Kiss The Rain

So, our adventure continued the next morning after spending the night with a hippo for the neighbour. Putting the tents down was usually a stressful part of the day as we were all tired first thing in the morning and not fully functioning so mistakes were often made, although we did get better at it as the trip went on. Once we were packed up we set off in search of Zambia and the wonders that it was to hold.

Our first task though was to successfully negotiate the border which we had previously been warned was notoriously difficult to cross. After completing some paper work in Botswana we parked up and waited for the Kazungula car ferry which would take us across the mighty Zambezi river. The boat certainly didn’t resemble the Portaferry car ferry but it did carry out the same function, even with an engine that looked like the cavemen might have used! Even getting on to the monster was a mission as there was a sever lack of an on ramp and so our 4x4 had to be engaged for the first time! Once on the boat we enjoyed some glorious views of the Zambezi and it wasn’t long before we touched down on Zambian soil. That was when the real fun we began…

Firstly we had no idea of where to park exactly. There were cars everywhere, and I mean everywhere and in every direction! Some guy in a Spanish football shirt guided us to an unorthodox parking position and we proceeded to immigration and customs! On reading the ‘Lonely Planet’ we had figured that we would be able to pay for our visas in Rand but not for the first or last time on our trip ‘Lonely Planet’ was wrong (NB Never trust ‘Lonely Planet’!). We were told by the immigration officers that we had to pay in either kwache (the currency of Zambia) or in US dollars, which we couldn’t purchase! Not knowing what our next step should be I walked out of the building to find the guy in the Spanish shirt handing over $320 to Hans and Sebastian! Apparently they had told him our situation and he had merrily skipped off to pick up the cash at a location which I am certain it was not legal to get money from. Visas paid for we then discovered that we also had to pay about 101 other charges in order to enter the country. There was a carbon tax, a council levy, a road toll and insurance to be paid for and at every step there was Tom, the guy in the Spanish shirt, slipping us notes whether it be kwache or dollars! The border was such a joke! There were civilians just walking in and out of the customs offices, money changing hands left right and centre and we even managed to barter the price of our road toll with an official! A sign on entry to the country read ‘Zambia - fight against corruption’ which Veronica misread as ‘Zambia - not against corruption’, which I think was more accurate. Once through the gate after showing each individual paper to about 5 different individuals we then had to sort out our payment of Tom who at first wanted a ridiculous exchange rate but after an angry outburst from Sebastian we managed to secure a rate of R8 for $1 which we figured wasn’t the worst rate in the world but it wasn’t great!

Finally on the road again after spending about 3 or 4 hours around the border we headed in the direction of Livingstone. On arrival we met up with Kirsty and Rachel and it was so good to see some old faces and to catch up on how the girls had been getting on and exchange stories. We soon set up camp at the Jollyboys campsite which came complete with a pool and a braai area much to our delight! After a brief downpour we were treated to the sights, sounds and smells of Maramba market in Livingstone which was like a labyrinth of food, convenience and clothing stalls. Some of the food on offer was interesting to say the least and included piles of small fish and dried caterpillars! The other thing of note was that there were flies swarming over everything but we still bought some vegetables for our braai that evening. We braaid at the campsite with the girls and I have to say that it was great to eat meat again after a few days of pasta and sauce!

That evening we went to the luxurious Zambezi Sun hotel on the waterfront to watch a Zambian dance show. The show presented different dances and tribal traditions from four of Zambia’s provinces. The dancers were so energetic and the performance was fantastic and even included an appearance from ‘Mr. Livingstone’, one of the biggest guys I have ever seen! We later found out that David Beckham was staying in the very same hotel while we were there but unfortunately we didn’t manage to bump into him or Victoria. Speaking of Victoria, that brings me on to the main purpose of our trip…Victoria Falls!

For the first time in a very long time I didn’t see the dawn on Easter morning. However what I did see that day was perhaps an even more marvellous display of God’s living beauty. Victoria Falls, or as the locals call it, Mosi-O-Tunya (which means ‘the smoke that thunders’) was simply breathtaking. We caught our first glimpse of the fall from a view point on the eastern side and I was absolutely blown away by the volume of water passing over the rocks. Incredible! No pictures or videos truly do it justice, it has to be experienced to be truly appreciated, so I urge everyone reading this to make the journey if the opportunity presents itself. I could have settled for that first sight but better was still to come. We were going to feel the Falls!

