It has been about at a day since we returned to UB (University of Botswana) from Livingstone, Zambia. I had an amazing time at Victoria Falls. Marinda, Jayne and I all went up to Zambia together. We stayed at a backpackers called Jolly Boys which was quite relaxing. Livingstone was a great little town we found a nice little coffee shop and went to the craft market. While on our trip we went on a sunset cruise on the Zambezi River, I went bungi jumping!!!, we saw Vic Falls, and we also went on a day safari at Chobe Game Reserve. It was all amazing! It was also much warmer up there which was a nice change from Gabs. It gets so cold here at night and in the early morning. Here is how the Victoria Falls journey goes...
Tuesday July 8th
We had to buy our bus tickets to Zambia today. We learned that you can only buy the tickets for the Zambia Botswana Luxury Coach the morning of they day you want to take the bus. So we stand in line all morning in the cold and learn that many people are cutting us and many are buying tickets for others. We end up getting 3 of the last 5 tickets available! We left in the evening and again that meant standing in long lines just to get your luggage loaded on the bus. It turned out to be quite an ordeal. But we got on and all was well, and this was a straight shot into Livingstone. We didn't have to get on any other buses. It was in total about a 14 hour overnight bus ride, and 3 of those hours were spent crossing the border into Zambia. That itself was an ordeal as well. We had to depart Botswana and then walk across to the ferry and then take that and then go through Zambia borders and get our luggage checked. It took forever. Thankfully a young girl going to University helped us figure it all out. It was very confusing. That is something we were very grateful for during this trip; the help of others. It always seemed like someone was there to help right when we needed it.
Wednesday July 9th
We arrived in Livingstone!!! We spent the day getting checked in at Jolly Boys, setting our schedule and making all of our bookings.
Jolly Boys was very relaxing. It had a beautiful pool and 'chill out' area. 
We stayed in the 16 person dorm the first night and then switched to the 8 person dorm for the next 3 nights. We got to meet some pretty neat people. We also figured out money. In Zambia they use the Zambia Kwacha which $1 is equal to 3,500 Kwacha. So it wasn't abnormal to see a price of 50,000 kwacha. Very weird for us to see - but not a strange price. It took us a good while to get a grasp of the money. I am taking home 50 kwacha bills because they are worth less than 1 cent - so they are just souvenirs. Funny fact too - coins aren't in use in Zambia currency any more because they have no value, so they are now sold as souvenirs in the market.
Thursday July 10th
Today we spent the day discovering Livingstone a little. We went to the Wonderbake coffee shop and got some real coffee (compared to instant, which is what we find in Gabs) and scones. We then ventured to the craft market. This is where we spent most of the afternoon. We browsed and shopped for neat souvenirs. It was really neat to see all the crafts. In the evening we went on a sunset cruise on the Zambezi River.
It was gorgeous. And the best part is we finally got to see HIPPOS!!! 
and I didn't feel threatened at all - because we were in a big boat, not a mokoro. We also saw some crocs and elephants! The cruise was wonderful. We watched the sunset as we ate our dinner on the boat. They grilled chicken and sausage right on the boat. It was delicious.
Friday July 11th
The Big Day... Bungi Jumping! July 11th, at 11am, 111meters... the 3rd highest Bungi in the world and one of the 7 natural wonders of the world. The jump is from the bridge that connects Zimbabwe and Zambia above the Zambezi River. I did it and surprisingly I was quite calm. Marinda and I both bungied in the morning. Jayne was our photographer and cheerleader - and she did a darn good job. Marinda and I stayed very calm throughout the whole day. My first feeling of fear came when we walked onto the bridge and I saw what we would be jumping down towards. Below was the rushing water from the Victoria Falls. It was breathtaking yet frightening to realize I would be jumping into it. By the time it was my turn to jump I was only left with excitement. I had been watching others jump and I was psyched. I couldn't wait to jump off of that platform! Once they got me all ready it was time to jump - it all happened so fast that I didn't have much time to think about it and then ... 5-4-3-2-1 BUNGI!!! and I was off. I made sure that I kept my eyes open - it was an amazing view. I wasn't always sure which way I was looking but it was still awesome to see.
After being ecstatic about jumping and then watching Marinda jump, we ventured over to the see the Falls close up. The Falls were amazing. We got to see them from three different angles; at the top watching the water fall, from the back seeing where the water comes from before it falls, and also from the bottom - once the water falls. Also known as the boiling pot. The Falls were breathtaking - neither words nor pictures can describe how amazing they are - you feel the mist from the falls hitting you and hear the rushing of the water over the falls, it was gorgeous. One of the most beautiful things I have ever seen. We rented ponchos and walked around through the national park capturing what we could with our cameras and standing in awe of what we couldn’t. The falls were so great and big that they create a sort of an upward rain/mist that comes from below where the water hits the bottom. It was so vast, endless and powerful.
