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After a week of hardcore business in Lusaka,
Zambia, we decided to hire a car and drive
to Zimbabwe via the border crossing at Victoria
Falls. A weekend was approaching and we
only had a few firm appointments in Harare
the following week, the first of which was
on the Wednesday. Our flight back to India
was scheduled for the following Sunday -
about ten days later. It was a good plan
because we could take a four-day break from
business in Victoria Falls and experience
some the adventures for which it is famous.
Victoria Falls is the name of a natural
phenomenon - obviously a waterfall. Victoria
Falls is also the name of a town in
Zimbabwe.
The town by the same name as the natural
phenomenon leads some to believe that the
actual falls are in Zimbabwe, while in reality
they are situated on the Zambezi River and
are shared by Zambia and Zimbabwe, with
the river constituting the border.
Our Zambian driver dropped us off at the
immigration checkpoint, located on the Zambia
side of the river. He wasn't allowed to
take us across the border, so after having
our documents checked, we stood in the parking
lot hoping to catch a lift across the bridge
into Zimbabwe. We accepted the first offer,
which was in the back of an open game-viewing
vehicle, the size of a mini bus with a covered
cab for the driver, but open-air seats in
the back and no roof. The bridge crosses
the gorge at a distance of about 200 metres
in front of the falls and we got soaking
wringing wet from the spray. Thus, our first
Zimbabwe adventure commenced precisely as
we entered the country. When we entered
our hotel on the other side, the reception
staff snickered up their sleeves at the
sight of what appeared to be two waterlogged
river rats approaching the check-in counter.
It was late in the afternoon, and after
drying off and settling in, we met with
the guest relations lady and asked what
there was to see or do on a Friday evening
in Victoria Falls. She suggested that we
go to the Cultural Centre and watch some
tribal dance and then come back to the hotel
for supper. When we asked the question,
we were thinking in terms of Discos but
decided to partake in the evening of dance,
which was performed by young people from
the Marimba, Shanga, and Nyau - some of
the tribes of Zimbabwe. The first group
consisted of a band and
dancers. The all-male
band played xylophone-type instruments with
hardwood keys and hollow gourds below them
that made the notes resonate - the larger
the gourd, the deeper the note. Young women
danced and sang to the music. The next was
the Sanga tribe - an offshoot of the Zulu
of South Africa - and their lively foot
stomping dance is similar to that of their
southern cousins. Then came Nyau dancers
who performed wearing huge facial masks
- sometimes so large that you could only
see the feet of the dancer. It was a wonderful
evening that was topped off by another Sanga
dance display during our buffet dinner back
at the hotel.
In the morning, we were up bright and early
and by 08:30 were at the ticket booth of
the park entrance to view the falls. Foreigners
pay $20 each to enter the park, which at
first we considered a little steep, but
once inside we were amazed by the spectacle
and glad to have paid the dues.
Millions of litres of water plunge over
a 1.7 kilometre wide cliff into a narrow
gorge. The roar that it makes is tremendous
and the mist that rises high in the air
has the appearance of white smoke, hence
the traditional name Mosi-ou-Tunya - Smoke
that Thunders. In 1855, Dr. David Livingstone
was the first white man to lay eyes on the
falls and he named them after his Queen.
He wrote in his diary, "On sights as beautiful
as this, Angels in their flight must have
gazed." After entering the park, we paid
a visit to the Livingstone
monument, which
was unveiled on 16 November 1955 - the centennial
of the missionary explorer's historic visit.
The park is laid out for optimum viewing
of the falls and gorge. A path winds its
way along the bank and at one point the
visitor can descend the 79-step (we counted
every one of them) stone stairway to a point
halfway into the gorge - a raincoat is recommended.
The constant spray that drenches the park
has contributed to a tropical rainforest
with giant mahogany, wild fig and sausage
trees. The forest is also home to exquisite
orchids and ferns and numerous small four
legged creatures. The path leads the visitor
along a section of the gorge that faces
the falls and side paths lead to points
only about 80 meters in front of the raging
torrent. The full extent of the path leads
to a magnificent view of the
bridge. We
walked the complete extent of the park twice
and were still reluctant to depart. We had
seen Victoria Falls on earlier trips to
Zambia. Zambians say that the view is better
from their side, while Zimbabweans say the
opposite. In the interest of diplomacy -
remember, we're from Diplomatist Magazine
- we'll remain neutral on that one!
We arrived back at the hotel in time to
have a coffee, and meet a vehicle that would
take us on a game drive in the nearby National
Park. During the drive, we stayed close
the riverbank (up river from the falls)
and saw several species of wildlife - buffalo,
antelope, warthog,
crocodile, elephants,
zebra,
giraffe and lots of
exotic birds.
The elephant sighting wasn't great because
they were half concealed on an island in
the river, but the buffalo were very
close.
