Day Twenty-Six - Victoria Falls via Zimbabwe
Breakfast at 7 am, departure at 8:30 am headed for the Zimbabwe border. There were 5 vehicles in the convoy today (20 out of 27 of us were going as the others had been before). It was a gorgeous sunny day with a light breeze and we were all looking forward to a great day!
We were only a 10 minute drive from the border and getting out of Botswana was not too complicated. We did the drill of all going in and getting our passports stamped and the driver doing the extra paperwork and then having to stop at the exit gate to hand in the slip.
We drove through the border exit gate and entered Kazungula Border Crossing, the entrance to Zimbabwe and one of the few countries in the world that is NOT friendly to Canadians! We have no idea of how good we have it at home. It was a little unnerving when saying we were Canadian was not met with the usual smiles and hospitality.
We knew that we had to pay $75 USF for our entry visa. And Michael had set aside funds for each vehicle payment but, when he was approached by someone who he thought was an official who quoted him 3 times what the vehicle fee was, he knew he was being scammed. He turned that fellow down only to be approached by another who said he had to deal with him. Michael politely declined and said he would deal with the official behind the window.
What some of us saw and Michael didn't, was that the fellow immediately got on the phone and we believe phoned the guy behind the desk to "report" what happened. Instead of the $55 Michael was prepared for, the official told him $ 145 per vehicle. The back and forth began and went on for about an hour. Michael finally got him down to $95.00 and then the guy told Michael that he had to pay him $75 personally! Michael refused and they had a silent stand off for about 15 minutes. Finally, Michael told him $25 and no more and the guy begrudgingly took it. Meanwhile, the rest of us were sitting in our vehicles outside with the air conditioning on wondering what the heck was going on but there was absolutely nothing we could do.
Finally, Roger (remember? Michael's "got your back" guy) came out with our passports and told us to start pulling out. Then we waited in line for another 10 minutes until the vehicle clearance papers came through. We couldn't wait to get out of there! We had pulled in at 9:05 and we finally made it through at 11:15!
Another half hour and we pulled into the luxurious historical Victoria Falls Hotel. Gorgeous grounds fenced in with African orange brick and a beautiful white hotel with stunningly huge old growth trees that spread their branches over half the grounds. Other flowering trees with beautiful orange and purple blossoms added splashes of colour to the white background of the hotel. It was picturesque and one could envision one's self in a movie from the early 1900's.
Walking through the hotel was like walking through time. A full length portrait of Queen Victoria hung by the main lounge and flags from the different British Colonies lined the hallways. The main dining room was elaborately decorated with chandeliers, brocade, rich red velvets on dark wood and silver and crystal place settings on crisp, white tablecloths circa the Titanic.
Continuing through the hotel, we came out on an open-air patio with tables and chairs overlooking massive green grounds with the same gargantuan shade trees and beyond that, way off in the distance, was a huge gorge with the famous bridge connecting Zimbabwe and Zambia.
Our two tables were set and ready for us off to one side of the patio and we enjoyed a lovely chicken Caesar salad with G&T's in the gentle breeze overlooking this magnificent view. After our coffee and dessert (rich chocolate brownie and amazing vanilla ice cream with candied orange rind), we headed off down a dirt path towards Victoria Falls.
A 10-minute walk (through a gauntlet of local artists trying to sell us their wood carvings of various animals) to the gates of Victoria Falls and a $30 USF or 300 Rand (South African currency) entrance fee and we were getting closer!
We followed a stone path through the wooded area and suddenly came to a view point where we saw the first show of the falls and they were stunning! One tributary was raging over the top and you could hear the sound, feel the power and even get a bit of moistness from the spray! As we drew nearer, we could see the water tumbling with great force over the edge, causing a huge upsurge of spray that caught the sunlight and caused a rainbow in the mist! Then there was the gorge, itself, with the gorge walls going straight down from the flats of the area just like the Grand Canyon with the raging river below. And further along, there was a larger falls that spread across the grounds similar to Niagara Falls.
There was a path to follow and one viewpoint after another getting you closer to the bigger falls area but also allowing different view points of all sides of the different fall paths. If you look at a bird's eye view of Victoria Falls, you will see that they cover a vast area of land and have many different "fall" areas. The time of year also dictates the intensity and magnitude of the falls as they are significantly larger in the rainy season, of course!
Breakfast at 7 am, departure at 8:30 am headed for the Zimbabwe border. There were 5 vehicles in the convoy today (20 out of 27 of us were going as the others had been before). It was a gorgeous sunny day with a light breeze and we were all looking forward to a great day!
We were only a 10 minute drive from the border and getting out of Botswana was not too complicated. We did the drill of all going in and getting our passports stamped and the driver doing the extra paperwork and then having to stop at the exit gate to hand in the slip.
We drove through the border exit gate and entered Kazungula Border Crossing, the entrance to Zimbabwe and one of the few countries in the world that is NOT friendly to Canadians! We have no idea of how good we have it at home. It was a little unnerving when saying we were Canadian was not met with the usual smiles and hospitality.
