LEFT: Me and a giant millipede(curled).
RIGHT: Giraffe.
FEELING GO - TAKING IT EASY ON THE ZAMBEZI
(REMEMBER: IF YOU'RE MENTIONED BY NAME ITS COS I LOVE YOU DEARLY. IF YOU'RE NOT, ITS ONLY TO PROTECT MYSELF IN THE LIBEL COURT)
ZAMBIA
Having picked up the next group of travellers, Phillip and I rejoined the tour combi which took us on our way to Zambia. Here's a couple of things we saw along the way.
LEFT: Me and a giant millipede(curled).
RIGHT: Giraffe.
The Zambezi river separates northern Botswana from Zambia, the only way across being a ferry, if you can call it that: a floating platform powered by two engines which are driven independently of each other by two deck hands.
The Botswana - Zambia Ferry.
Despite the precarious nature of our transport, we made it safely to Zambia. The contrast between the relatively rich Botswana and its poorer neighbour were instantly apparent. The roads were worse, crops and cattle looked pathetic compared to what we had grown accustomed to, and for the first time there were people begging and hawking souvenirs.
The "Keep Livingstone Tidy" Campaign gets off to a strong start.
We pulled into the town of Livingstone, and having let our guide exchange our money for local currency on the street in one the most electrifying sequences of bluff and counter-bluff that I shall probably ever witness, we drove on to the real reason tourists come to this part of the world...
VICTORIA FALLS
The local name for Victoria Falls translates as "The Smoke That Thunders", and there is no better way that I could put it. You can see the mist rising off the falls from miles away, like smoke from an intense forest fire. As you approach the falls on foot all you can hear is a gradually increasing rumble, metamorphosing into a roar. And as you round that final corner of the path.... Woah. I have never seen so much water. There is no point in wearing waterproofs since you are soaked to the skin within seconds of coming into contact with the spray. I did manage to capture some of the Falls on camera, along with a Vervet Monkey. You have to watch the cheeky blighters round Victoria Falls, since they have been known to snatch cameras and the like from tourists' hands and have been very reluctant to give them back.
Victoria Falls
LEFT: Me at the alongside Victoria Falls.
RIGHT: A Vervet Monkey, thinking about stealing my camera.
That evening we watched the sunset on the Zambezi as part of a booze cruise, which turned into a bit of an all-nighter in Livingstone town, where some seriously crazy things went on... Aw, heck, you wouldn't believe me anyway...
THE RAFT TRIP
Nursing a particularly nasty hangover, I headed off on a rafting trip down the Zambezi, then on a drive through one of Zambia's national parks. Here's some of the animals I saw.
LEFT: An elephant, really quite close.
RIGHT: White Rhino. These guys are so endangered that they're under 24 hour armed guard.
LEFT: Wildebeast.
RIGHT: Zebra.
ZIMBABWE
Despite what some of you might think from watching television of late, the town of Victoria Falls seemed a million miles away from the troubles facing the white farmers of Zimbabwe. We had a couple of pleasant days here souvenir shopping and taking in views of the Falls from the terrace of the old colonial hotel. I even managed to catch the FA Cup. You'd be amazed how many Arsenal and Liverpool fans crawl out of the woodwork whevener there's a big game on, even in Africa.
Leaving Victoria Falls and Zimbabwe behind, it was time to journey back to Botswana and the Chobe River.