On the road to Victoria Falls, Wilson was calling the bookings office to find out if the water level was safe for Devil's Pool. In this section over the falls, there is a rock barrier just at the edge of the waterfall, so that it forms a comfortable pool of water for swimming on the brink. We were disappointed to hear after a few days of back and forth that the water level was now too high for this pool, but would we accept Angel's Pool as a substitution? While it didn't sound nearly as exciting as Devil's Pool, we were all game to give it a go. Glad we did, because it is easily one of the top 5 highlights of the trip.
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| Photo: Franny Crompton. Counter-intuitive to boat towards a waterfall |
We caught two boats to Livingstone Island, where David Livingstone himself first landed when he came upon the falls. The local population already knew the falls as Mosi-Oa-Tunya; "The Smoke That Thunders", but Livingstone renamed it for the western world on behalf of the queen. As the clouds of mist rose into the air and could even be seen from our campsite 5 km away, it is easy to imagine how Livingstone may have felt approaching this slight obstacle in his exploration of the Zambezi River.
We deboarded on the peaceful island and crossed over land to the south side facing the rushing water. The mist and air were so cold, but the water itself was deliciously warm as we walked to a calm, muddy patch of grass by the edge of Zambia.
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| Photo: Steve Richmond |
Worrying that this was it for the tour, we were led back towards the main island, but were then told to link hands and cross a rapid to get to a small, rocky patch a few metres from the main falls.
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| Photo: Jay Maki |
The guide settled himself in the water by the edge, and invited us one by one to join him in small groups. I started out crab crawling, and as it became too difficult, it was a rather ungraceful few moments as the guide helped me get settled with feet wedged in between rocks, and the two of us formed the barrier for Kelly and Jay to join.
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| Photo: Jay Maki |
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| Photo: Jay Maki |
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| Photo: Jay Maki. Kelly flailed as much as I did. Wedgies and wardrobe malfunctions all around. |
Fighting the rapids and digging in, we enjoyed our moment on the edge. After we linked hands to return back to the island, we were delighted with a five star breakfast of eggs Benedict and scones with the roaring backdrop. Not a bad Easter morning.
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| Photo: Jay Maki |
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| Photo: Jay Maki |
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| Photo: Jay Maki |
The following morning, it was time to see the falls from another angle. Still on the Zambian side, we took a walk through the Victoria Falls Park. There were a few rare dry glimpses of the falls, but for the most part, you were immersed deep in the mist. It was like strolling through a monsoon. Luckily I had brought my dry sack, and gathered up everyone's electronics and wallets as we swam through this world wonder. It was compelling to experience the mighty force of the falls from this perspective, where we weren't even walking behind the waterfall, but simply getting soaked by the mist rising from the crashing water.
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| Photo: Chelsey Marques |
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| Photo: Chelsey Marques |
Since we were already at the bridge that spans over the gorge between Zambia and Zimbabwe, a few friends decided to jump off it. This is where Tom injured his shoulder bungee jumping and had to spend a few hours in the hospital getting x-rays, but otherwise, they all remember the occasion as the once in a lifetime event of jumping through a circular rainbow that haloed the bridge and river.
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| Photo: Franny Crompton |
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| Photo: Franny Crompton |
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| Photo: Franny Crompton |
There was a cultural festival going on in town over the long Easter weekend celebrating the music and traditional dances from different African cultures and countries. During the day, it was a spectacle of performances and drums on the lawn, but by night, the stage was taken over by musicians and dancers, with a dance area on the grass under the stars. We were pointed out as the only white people in the evening, and told to join in the dancing. Hannah and Kelly got right on stage and kept up with the dancers.
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| These girls tapped on my shoulder and requested that I take a picture of them |
It was an excellent few days in a "big city", and the biggest excitement was pizza at the campground restaurant, which we may have had three times. On the last night, we met the new members joining our group to Windhoek, and said goodbye to those continuing their adventures elsewhere (hopeful goodbyes to Lars and Jaz, Jenni, Kelly, and Kristian! See you in a few days, Tom!). Back aboard Sweni the Truck and across another boarder to see the Chobe River in Beautiful Botswana.
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| Photo: Chelsey Marques |
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