We knew that we had to pay $75 USF for our entry visa. And Michael had set aside funds for each vehicle payment but, when he was approached by someone who he thought was an official who quoted him 3 times what the vehicle fee was, he knew he was being scammed. He turned that fellow down only to be approached by another who said he had to deal with him. Michael politely declined and said he would deal with the official behind the window.
What some of us saw and Michael didn't, was that the fellow immediately got on the phone and we believe phoned the guy behind the desk to "report" what happened. Instead of the $55 Michael was prepared for, the official told him $ 145 per vehicle. The back and forth began and went on for about an hour. Michael finally got him down to $95.00 and then the guy told Michael that he had to pay him $75 personally! Michael refused and they had a silent stand off for about 15 minutes. Finally, Michael told him $25 and no more and the guy begrudgingly took it. Meanwhile, the rest of us were sitting in our vehicles outside with the air conditioning on wondering what the heck was going on but there was absolutely nothing we could do.
Finally, Roger (remember? Michael's "got your back" guy) came out with our passports and told us to start pulling out. Then we waited in line for another 10 minutes until the vehicle clearance papers came through. We couldn't wait to get out of there! We had pulled in at 9:05 and we finally made it through at 11:15!
Another half hour and we pulled into the luxurious historical Victoria Falls Hotel. Gorgeous grounds fenced in with African orange brick and a beautiful white hotel with stunningly huge old growth trees that spread their branches over half the grounds. Other flowering trees with beautiful orange and purple blossoms added splashes of colour to the white background of the hotel. It was picturesque and one could envision one's self in a movie from the early 1900's.
Walking through the hotel was like walking through time. A full length portrait of Queen Victoria hung by the main lounge and flags from the different British Colonies lined the hallways. The main dining room was elaborately decorated with chandeliers, brocade, rich red velvets on dark wood and silver and crystal place settings on crisp, white tablecloths circa the Titanic.
Continuing through the hotel, we came out on an open-air patio with tables and chairs overlooking massive green grounds with the same gargantuan shade trees and beyond that, way off in the distance, was a huge gorge with the famous bridge connecting Zimbabwe and Zambia.
Our two tables were set and ready for us off to one side of the patio and we enjoyed a lovely chicken Caesar salad with G&T's in the gentle breeze overlooking this magnificent view. After our coffee and dessert (rich chocolate brownie and amazing vanilla ice cream with candied orange rind), we headed off down a dirt path towards Victoria Falls.
A 10-minute walk (through a gauntlet of local artists trying to sell us their wood carvings of various animals) to the gates of Victoria Falls and a $30 USF or 300 Rand (South African currency) entrance fee and we were getting closer!
We followed a stone path through the wooded area and suddenly came to a view point where we saw the first show of the falls and they were stunning! One tributary was raging over the top and you could hear the sound, feel the power and even get a bit of moistness from the spray! As we drew nearer, we could see the water tumbling with great force over the edge, causing a huge upsurge of spray that caught the sunlight and caused a rainbow in the mist! Then there was the gorge, itself, with the gorge walls going straight down from the flats of the area just like the Grand Canyon with the raging river below. And further along, there was a larger falls that spread across the grounds similar to Niagara Falls.
There was a path to follow and one viewpoint after another getting you closer to the bigger falls area but also allowing different view points of all sides of the different fall paths. If you look at a bird's eye view of Victoria Falls, you will see that they cover a vast area of land and have many different "fall" areas. The time of year also dictates the intensity and magnitude of the falls as they are significantly larger in the rainy season, of course!
Victoria Falls is bordered by Zambia and Zimbabwe and a person can go to either country to see them. The group had entered from the Zambia side last time so this was a new experience for everyone. We took individual shots as well as group photos. I stood in one viewpoint and got wet in the mist that was like a gentle rain. At the last view point we visited, we could see a group of people who pay to be taken by the locals into a pool of water just beside the edge of the falls. I can't imagine doing something so risky. Apparently, about six months ago, a young woman got caught up in a sudden surge of water and was swept over. How unbelievably tragic and senseless. Seeing their grandeur and beauty was exciting enough for me!
Soon, it was time for us to leave as we had to get back across the border before dark (sunset is about 6:30 pm) and we weren't sure how complicated the procedure might be getting out of the country!
Fortunately, they don't "graft" you on the way out and, other than a slight delay because their computers went down as soon as we arrived, we got through fairly quickly. On the Botswana side, we again had to drive through the foot and mouth disease "tire bath". And this time, we also had to get out of our cars and step into a shoe "wash" ourselves. Quite the process going through those borders. Don't think I'll complain again about the US/Canada border crossing.......
Got home and had a nice refreshing shower and decided to eat at the sister Safari Lodge across the road. Enjoyed a fun evening with some of the gang and lots of stories were told but they cannot be repeated here......:)
The adventure continues.......JT
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