Christmas Vacation Part 1: Victoria Falls

After eagerly counting down the days in anticipation, on the 16th of December I finally stepped into a plane in Tete, arriving an hour later in Johannesburg. Good lord, was that overwhelming -- in the Joburg arrivals area, there was a huge Christmas tree, throngs and throngs of muzungus, and so many shiny, sparkly things. Too much to handle! So, in order to cope, I bought myself a mocha at the coffee shop (Aah, much better!) and sat down to await the arrival of my parents. After meeting up with them, we hopped on a plane to Victoria Falls to start our three-week journey.

Arriving at Victoria Falls' tiny airport.

Victoria Falls, originally known as Mosi-oa-Tunya ("the smoke that thunders") is a UNESCO World Heritage site and the largest waterfall in the world -- though Niagra falls is longer, and Iguaçu falls higher, Victoria falls has the largest single sheet of falling water and is an impressive sight to behold.

Naturally, the day we arrived it was raining. (Little did we realize at the time, this was to become a common theme of our trip.) Though we wanted to see the falls right away, the $10 per person per day entry fee made us rethink our decision. We pushed the sightseeing to the next day, instead booking a sunset cruise for the evening and floating past crocodiles, birds, and hungry hungry hippos on the Zambezi river. Mama and Papa were both still struggling from jet lag, and the gentle rocking of the boat eventually got the better of both of them ("I'm not sleeping!" followed shortly thereafter by snoring...), but it was still a nice evening.

Quaint little cruiseboat.

"Enjoying" the cruise.

Wildlife on the Zambezi.

The next morning, bright and early, we made the 5 minute walk to from out hotel to the falls. We could see the mist from the falls and hear the roaring of the water long before we got there. It was a drizzly day, but I'm not sure how much of the water that drenched me was rain and how much was just water vapor from the incredible amount of water gushing over the falls. It certainly was a sight to behold.

Mist blocked the visibility but added to the wow factor of the view.

Victoria Falls sits on the border of Zimbabwe and Zambia. We toured the Zimbabwe side only, which has the more commanding view of the falls. On the Zimbabwean side, there is a park with a path that runs along the other side of the gorge, with a dozen or so viewing points along it. 

Look at all that water. Just look at it.

After our leisurely morning stroll along the falls, we headed to the bridge over the Zambezi river for an important appointment -- I had to jump off a bridge!

Getting harnessed up.

Bungee jumping is something I've wanted to try for years, and what better place to jump off a bridge than Victoria Falls? I got all harnessed up and the technicians told me what to expect ("We're going to count down from 5, and if you don't jump we're going to push you.") Surprisingly, I was not that nervous -- sure, it was a long way down, but I knew I was attached to a bungee rope and the technicians were very professional. They hooked me onto the bungee cord, counted "5...4...3...2..." and on "1" with no push from them, I leapt off the platform and into the Zambezi River Gorge.

Bungee jumping!

What a rush.

After the adrenaline-bomb that was bungee jumping, we went to go do something a lot more calm. My mother, whose heart skipped several beats watching me freefall off a bridge, had her own activity that she wanted to do. For as long as I can remember, her favorite animal has been elephants -- so, when presented with the opportunity, we jumped at the chance to do an elephant-back safari.

One of the elephants that we rode.

We hopped up onto our respective elephants and ambled through the nearby wildlife reserve, spotting a few impala and waterbuck in the bush. Riding an elephant was kind of like riding a horse, though the gait was understandably slower. (Bump...bee dee bump... bee dee bump... as opposed to BUMPIDDY BUMPIDDY BUMP) Due to years of horseriding, I couldn't help myself but ride with good posture ("Heels down! Chin up! Sit up straight!")

After the ride, we got to sit down an interact with our elephants, which was really neat. The trainers talked to us about how they train the elephants, gave us elephant facts, and let us pet, hug, feed, and sit with our elephants. Pretty neat.

I think Mama enjoyed the elephants. Just a bit.

That night, we all slept soundly. It had been a very full day and a half at Victoria Falls, and we had a flight the next morning to Johannesburg.

Next time: Christmas in my village with the parents and several friends!