Zambia

After enjoying another of Franc’s breakfasts at Nambwa Camp, we loaded into the van for the last time. Martin had warned us that crossing into Zambia wouldn’t be as seamless as Botswana and Namibia. He prepared us for a 2-3 hour wait but, fortunately, there was no one else there when we arrived. It was a much more informal process…the other crossings were small but very official-looking buildings. This was basically in a trailer, with officers carrying huge guns outside. The entrance forms were photocopied paper, 8.5” x 11”, torn into fourths, seemingly by hand. Matt and I were first on line and the man in charge quite simply was in no rush. It took about 45 minutes for us all to get through, which really wasn’t so bad, except that it just didn’t feel like the safest place to be. I think we were all happy when the van started moving again.

Ever since we had our accident with the giraffe, we’ve been asked by other tour groups, park rangers and government officials what happened to our windshield. Martin sometimes tells them it was a giraffe, sometimes other animals, sometimes that it was a week ago, sometimes the day before. We all took it in stride and thought it was kind of comical. Until we were pulled over at the Zambian border crossing. The police officer asked Martin what happened and he replied, “Kudu.” We all got silent. Apparently we had hit a kudu, not a giraffe. He asked when it happened and Martin said, “Yesterday.” And the officer asked him to pull to the side. He asked a bunch of questions, including whether Martin had reported it, what the police said when he reported it, where the police report is, etc., before asking Martin to step outside the van. You could have heard a pin drop in the van; we were all so nervous. At one point, Martin came back to the van to get some more documentation and he muttered, (without intending for any of us to hear, I believe) “This has been the hardest trip ever.” He was out there for about five minutes and then got back into the driver’s seat and started driving away. We all started applauding and hooting and hollering. Martin has really been fantastic. We were always making fun of him at each stop because he seemed to know all the ladies everywhere we went and was such a talker with everyone. Apparently he IS quite the talker, because he talked the Zambian officials into letting us come in with the smashed up vehicle.

We pulled up to the Danes’ hotel and bid farewell to them, then were dropped off at Jollyboy’s Lodge where Chad and Bev, and Matt and I had rooms. Livingstone is a really cool little town. Great markets; lots of restaurants and bars; people bustling around the streets…much more lively than Windhoek! We explored the town a bit, stopped for a few beers at Da Fusion and then enjoyed a great dinner at Fezbar with Chad and Bev. We had a few more beers back at Jollyboy’s and then went to bed since we had a busy day ahead of us. The camping was actually much easier than I had anticipated, but getting into bed at Jollyboy’s was awesome, even with a hard mattress and mosquito net.

When we woke up the next morning Matt, Bev and I had a quick breakfast and called a taxi to take us to our walking island tour at Victoria Falls. Of course the driver needed to stop for gas as soon as he picked us up and then we got stopped by police because his windshield was smashed. Fortunately, Bev got out of the car and politely asked the officers how long this would take since we were already two minutes late for our 8:45 pick-up. They understood and let us pass through, probably because the driver would have to pass through them to get back into town later. We were nervous about being late and when we arrived it was clear our tour had already left, but they set us up with a guide, Leonard, to take just the three of us. I believe everything happens for a reason, so I guess it was a blessing that we were late…we were set up on our own private tour! The moment we stepped into the world heritage site the views were incredible. Leonard knew all the best picture spots, so if we stopped anywhere, he would refuse to take our picture, saying, “It is better up here.” He was always right. I guess the experience of walking up to the top of the falls five times a day pays off.

Right now is the low season at the falls. While the views during the high season, which is what is captured on all the postcards, look amazing, we were really excited to be there in the low season for two reasons. First, we were able to hike the 1.7 km over rocky terrain right along the edge of the falls. During the high season, the area that we hiked is unable to be walked, as it’s covered with water. The hike was fantastic and the views were like nothing I’ve seen. I’d explained my fear of heights to Leonard, so he was understanding, but also made me come out to the edge to get the best pictures. He made me feel really safe, though. When we came up to “Main Falls”, it took my breath away. I couldn’t control the smile that spread across my face and I just whispered, “Oh my God.” I was so taken aback by the roar of the water, the mist rising up out of the falls, the beauty of the waterfalls and the perfect rainbows arching across the ravine. I don’t know if I’ve ever seen a single moment in nature that was so beautiful to me.