The African buffalo is quite similar in
appearance to his docile Indian cousin,
but don't let that fool you if you ever
encounter one in the wild. They are the
most unpredictable and thus dangerous of
the African Big Five - buffalo, leopard,
lion, elephant and rhino.
After our wildlife viewing, we were dropped
back at the hotel and just had enough time
to grab a sandwich before meeting transportation
to a pre-booked sunset river cruise on the
Zambezi. The boat was a catamaran, with
a flat deck across the pontoons and a canvas
awning. There were deck chairs for the guests
and a small bar with a bartender who was
very liberal with the complimentary drinks.
As we cruised along the river, we spotted
the same herd of elephant on the island
that we had seen earlier on the game drive,
but the greatest sighting besides the sunset
and rainbow was a
family of hippo on the
bank of the river. Usually all you can see
of hippos are their eyeballs, nostrils and
wiggly little ears as they spend most of
the time in the water. The sunset cruise
topped of a busy, but delightful Saturday.
At 6AM on Sunday morning, we were off on
an excursion to Hwange National Park - Zimbabwe's
largest - located about a three-hour drive
due south of Vic Falls. We had scheduled
a full day in the park and were at the entrance
by about 09:30. This game drive was a whole
lot better than the one of the previous
day, in terms of wildlife seen. We saw so
many elephants in fact, that I eventually
only used my camera to click shots that
I considered photo-worthy. In other words,
I had to refrain from clicking too much
for fear of running out of film before days
end and missing a potential shot of a lifetime.
One particular elephant sighting was enhanced
by a mini drama. Three adolescent males
were drinking at a waterhole. A bunch of
giraffes and antelope were standing at a
distance of about 200 metres waiting for
their turn. Eventually, the giraffes had
had enough of waiting and approached the
waterhole. When they advanced to about 50
metres, the elephants looked up and saw
them. Now, elephants do not have great eyesight.
All that they could make out was something
really tall approaching. They stood their
ground for a short while, but soon backed
down and ran off into the forest. In a last
act of defiance one turned and challenged
our vehicle, which was evident when he extended
his ears in order to make his large profile
look even larger and thus scarier. This
sighting was great, but the best was yet
to come.
After the elephant episode I was reminded
of a phrase in a hymn that goes - ? all
creatures great and small ?. Our vehicle
came to a sudden stop for no apparent reason.
Our guide pointed out a platoon of army
ants crossing the roadway. As far as ants
go I'd consider their physical size to be
quite large at about one inch in length.
There were about 400 of them and they were
on their way to attack a nearby termite
mound. We waited for the last to cross in
order not to squish any of the stragglers.
During wildlife safaris, all creatures great
and small have the right of way.
Towards the end of our day, we rounded a
bend in the road and there, blocking our
path, stood the King of Beasts - a full-grown
male lion. He was magnificent. He just stood
there watching us for about five minutes
before ambling off into the bush. As we
slowly (and cautiously!) proceeded, we encountered
some of his pride concealed in the tall
grass - a couple of lionesses and their
cubs. I had unknowingly been saving film
for this experience - not that I got the
previously mentioned 'shot of a lifetime'.
With that sighting under our belt, we made
our way out of the park and back to Vic
Falls. A day at Hwange is an ideal side
trip during a visit to Victoria Falls.
We decided to relax on Monday and the most
part of Tuesday, with our flight to Harare
on Tuesday evening. Victoria Falls (town)
is actually quite small. You can walk to
any place worthwhile within town and the
downtown has an up-market shopping plaza.
There are several first class hotels and
lodges - some right in town and others not
far up or downriver. We explored the town
for bargains on Monday and walked away with
an eighteen-inch tall stone sculpture for
about twenty dollars and a Zambezi talking
stick for ten. Zimbabwe is well known for
the craft of stonework and the talking stick
tells a story of the people of the Zambezi
in carved figures. Later we took the
"Flight
of Angles," which is a 12-minute helicopter
ride above the falls. The ride was named
after the previously mentioned entry in
Dr. Livingstone's diary and was well worth
the time and expense. We lifted off from
a launch pad situated upstream a few kilometres
from the falls and transited along their
width in both directions so that people
on both sides of the aircraft could get
a clear view. It was quite an adventure.
The operator that provided flight had a
full range of adventures to offer including
white water rafting below the falls, jet
boating, bungi jumping (from the Victoria
Falls bridge), camping and rides on elephant
back through the park. I wanted to do a
bungi jump, but opted out in order to keep
peace in the family. Linda was relieved!
After a splendid few days in Victoria Falls,
we flew to Harare (a very modern city I
must add) on Tuesday and carried on with
business.
I must confess that due to negative reports
coming out of Zimbabwe on the news of late,
I was a wee bit apprehensive about visiting
the country, especially since I'm a camera
totting whitey from the print media. But
I couldn't have been more wrong. We were
treated with the greatest of respect by
one of the most hospitable peoples - Zimbabweans
- that we have ever encountered. Visit Zimbabwe
soon. We recommend the destination.
All photos by the author
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