Livingstone Zambia

By Jain

We survived the night with surprisingly very few mosquito bites. After a hearty breakfast I was going to exercise but discovered they were in the process of moving the gym to another location within the lodge. Saved by the bell. Looks like they are downsizing it, probably since I don't see anyone here that looks like they have been to a gym in years.

Later we caught the hotels shuttle to Victoria Falls. There are two ways to view the falls one from the Zambia side and reportedly the best from the Zimbabwe side. Today we just went to Zambia side since Saturday we are taking the historic steam dinner train that crosses over Victoria Bridge to Zimbabwe. There is no fee for entering the grounds and there are various trails and footpaths that lead you to lookout points to see the spectacular Victoria Falls. It is quite a sight.

Locals call Victoria Falls, Mosi Oa Tunya "The Smoke That Thunders" because its roaring power and since spray it can be seen 30 kilometers away. Victoria Falls is said to be the greatest curtain of water dropping in the world. Peak season is in April, the lowest season is in October. Today we were awestruck at the beauty and can't imagine in high season when it showcases over two kilometers of cascading water.

Besides the falls on our walk we saw the great Victoria Bridge so named for Queen of England by famous Dr. Livingstone, explorer and missionary. Remember when Stanley, journalist and explorer finally found Livingstone in Tanzania and said,  "Dr. Livingstone, I presume"? Good guess since they were probably the only two white men in Africa in 1856.

From the Victoria Bridge they offer bungee jumping; guaranteed to straighten out any back and neck problems you may have. We will pass on that. Below in the Batoka gorge they offer white water rafting for those who really like a thrill.

After viewing the falls we walked next door to the luxurious Avanti Hotel for a beer. The grounds are full of Zebras, Impala and a multitude of birds. You can get quite close to the zebras but the guards warn you they have a mighty kick. Zebras are actually one of my favorite animals. They are often said to be worthless animals because they are not suitable to riding (bad temperament and skittish) and not so good as a work animal because they have a frail back. 

Tonight for dinner we go back Victoria Falls to the Royal Livingstone Hotel. This posh colonial hotel is gorgeous, set right on the river with sprawling gardens. It is a new hotel built in 2003 and is quite large. The advantage of staying here is you can see the mist from the falls and that giraffe, zebras roam the grounds. The disadvantage is that it starts at about $700.00 a night. We are here only for dinner. ;-)

The place was packed, somebody's got money! We had a drink at the bar offering a great view of the beautiful sunset.  Once the sun went down there was a mass exit because of the mosquitos! Dinner was OK nothing to write about but the atmosphere was great and we had an enjoyable evening. Ivan our taxi driver picked us up and skillfully drove us back to the other side of the tracks.

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