Sometimes the tourist thing saddens me, with the crowds of people and their loudness, irreverence, pushiness and obliviousness to their surroundings. And tourist hell was what I expected as we boarded the crowded bus in Kasane for the day trip to Victoria Falls. After we cleared the border between Botswana and Zimbabwe, we boarded a different bus, this one with our own personal guide, Abiat.
Victoria Falls, one of the seven natural wonders of the world, reminded me of Niagara in many ways, but without the power plants and congestion. While the national park built around it is certainly busy, particularly on a beautiful day, the masses and throngs weren't nearly as intense. And how can you go wrong in a place where sounders of warthogs freely graze any patch of grass?
Abiat, a Zimbabwean native and guide for nearly 20 years, clearly knows his history and his naturalism. After he gave us all rain ponchos, we began walking the two miles or so of trails leading to various viewing stations. The constant roar of the falls, and the torrential rain created by the pounding water, made photography a challenge. But imagine the sheet pouring rain and wind of a strong summer thunderstorm, all in brilliant sunlight!
Susan looked like she had a million diamonds in her hair, courtesy of the Victoria Falls mist.
Betty Anne had a bungee jump off the 110 meter Victoria Falls bridge on her bucket list. While the Canadians went off seeking suicide in the no man's land between Zimbabwe and Zambia, we went to lunch with Abiat. A man of our age, he told us about life in the violent, war-torn days of his country's history during the Rhodesian War. He still carries the metal identification card that served as his only defense against getting shot in those days.
Even today, Zimbabwe is still in rebuilding mode. When we crossed the border going in, we had to pay $30 each U.S. for our visas. The Canadians had to pay $75 each, because of the state of relations, trade and reciprocity between the two countries. I thought it was quite convenient to be allowed to use US dollars, but Abiat explained that the entire country uses our currency because their own had become so inflated as to become worthless.
When the Canadians returned from their death plunge (Sheldon did it too), Susan had also discovered the currency. On a street corner, she purchased a fistful of Zimbabwean dollars, incurring the wrath of the local constabulary. She's so generous -- Susan readily shared her wealth, and I can now say I have 10 billion dollars in my wallet.
According to Abiat, however, that wouldn't buy even one stick of gum.
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