Victoria Falls, Zimbabwe –
We all awoke at around 8:00 a.m. the next morning – mainly because we were so hungry, so Mike (the Brit), Rich and I went out to get some food. We started walking to the Vic Falls Hotel to get breaky, but we could see white mist rising up into the air over the tree line so we headed directly towards the falls instead. We got to the National Park, paid the fee and headed straight to the viewing areas.
Victoria Falls are 90 meters high and are one of the seven natural wonders of the world. They are spectacular – so majestic & so big! We were absolutely mesmerized by the falls themselves. The falls are larger than Niagra Falls and absolutely amazing. We were there are the perfect time of the morning where one is able to see two rainbows created by the mist being sent up into the sky by the thundering falls. We wandered through the park, stopping at every view point along the way. It was so amazing – every time we got to a new lookout the falls looked more and more spectacular.
The mist from the falls rains down on once certain part of the park and there’s a definite climactic change in that area. The mist has created a true rain forest in the middle of a very dry national park. Amazing. Plus, there are tone of monkeys and baboons playing in the trees and walking around all over the place. We wandered through the park for a couple of hours looking at the falls and watching the monkeys, but eventually we felt like we were participants in a hunger strike and our brains were beginning to deteriorate so we left the park in search of food.
We headed over to the Victoria Falls Hotel – the one place in the city which just exuded with colonialism. This hotel is so colonial. It is reminiscent of the Hotel Del Coronado, in atmosphere and architecture, and one could tell that this was once a true colonial hangout for the British expatriates. It’s elegantly decorated and their terrace looks out directly over the gorge where the Zambezi river runs. It is truly beautiful.
We got there too late for breakfast so the three of us sat on the terrace and had tea and scones instead. We were definitely in our element. After enjoying the colonialism of the hotel, we wandered through the local crafts market before heading back to the chalet at the campground to relax. Rich and I went back to the falls a second tie later that afternoon – they are truly mesmerizing – they draw you back again and again. After standing and looking at the falls for a few more hours we walked back to the chalet, stopping off at the post office to place a collect call to Sacramento to get the latest news flash from the family in California. We wandered around the city some more before heading to the chalet for some rest.