We ventured down the path a little way and we soon discovered why everyone coming back the way was drenched from head to toe. It is recommended that you wear a raincoat or some kind of waterproof but being the intrepid and adventurous explorers that we are, we three gentlemen tore of our shirts and decided to brave the force of the water. And we weren’t disappointed. The moment when we first realised the true volume of water will be a moment that I will never forget. I can remember the four of us standing at a view point and getting soaked with water from all angles and we were just shouting, cheering, jumping and hugging each other! We had made it! It was all worth it!

We walked across Cataract bridge which connects the mainland to a small island and which was actually at a great height, but you couldn’t see the bottom through the spray so my usual fear of heights was rendered void! The bridge was really slippery though from all the water and there were some guys who were taking a run up and sliding the whole way across the bridge which looked super fun but I didn’t dare to try it! Once on the island the volume of water only increased. I honestly cannot describe the feelings that I had whilst there! Obviously the amount of water made pictures impossible so I only have words which can’t describe anywhere near the sensation. I could say incredible, awesome, amazing, brilliant but none of these would even come close! One of the best experiences of my life!

After seeing the Falls, we trekked down into the gorge to see the ‘Boiling Pot’, which is an area of the Zambezi where the water just swirls to create a whirlpool. Walking through the rainforest terrain was a new experience and we were constantly being followed by huge baboons which watched our every move. Once at the bottom of the trail we clambered on rocks in a small tributary to the Zambezi and battled with the force of the water and the rapids, knowing that one wrong step would see us swept away into the Zambezi, probably never to be seen again but it was worth it for the pictures! Our final trek of the day took us along the top of the gorge and gave us some magnificent views of the landscape but we were constantly dodging in and out of torrential showers, I’d taken on enough water for one day! That evening we ate at an African restaurant and after eating there my views on African food still haven’t changed…I’m just not a fan! I did get to play the marimba though which is like a big wooden xylophone and which sounds really cool. I even got to wear a traditional dress thing while playing it!

The next morning we went to see the Falls again, only this time from the Zimbabwe side. I was slightly sceptical about going to Zimbabwe, mainly because I knew I would have to pay a $55 visa to a country which has one of the worst leadership regimes in the world. I didn’t know if I should feel uneasy about giving Mugabe my money but I decided in the end that I should go with my friends as we had come this far together. After escaping a baboon attack we began our border crossing. The funniest part was when the immigration lady asked me where I was going and when I told her I was going to Zimbabwe she seemed surprised! I mean where else would I be going at the border??? The rest of the border was surprising hassle free and on the bridge between the countries we had a fantastic sight of the famous Victoria Falls rainbow spanning across the gorge.

In the park, we were at first a little bit disappointed at what we first perceived as a limited view but we were soon to discover the Falls in all their glory! The Zimbabwean side presents a much clearer view of the Falls and allows you too see a much extended section than on the Zambian side, due to the lack of spray in some places. Don’t be fooled though, there was still a lot of spray and yet again we found ourselves getting very, very wet! My highlight of the Zim side was standing at ‘Danger Point’ a point where you could walk out on rocks to a sheer cliff face and feel the full force of the Falls as the spray crashes against you. It just felt so natural and so uplifting to completely succumb to the water and embrace it rather than trying to avoid it. I could write much, much more about the Falls but as I have already said words don’t do it justice and I’ve already written enough so I’ll leave it at that.

We spent the afternoon saying our goodbyes to Rachel and Kirsty and then headed back to out most favourite of borders, Kazungula! We waited for around an hour and a half for the ferry as there was only one operating when we got there. Then just as the ferry pulled onto our shore at 6pm the captain proceeded to leave the boat and we were informed that the ferry would not run again until 6am the following morning. Great, we were stranded in Zambia! Thankfully we were allowed to leave the border area and we quickly found a campsite where we returned to our staple pasta and sauce diet and spent the evening recalling all our experiences from the last few days.

So, stranded in Zambia would we make it back across the border without having to do anything illegal? Would everything that was to come fall short of expectations compared to the Falls? And how long could Hans actually go for without picking up another speeding ticket? All will be revealed in the final part of the trilogy tomorrow…