We're in AFRICA!!!

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We went to AFRICA!!!!!! It really happened, and what an experience it was. I think this trip tops just about anything else we have done in our short lives. Mike and I met up at the Baghdad International Airport and stayed one night in Baghdad as planned then off to Dubai, U.A.E to connect with our flight to Johannesburg South Africa.

It was a 9 hour, early morning, flight and we landed in Johannesburg at 10:15AM where we were met by an agent from our safari booker (travel agent). She handed us all our travel documents and walked us to our connecting flight to Victoria Falls in Zimbabwe. Landing in Vic Falls we started through immigrations and experienced the first of many symptoms of Africa being money poor. One dollar equals 10,000 Zimbabwe dollars. We felt pretty rich whenever we were using Zim dollars. The problem is no one wants the Zim dollars, especially the Zimbabwe people. Every time you cross a border they want more money for exit and entry visas. We were met by another agent from our safari company and driven to the Victoria Falls Hotel. It’s so nice to be led around and not have to think for a change.

The Victoria Falls Hotel was a new experience for both of us. It is a very British, very posh hotel that was established in the early 1900s for all the Brits traveling to “the continent” for a holiday and as a result the hotel caters to the British way of life of Victorian times. The hotel is filled with animal horns, hides and African antiquities along with overstuffed English furniture. They place a Belgian chocolate on the pillows at night along with laying out your pajamas on the bed as part of the turndown service. And the BEST part, in my opinion, was the 6 foot long bathtub. This was my first opportunity to have a bath in 4 months and I made the most of it. I love hotels; they never run out of hot water (hopefully).

The hotel is on the edge of a National Park and there are all kinds of animals running around. The hotel lawn is famous for its monkeys, baboons and warthogs. It’s also famous for its high teas, held each afternoon. High tea is something extremely enjoyable to experience. You get your own pot of tea and a large tiered tray of finger foods made up of exotic things like cucumber sandwiches, smoked salmon sandwiches, cakes and more cakes. Lots of white starched linen napkins, silver, china, little pinkie sticking out when you sip, that sort of thing. While enjoying afternoon high tea we witnessed the wonder of the wildlife as we watched a hotel grounds-keeper, running across the lawn, chasing off a monkey who had stolen one of the “Bird of Paradise” flowers they have growing on the grounds.

We didn’t see much of the actual city of Victoria Falls. Mostly just visited the falls, strolled around the gorge and did some shopping for souvenirs. Oh, and also enjoyed being out of the desert and in civilization again. When we decided to visit the falls we had to pay $20 US each to get in and show our passport. It was very strange, having to show our passport almost every time we spent money. Places have different prices for people depending on where you come from, whether you are local or a tourist and where you are from as a tourist. Victoria Falls is supposed to be one of the largest waterfalls in the world and it was very beautiful. It is surrounded by a rain forest created by the constant mist generated by the falls. But both Mike and I agreed that Niagara Falls in New York is a more impressive site.

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Photos

Victoria Falls
We hiked though the surrounding rain forest caused by the continuous mist created by the falls.

Hotel
I guess you could call this place a trophy hotel. Lots of game heads and skins everywhere.

Afternoon tea on the terrace
Lah di dah

Zimbabwe version of a lawn mower
The warthogs kept the grass down. If was interesting seeing how they kneel to graze.

Victoria Falls
There is even a moonbow at night.