Adrenaline Kick in Zimbabwe/Zambia
Trip Start
Apr 01, 2008
1
12
20
Trip End
Jul 24, 2009
Livingstone,
Livingstone,
Zambia
Monday, May 19, 2008
To be honest, ny first impression of Vic Falls was inefficiency, and from the sounds of things that could be a recurring theme along the way throughout Africa! One immigration official for a full plane load of foreign tourists? Hmmm that logic escaped me, although we encountered the same thing at the Zimbabwe/Zambian border. But driving from the airport to Vic Falls gave me a real boost of inspiration and enthusiasm, the clear blue open skies contrasting against the dusty roads and crooked trees, complete with baboons on the side of the road...very Lion King reminiscent! Met the rest of the group who I would be touring with for the next 21 days with Africa Travel Co
Very high... honestly!
. Fairly satisfied with the crew of about 21 ppl : ) I could be awful and stereotype some, but bad karma and I'll reserve all opinions for now and gossip later! Diverse backgrounds from Iceland, US, Sth Africa, Aussie, Wales, to name a few, and with careers from 'nothing' (where I currently reside) to banking to studying. A good bunch all in all and definitely different dynamics to the Contiki I did in the States when I was 21. Got to see the majority of them completely intoxicated on Sat night though (most of the group have been travelling from capetown)- I was zonked from jetlag/exhaustion, but it was one way to get to know your fellow travellers! Vic Falls is reknowned for its adventure sports and after being dissapointed by the news that the Zambesi river was too high to raft, I decided to join a few of the others and join up for an 'adrenaline' day. Hmmm some idea. As I've gotten older, I've also become more wussier. Things that used to excite me at the prospect e.g. bungee and skydiving (which I have since tried and will never do again!) now instill a bunch of nerves and nausea as I calculate the probability of failure. However, when in Rome... So started off with a flying fox over the ravine/cliff... kinda superman style. Nice warmup. Moved onto the zipwire whoopee swing, which I did with another of the girls - she wanted a partner for more speed/gravity, whereas I just needed the company to reassure my nerves!!! But the big whammy was without a doubt the gorge swing
False Bravado
. 70 metre freefall followed by a further 50 metre swing above the river. We are talking sweaty palms, butterflies, pale-faced stuff! I was actually frightened just watching other people do it!!! Anyhow, moral of the story, I did it. And it was fun. I also was shaking like a leaf before, during, and after. This morning crossed over to Livingstone in Zambia and had my first experience pitching a tent etc. Camping so far (the whole 24 hrs) has been simple enough, but I must say it definitely helps when the weather is good! My tentmate, Lisbeth, is Danish and so like me it's a little scary. Lonely Planet and map addict, time-stickler, and full of questions! We actually are already at the stage where we tell each other to relax! Have a bit of chill-out time this arvo, before I take a microlight flight over the Falls which is supposed to be amazing. Yesterday went and had a walk round the national park to view the falls and they were seriously breathtaking. The locals call the Falls, 'Mosi oa Tunya ' which means 'the smoke that thunders' and it's a truly apt description. Unlike anything I've ever seen, massive, loud, beautiful especially when it's framed by numerous rainbows. It's the high water season so getting too close also means getting soaked, and there are many spots where you can barely see the Falls through the spray. So seeing it by microlight should give a completely new perspective. We were also accompanied by monkeys as we walked through the bush to the variety of viewpoints.
That's about it so far. The weather is perfect (touch wood), not too hot or cold. The people are friendly although service is incredibly slow (over 1 hr wait at most restaurants/cafes), and I am obviously not a fan of the begging, especially by the children who will follow you for literally hundreds of metres trying to get your cash. Quite different to Asia where at least they tried to sell you something or got the message pretty quickly. I am definitely going to miss hot showers and bed mattresses, but it's also time for me to harden up!
Also, the internet connection reminds me of dial up back in 1995, so photos will have to wait... but I can guarantee they are awesome!