The boiling pot was a wonderful view of the falls and also a good hike. It was a hike downward from the top of the falls to the very bottom. We had to get through rocks, streams and even baboons - they were everywhere! Yes monkeys all around us - within inches of me at one point. Finally we got to the bottom - with some help. Again help just came through when we needed it. We probably would have stopped way before we actually got to the boiling pot to see the amazing view. Once we got down there we could see the falls, the first rapids, and the bridge that we bungied off of. It was quite the hike up as well - but well worth it for the view.
We finished the night off by going to a great little restaurant in Livingstone. It was called The Rite Pub and Grill. I had chicken and it was delicious and displayed very uniquely.
Saturday July 12th
Today we went to Chobe Game Reserve, which is actually in Botswana, so we had to go through the whole border crossing again. Chobe is known for its elephants - it has the most. Once we arrived there they treated us to a great breakfast and then we got on the open safari vehicle.
We spent the morning on the safari vehicle for the game drive. We saw more hippos, impala, kudu, lots of crocs, birds and some elephants from afar. Being on the safari vehicles is very neat in itself. The several times that we have ridden on them we have also just taken them out on the road. In fact when we returned to Zambia at the end of the day they took us to the border in the safari vehicle - like no big deal. I always think that if someone saw this vehicle around town back home they would be shocked! In the afternoon we went on a safari boat cruise. This was wonderful because not only did we get a wonderful lunch on the boat while cruising through the Chobe waters, but we also got to see a lot more animals and very close up. 
We saw more elephants, hippos, water buffalo, and more crocs. 
It was amazing how close we could see the animals. Most of them hung out in this grassy island area and we could get very close to them. From the water we could see the vastness and openness of Chobe - it was huge. You could really spend weeks out there and still not see it all. We wish we could have seen a loin - that was the only let down for me. But it was still amazing and the food was wonderful (you know me ;).
When we returned to Jolly Boys after our long day the power was out again (it was out Thursday night after our sunset cruise too). We have really gotten used to the iffy power situation. It has become a normal occurrence to just come home and not have power - or have an odd outage. It doesn't happen too often, but when it does I am not surprised - even back at UB. It worked out well for us though, because we went to bed very early. We had to get up at 2:45am to catch our bus home - which was an adventure of its own.
Sunday July 13th
We woke up at 2:45am and called the taxi to take us to our bus which was arriving from Lusaka at Livingstone at 4am. This is the bus that goes straight to Gaborone, the one we took to get there, so it is the easiest. Once the bus comes we learn that it is full. We then learn about a bus that leaves within the next hour to Kazungula - the Zambia Botswana border. So we get on that and arrive at the border at 6am - still very dark. Although on the bus, Jayne sat next to a nice man that said he might be able to get us on the bus that goes to Gaborone - he said he knew the driver. Again, someone there to help us when we needed it. So as we were standing in line at the Zambia border a man came up to us from the bus we wanted and asked if we were going to Gabs and said he could get us on the bus. We were thrilled. Our alternative was to get a taxi to Kasane, then a bus from Kasane to Francistown, then another bus or the train from Francistown to Gabs. It was great to get on the bus that went all the way to Gabs. After 3 hours of going through the border again we get on the bus and learn that it is still full - we are sitting on the floor. I sat on the steps to get on the bus between the gear shifter and a woman’s feet that occasionally hit me in the head. It was very dusty and dirty from all the foot traffic of getting on and off the bus. Jayne and Marinda sat on the floor squished in the middle of the bus by a toilet that didn't work but still smelled. We sat here for the next 7 hours until Francistown. Luckily I met a very nice man next to me - Humphrey - who let me sit in his seat for about an hour. He was very kind and nice to talk to. There was an amazing moment while we sat on the floor - the bus had to slow down so some elephants could cross the street! It was amazing to just see elephants cross the road right in front of us. We really are in Africa! That still amazes me at times. Once we got to Francistown enough people got off the bus that we all got a seat for the rest of the 5 hours back to Gabs. We were so happy to be back at UB in our nice beds. It was great to get clean after being on the dirty bus floor for hours and to eat a warm good meal. We all slept very well that night.
