Zambia
Trip Start
May 13, 2004
1
3
4
Trip End
Jun 06, 2004
Livingstone, Zambia
Thursday, May 27, 2004
My judgment of the hotel was somewhat coloured by the check in dramas but it is actually very comfortable, if a little strange.... a mix of African and Mexican in design with flat roofed adobe buildings, and a combination of African and Caribbean music played by the steel drum band just past reception.... everything is laid around a huge swimming pool, a bar, restaurant and lots of green lawn. Beyond those 2 the theme is very definitely AFRICAN!!!
My room is within hearing distance of the falls, which thunder away night and day, more loudly at present due to the high water levels. The decor is, I guess, very African, but most Africans I have met were more subtle than this. If I am unfortunate enough to wake up looking at the headboard of the bed which is Orange, Apricot, Brown, Blue, White, Red, Green and Beige in a random zigzag pattern, I may never recover.
The floors are polished painted concrete and cannot be walked on safely in anything other than shoes, a fact that I discovered to my cost when I removed my boots and attempted to walk to the bathroom in my socks..... Not elegant!!! It can be negotiated in bare feet but only if taking small mincing steps.... The pillows and the shower should be marketed worldwide, and the big fluffy towels are damn fine.
It is noticeably colder here so, the extra blankets on the bed are very welcome, but unfortunately you can't leave the windows open for fresh air as the mozzies are thick on the ground and love the taste of tourists..... and the baboons sneak into your room at every opportunity. I have evicted 3 so far this morning!
I spent the afternoon yesterday taking my anger out on my laundry.... sparkling clean doesn't begin to describe the results.
Went down to the bar for a pre dinner drink and was cornered by the barman. Where did I come from? NZ... Did I have family there? Yes... Did I have a husband? No... Did I intend to get one? Probably not... This is the second time I have gone through this in Zambia but this guy had asked the questions within 30 seconds of serving me a drink!!!..... Last time I got a very patronising... "Oh well, there is still time", this time I'd moved off toward the restaurant before he'd even thought of commenting.... It may seem picky but I have no intention of discussing the philosophies of life with someone I met and distrusted on sight, within 30 seconds of meeting them.
As an aside all hotels, in Zambia seem to be..... very well staffed. This one has two staff whose sole purpose in life is to greet you and introduce you to your waitperson, there are another 4 who are there solely to thank you for your custom and wish you a pleasant day / evening. If the same staffing levels apply in Zimbabwe, it is worse than I thought.
The restaurant is lovely, open with lots of African art works, but full of children.... one of whom was riding her scooter in between the tables!! Choked down the urge to deliver a coat hanger, ate and left..
I decided to go to Zimbabwe, not because I would have lost the activities but because I wanted to see for myself how bad things are so I set off at 0630 this morning.........
The Vic Falls Zambian border post is the only dirty place I've seen in this country. Rubbish everywhere, a very old and badly maintained building that was freezing cold ...... someone in the visa queue suggested that shutting the door may help, but not a lot as it has no glass!!!
The Zimbabwe side, by contrast, was clean and tidy and if not state of the art, at least freshly painted. As a NZ passport holder the US$30 visa fee was waived and off we trundled.
Victoria Falls Township is very safe for tourists; security guards lurk at every corner to keep it so. The Elephant safari was first up...... the driver dropped me at the Shearwater Adventure Offices and I joined a busload of other tourists, mostly German and English, for our trek out to the camp. Our guide was Temba, who gave us a briefing on what to expect. The camp was much like others I have seen.... a thatched meeting area with an open fire outside it, around which we all huddled with our cups of coffee and tea. There was an extensive safety briefing which included some history on the animals all of whom were orphaned at a very young age and had been kept in peoples back yards until the Elephant Safaris started 5 years ago.
Most people rode in threes, one "keeper" and two guests, but I was one of two who rode only with the elephant handler. My elephant, Makukwe, an African Forest Elephant, is 14 years old, weighs about 2.3 tonnes and stands 2.5 metres at the shoulder, she can currently carry about one third of her weight. She is likely to grow to 5 tonnes and 4 metres at the shoulder. The ride took about an hour and a half, which was quite long enough as the saddles aren't contoured to allow you to grip with your legs..... Plus I am not riding fit for horses let alone elephant. Didn't see much game but had a lot of fun watching how the ellies behave. They graze for up to 18 hours a day, so every bush was used for snacking en route, despite the best efforts of the handlers. Elephant are prolific farters and the one in front of mine had world class potential..... letting rip at regular intervals !! He is also missing the tip of his truck.... it was bitten off by a lion when just a wee tot. It doesn't seem to affect his appetite or ability to appease it.........
