VICTORIA FALLS - A SUNSET BOOZE CRUISE AND A DRUM INFUSED AFRICAN DINNER

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Another morning flight took us to our much anticipated visit to Victoria Falls.

Because of the instability of the airlines, our original flights to Victoria Falls had fallen through, and we had been rebooked on an Airlink flight to Livingston in Zambia, which required a land border crossing into Zimbabwe.

This detour required some additional time and also additional cost for a Kaza visa to be able to cross the border multiple times. Those who had been proactive and had obtained a visa ahead of time had to eat that cost, and pay the additional $50 for the Kaza visa. But at least we made it. We had spent a couple of days wondering if we were going to be able to get to Victoria Falls at all.

The airplane was a smaller aircraft with only 25 rows of double seats. I must admit, there was a patch of flying that made my heart skip a beat or two. That little plane seemed like a toy being tossed around by a clueless two year old. It always amazes me though, how a small crew on a small aircraft can produce a better meal on a flight that is less than two hours, even with turbulence, than an international airline on a long flight.

Finally, I managed a sigh of relief when we touched down on firm ground and departed the plane via stairways on the runway and walked over to the terminal. It's a small airport, where we had to go through immigration, and get our visas.

On our way to the border we drove through Livingston, a town that seemed frozen in time circa 1950s or 60s. Livingston is a hero in these parts. He's credited with almost single handedly stopping the slave trade in east Africa.

Before arriving at the border crossing, our first view of the falls was from the Zambia side, the side from which Livingston first view the falls himself from an island on the river. I guess the trouble of having to go to Zambia before Zimbabwe had a side benefit after all. One drawback of being closer to the falls on the Zimbabwe side is that if there is any wind, the mist from the falls obscures the view. We found that out the next day, when we found ourselves drenched by what seem like a torrential rain. I was told we were lucky that most of the falls was visible. Sometimes the entire viewing area is nothing but a whiteout.

There was some comic relief at the border crossing thanks to some monkeys' antics. They always seem to provide some entertainment.

The hotel where we were staying, the Victoria Falls Safari Lodge, I was really looking forward to. I knew it had an open veranda restaurant and a bar that overlooked a watering hole where animals could be observed, but I didn't know until they took us to our room that the bedroom balcony also overlooked the watering hole. It was great.

Here, we came across again with circumstances particular to Africa. Our tour director was horrified when one of our traveling group asked if the hotel was walking distance from the town. He made it very clear not to attempt it, specially in the dark, or take a chance of ending up being a meal to some of the abundant wildlife in the area. There is a walking trail around the hotel, but it's protected by a wire fence.

We didn't have a lot of time to lounge around, since we had a sundowner cruise on the Zambezi River scheduled that afternoon. What fun!

Another double decker boat awaited us at the dock, and the area of the river that we cruised was far enough from the waterfalls not to cause any anxiety. There were crocodiles and hippopotami lurking about, but the star of the show was definitely the sunset, golden and orange reflecting on the waters.

The cruise itself is referred to as the booze cruise, and it lived up to its name. I tried the local rum, with a passion fruit based juice that was both tasty and exotic. They also served us a small plate of appetizers that was enough to say we were not drinking on an empty stomach, but I'm not putting it down since all the small bites provided were tasty, specially the samosas. It was fun, and it got more riotous the more drinks we drank.

We returned to the dock before it got too dark but, although not the same effect as over water, the hotel was close enough to be able to finish the viewing from my own bedroom balcony, watching the sky turned deep red, while observing the animals at the watering hole.

And that was not the end to the evening. Still tipsy from the beverages during the cruise, we headed to the Boma Dinner and Show.

Another circular, outdoor dining venue, and this one was enormous, with a huge fire pit where large pieces of meat were being grilled (I picked some pork,) and almost continuous entertainment of dancing and drums. I tried the local beer this time, albeit only a sip. It was a weird combination of malt and bitter flavors. I didn't feel the urge to ask for more.

The appetizers brought to the table had some crocodile bites, so now I can say I've had both alligator and crocodile. They were cooked differently than what I'm used to, marinated and grilled instead of breaded and fried.

The food selections were extensive. Besides the cutting boards from the central fire pit, there were additional grilled meats to choose from and have cooked as desired (I had sirloin,) as well as game stews of which I chose Buffalo.

I ventured into the witch doctor's hut for a reading of the bones. No idea what the mumbling during the process was, but he described my personality fairly accurately. I seem to have good things to look forward to.

I also discovered I'm pretty good beating the drum, or maybe I was just a little drunk. No matter. The drum lesson itself was pretty fun.

Before the dancing lessons got too general, we decided to make a hasty retreat back to the hotel.

All in all, a memorable day with lots of laughter.

One more day in Africa, and good things to come!

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Photos

Zambia
Our first look at the falls.

Zambia
I like their gas stations better than ours.

Hotel
The pathways that connected the rooms

Hotel
The balcony and the watering hole