06 February 2010

Victoria Falls

Last weekend I went on a 4-day road trip to Victoria Falls in Zimbabwe. I went with Dr. Edmand Munatsi, friend and colleague who is a Medical Officer at the Hospital and is from Zimbabwe. He has lived in Vic Falls and invited Abigail and I to travel with him so he could show us his beautiful country. Beautiful it was. And everything about the trip was a blast! Driving there took us through the Tropic of Capricorn, the southern most boundary of the tropics (the northern boundary being the Tropic of Cancer).















The ride there took us through Francistown in Botswana and Kasane. Driving through northern Bostswana is like a mini-game drive. We passed by elephants and zebra on the side of the road, and warthogs at the border crossing.

































I also saw my first bona fide Baobab tree since being here. They really are massive.






















Soon after we arrived in Victoria Falls we went to dinner at the Victoria Falls Lodge. There I had another first... warthog for dinner! Belive it or not, it was delicious and tender (and no, it didn't taste like chicken)!
















(Abigail, Edmand and me)

















(Warthog!)

Before going to the Falls we stopped by an extraordinary art gallery run by Edmand's friends (and idential twins) Pineas and Pineal. The gallery featured stone sculptures that I fell in love with.






















































And of course there was the reason for the trip: Victoria Falls. Walking along the falls can take more than an hour. They go on and on. We were on the Zimbabwe side and the other side is in Zambia. The spray from the falls is so extreme that we were told to bring umbrellas or bathing suits. I opted for the umbrella!

































(A rainbow at one of the 7 wonders of the world)
































(Abigail and Edmand)

That night we took a sunset cruise along the Zambezi River.























Not only did the price of the cruise include unlimited drinks, but the river was teeming with hippos! This was the closest I've ever been (or ever want to be) to hippos. They are one of the most deadly animals to humans in Africa as they can stay under water for a long time unnoticed and then can charge out of the water surprisingly fast and agressively.

















Along with visiting Victoria Falls we also drove to Bulawayo, Zimbabwe's second largest city, and stopped at Matopos National Park. This is a site rich with the history of battles, rock paintings, and an abundance of eagles. To me it had a very ancient and powerful feeling. This is also the site where Cecil Rhodes, the namesake of colonial "Rhodesia," is buried.

















For such a short trip we did quite a lot including being hosted at a Braii (BBQ) in Vic Falls by the twins and their new wives, seeing Bulawayo and seeing parts of northern Botswana. We met many of Edmand's delightful and very hospitable friends, covered quite a distance and had one of the best road trips I've ever been on. I loved Zim and and would go back in a heartbeat!