Day 12 Zambia - Livingstone

I awoke like I have most every day on this trip, before the alarm, not like home at all. Our hotel supplies breakfast, actually all of our accommodations do. I met with the others in the group and we discussed which activities we wanted to do for our 3 ½ days here in Livingstone. Without internet, telephone and our own transportation, it’s just easier to book through the G Adventures concierge here at the hotel.

Today we decided to go into town with the free 10 o’clock shuttle bus. There is no choosing stops. It dropped us off at Mukuni Park Curio Market, a string of about 40 small craft booths.

The salesmen tell you ‘welcome to my store’, “I give you good prices’, and ‘free to look’. My recent experiences in Morocco and advice from Abdellah helped me run the gauntlet and make some fun purchases – a couple of cloth bags made from fabric scraps, and 3 pairs of hand-made earrings.

While my roommate went off in search of cash, I headed off the main road and down a side street that looked interesting. I loved looking at the people, the signs and the storefronts. Many names put me in mind of Alexander McCall Smith’s “Number One Ladies Detective Agency” books. Hair salons were beside auto parts places and I thought about “Speedy Motors” and the “Minor Adjustment Beauty Salon”.

I went to look in a clothing store and was surprised to finding women inside getting their hair done in half of the store. I was hoping to buy some traditional African clothing for myself but was dismayed to find that most shops sell western-style apparel.

 Some women wear long skirts, which are sarongs or pieces of fabric. I looked in wonder at the many women carrying large bundles on their heads, often balancing them with no hands! Most of the women wear modern clothing and often very dressy, i.e. skirts and blouses, some of which are made from satiny materials. Zambian women are very beautiful no matter what they are wearing.

Town was filled with people at shops, walking, standing, at restaurants and in the bank. Holy crow, it took my roommate over an hour to get waited on at the bank. She was given a numbered ticket and there were about 40 people in line ahead of her. There is a waiting room with rows of chairs but not enough for everyone. We are so very, very spoiled at home!

By noon we were famished and it was starting to get very hot out. Next door to the bank was a large busy restaurant by the name of Food Palace. Where DO they come up with these names? I ordered a chicken schwarma with fries and coleslaw and it was delicious. The pop comes in glass bottles and although I am a Pepsi girl, the Coke was most excellent.

Afterwards we continued to wander down the street and again, I suggested turning off the main road. The side streets were alive with people and the energy they bring and I wanted to photograph everything and everyone. Needless to say, I realized that people don’t really appreciate that so I shot from across the street or not at all.

We visited the Livingstone Museum for awhile and enjoyed their displays. I liked the art displays, especially 3 amazing drawings that were zentangle-like to me. I photographed them for reference.

The museum had a gift shop and there, I found elephant bookends carved from soapstone, an apron for a friend, and a necklace for moi.

Our last stop was a grocery store where I bought biscuits, pop (we have a fridge in our room) and some Smirnoff coolers! They look like ‘Ice’ but the label says ‘Storm’, haha. We took a cab back to our hotel where we enjoyed some refreshments sitting out on our deck on the banks of the Zambezi River with a monkey. Life is good!

For supper I ordered just an appetizer at the hotel restaurant. I am finding that the portions are quite big here in Zambia. Yeah, I am done writing and can hit the hay!

Day 11 Zambia - Victoria Falls

After a nice breakfast at our guesthouse, we headed off to OR Tambo. ‘Huh?’, you ask. That’s the present name of the Johannesburg International Airport. Piet says they keep renaming things like airports depending on who’s who in current politics.

We had an 11 AM flight to Livingstone, Zambia. Unfortunately, while putting my duffle bag onto a cart, I lifted, turned and my back felt instant pain. Fortunately, my travel mates were very sympathetic and helped me considerably all throughout the day. The Joburg Airport has lots of wonderful shops but we really didn’t have much time to spare.

We were supposed to begin boarding at 10:15 but it happened about 45 minutes later. The flight was an hour and 45 minutes and we got lunch – bangers and mash, a.k.a. sausages and mashed potatoes. The potatoes were nicely flavoured and it was served with cooked onions.

The Livingstone Airport is a small one and going through customs seemed to take an eternity. Visitors must buy a visa to enter the country: either single entry visa for $50, or multi entry for $80. As we are coming back to Zambia after Botswana, the $80 USD made the most sense. It’s a really cool entry in my passport book.

We were picked up by Brenda from G Adventures and taken to our hotel about 20 minutes away. It is in a national park right beside the Zambezi River. Our room had a patio door that opens onto a bit of grass, and then the river is right there!

We didn’t have long in our rooms before we picked up for a tour of Victoria Falls. Enroute we passed many people on bicycles, most of whom were carrying large loads, boxes, and big jugs of juice. It was hot out and they were pedalling slowly. The locals had a lot more clothes on than we did, after all, it is still winter here.

We also passed a couple of elephants wandering near the side of the road and our driver stopped to let us watch. The falls viewing area is in a park and our guide paid our admission. 

First we went to the upper falls and dipped our feet in the water. Then we walked back and onto the lower falls viewing area. They truly are majestic and far larger than Niagara. We kept stopping at viewpoints every so often and marvelling at the breadth and depth of the falls. The sun together with the water spray, created the most magnificent rainbow that seemed to grow larger we further we went.

We crossed a long narrow bridge along the pathway. It wasn’t a suspension bridge, but some people were nervous about crossing it anyway. It was impossible not to get wet but it felt wonderful. My camera got wet too but I didn’t care. The photos were worth it!

When we got back we headed to the hotel restaurant for drinks and supper on the patio by the river. The sun set as we were sitting out there and it was beautiful. After such a hot day, I was surprised at how cool the evening was by 9 PM.

It’s just after 10 PM and I am beat!