawny South African accent accompanied by a demonic laugh. We clung to each other as we walked single file to where this man led. It was dark, It was quiet. It was after midnight. We followed the narrow path to our outside dining area. Waiting for us beside a campfire was an elegant table surrounded by real luminarias. The buffet serving table was built from small stones. The surrounding walls were constructed of hatch. We had finally arrived in Africa. Even though we were exhausted we wanted to explore, to capture, to feel the very essence of this place.
August 25th 2006 — Friday
One day we verified with our location scout about the shoot the next day. He asked what time we would be arriving. We told him 8 am sharp. He said “No problem.” Our location scout is also our transportation coordinator. We were waiting by our gate at 7:30 then 8:00 then 9:00. The cast was waiting for their pickups as well. Finally our bus arrived and took us to a different location. We finally arrived to a surprised business owner who quickly tried to accommodate our cast and crew. We could tell he was uncomfortable with us being there, but we had no choice. We tried to get the set ready. As we lit the set our lights blew as did the owners transformer. The room filled with smoke and a smell that was well unbearable. Our location scout said, “No problem.”
BY PAMELA BOWMAN LUSAKA ZAMBIA AFRICA They have pizza here. They have bread. They have bottled water. You may notice we talk about food a lot. That is because we are working so hard that we are always hungry. We decided that we needed to have food on the set for everyone to nibble on between sets. So Cyndi and I left one night to go to the grocery store….alone! Cyndi was driving. She said I couldn’t because I am a student. What is up with that? So she is driving. In Zambia you drive on the left hand side of the road. She kept repeating to herself “Do what feels wrong. Do what feels wrong.” I guess that includes driving down the middle of the road because you can’t really judge how close you are to the wrong/right side. Are you following all of this? Hitting the curb is the other alternative. She managed to do that a few times too. They have round abouts. We thought we were just circling around and around. I couldn’t help but have a Depends moment! It was too funny. We did manage to find the grocery store, but then we had to figure out how to get back to our resort. The only thing I am allowed to say is that getting lost in Zambia was an experience and one we have managed to repeat again and again as we forage out for set food! I am not allowed to discuss details because some things that happen is Zambia must stay in Zambia. As a result Cyndi has hired a private car and driver to take me to the store in the evenings for the set food.