Term 3 …check, done. Just a plane ride later, and I arrive in Victoria Falls, Zimbabwe. The tour guide that met us said that Zimbabwe loosely translates to “houses of stone”. As we (I traveled with fellow Fulbrighter, Aminah) drove to the lodge, the scenery was much like SA; it is dry season here too, and despite dusty, dry soil, there are flourishes of green scattered about to remind you it is spring. A short while later I am swimming in a beautiful pool, surrounded by orange and turquioise butterflies and amazing birds of all colors with a view of a watering hole where I will see a herd of water buffalo coming in for an evening “happy hour”, antelope wander back-and-forth, and wart hogs play. That evening we went on a Sunset Cruise down the Zambezi, and with while sipping wine and chatting, we lazily cruised down the river viewing elephants and hippos. A great first day.
The next morning, I woke up early for a tour of Victoria Falls, “the smoke that thunders.” As we walked to the falls at first I was not impressed, then as we kept walking and rounded the corner, the full view of the Falls comes into view. It is breath-taking. The mist rising from below and the intensity of the water and“thunder” is great – (after the rainy season, in April and May, the falls are really a full wall of water, but the mist is so much that you literally are unable to see the falls, you can only hear them, so I was glad to visit this time of year.) At a main point in the falls, we watched (incredulous) as a tour group was led out onto the edge of the falls where they could plunge into a pool formed by rocks; however, this ‘Devil’s Pool” is quite close to the very edge of the falls, you jump wrong, and you will only do it once. Definitely, NOT for me.
As we toured the park, our guide showed us the Mopani tree with its butterfly-shaped leaves. Mopani worms (regarded as a delicacy by some) eat the leaves of this tree. At dinner one night, we had the option to try one, but I chickened out, maybe another time (oh, and they do look like exactly what they are, fat worms). After touring the Falls and learning some about Livingston (as in “Dr. Livingston, I presume.”), we headed to a representational cultural village to learn about Tsonga, Ndebele, and other groups. It was not exciting, but sort of interesting since many of my learners in Moloto are Ndebele, though some at my school seem to separate ZA Ndebele people and Zim Ndebele people, as being different cultural groups that share some traditions and history. Speaking of culture, I am afraid my language skills are still as poor as ever, the only phrase I picked up in Zim was “Ta Tenda” (thank you). As the tour ended, we did a little browsing at crafts, but the craftspeople selling their wares can be quite aggressive, so I bought a talking stick I liked and had read about at the museum, but that was all. My talking stick reminded me of the funery art I had seen in Madagascar a while ago. The symbols represent important parts of your life, like fish for prosperity (a main food source for people living along the river), spirals (representing the waves of the river which provides life), etc After the tour, it was off to the lodge and the pool for a relaxing evening and tequila sunrises as the sun went down.
The next day, I was ready for some excitement. I went white-water rafting down the mighty Zambezi. This was no sunset cruise, but a series of rapids, then calm waters. Twenty rapids in all, with five of them being class V (really exciting) rapids. It began with quite the hike down into the gorge and a few quick paddling lessons from our guide nick-named Colgate (I forget why). At the first of the class V rapids, which had a 10 ft drop, I was SO nervous (did I mention I had only went rafting once before during a drought!). You paddle, paddle, paddle, then Colgate shouted, “Get Down”. I got down in the raft and held onto the rope and paddle with both hands, as the boat dropped and the waves crashed over us, and it was really fun. After that (the biggest drop of the day), I was far less nervous and had a blast. Originally I had only signed up for a half-day, but ended up staying and doing all of the rapids. As we went down the river, we even saw a couple of crocodiles basking along the river on the rocks, and the views as we paddled down the river canyon were larger than life.(think Lord of the Rings movies)
Also, I am happy to say Colgate was the best guide, while the other boats flipped over or had “long swimmers”, our boat hit the waves just right and had great rides. I loved everything about the rafting, (except for the long walk back up the gorge at the end, but even then cold beer and drinks awaited us at the top—great incentive after a long day on the Zambezi.)
