Zambia, day 1 (Victoria Falls)

(Vic falls, not our picture)

First day in Zambia, we got in late in the morning and headed out to see Victoria Falls in the afternoon after we checked in at our hostel, Jolly Boys (Justin and I were convinced that Andrew had booked us in a gay backpackers', but we were wrong). We caught a taxi there and walked around -- it's amazing! No wonder it's one of the seven wonders of the world!

We walked around and took tons of pictures around the falls, then found a little path where we got up to the pool of water that runs over the falls. There was a four inch wide cement beam in the water that you could walk across, and when we started and immediately chickened out, a guy came out and told us "make a chain, I'll take you." SMART.

We walked across the beam (luckily, there was a shallow pool with lots of rocks sticking out, so maybe certain death isn't guaranteed if you slip, but it's a little close for comfort), then realized we had a hell of a way more to go to get to the edge of the falls. 40 minutes later, we were regretting our decision to head out when we saw that the sun had completely set. We reached the edge of the falls after a harrowing walk through rushing water and I had a mini freakout about the possibility of walking back in the dark, but LUCKILY Derek (our local "guide", more like a freelancer or, as some might say, an "opportunist") took us on a shortcut through the part of the water he originally told us was too deep and dangerous to cross. We made it back before it was totally dark, and Derek walked us out of the park (after we paid the handsome fee he requested).

We hopped in a minibus (the locals preferred mode of transportation, much cheaper than taxis at 2500 kwacha, the not-so-strong local currency that goes 3500 for a dollar) and headed home, and were shocked to see ELEPHANTS on the side of the road in the middle of Livingstone, a big town in Zambia! There were about five of them, and it was fanastic.

That night, we went to Ngoma Zanga, a great local restaurant serving authentic Zambian food. Lots of great veggies, including pumpkin greens with groundnuts and sweet potato greens. It was fantastic, and we got to eat with our hands and enjoy some Mosi (the local Zambian beer) and listen to some great live music. We headed home at the end of a totally fanatastic and amazing day.

Rach