14 NOVEMBER, TUESDAY, VICTORIA FALLS TO JOHANNESBURG

We got up early.  After our safari 5:00 AM wake ups we're having trouble sleeping in.  We went over to breakfast.  It was a bit windy, but it didn't look as bad as it did a couple of days ago.  We finished packing up.  Most interesting thing around were flocks of vultures waiting for feeding time at the hotel.  Here's a couple of vultures waiting in line.

We waited for our pick up from the hotel at 10.  It had begun to rain.  Our drive was a short one to the Zimbabwe/Zambian border.  We didn't have to pay to leave Zimbabwe (surprise).  At the border, our driver handed us off to a Zambian driver (it was Rafael who had driven us the route in reverse).  When we got to the entry point, we had to pay a reentry fee into Zambia.  Clearly, this is a money making operation for both countries.  The Zambian economy is based on copper mining, grain, and one other item (I forgot - sorry) and apparently, tourists traveling from Victoria Falls to Livingstone and visa versa.  When we got to the border Rafael pointed out the number of Zimbabweans walking across the bridge into Zambia.  He said for food - we could see the earlier-rising Zimbabweans walking back with baskets - many on their heads loaded with food.  Rafael told us Zimbabwe had nothing.  The Zimbabwean president is Mugabe.  He and his wife Grace have run the place into the ground.  As far as we could see, Victoria Falls and its tourists is the main source of support for the economy.  Rafael told us that social networks had shown tanks surrounding Mugabe's residence.  To be continued.  

The line at the border was quite long, but Rafael managed to get us through the Zambian immigration quickly.  Off to the airport at Livingstone.  Our flight left on time.  One flight at a time at the Livingstone airport.  We got to Johannesburg a bit early.  The pilot told us that due to thunderstorms in the area there were 15 - 40 km/p/h gusts.  We were just above the runway, and the pilot put on the steam and we were back in the air again.  Apparently, the gusts had prevented the tail from coming down the way it should, so our landing was aborted.  The second time was fine.

We got our luggage and were met by a guy who drove us to our hotel 54 on Bath.  He told us he was born and raised in Johannesburg, and that he was a Zulu.  From an idiotic movie I'd seen as a kid, I thought Zulus were very tall.  He wasn't tall, but built like a wrestler.  He also told us that when it rains in Johannesburg, it's almost always thunder and lightning storms. Our hotel is north of the city.  Good grief what a lovely place.  

The crime in Johannesburg is a bit off-putting.  We could walk from our hotel to an enormous mall next door by way of a passage from the hotel to the mall.  We wandered around.  Back to the hotel.  Here's some photos of the room.

A view from our room

We had dinner at the hotel restaurant, which was excellent.  We're back in the room watching a rip-snorting thunderstorm a-la-Johannesburg.

NOVEMBER 13, MONDAY, TRIP TO VICTORIA FALLS (THE TOWN) ZAMBEZI RIVER CRUISE

When we got back from our hike this morning, Alex, the Zimbabwe guide dropped us off at the hotel.  We decided we'd try town for lunch, so we took the hotel shuttle to town.  It dropped us off at the Three Monkeys Cafe.  I had what sounded like a small salad.  It wasn't small, and it wasn't very good.   Charlie tried a hamburger.  Same for the hamburger.  Part of the trouble here is that Zimbabwe doesn't have its own currency.  Most of the prices are listed in US dollars, but at US rates.  Since the rest of South Africa isn't as expensive as the US the rates are out of line.  So was our lunch.  Best thing was the Tuxedo Cat that wandered around the place.

The shuttle driver explained we could be picked up where he dropped us off or at the local post office.  We opted to walk back to the drop off point.  It seemed farther when he was driving.  We got back in less than 10 minutes.  I took a few town photos.  Here are some photos of Victoria Falls, Zimbabwe:

Outside the local post office.

The singers were singing outside the gates of the Victoria Falls Park. They were there this morning too.

Trinket shops outside the Victoria Falls Park.

We hung around the room until the time to take our Zambezi River tour.  While we waited we walked to the Victoria Falls Safari Lodge ( the bigger of the two facilities).  They put out food for vultures in the afternoon.  Here are the vultures outside the Lodge. 

                                     

Back at out Victoria Falls Safari Club the local troop of warthogs gathered.  I couldn't get a good photo of warthogs until today. Hurray.  Here are my warthogs.

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They eat kneeling and look totally ridiculous.  I am a real warthog fan.  Unfortunately for them, they are also delicious.  

At 4  we went with Alex for our Zambezi river tour.  We ended up with three other sets of Americans.  It was a lovely ride.  The captain told us we couldn't get within 4 km of the Devil's Cataract, or we wouldn't be able to pull out of the current.  Needless to say, we didn't.  It was a lovely ride.  They gave us wine and snacks and pointed out interesting animals and facts along the way.  Here are my Zambezi river photos:

A crocodile on the bank

Hippopotamuses 

An egret and a water buck

More hippos.  The one above was quite annoyed that we had come close.  He and a pal came out close to the boat and complained.  We backed off.  Apparently, hippos are the most dangerous animal in Africa.

The birds in the photo above are quite distressed

There was a baby crocodile at the end of their little island that was bothering them

Sunset on the Zambezi river.  

We had warthog for dinner at the main lodge.  Tomorrow we are off to Johannesburg.

  

NOVEMBER 13TH, MONDAY, AM VICTORIA FALLS.

We got up early (around 6:30 AM) and went to breakfast.  There was a buffet that we thought was it.  No. they brought us a menu for a hot breakfast too.  Good heavens.  I tried to hold back a bit.  Good luck with that.

Note: Zambia and Zimbabwe used to be Rhodesia- place of the lion-killing dogs. Sorry about the error from the previous posting.  Zambia was North Rhodesia.  Both names are taken from the Zambezi River which forms a border between them. 

At 8:10 or so, we met up with Alex who drove us to Victoria Falls.  There were so many tourists in the parking lot, he decided to take our walk backwards.  We began looking at the Zambian part of the falls.  On this half, there are fewer trees, no mist, so it's hotter.  The end of the walk is in Zimbabwe and the mists coming off the falls is so heavy it drips from the trees like rain.  It felt so nice to be cool.

Trinket shops before we entered the Victoria Falls Park area.

The Zambian government has a dam on their side.  On occasions they release water which is why we saw any waterfalls at all on the Zambian side.  Yesterday when we were driving past this area, there wasn't any water at all.

Zambian waterfalls.

The "boiling pot" is the end of the waterfalls on the Zambian side.

The "boiling pot" is around the rock behind us.

A bridge which leads into Zimbabwe.  They treat it very gently (one car at a time), partly because it's 100 years old, and partly because they don't have the resources to redo it.

Main cataract of the Victoria Falls from Zimbabwe side.

These were a type of onion plant that appeared right before the rainy season.  They were all over the rainy part of the forest.

The Devil's cataract - the last of the falls in the series.

Overlooking the Devil's cataract

A statue of Stanley Livingstone.  He died of malaria here.  His innards were buried in Africa, his body was buried in Scotland where he came from.

After our Victoria Falls tour, we went into the souvenir shop at the Falls.  We then went to a souvenir market in town.  Some of the stuff is really awful, much of it is way too heavy.  We did find a small number of light-weight gifts.  Then we headed back to the hotel.

This little gecko-like creature was on our porch.

I don't know what these animals are, but they were having a snack close to our hotel.