Overall Victoria Falls was an amazing trip and adventure. It is still great to be back in Gabs at UB as well. I think that is one of my favorite things about trips too - you get excited to go home - and home is at UB here. It is hard to believe that in exactly 3 weeks we will be home - our real home. It is flying by. I am very excited to get home and see all of my friends and family. I know it will be hard to leave here too. I know that this experience will always be apart of me and I will miss being here as well, just like I miss home now.
Tuesday July 8th
We had to buy our bus tickets to Zambia today. We learned that you can only buy the tickets for the Zambia Botswana Luxury Coach the morning of they day you want to take the bus. So we stand in line all morning in the cold and learn that many people are cutting us and many are buying tickets for others. We end up getting 3 of the last 5 tickets available! We left in the evening and again that meant standing in long lines just to get your luggage loaded on the bus. It turned out to be quite an ordeal. But we got on and all was well, and this was a straight shot into Livingstone. We didn't have to get on any other buses. It was in total about a 14 hour overnight bus ride, and 3 of those hours were spent crossing the border into Zambia. That itself was an ordeal as well. We had to depart Botswana and then walk across to the ferry and then take that and then go through Zambia borders and get our luggage checked. It took forever. Thankfully a young girl going to University helped us figure it all out. It was very confusing. That is something we were very grateful for during this trip; the help of others. It always seemed like someone was there to help right when we needed it.
Wednesday July 9th
We arrived in Livingstone!!! We spent the day getting checked in at Jolly Boys, setting our schedule and making all of our bookings.
Jolly Boys was very relaxing. It had a beautiful pool and 'chill out' area. We stayed in the 16 person dorm the first night and then switched to the 8 person dorm for the next 3 nights. We got to meet some pretty neat people. We also figured out money. In Zambia they use the Zambia Kwacha which $1 is equal to 3,500 Kwacha. So it wasn't abnormal to see a price of 50,000 kwacha. Very weird for us to see - but not a strange price. It took us a good while to get a grasp of the money. I am taking home 50 kwacha bills because they are worth less than 1 cent - so they are just souvenirs. Funny fact too - coins aren't in use in Zambia currency any more because they have no value, so they are now sold as souvenirs in the market.Thursday July 10th
Today we spent the day discovering Livingstone a little. We went to the Wonderbake coffee shop and got some real coffee (compared to instant, which is what we find in Gabs) and scones. We then ventured to the craft market. This is where we spent most of the afternoon. We browsed and shopped for neat souvenirs. It was really neat to see all the crafts. In the evening we went on a sunset cruise on the Zambezi River.
It was gorgeous. And the best part is we finally got to see HIPPOS!!! and I didn't feel threatened at all - because we were in a big boat, not a mokoro. We also saw some crocs and elephants! The cruise was wonderful. We watched the sunset as we ate our dinner on the boat. They grilled chicken and sausage right on the boat. It was delicious.Friday July 11th
The Big Day... Bungi Jumping! July 11th, at 11am, 111meters... the 3rd highest Bungi in the world and one of the 7 natural wonders of the world. The jump is from the bridge that connects Zimbabwe and Zambia above the Zambezi River. I did it and surprisingly I was quite calm. Marinda and I both bungied in the morning. Jayne was our photographer and cheerleader - and she did a darn good job. Marinda and I stayed very calm throughout the whole day. My first feeling of fear came when we walked onto the bridge and I saw what we would be jumping down towards. Below was the rushing water from the Victoria Falls. It was breathtaking yet frightening to realize I would be jumping into it. By the time it was my turn to jump I was only left with excitement. I had been watching others jump and I was psyched. I couldn't wait to jump off of that platform! Once they got me all ready it was time to jump - it all happened so fast that I didn't have much time to think about it and then ... 5-4-3-2-1 BUNGI!!! and I was off. I made sure that I kept my eyes open - it was an amazing view. I wasn't always sure which way I was looking but it was still awesome to see.
After being ecstatic about jumping and then watching Marinda jump, we ventured over to the see the Falls close up. The Falls were amazing. We got to see them from three different angles; at the top watching the water fall, from the back seeing where the water comes from before it falls, and also from the bottom - once the water falls. Also known as the boiling pot. The Falls were breathtaking - neither words nor pictures can describe how amazing they are - you feel the mist from the falls hitting you and hear the rushing of the water over the falls, it was gorgeous. One of the most beautiful things I have ever seen. We rented ponchos and walked around through the national park capturing what we could with our cameras and standing in awe of what we couldn’t. The falls were so great and big that they create a sort of an upward rain/mist that comes from below where the water hits the bottom. It was so vast, endless and powerful.