The ride was followed by time for us to "handle" our elephant.... largely involving placing handfuls of seed and molasses pellets, which they love, into the end of their trunks... they then blow them into their mouths. A wonderful experience but shan't be repeating the riding bit as it seemed somehow undignified for the animals.... The dexterity of their trunks is incredible, They could pick up a single cigarette butt sized pellet form the ground with apparent ease!!!
One English couple had a wee stuffed toy with them that appeared in all the photos. They are carrying it for a primary school near their home in England, so that the children have something tangible as a memento of Africa. Kinda nice!!!
The Elephant safari company get someone to video the entire event and you are shown the results about 10 minutes after the ride is finished, complete with your own name amongst the cast. You can purchase it for US$40. I declined.......
Had a long chat to Temba on the return trip. Lobola applies here too and a lot of White Zimbabweans follow the same rules. He used to work with a guy who married an Australian girl. Her parents were not aware of the Lobola rule and only agreed to accept anything after much discussion, as the guy was not happy about not paying anything. Seems he set off to meet them with a chicken tucked under his arm.........
Temba is very keen to travel and was interested in hearing about my travels to date.... France, Switzerland etc.... he is a history nut and is dying to see the Louvre and other famous historic buildings.....
Was dropped back at the Shearwater offices to wait for my helicopter flight at 2.pm, so decided to walk around town. There is a big sign saying that it is illegal to change money on the streets and of course all the money changers operate right underneath it. I was offered anywhere between 6000 and 9000 Zim dollars for one US dollar. Most shops sell great handmade curios carved from soapstone and wood, and lots of great journals, books and photo albums with covers made of Elephant dung paper..... I bought a lovely small soapstone piece for the princely sum of ZIM$15,000 and a new copper bracelet. The woman who sold me the bracelet told me that the markets were worth visiting but I should place any purchases in my pack before paying as handing over money before securing the goods would guarantee that both would vanish into the crowd......
A young guy and his blind father followed me all around town begging for money..... I resisted for a while and was almost at the point of handing over some cash, despite the fact that they tell you not to for fear of attracting every beggar in town, when I spotted dad giving me a filthy look. His "blindness" meant that his eyes were rolled to the left with part of the pupil still visible, the death stare showed me two very focused pupils dead centre..... ducking into shops did not deter them they simply waited until I came out again. They finally gave up after an hour or but tackled me again later on.... They may have gotten money out of sympathy for their situation and appreciation for their doggedness if dad hadn't slipped up.........
One of the shops had several sets of a game called Kisolo (called Chisolo in Zambia and played slightly differently).... my aunt used to have the wooden "board" for the game which has handles carved at either end and up to 12 round "bowls" carved into it. We never knew what it was for and nor did she..... from memory she used it as a dish for chutneys, olives etc...... It is played like draughts, but you don't have a colour for each player you simply take turns.
As you head from the shopping area toward the market you are besieged by enterprising young guys who are selling wooden and soapstone curios. Not sure if they make them themselves as they claimed.... was tempted to buy a pair of beautiful soapstone hippos, but decided against it as my pack already seems a lot heavier and I have only bought 2 books and a T shirt. I don't want to use a second bag if I can avoid it!!!
The hippos started off at US$20 for the pair and after being declined several times by me were reduced to US$10 within several minutes. It is tempting to buy things as these guys are obviously struggling for money, poorly dressed although very clean.. it could be a ruse for sympathy a la Tijuana, but enquires at the shops and businesses around town showed that business is down by about 70%.
Had lunch at a restaurant called the Cattleman.... tried Zambezi lager the local beer and the first one was flat and horrid. The waiter hurriedly replaced it and didn't seem surprised about the quality of the beer.... they replace up to 25% of bottles which either go flat waiting for people to come and drink them or arrive that way from the brewery. You can't sit outside having a beer or lunch and watching the world go by, as you'd never get to eat your lunch or finish your drink for people offering you something!!!
The Zimbabwean people are generally very attractive; the Zambians are too but in a different fashion. The Zimbabweans have rounder faces, which seem more open to humour, and beautiful teeth. En route to the helicopter ride we drove around town picking up other passengers. The place appears more affluent than Zambia, a case of what has been, me thinks..... the tourist business has been like this for 18 months and shows no sign of improving.
