That evening was the cocktail party and fund raiser. We all were dressed to the nines in clean t-shirts and went to the event in our new limousine, Peter's truck. What a scene. A few of the new fire engines ringed the garden, and a huge screen had been set up to show photographs of the trip. We even had the fortune to poise with Jarrett and the chief holding a banner for the Nephritis Foundation
There were a lot of people there including the mayor, the ex-mayor, the fire chief and a group of the local firemen and women, a number of cabinet ministers and the assorted hoi poloi.
After some warm introductions, Henry related his experiences on 9/11. I have to admit that while I do get emotional about that day his story is absolutely remarkable, and totally mesmerized the crowd. It was an education and revelation for everyone, and I suspect will be retold for a long time to come. Thank you for Henry for all you did and for sharing it with us.
The next day we relaxed for a while but in the afternoon we went to visit Roxy and Craig at their remarkable rescue sanctuary. It is a place called Wild is Life, (http://www.wildislife.com/) and is just extraordinary. Please have a look at their web site to understand the work that they are doing. We were met as usual by a couple of cheetah and then wandered through to the main lawns. The herd has certainly grown. Pickles, the warthog came out to greet us. Who knew that warthogs like to have their bellies scratched, and will gladly kiss you for doing it?
Clearly though the highlight of the day was Moyo. This little fellow is just a few months old and is absolutely the cutest elephant I have ever seen. He is friendly and behaves like a puppy, except he weighs over 300 lbs. He gave me the most unique birthday kiss ever, planting the tip of a very wet trunk firmly over my nose and mouth, and sniffing me carefully. After lots of oohing and aahing, his handler led him away for dinner and then bedtime.
Eventually the whole evening was winding down and out came my birthday cake. Great cake, made even better by the two "exotic dancers" who accompanied it. Charming young ladies who danced very well and weren't scared of mosquitoes biting them on bare skin. What a finale. Needless to say we stayed for an extra while ( some longer than others) and then made our way back to our accommodations. ( No, there are no pictures of the ladies!)
We got up in the morning feeling a little melancholy. Time to go back to the real world. Most of us had different travel plans and so to put a final bow on the trip, we went to the Harare central fire station to see how our trusty steeds of the past two weeks were being treated. It was really well. The guys had out in the main yard and were examining the various pieces of equipment and getting the trucks ready for use on center stage. Lots of care, enthusiasm, pride, curiosity and a huge amount of gratitude.
So thank you to all who made this great trip possible. Peter, it was an amazing journey in many respects. We made new friends, had wonderful experiences, ( some good, some not so), learned a lot, maybe taught each other a little, and did some good for a country that needs all the help it can get