Victoria Falls
Victoria Falls - one of those places that’s worth the effort if on the continent. and even if not. considering i was stuck in Zambia for the day seemed like the place to be so off I went in search of really big waterfalls…the Falls are somewhere around ten minutes out of town…depends on if you get a taxi in which the engine actually works. i managed to get in one that puttered and tooted it’s way out there but wound up back tracking along the road on the way home to find another one when the one I was in promptly died (would have thought i’d be suspicioius when we jerked our way two miles an hour out of the parking lot but was definitely out of it). Anyways, the Zambian side of the Falls is quite different from the Zim side and it’s really cool. On the Zim side you walk along one path that periodically opens up for some amazing views of the Falls. The Zambia side is a bit more closed and you are on the back side so really misty and hard to see a clear shot but the trails are fun to trek on and there are some openings that demand your camera be present.
I wandered in and randomly went left where shortly thereafter a sign presented it self saying Boiling Pot 637 meters with a trail beside it going down. Not really thinking how far 637 meters might actually be on a rocky slope I immediately decided ground zero was the place to be. Twenty meters in I was completely and utterly distracted by the number of baboons of all sizes roaming and jumping all over the place. I should mention I felt like I was in a tropical forest with the amount of green and wetness all around. After a ridiculously long time with my camera I finally moved on with my life and kept going. The farther down I went the rockier and cooler it got. I should mention I was wearing a t-shirt (on it’s way to being thoroughly drenched and I wasn’t even near the spray), jeans (really bad idea), and sneakers (waaaaayyy too white for comfort so was okay with it). I rounded a bend to see a gentlemen sitting underneath a tree…in the background was rich, thick vegetation and the only sounds you could hear were water from every which way and baboons (that sounded curiously like human kids). I said hello to the gentleman and continued on my way…shortly thereafter I came up on some water - was a very pretty sight til I realized it was in my way of proceeding. Suddenly the guy I passed came up and offered his assistance. I figured sure, why not, if he feels like walking down with me the more the merrier. We got to this one point where there was no way to cross the water without going in it but he stacked some rocks on top of each other for me to jump and thankfully the teetering stack held (very, very good considering everything that was in my camera bag shies away from water). From there he continued showing me the way down and I was too in awe of my surroundings to wonder why he was being so helpful (yes, I am that slow). We got to another part of the incline where he said now I needed to take my shoes off. I looked doubtfully downstream weighing the odds when two other tourists came sliding down the dirt path from above. Dressed in only bathing suits and shoes they came way more appropriately dressed for the time and place. Watching them go I was like, screw it, and off came the shoes and socks, and up rolled the jeans. Concentrating incredibly hard on what was down I couldn’t decide if it was better to take my changes with the slippery rocks or the soft, squishy soil with leaves covering who knows what…I opted most often for the rocks. Reaching the botton, though, made the trip worth the effort. The end of the trek brough one out to the bottom of Victoria Falls in all it’s splendid, very, very misty wet glory. The other view one had in the opposite direction was a bridge strung across the Zambezi where you could watch people bungee jump off til your heart was content. I stayed long enough to take it in, snap a picture, and get wet. Then the trecherous climb back out…which was fine…felt good to put my shoes back on. It was on the way back it finally dawned on me why my new buddy had been so patient with me. I figured he was helpful enough and gave him some money for his time and effort although I am sure not what he thought it was worth. Made it back to the top to watch the sunset and couldn’t stop thinking how ridiculously fortunate I was to just of spent an entire afternoon wandering around Victoria Falls.