Victoria Falls, Zimbabwe is the Home of the Smoke that Thunders

The smoke that thunders! We loved our trip to Zimbabwe, and particularly enjoyed visiting Victoria Falls, one of the seven natural wonders of the world.  The falls are known as “the smoke that thunders”;  it is twice the size of Niagara Falls, and there is so much mist and fog you cannot see the entire falls at once.  It is like a rainforest, green and leafy and lush.  Rainbows are present beneath you on sunny days, rainbows within rainbows!  If you were in a plane or helicopter you could see the entire area, and if you dare to jump into Devil’s Pool you can really get a view!  You have to be in Zambia to do it though, on Livingstone Island.  Check out how awesome the view is! http://images.search.yahoo.com/search/images?_adv_prop=image&fr=yfp-t-656-s&va=devil%27s+pool+victoria+falls

When our family visited, Ally, Randy and Wes headed across the bridge of the Zambezi River to check out bungee jumping, and while doing so were accosted by those selling bracelets and trinkets. They are very, very insistent, and try to put bracelets on your wrists and violate your personal space. Ally was particularly upset by it. I ended up just giving them money….I know I shouldn’t have, but they were all around the bus, putting their arms in through the windows, trying to put jewelry on me. The poverty is gut wrenching, but their physicality is disturbing and manipulative. The differences in their lives and ours are so glaringly visible…a sober reminder of how much it matters where you are born. I know life isn’t fair, but this brings home an awareness of how vastly different life is if you are born into the western world of wealth, industry, technology, modernism. The majority of the world’s population lives in the developing world.

We embarked on our Zambezi River Cruise to the sounds of music, a group of entertainers sang and performed for us. They were awesome. I thought all the music  groups we came across were great, and I bought one of their cds. They were quite talented and fun to watch. The Zambezi is beautiful….with danger lurking under the surface:  hippos and crocs were quite visible along the way.  Did you know that more people in Africa are killed by hippos than by any other animal?  You do not wish to piss off a hippo.  Bird life is abundant here, there are actually quite a few tours of birdwatchers.  

This little guy hopped a ride on a tour bus!

Our hotel was a wildlife refuge, and it was fascinating to watch them up close, or at the watering hole.

We thoroughly enjoyed our visit, and we’d love to go back!