|
“the smoke that thunders”
During November we had the
opportunity to visit Zimbabwe and the Victoria Falls again.
It has been more than 40
years ago that I, as a young schoolboy, was privileged to travel by train to
the falls on a school tour.
Much has since changed in
terms of luxury accommodation and side shows, but the natural beauty of the
falls still remains as one of the three magnificent wonders, if compared
with the Niagara Falls bordering the USA and Canada, and the Iguazu Falls of
Argentina and Brazil.
We flew into the town of
Victoria Falls with BA / Comair and immediately understand why BA is the
official airline of the Springbok Rugby Team : friendly and spontaneous air
hostesses, good service and a comfortable one and a half hours flight.
|
 |
The stay at the Vic Falls
Safari Lodge is highly recommended : rooms with a fantastic view on the
Zambezi National Park, an outdoor dining / breakfast room overlooking a
permanent nearby waterhole, where we spotted elephant and a herd of buffalo
one evening and during breakfast a full grown Kudu bull with some twelve
young bulls.
The late afternoon
sundowner cruise aboard the Queen of the Zambezi offered us the opportunity
to experience some rare finds : a family quarrel between dad and youngster
Hippo, as well as the elephant family of three crossing the river in a
swimming mode with only their trumpets visible like submarine periscopes
above the water. |
|
|
|
|
The
highlight however was the 30 minute view of the falls from the air in a
microlight fixed wing two seater. Seated next to Wilfred, an ex air
force pilot, and experiencing, as free as a bird, this awesome wonder of
gorges and falls and clouds of spray and a rainbow connecting Zimbabwe
with Zambia, is an experience one would never forget.
“Shongwe” is the name
the Tokaleya people, who still live there, gave the falls. The Ndebele
referred to them as “Amanza Thunquayo” or water rising as smoke, while
the Kololo called them “Mosi oa Tunya” (the smoke that thunders). |
 |
|
|
|
|
 |
We were all impressed
by the friendly local people, each one trying to sell “his brother’s”
piece of art, varying from wooden animals, masks, symbolic weapons,
soapstone figures and faces, wire objects and fruit baskets, musical
instruments like drums and marimbas. The current state of the country’s
economy with one South African Rand equal to 450 Zim Dollars, does not
assist these young entrepreneurs on the street. Zim Dollars are traded
for US Dollars unlawfully at double the official exchange rate, and very
little love is lost for their president.
A visit to the Falls
should also include a visit to a traditional open-air feast in the Boma :
Ostrich kebabs, Warthog steaks, Kariba bream, Kudu potjie, Crocodile tail
and roasted Mopani worms are all served as delicacies. |
For the adrenaline
junkies, Kiwi Extreme offers bungee-jumping off the Vic Falls Bridge (111
metre jump), Shearwater arrange half day white river rafting experiences and
a jet boat does the six rapids, downstream in the gorges.
A weekend breakaway to the
Falls is both affordable and highly recommended : the hospitality of the
local people is an open invitation to tourists, the facilities cater for all
tastes and the world heritage site of river, falls and nature reserve
highlights this wonder of Africa...
- Johann Beukes
|
