So much has happened in such a short time that I can hardly wrap my head around it. Yesterday was a rather godawful 2-plane ride to Victoria Falls in Zimbabwe, both flights crammed to the gills with what I might term more than a few ugly americans. There was a 50-person ski club from Dallas, half of whom were sick with colds and fevers and only a few of whom saw fit to cover their mouths when sneezing or coughing. Heavy sigh. Then when we landed in Zimbabwe, we had to queue for our visas. Since the four of us were in the back of the plane, The Fifty with all their luggage, plus most of the rest of the passengers were all ahead of us. The process went as follows: Tell health aide worker that we were not from West Africa; tell uniformed man that we wanted only a single visit visa; stand in line for 45 minutes to reach one of three customs officials and spend at least 5 minutes per person for passport to be scrutinized and stamped repeatedly; collect luggage from gated areas; push bags one at a time through scanner (including carry-ons) and jockey for position with some of The Fifty to get your bags through since they seemed to take an exceptionally long time to complete the entry process. Travel can be taxing.
Since we have a luxurious accommodation (really) our driver was there to deal with all our luggage and to ferret us through The Fifty who were blocking the only exit with themselves and their luggage. We left hoping not to see them again during our stay. Ah, The Victoria Falls Safari Lodge. If you look on line, you can believe all the photos because it is wonderful. A few wart hogs keep the grasses trimmed and they were there to greet us which we appreciated.
At 4:30 P.M. we were picked up for our Sunset Cruise on the Zambezi River. The staff and especially the captain have a passion for the river and its animals and we were fortunate enough to be seated near him to get in on all of his sightings and animal lore. You can see photos from the cruise on Facebook.
Today was exhausting and fabulous. We always start very early and we were picked up at 7:15 A.M. for our canoe trip on the river. WOW! More like zodiac rafts with kayak paddles and we were on the river working hard for about 2 hours. The hour-long trip to the canoe spot was in a truck minus shock absorbers or paved roads but breakfast and the beautiful river awaited. Ron and I switched off front and back in the canoe and good that we knew how to navigate because we went through about three series or rapids and you had to paddle your ass off to make it. Once when I was steering we did do a 360 but not until we were in calmer water. More embarrassing than dangerous. A great lunch upon our return and, blessedly, a short ride home.
I am too tired to go on so will write about our afternoon adventure next time. Oh - and that beer at lunch was a winner! I rarely drink and almost never beer but darn that was good.
Since we have a luxurious accommodation (really) our driver was there to deal with all our luggage and to ferret us through The Fifty who were blocking the only exit with themselves and their luggage. We left hoping not to see them again during our stay. Ah, The Victoria Falls Safari Lodge. If you look on line, you can believe all the photos because it is wonderful. A few wart hogs keep the grasses trimmed and they were there to greet us which we appreciated.
At 4:30 P.M. we were picked up for our Sunset Cruise on the Zambezi River. The staff and especially the captain have a passion for the river and its animals and we were fortunate enough to be seated near him to get in on all of his sightings and animal lore. You can see photos from the cruise on Facebook.
Today was exhausting and fabulous. We always start very early and we were picked up at 7:15 A.M. for our canoe trip on the river. WOW! More like zodiac rafts with kayak paddles and we were on the river working hard for about 2 hours. The hour-long trip to the canoe spot was in a truck minus shock absorbers or paved roads but breakfast and the beautiful river awaited. Ron and I switched off front and back in the canoe and good that we knew how to navigate because we went through about three series or rapids and you had to paddle your ass off to make it. Once when I was steering we did do a 360 but not until we were in calmer water. More embarrassing than dangerous. A great lunch upon our return and, blessedly, a short ride home.
I am too tired to go on so will write about our afternoon adventure next time. Oh - and that beer at lunch was a winner! I rarely drink and almost never beer but darn that was good.
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