Friday at the Falls

Kelsi did a wonderful job of describing our day in Livingston last Saturday, but I am going to backtrack a bit and describe Thursday and Friday.

The bus took about seven hours to get from Lusaka to Livingstone, so we were quite relieved when we finally arrived. (If only we had known our bus was going to break down on our return trip. That 10 hour day made the first journey look like a piece of cake!) We were enveloped by taxi drivers asking us where we were going as we exited the bus, but Kelsi and I firmly pushed our way through the crowd. (We are getting better at dealing with the headache-inducing bus stations. They are nothing like any bus station we have ever seen before!) Livingston is typically warmer than Lusaka, and Thursday was no exception. Beads of sweat quickly gathered on our foreheads as we hiked to our hostel.

Thankfully our hostel was only a ten-minute walk from the station, and we loved it from the start! We stayed in an eight-bed dorm, which was really just a cabin by the campground. There was a bar and dining area outside next to a pool and outdoor lounge. It was a cool setup for a cheap price.

We relaxed for the rest of the evening with a swim and some dinner. We met several new people, including a few Americans who noticed Kelsi's Green Bay shirt - one of the guys was a Bears fan. I can't escape the football talk even in Africa! :) Kelsi and I had a great time that night and throughout our trip getting to know other travelers.

On Friday morning we had breakfast at the hostel before hitching a ride on the free shuttle to the Falls. As we were eating our omelettes, a man named Stanley asked if he could join us. A fellow American, he was also going to hike the Falls that day. 

When we first arrived at the Falls, we hiked over the bridge to the Zimbabwean side. Victoria Falls straddles the border between Zimbabwe and Zambia and is easily accessible from both countries. Many people say that the Zimbabwe side offers the best view; however, although the overall view is better, you are farther away. On the Zambian side, we could almost stand on top of the Falls, although our perspective was narrowed. We snapped a few pictures from the Zimbabwean side, but unfortunately we couldn’t go too far without paying for a visa.

When we came back to the Zambian side, a large baboon greeted us. We soon discovered that baboons are all around the falls. In addition to targeting women, they recognize grocery store bags. If they see a Spar or Shoprite bag, they will grab it out of a person's hands - even if the bag is holding a wallet and passport instead of food.

On the lookout for baboons, we headed to the bridge, stopping for photos in the increasingly heavy mist. By the time we got to the bridge, we were thanking God for our ponchos and feeling like we had stepped inside a shower with several nozzles. It was unbelievable to be so close that we were getting soaked by the spray.

After attempting to take pictures without ruining our cameras (I unfortunately didn’t succeed) and getting thoroughly soaked, we decided to hike along the scenic route. The scenic route offered beautiful and dry views of the falls, and we (and by that, I mean Kelsi, the chief photographer of the trip!) got lots of great photos. John and Sharon told us that when they used to go to the Falls, there were no guard rails. There were a few fences along our walk, and we couldn’t believe people could safely hike without their protection in the past.

Next we headed down to the boiling pot - a permanent whirlpool at the bottom of the Falls. The hike down was beautiful, and I felt like we were in the middle of a rain forest. The hike only took fifteen minutes, and the view from the bottom of the Falls was one of my favorites of the day. We rested on some huge rocks and stared up at the bridge and cliffs overlooking us before making the return journey. The sun was out on our hike up, and most of us were drenched in sweat by the end.

After our hike, Stanley suggested we go to a cafe at the Royal Livingstone - a ritzy hotel on the Zambezi. This hotel was definitely top of the line; it’s apparently the most expensive in all of Zambia. We felt a bit out of place walking in with our shorts, T-shirts, and sweaty complexions, but we got over it quickly as we settled into the cushioned seats on the deck. We enjoyed some cold water and soda and talked about the day.

As we were leaving, Stanley told us to look to our left, and we saw two zebras! My jaw dropped, and then he pointed to the pool. At least six zebras were standing by the pool while people nonchalantly splashed and treaded water. We also saw impala hiding in the trees, and apparently it is not uncommon for giraffes and cheetahs to make their way onto the grounds as well. I guess we chose the wrong place to stay....

We went out to dinner with Stanley at a restaurant on the waterfront that evening. I had some Zambezi bream (fish), and we enjoyed our time watching the sun set on the deck overlooking the river. Several people from the hostel were there as well, and we spent a couple of hours with them before heading back to get ready for Saturday. You already read Kelsi’s description of that day...we needed a good night’s sleep! :)

We will hold the memories of the past weekend near and dear for years to come. We had such a great time, and we are very thankful for the experiences we had. We wish we could have brought all of you along with us to see the sights, but pictures (coming soon!) will have to suffice!

Good night and God's blessings!