Hotel occupancy is down to 25 to 30%..... the local people are very tourist focused and very concerned at the state of things so work very hard to make sure that you enjoy your time here and spread the word..... Young entrepreneurs approach you offering to arrange everything from cheap activities, to better prices at your hotel and a paid escort through the markets to keep the "pests" to a minimum.
My questions about what should be done to change the state of things from their perspective produce a lot of nervous looks but no responses.
We had to be weighed before the chopper flight, having stripped off my pack, and belt bag I came to the conclusion that my money belt (which also holds my passport, Tickets, and hotel vouchers etc) must weigh a lot more than I thought!!
The helicopter ride was great and gives an excellent view of the falls... we flew over a golf course on the way to the falls. There are no fences and it is in the game park so Impala were strolling down the fairway. I wonder what penalty or free stroke you get for hitting one, or having a baboon steal your ball!!
There was an Asian man on the chopper ride before ours who speaks only French, he is travelling as part of a large French group..... and has the worst wig I have ever seen. He reckoned the Victoria Falls weren't a patch on Niagara..... but he seems to be one of one in that opinion.
White water rafting and Jet Boating are both off the program from early April to early July as the water levels are too high. The afternoon Zambezi Sunset cruise was fun. The introduction and boat safety briefing is given in both French and English. Safety is emphasized by Moses, who tells us that we go up river from the falls, as venturing too near them in the strong current will ensure a cordless bungee jump!!!.... The boats are a sort of barge arrangement, some single level, some with an upper open deck. All appear to be powered by one or two 100 hp outboard motors. The river bank is jam packed with boats that are parked up due to the lack of tourists.
The Zambezi is a vast body of water and is several hundred yards wide for the entire course of the cruise. It only ranks as the 4th largest in Africa behind the Nile, Niger and Congo rivers.
Most on board have several cameras, but the hippos are shy and a lot of pictures will show where the hippo was!!! The loos have a sign above them saying "Urinary Systems only"..... about 70% of the passengers are French and 10% children.... hmmmmmm
The spirits are poured by hand, no nip measures for these guys and the results are obvious within a very short time..... some drinks were half and half, others tilted in favour of the spirit of choice!!!
Was delivered to the Zim border by the bus and then picked up by a Zambian guy from the same company on the other side. He spotted that my visa for Zambia was single entry only and decided that he would save me US$25 for another visa by just driving through the Zambian border post. I was very apprehensive but we sailed through without question. I wonder how often this happens.
You now have yet another tome to munch over while having your morning coffee, and breakfast is calling......... TTFN ............ M
Part 11
The breakfast buffet here is truly impressive, only trouble is there are too many things to choose from and to try everything would necessitate about 3 dinner sized plates. I stuck with "known quantities" like fresh fruit, as something I ate yesterday is taking its revenge. I have been very lucky so far!!!!
I checked with reception after breakfast about my room and my booking has been "extended" for another night!!!
Livingstone and its hotels being tourist focused food and drink here are approximately twice the price of Lusaka.
A point for future travellers to this area. Every taxi driver I have dealt with, either here or in Lusaka, claims not to have change. So it is best to check the change situation before climbing aboard, unless you have the correct amount. You need to carry large quantities of small denominations in $US...
Went for a walk to Victoria Falls this morning. Thank goodness for my Tranz Link "jacket in a packet" which stays in my day pack for just such an occasion, although they do rent raincoats at the falls. Took the upriver path first to get an idea of exactly how fast the water moves immediately prior to hurling itself over the edge .. answer bloody fast.
Then walked around to the front of the falls, after donning my trusty jacket and got soaked, you can't actually see much at this time of the year as there is so much water coming over the falls, but the sheer power is impressive. The closer you get the more torrential the "rain"........ Anyone foolish enough to attempt swimming near the falls would face almost certain death ... or, even worse be critically injured, as my grandmother used to say!!
Dropped in on the market just outside the hotel complex on the way back and purchased a couple more small items. The salespeople are relentless and count on people giving up and buying things. You can't crouch down to view items on the ground, the custom is to sit on some sort of "tribal" stool. A fatal move, once you do that they have got you....
