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Sundowners in Zambia – Team Buckley blog

Our passion and love of Africa has grown continued to grow since our first encounter back in 1997. Over the years we have experienced Kenya, Zambia, Tanzania, Botswana, South Africa, Zimbabwe and Mauritius including climbing Mt Kilimanjaro and shark cage diving in South Africa.

In February 2016 Jamie my husband and I flew out to Zambia to commence our roles as Camp Managers at Flatdogs Camp a remote safari camp for the next 2 years. We left behind our cherished family including our 4 gorgeous grandchildren, many friends and our amazing neighbours in Ingleside.

So why do we want to say goodbye to our family, friends, our favourite cafes, the northern beaches lifestyle, sell up and resign from our long term jobs and rent our home?

The challenge, to learn new skills, to strengthen our relationship, to immerse ourselves in a different culture for an extended period, the physical challenge, view amazing African wildlife, immerse ourselves in a rural Zambian community, keep active mentally and physically, not sit in Sydney traffic, share our love of South and East Africa with the world and give back to a country that has given so much to us over many years.

Why Zambia?

We first visited Lower Zambezi and South Luangwa National Park back in 2007 and we loved the Zambian people and in particular the South Luangwa is truly an untouched stunning national park. It offers sensational safari drives and has 80 animals with good sightings of African wild dogs, leopards, lions, elephants and over 400 birds.

How did we prepare? The months leading up to the adventure Jamie and Wendy participated and passed in a number of courses including a four wheel drive course, Game Lodge Management course and a Trauma and First Aid course for remote places.

Team Buckley, Jamie and Wendy Buckley invite you to join us on this journey via our blog www.powerofthepositive/zambia

“Africa entered my soul, it became my passion and it’s our turn to give back”

Team Buckley Blog

Garden of Eden for Elephants

Garden of Eden for Elephants

Journey of life Our experiences over the past 2 years (1 Mar 2016 - 17 Jan 2018) in Zambia have been quite magical and majestic for both Jamie and I. We have immersed ourselves in the community of Mfuwe, loved hosting guests from all over the world and have learnt so much about the stunning wildlife in the South Luangwa. Combined it has opened our eyes to a massive range of cultures and human behaviour. In todays world there is so much discrimination including sex, race, religion, food allergies, physical disabilities including people who suffer from chronic pain and judgement of personal wealth and education. It is here we have developed a new out look on life and appreciation of how fragile the world is today and into the future. I took this video between tent 2 and 3 December 6 while...

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Dedicated to “Love & Laughing”

Dedicated to “Love & Laughing”

The peak season in the camp came to an end 31 October and Jamie and I flew home to Australia on our "love and laugh" holiday. We had not seen our friends and family for 5 months and Nanna was...

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Girls Pampering Night

Girls Pampering Night

Thanks to Donna from Los Angeles who stayed in Mfuwe for 3 months with her partner David we now has a trained manicure, pedicure and massage local lady Esther. Donna is a highly experienced and...

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Safari chic

Safari chic

What does Wendy wear to work? I am a girly girl and love wearing jewellery, dresses and sandals and making an effort with my hair and makeup though working in a bush camp that requires me to walk up...

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Birds Beautiful Birds

Birds Beautiful Birds

Birds beautiful birds! The South Luangwa is famous for a variety of beautiful birds and thanks to a number of our generous guests including John Starr, Paul and Emma I am able to share some of their...

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Jobs for Mfuwe Kids

Jobs for Mfuwe Kids

When Jamie and I talked about moving to Zambia one of my goals was to "give back" to Africa based on how much we had both personally loved our experiences in Africa and how much Travel Specialists...

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Celebrations

Celebrations

September 1, 2016 and it's 6 months since we arrived at Flatdogs Camp, what an exciting 6 months of our lives! Highlights: our guests, the wildlife, our staff, the simple life in Mfuwe, walking to...

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Guests, guests and more guests

Guests, guests and more guests

It is now the middle of the peak season and the camp is full almost every night, about 30 - 38 guests in camp. It is our job to welcome them into camp, show them around the camp along with the...

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Spoiling our guests

Spoiling our guests

Being Camp Managers Jamie and I love to spoil our guests though this guest received more than I ordered. Ulla Stina and Carl from the UK were staying in the amazing Jackalberry Treehouse to...

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Sleep over in the bush

Sleep over in the bush

We had our first adventure into the South Luangwa National Park in July for a sleep over at the beautiful Norman Carr Safaris small bush camp Nsolo. Jamie and I stayed at a sister property Mchenja...

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My fitness buddies

My fitness buddies

I have a fitness routine in Mfuwe of gym/run and bike ride. Gym work out is at a near by lodge Track & Trails and the owner Pete has set a small gym (as below) for guests and he is a gym junky...

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Happy Babies worlds apart

Happy Babies worlds apart

Meet Chabota, she is the daughter of Harold Shumbwamuntu Flatdogs Camp Human Resource, Hospitality & Camp; Community Manager who not only secured our Zambian working permits for us back in...

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Palazzo Flatdogs

Palazzo Flatdogs

We love our home at Flatdogs, it has a beautiful karma with lots of windows, light, kitchen, big bathroom, bedroom downstairs and one upstairs, enormous walk in pantry for our mountain bikes (not...

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First family to visit Flatdogs

First family to visit Flatdogs

Jamie and I flew out of Sydney June 12, 2016 heading back to work at Flatdogs with Jenny and Alyson my sisters on board. It was so sad to leave our family and friends though having Jenny and Al with...

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Richard said

Richard said

My desk is located in an office off from the Reception area which looks up the main access into the camp. I arrived at work on Friday and Richard our Nightwatchman who had worked the night shift...

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Elephants rule

Elephants rule

Elephants rule in our camp, well not really rule though Flatdogs Camp is committed to protecting and working with these awesome animals. They are one of the most stunning and intelligent creatures...

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Introducing Mfuwe Plaza

Introducing Mfuwe Plaza

Shopping in Mfuwe is a very personal and fun experience and we thought it fun to share the experience with you and have attached a few short video clips.The main shopping street of Mfuwe, actually...

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Detox in Zambia

Detox in Zambia

Simply put Jamie and I after 8 weeks in camp feel we are on a detox from our fancy first world life we left behind in Sydney. The meaning of detox is the physiological or medicinal removal of toxic...

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Being prepared for the bush

Being prepared for the bush

Being a worst case scenario type of person when Jamie and I agreed we would apply for work in a remote bush camp in Africa I wanted to prepare for as I say “worse case situations”. This sounds...

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African Fish Eagle

African Fish Eagle

The first moment I spotted an African Fish Eagle was at sunset on the Chobe River where it borders Botswana and Namibia back in 2007. The large bird was sitting silently on a high dead tree hunting...

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Birthday celebrations in Zambia

Birthday celebrations in Zambia

Due to my birthday falling on a Friday this year and our day off is Thursday each week I came up with a great plan to officially celebrate my birthday on the Thursday. To start we had a sleep in and...

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