The boiling pot was a wonderful view of the falls and also a good hike. It was a hike downward from the top of the falls to the very bottom. We had to get through rocks, streams and even baboons - they were everywhere! Yes monkeys all around us - within inches of me at one point. Finally we got to the bottom - with some help. Again help just came through when we needed it. We probably would have stopped way before we actually got to the boiling pot to see the amazing view. Once we got down there we could see the falls, the first rapids, and the bridge that we bungied off of. It was quite the hike up as well - but well worth it for the view.
We finished the night off by going to a great little restaurant in Livingstone. It was called The Rite Pub and Grill. I had chicken and it was delicious and displayed very uniquely.
Saturday July 12th
Today we went to Chobe Game Reserve, which is actually in Botswana, so we had to go through the whole border crossing again. Chobe is known for its elephants - it has the most. Once we arrived there they treated us to a great breakfast and then we got on the open safari vehicle.
We spent the morning on the safari vehicle for the game drive. We saw more hippos, impala, kudu, lots of crocs, birds and some elephants from afar. Being on the safari vehicles is very neat in itself. The several times that we have ridden on them we have also just taken them out on the road. In fact when we returned to Zambia at the end of the day they took us to the border in the safari vehicle - like no big deal. I always think that if someone saw this vehicle around town back home they would be shocked! In the afternoon we went on a safari boat cruise. This was wonderful because not only did we get a wonderful lunch on the boat while cruising through the Chobe waters, but we also got to see a lot more animals and very close up. We saw more elephants, hippos, water buffalo, and more crocs. It was amazing how close we could see the animals. Most of them hung out in this grassy island area and we could get very close to them. From the water we could see the vastness and openness of Chobe - it was huge. You could really spend weeks out there and still not see it all. We wish we could have seen a loin - that was the only let down for me. But it was still amazing and the food was wonderful (you know me ;).When we returned to Jolly Boys after our long day the power was out again (it was out Thursday night after our sunset cruise too). We have really gotten used to the iffy power situation. It has become a normal occurrence to just come home and not have power - or have an odd outage. It doesn't happen too often, but when it does I am not surprised - even back at UB. It worked out well for us though, because we went to bed very early. We had to get up at 2:45am to catch our bus home - which was an adventure of its own.
Sunday July 13th
We woke up at 2:45am and called the taxi to take us to our bus which was arriving from Lusaka at Livingstone at 4am. This is the bus that goes straight to Gaborone, the one we took to get there, so it is the easiest. Once the bus comes we learn that it is full. We then learn about a bus that leaves within the next hour to Kazungula - the Zambia Botswana border. So we get on that and arrive at the border at 6am - still very dark. Although on the bus, Jayne sat next to a nice man that said he might be able to get us on the bus that goes to Gaborone - he said he knew the driver. Again, someone there to help us when we needed it. So as we were standing in line at the Zambia border a man came up to us from the bus we wanted and asked if we were going to Gabs and said he could get us on the bus. We were thrilled. Our alternative was to get a taxi to Kasane, then a bus from Kasane to Francistown, then another bus or the train from Francistown to Gabs. It was great to get on the bus that went all the way to Gabs. After 3 hours of going through the border again we get on the bus and learn that it is still full - we are sitting on the floor. I sat on the steps to get on the bus between the gear shifter and a woman’s feet that occasionally hit me in the head. It was very dusty and dirty from all the foot traffic of getting on and off the bus. Jayne and Marinda sat on the floor squished in the middle of the bus by a toilet that didn't work but still smelled. We sat here for the next 7 hours until Francistown. Luckily I met a very nice man next to me - Humphrey - who let me sit in his seat for about an hour. He was very kind and nice to talk to. There was an amazing moment while we sat on the floor - the bus had to slow down so some elephants could cross the street! It was amazing to just see elephants cross the road right in front of us. We really are in Africa! That still amazes me at times. Once we got to Francistown enough people got off the bus that we all got a seat for the rest of the 5 hours back to Gabs. We were so happy to be back at UB in our nice beds. It was great to get clean after being on the dirty bus floor for hours and to eat a warm good meal. We all slept very well that night.
Overall Victoria Falls was an amazing trip and adventure. It is still great to be back in Gabs at UB as well. I think that is one of my favorite things about trips too - you get excited to go home - and home is at UB here. It is hard to believe that in exactly 3 weeks we will be home - our real home. It is flying by. I am very excited to get home and see all of my friends and family. I know it will be hard to leave here too. I know that this experience will always be apart of me and I will miss being here as well, just like I miss home now.
1 comment:
Flippin amazing Leslie. I wish I could have seen you jump off the plat form. The bridge was cool. It sucks that you had to sit on the floor but I am so glad that you are safe back at the UB. You are the greatest.
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