To my surprise the guys were keen to swap goods for Kiwi mementoes (their words not mine). It hadn't occurred to me to bring anything so had to pay cold hard cash ... with the warnings of the woman in Zimbabwe ringing in my ears I tried to keep an eye on the guy who was packing my purchases, to see that he didn't swap them, while talking to the man who sold them to me, then handed over the loot. They hate giving change, and do their utmost to make sure that they don't, but I couldn't find any other pieces that grabbed me so they reluctantly dug out some US$ notes.
You cannot simply cruise around and see everything before selecting your purchase, every stall holder tackles you and won't take no for an answer. In the end despite seeing some different products, that I would have liked to check out, at the other end of the market, I left. I am picking that some serious money changes hands to get the spots closest to the entry for that very reason!!!!
Went to the Livingstone museum this afternoon, won't bother with the township as it mostly contains still more curio stores. The museum building is being renovated and the "artefacts" are temporarily housed in a building down a blind alley, so I arranged for the taxi driver to come back in two hours. He has been driving a taxi for a couple of years and I am the first white person he has brought here!!!
It is worth every penny of the US$3 entry fee ....... it contains not only Livingstone stuff but lots of Zambian Independence information, a section on slavery which is heart wrenching, another section made up of toys created by children, and a large display on Zambian animals, plants, and local life which included Cooking, herbal medicines, witchcraft tools, musical instruments, fighting and hunting weapons, art, crafts, clothing, and intricate carvings.
The Livingstone section was fascinating, through his reputation and actions I had always thought of him as quite a large man, but judging by his walking stick which is only about 2.5 feet long he was quite short. He must have been physically powerful, as the elephant gun that he used is on display is about 6 ft long and if I gripped the barrel I very much doubt that my thumb and forefinger would touch on either side ... goodness only knows what it weighs, even rested on a rock or tree branch it must have been difficult to handle and would kick like a mule!!! The loyalty and respect that he engendered in his followers is in evidence in every letter and newspaper article. When he was killed his friends faced incredible danger to get his remains to the coast for transport to England.
Slave chains, and the methods used to obtain the slaves are so depressing that I can't think of anything to say about them.
The children's section is great. Toys made by kids of all ages ... some of the more impressive ones made with wire include a full sized motorbike complete with saddlebags, a Tip Truck of the large mining variety and a Locomotive with several wagons behind it.
Most of the animals I had seen, but the local life items like wind instruments made from various antelope horns to provide different notes were fascinating. Such ingenuity!!!
The clothing section had a display of beaded "skirts" that made the shortest mini I have seen look positively modest.... hunting weapons were designed and made on a horses for courses basis, small spears and bows for birds and smaller animals, longer spears for large ones and a very ingenious harpoon for hippos, which had a spear attached to a length of rope, the other end of being tied to a long piece of light wood that floated. I assume that you harpooned the hippo then followed the "float" until the hippo ran out of steam or bled to death. Not terribly humane, but effective nevertheless!!!
The medicine section had a large sign saying don't try this unless you know what you are doing.... the margin between kill and cure being small with some of these herbs!!!
The witchcraft section has all sorts of pills and potions plus some very nasty looking dried animal bits, the chiefs / kings section had an equally large collection of impressive ones to denote status.... leopard skins, elephant tails, ivory and intricate carvings. The agriculture and cooking sections were full of tools that I imagine can still be used today. A mortar and pestle or a hoe will always withstand the test of time. Most of the items were very simple and some very innovative, like the sled with a V shaped cradle on it for carting firewood.
The art was very good, but always showed the people as being larger than either the animals or the trees..... I'm not sure why!!!
Movement from being North Rhodesia to independent Zambia was a long, painful and troubled path.
Spent a great couple of hours here and I can't understand why more tourists don't visit. Like other places in Zambia they could do with the money and there is so much to learn.
As Livingstone is a border town it is also a transport hub, the carparks are full of huge trucks, most uncovered, carting coal, bags of varying products, all hand stacked, and agricultural pipes. There is also a major shunting yard here and they must have had some huge derailments judging by the stack of very mangled looking wagons between the road and the track. Not terribly good for inspiring confidence in new customers I would have thought!!!
Tomorrow I leave for Johannesburg...I have enjoyed my time at Victoria Falls and believe it is a must see, but don't think I'd come back. I much prefer the unspoiled wilds!!!
Typical me, found the best restaurant in the place... hot plates, good wine, friendly atmosphere and excellent food (some of the best beef I think I have ever tasted), the night before I leave. To anyone visiting Livingstone I can thoroughly recommend the beef at the Squires restaurant behind the casino at the Zambezi Sun hotel. Will "talk" soon M