Our last night, we ate at a “traditional restaurant”, the Boma, with foods like wart-hog (tasted yummy, a cross between pork tenderloin and chicken breast, oddly enough) and less traditional foods like crepes suzette. Traditional dances were performed and traditional drumming too. Each person was given a drum too and everyone had a drumming lesson and a great time. Bye Vic Falls – truly a wonderful time.
The next morning, I woke up early for a tour of Victoria Falls, “the smoke that thunders.” As we walked to the falls at first I was not impressed, then as we kept walking and rounded the corner, the full view of the Falls comes into view. It is breath-taking. The mist rising from below and the intensity of the water and“thunder” is great – (after the rainy season, in April and May, the falls are really a full wall of water, but the mist is so much that you literally are unable to see the falls, you can only hear them, so I was glad to visit this time of year.) At a main point in the falls, we watched (incredulous) as a tour group was led out onto the edge of the falls where they could plunge into a pool formed by rocks; however, this ‘Devil’s Pool” is quite close to the very edge of the falls, you jump wrong, and you will only do it once. Definitely, NOT for me.
As we toured the park, our guide showed us the Mopani tree with its butterfly-shaped leaves. Mopani worms (regarded as a delicacy by some) eat the leaves of this tree. At dinner one night, we had the option to try one, but I chickened out, maybe another time (oh, and they do look like exactly what they are, fat worms). After touring the Falls and learning some about Livingston (as in “Dr. Livingston, I presume.”), we headed to a representational cultural village to learn about Tsonga, Ndebele, and other groups. It was not exciting, but sort of interesting since many of my learners in Moloto are Ndebele, though some at my school seem to separate ZA Ndebele people and Zim Ndebele people, as being different cultural groups that share some traditions and history. Speaking of culture, I am afraid my language skills are still as poor as ever, the only phrase I picked up in Zim was “Ta Tenda” (thank you). As the tour ended, we did a little browsing at crafts, but the craftspeople selling their wares can be quite aggressive, so I bought a talking stick I liked and had read about at the museum, but that was all. My talking stick reminded me of the funery art I had seen in Madagascar a while ago. The symbols represent important parts of your life, like fish for prosperity (a main food source for people living along the river), spirals (representing the waves of the river which provides life), etc After the tour, it was off to the lodge and the pool for a relaxing evening and tequila sunrises as the sun went down.
The next day, I was ready for some excitement. I went white-water rafting down the mighty Zambezi. This was no sunset cruise, but a series of rapids, then calm waters. Twenty rapids in all, with five of them being class V (really exciting) rapids. It began with quite the hike down into the gorge and a few quick paddling lessons from our guide nick-named Colgate (I forget why). At the first of the class V rapids, which had a 10 ft drop, I was SO nervous (did I mention I had only went rafting once before during a drought!). You paddle, paddle, paddle, then Colgate shouted, “Get Down”. I got down in the raft and held onto the rope and paddle with both hands, as the boat dropped and the waves crashed over us, and it was really fun. After that (the biggest drop of the day), I was far less nervous and had a blast. Originally I had only signed up for a half-day, but ended up staying and doing all of the rapids. As we went down the river, we even saw a couple of crocodiles basking along the river on the rocks, and the views as we paddled down the river canyon were larger than life.(think Lord of the Rings movies)
Also, I am happy to say Colgate was the best guide, while the other boats flipped over or had “long swimmers”, our boat hit the waves just right and had great rides. I loved everything about the rafting, (except for the long walk back up the gorge at the end, but even then cold beer and drinks awaited us at the top—great incentive after a long day on the Zambezi.)
Our last night, we ate at a “traditional restaurant”, the Boma, with foods like wart-hog (tasted yummy, a cross between pork tenderloin and chicken breast, oddly enough) and less traditional foods like crepes suzette. Traditional dances were performed and traditional drumming too. Each person was given a drum too and everyone had a drumming lesson and a great time. Bye Vic Falls – truly a wonderful time.
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