We were up and running by 5:30 this morning – already to get going and then things screeched to a halt. Our flight was scheduled to leave at 7 so we dutifully got up and ready, grabbed the packed breakfasts that they had ready for us, and boarded the AU bus so that Douglas could get us to the airport on time. Airport is some way out of Harare (so the smog isn’t quite as heavy!). So we get to the domestic terminal, unload people and belongings and scurry into an empty terminal. Hmm. Seven o’clock flight? Oh no, there is no seven o’clock flight!!
And the wait began. Domestic terminal is pretty bleak so we wondered over to the international terminal where we found a café (oh good – tea, coffee and hot chocolate) and numerous shops with handicrafts and such like. So we sort of spread out and morphed from one grouping to another. Some in one terminal, some in the other. Watched videos on computers, read, shopped, and THEN FINALLY we discovered that we were booked on the 11:30 flight. Yippee!!
We were ushered through a rather cursory security check and then given complimentary drinks. Things were looking up. Then they called our flight and out the door we go – past the nice shiny 767 that was parked RIGHT THERE and to the 737 out beyond. But once we were on the plane and in the air we had really good service … sandwich lunch, plenty of tea and coffee and soft drinks. Needless to say we were slightly awash by the time we got to Victoria Falls.
Now the problem was that we were scheduled to check in to the hotel and be at the Falls themselves at 11 and then back to the hotel for a sundown cruise on the Zambezi River at 4. You will remember that we were on the 11:30 flight which arrived in Vic Falls at 12:30. But our ever resourceful tour guide, Andrew, had a plan B. Go straight to the Falls. Do not pass go, do not collect your breath.
The Falls are amazing. Think Niagara Falls only more so. We are not yet in the rainy season so they weren’t as overwhelming as they can be but trust us they whelmed!! Rather than starting at the top and working our way down, Andrew had us start at the bottom – the bridge that crosses into Zambia (which is where the bungee jumping takes place. Dona Lou spun us this story about the jump being free if you do it naked. None of us was willing to strip or shell out $100 so we continued on our way). We slowly wound our way along the path on the rim that is across from the actual falls. There are 16 overlook spots but we only stopped at 6. Learned that the Rainbow Falls are the tallest. And tried not to get the cameras wet in the spots where the spray was especially heavy. At the top of the falls was a bigger than life statue of David Livingstone who “discovered” them (like no one knew they were there before that).
After all that oohing and aahing we headed for the resort – the A’Zambezi River Lodge http://azambeziriverlodge.com/ . This place has been recently renovated and reopened and is winning all sorts of travel awards. We were greeted at check-in with a cool glass of mango juice and then escorted to our luxurious rooms. But no time to dally – we needed to be onboard the boat at 4:30. These pontoon boats (slightly bigger than what we would normally see) headed north towards the Falls (but not close enough to make one nervous in anyway) around a long island and then back south to the other end of the island and then north again ending up back at the resort (which is a good thing since that was where we wanted to end up). The cruise takes place an hour or more before sunset – and you see all sorts of animals and birds. We saw crocodiles (one really big and two cute little young ones), ten or more elephants, hippos (a mother with a couple of babies), a bush buck or two, and a large quantity of birds … cormorants, bee-eaters, lilac breasted rollers, egrets and so on. And a beautiful sunset.
After all of that we cleaned up a little and loaded onto the bus again to go to dinner at the Boma Restaurant http://www.thebomarestaurant.com/ . This is a restaurant that provides a cultural evening – African food, music, and décor. Dinner started with a wonderful butternut squash soup served in a little cast iron pot. And the rest was on either a hot or cold buffet. The cold buffet included salads, breads, crocodile tail, impala terrine, and smoked guinea fowl. At the hot buffet you could have things grilled to order – stir-fry, warthog, oxtail, eland, ostrich, chicken, and beef. And you finished the dinner at the dessert buffet – chocolate cake and pudding, cream puffs, fruit salad, and cheesecake. Wonderful!!
Throughout the meal there was entertainment -- singers, dancers, drummers, and a fortune teller. And then they passed out drums – one to each diner – and we had a drumming lesson. Lots of fun.
Today had its challenges but we had plenty of opportunity to share more details about our work at AU and our time in the Mutare area. We are drawing this trip to close on a high note!
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