Smoke That Thunders

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Smart Traveller listed Zimbabwe as do not go zone for Australians. It is true that no one will hear about Zimbabwe besides the complete mess the country is in. It currency is worthless and a majority of the world have negative opinions of the president Robert Mugabe. Even the tour had to be rerouted through Botswana due to the dangerous situation the country was in. I crossed the border from Botswana and was feeling much better after the food poisoning and felt that a new country bought upon much welcomed health.

We went to the Africa Travel Co office in the town of Victoria Falls and as we crossed the road to the camp saw a string of limousines, security and jeeps drive by. In one of them was the aforementioned Robert Mugabe – perhaps the most unpopular leader in the entire world.

After a quick bite to eat with Alison and Craig I went to Victoria Falls. The Victoria Falls are some of the most famous, considered by some to be among the Seven Natural Wonders of the World.
David Livingstone, the Scottish missionary and explorer, is believed to have been the first European recorded to view the Victoria Falls – which he did from what is now known as ‘Livingstone Island’ in Zambia, the only land accessible in the middle of the falls. David Livingstone gave the falls the name ‘Victoria Falls’ in honour of his Queen, but the indigenous name of ‘Mosi-oa-Tunya’ – literally meaning the ‘Smoke that Thunders’ – is also well known. The World Heritage List recognises both names.
While it is neither the highest nor the widest waterfall in the world, it is claimed to be the largest. This claim is based on a width of 1,708 metres and height of 108 meters, forming the largest sheet of falling water in the world. At the time of my visit, the Zambezi was having its biggest flood in a generation and white water rafting was forbidden. This meant the water levels were even higher, but visibility was less. We had raincoats and umbrellas but were still soaked with the water as we made our way to many different outlooks.

Later that day I went and tested my adrenaline challenge – adventure sports over the Zambezi gorge. I had three different challenges. Number one was the flying fox – a straight run of the side of the gorge. Number two was zipline, where you edge yourself of the cliff. Number three was the bungy swing – a 100+m free fall into the gorge. It was an amazing to do all of these things, and I got a dvd made of it – the people at the Adventure World gave me the wrong dvd so there is a couple out there with mine and I have theirs.

For our last night of the tour we went to the Shoestring Bar. A group of kids had been seen in a shantytown making music with trashcans and the like. They played for us for a small tip, which went towards buying them pizza. They are called the Tin Can Kids and someone joked they would soon by opening for U2. You can follow them on facebook.

As we walked back to camp the situation in Zimbabwe began to hit home. These kids were asking for my waterbottles and trading souvenirs for my shirt. They wanted me shoes, pants and hats – it isn’t money they are after. A good idea is to take any old clothes to give away.

Peter had organised for the local Zimbabwean group of singers and dancers to welcome us to his homeland – it was a nice way to end the tour and that night said goodbye to everyone.

Zimbabweans are in turmoil but keep in good spirits. They love their country and joke that if this were West Africa there would be a coup every second week. To be fair, I only visited Victoria Falls, which is considered to be the safest town here so my opinion may be a little skewed. Hopefully the country can begin to rebuild itself and the people’s spirit and lands natural beauty will encourage people to give this wonderful country a go.

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