MANILA, Philippines - To this day, I still wake up and say, ?OMG, I went to Africa.?

We met up with the Asia To Africa reps in Singapore to customize our I-cant-believe-we?re-going-to-Africa-on-a-safari trip. We felt completely at ease about the country the reps recommended for us?Zambia!

Why Zambia? Because we wanted to experience the real Africa. We could?ve easily asked for the big, popular game reserves in Kenya or South Africa, where you mingled with other flamboyantly dressed tourists. But we wanted sparse, isolated??Spartan??Africa. We had no idea.

Because we were all in denial that the ?Amazing Race Asia? had ended, Vanessa Chong (Team Malaysia), Paula Taylor (Team Thailand) Marc Nelson and I were on this adventure to Africa. With our boundless energy, curiosity and our favorite Africa book, ?Whatever You Do, Don?t Run? by Peter Allison (a must-read!), we were off on our 15-hour flight to Johannesburg.

Like a bizarro-world version of ?Welcome to Kalamu Camp in Zambia? was the booming greeting made by Petros Guwa, the camp manager. All that was missing was his all-white linen suit and tattoo.

Gateway

Camp Kalamu was the gateway to what would be a truly memorable experience. I was looking forward to putting my McGyver skills to good use?building a fire, pitching the tent, having cold showers, fending off hungry lions, etc.

Little did we realize that our ?camp? was more like an oasis. There were only four ?tents? in Kalamu, and there could only be 4,000 hectares of private land per bed, or 7,500 hectares per room.

While Marc was figuring out the math, I was realizing, ?No one can hear us scream??

We were the only guests for a friendly staff of 12 (who memorized our names upon arrival; I find that impressive because my own parents forget my name).

We got to our tents and were blown away. An Egyptian cotton-draped king-size bed with pillows the size of baby hippos. Antique wood, canvas, ivory, bronze fixtures, plumbing with solar-powered hot water at your command. It was unreal.

We waited for Robert Redford to kick us out of his dressing room, as we obviously had invaded the set of ?Out of Africa? Part 2. The food was equally impressive. Savory African dishes that were colorful, exotic and delicious?steaks, local vegetables and oven-baked bread from wood-burning stove.

The full bar readily sat behind a plush sunken lounge area built into the earth. And we had a view of the majestic Luangwa River teeming with wildlife just meters away.

First safari

Our resident Kalamu guide, Sam, and assigned escort, Thuto, took us out on our first safari. We opted for the ?walking safari,? which was popularized in the reserves of Zambia. You got a greater sense of appreciation for the ?hunt? as you tracked animals on foot and observed plant and insect life, paw/hoof prints, wind, erosion and, of course, animal dung.

Our guides were a wealth of passion and information. We noticed they would always try to ?one up? the other with random information that would be useful only if you were on ?Jeopardy.?

?I can sit here and watch the crested crane all day, ? said Thuto. ?I love the smell of fresh impala dung in the morning,? Sam boasted.

A highlight on our walking safari was the rare glimpse of a lioness patrolling her area. We barely had enough time to react, as she vanished into a thick, spiny bush. We saw enough to get the hairs standing on the back of our necks, and we applauded (silently) our guides for their tracking prowess.

On Day 3, while walking toward a unique baobab tree, Paula said, ?Hey, look at those cute cow ears twiddling in the bush.?

Sam calmly whispered, ?That?s a lion and I think we should be getting back to the vehicle. Now!?

We safely got back to the Rover and drove a mere 25 meters toward the lion when we spotted not one, but nine hungry lions!

Luxurious tents

Two flights away via Cessna and helicopter was Camp Kapinga in the Busanga plains. The ?tents? were just as luxurious as the previous one (Did I mention they built pools and sun decks in the camps, too?).

The oft-dry Busanga plains were flooded and ripe for a different type of animal adventure?the hippo.

The hippo needs to fire its PR agency because it isn?t cute or cuddly. As we observed a grazing herd, one errant hippo began to charge our tiny boat. Its massive head (easily the size of a recliner) loomed closer. Then, right before impact, it dived and swam underneath us. We felt its bumpy back graze the boat?s bottom. We were stunned.

Its humongous head breached the surface a few feet away and snorted water out its nostrils. If the final scene from ?Jaws? and the Adventureland boat ride at Disneyland had a baby, that experience would be it. Awesome!

On the Rover ride back to camp in search of elusive and rare wild dogs, we were shocked to find a magnificent bush-style picnic prepared for us in the middle of nowhere, complete with chilled champagne, exotic dried meats and cheese, crackers and a succulent vegetable-kabob ingeniously grilled on a shovel.

Mind you, this was the protocol every time we left a camp?surprise bush-merienda away from base camp as a farewell gesture.

Genuine safari stories next to a blazing fire under the stars while sipping champagne? they did not advertise this in brochures, but it was the essence of our adventure.

Livingstone

Our final camp was Toka Leya, located in Livingstone (named after British explorer David Livingstone). A luxurious, brand-new five-star camp had been built along the banks of the Zambezi River, which sits a few miles upstream from Victoria Falls, the largest waterfall in the world.

This was the flagship camp; it hosted a hodgepodge of couples, retired folk, families and newlyweds. They all happened to be ?dotcom? millionaires. Go figure.

We ventured into the city of Livingstone and tried local extreme activities such as the gorge swing (featured in the ?Amazing Race US? edition), a steep drop down into the Batoka Gorge?think bungee jumping off a cliff with a 54-m freefall ending with a nice pendulum swing at the end for good measure.

We did abseiling down a 54-m rock face, then high-wired across the Batoka Gorge ?Superman-style? at 100 m up, and engaged in flying fox and clay pigeon shooting (where first-timer Vanessa and I handily beat veteran shooter Marc and Paula). All this was prearranged by our friends at Asia to Africa.

A final afternoon safari had us encountering a wandering elephant, a pair of grazing zebra, mating giraffe (yes, they mate standing, if you?re interested to know) and an ultra-rare black rhino.

Of the ?Big Five? animals to see in Africa, the rhino is top of the list. The other four are the leopard, elephant, buffalo and lion.

Heading back to camp, Thuto pointed out baboons happily feasting on their own feces. We were aghast. It?s comforting to know we are only one chromosome away from eating our own poo.

No substitute

When in Africa, be prepared to channel your inner bird-watcher, botanist, eco-warrior, explorer, photographer, Tarzan, adventurer and nature-lover.

And if you?re longing for a journey of a lifetime, a magical trip on a time machine to see life as it was millions of years ago where you hang on every scent, taste and sound, where every experience is new, unforgettable and inspiring. There is no substitute for a visit to Africa.

Africa is alive. Africa is waiting.

Special thanks to Asia to Africa Safaris (www.atoasafaris.com) for outstanding service and help in customizing our dream vacation. Contact enquiry@atoasafaris.com or call 7500076. Special thanks to all the camps in Zambia: Kalamu Tented Camp, Kapinga Camp and Toka Leya Camp.