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.
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