Thankfully we took off for our hike around 9:30am, so we weren’t hiking in the heat of the day, but we were still sweating and tired from the trek. The payoff was enormous, though. The second reason we were excited to be there in the low season is that during these few months a natural pool is formed at the top of the falls, called the Devil’s Swimming Pool. The water flow is so “low” that you are able to swim in the pool, “protected” by the rock formation that the water flows over during the high season. Matt has been talking about going here for months and months. As we approached it, we couldn’t believe our luck. Not only were we in our private group of three, but there were no other groups there! We stripped down to our bathing suits and swam across to it. Swimming across was a bit of an adrenaline rush for me as it was…just knowing I was about 100 feet from where the falls spill over…it was a little crazy, even with the rope they have set up. I was swimming behind Leonard and when I started to feel the mild current, I kicked into high gear and went flying by him to get to land.

Standing above the pool, I began to get second (and third and fourth) thoughts. There are no ropes, fences, nothing set up to catch you if you move slightly in the wrong direction. All the pictures and video I had seen online made it look completely serene and peaceful and…big…up there. This was not a placid infinity pool, though. Water was clearly flowing over the edge. Pretty quickly. And the pool was maybe 20 ft. in diameter, not a giant expanse of water. I looked at Leonard and said, “Is this SAFE?” He assured us it was and then showed us where to jump in from. JUMP???!!! I told him I would rather just ease in, but he said that wasn’t possible, that you had to jump in and OUT. OUT???!!! Yup, OUT, so that you jump over the rocks. Collins, a second guide who was taking pictures with my camera, got a great shot of Leonard instructing Bev and me where and how to jump. It is hilarious. You can tell Bev is seriously contemplating the safety aspect of the jump. And you can tell that I am like, “WHAT?!” Those of you who know me well know the look. It is a great picture.

So, my parents won’t believe it, even after seeing the pictures, but I jumped. Ok, so it took a few minutes, and Matt and Leonard had to count to three like I was a four-year-old, but I did it! The current wasn’t strong at all and the spot that you jump into is actually 3 or 4m deep (at least according to Leonard). The rush was unreal. The three of us just sat on the edge of the falls, which drop down some 110m, laughing giddily. Then we showed Collins how to use the video function on my camera and we each jumped again. It was so insane, so beautiful, so rewarding, so fun.

When we got out of the pool and swam back to where we’d come from, the swim wasn’t even remotely scary anymore. We dried off and Leonard brought us some Castles to celebrate. And with that, two separate tour groups, with six and ten people respectively, came upon us to experience the pool themselves. Unbelievable. We were so lucky to have had that peaceful time to ourselves up there.

We hiked back to the entrance and saw a bunch of baboon along the way. When we got back to Jollyboy’s Matt took a nap and I checked in with everyone via email since we finally had an internet connection after our time on safari. It was a bit infuriating since the connection was so slow, but I’ve learned to expect that on this trip.

At 4:00, Chad, Bev, Matt and I were picked up for our sunset cruise on the Zambezi River. What a treat! The scenery was so picturesque and snacks, dinner and drinks were included. We had been a bit skeptical about this “deal”, but it was awesome! The snacks were like hearty bar appetizers; they had a full bar; and dinner was great! We could barely move when we got back to the dock because we were so full. We saw five hippos up close in the river, tons of birds and a family of warthogs onshore. The sunset over the river was beautiful; the sky was vibrant shades of reds, pinks and oranges. It was a perfect night. Afterwards, we went to Rite Pub and Grill back in town. It was definitely not a tourist bar…we were certainly the only non-locals there, which was a great experience. There were late 90’s songs playing and everyone was so friendly. After two more rounds back at Jollyboy’s we called it a night.

We woke up this morning, ate a quick breakfast and walked over to one of the local markets to pick up a few souvenirs. After packing up our bags, we checked out and tried to find a place to have a last cup of coffee in Zambia. Unfortunately, Matt didn’t have much luck getting to the register in the coffee shop we tried, so we walked back to Fezbar. It wasn’t open, but the staff there is so friendly, they told us we could have a beer if we sat outside. We enjoyed a Mosi and ran back up to Jollyboy’s to catch a shuttle to the airport.

We can’t believe tonight in Johannesburg will be the last night of our trip! Then again, I also couldn’t believe it when I saw the date printed on my ticket today…October 18. Time has really flown.