Out of Africa...with a BANG!

After our internships ended, David, Tamar, and I decided to stay in Africa for a few extra days to travel. We left on Friday and flew up to Kasane, which is in the Northeastern corner of Botswana. We got in around noon and had arranged to be picked up at the airport and after a buffet lunch at a gorgeous lodge we were immediately taken on safari in Chobe National Park. It was by far the best game drive I've been on since being here. Chobe has the highest concentration of elephants in the world, and we saw many of them along with huge herd of antelope, giraffe, and other animals that got incredibly close to the car! The Chobe River also runs through the park so we saw huge pods of hippos, which are actually the most dangerous animals in Africa.

After the game drive we were driven to the Kazungula ferry to cross the border into Zambia. Kazungula is a cool place geographically because it's the place where Botswana, Namibia, Zambia, and Zimbabwe all meet. In reality, the "ferry" they use to get people across the Zambezi river which makes the border could generously be called a barge. Its dirty, old, smelly, and practically falling apart. They first load a few tracter trailers or cars on and then let on the people, who just stand there next to the cars. We got our passports stamped in Zambia and then got picked up by the driver from the hostel we would be staying at and headed out. After a longer than anticipated car ride (the van broke down, typical) we reached the Jollyboy's Hostel, which is a great hostel in Livingstone, the home of Victoria Falls.

White Water Rafting
The next morning we got up early and were picked up at 7 AM to go white water rafting on the Zambezi river, which is a Class 5 (highest) river. It was a great time! After going to the boat company to hear the safety talk, grab breakfast, and gear up we headed out on a half hour drive through mud-hut villages to the gorge. We then had to climb almost vertical down this treacherous boulder/stick ladder path into the gorge. It was probably the scariest part of the trip!


We got acclimated in our boat and no sooner had we taken off then we were capsized by the first rapid, aptly named the "Gnashing Jaws of Death". The water was pretty cold and I was not a fan of swimming in white water holding on to the overturned boat for dear life. We unflipped the boat and thankfully that was the only time we fully flipped. Going over the rest of the rapids was really fun once it stopped being terrifying! It was definitely a roller coaster ride and my entire body was sore (and a little bruised/cut up) afterwards! It as definitely a great workout though and the Zambezi was a beautiful and intense place to have my first white water rafting adventure!

Livingstone Island
The next morning, I got up early again and went with two girls from Cornell that I met in the hostel to go have breakfast on Livingstone Island. This is the Island at the very edge of the falls where Livingstone was first taken to see the falls. The tours are opperated by the most posh lodge in the area: the Royal Livingstone. So we got to the lodge and they speedboated us out to the island, then they gave us raincoats and took us on a tour of the island. When I heard "tour" I had no idea that they meant they would take us to the VERY EDGE of the falls. We could sit on the rocks and everything. It was incredible to be that close to such power and the spray created a rainbow so you felt like you were at the end of the end of it. After that, since this tour is operated by a 5 star lodge, we were served with tea and a gourmet breakfast. It was a magical morning!

"My sister, me I like to trade, I give you good price" - Marketplace Adventures
This is a quick not about the bartering process in Zambia. Zambia is a lot poorer than Botswana, which really doesn't have much of a bartering culture. Usually if you just stand there long enough in Bots people will lower the price a little but for the most part the price doesn't move much. By contrast, in Zambia they're allll about trading. I'm used to this from China and Ecuador, but I have to say I like it better in Africa. The traders are a lot more personal when they make their sales pitch and it feels more like a friendly negotiation than a fight like it feels in China.

Another thing that makes trading different here is that they LOVE to trade you for items you think are totally insignificant so they can take it back and give it to their family in the village. One guy asked me what I wanted for the hair tie that was on my wrist. Other requested items were socks and pens. A lot of people, like me, also trade old t-shirts, which they LOVE. The result is a lot of Zambians walking around with t-shirts that bear the names of random American towns or Universities. It was an interesting, and sometimes exhausting, afternoon of shopping. I'm horrible at bargaining because everyone tries to push you into their shop and tries their best to keep you there til you've bought something. It's also so clear that they really need the money and I always feel really guilty. But in the end, I got some cool things so I was happy!

Sunset Cruise
That night we also went on a sunset cruise. There's not much to say here, but it was nice and fun. We got to see crocodiles, hippos, and the always gorgeous African sunset over the Zambezi.
Leap of Faith and the Smoke that Thunders
The last day of our adventures started in the morning. We went down to Victoria Falls and immediately went to the bridge over the gorge that connects Zambia and Zimbabwe to get our adrenaline rush. We made a pact that we would all do the bunji combo, which includes a bunji jump, a gorge swing, and a zipline. We decided to get the worst overwith first so we did the bunji. I've never been so scared in my life. I was shaking. The bridge is 111 meters (364 feet) high and the prospect of jumping off of it headfirst is terrifying when you're actually there staring out into the gorge. We were also the first jumpers of the morning, so we didn't get to see anyone do it before us.

The one great thing was that all the other tourists on the bridge are really supportive. I met one Texan lady who must've been like 60 who said she was going to do it after us and she had just done the one in Cape Town which is 170 meters. So if she could do it so could I. I went last, and as I was getting strapped in a group of Zambian priests and nuns were waving to me on the bridge. I asked the priest to pray for me because to be honest I'd been praying all morning (you would too if you were about to jump off a bridge!) He said it seemed he'd come at the perfect time and came over and blessed me. Then I turned around strapped to the harness and chord and after the man yelled "5, 4, 3, 2, 1, BUNJI" I took the leap of faith and swan dived off.

It really was the most unreal feeling in the world. It's pure nothingness and wind rushing around. One the chord caught me the first time and I bounced up I realized it was nowhere near the horrible experience I though it would be. By the 3rd bounce I was having a blast! It was also incredible because the spray from the falls made a rainbow and you felt like you were diving into it.

After that I did the gorge swing, which I didn't like as much and I think is scarier then the bunji because you just fall straight down feet first and then start swinging across the gorge. The swinging part is cool because the view is beautiful, but the initial drop is horrible. I ended the morning with a really tame zipline across from the gorge to the bridge, which helped bring down my levels of adrenaline.

After our thrill seeking, we crossed the border into Zimbabwe to see their side of the falls. Victoria Falls is the largest sheet of falling water in the world and it's absolutely spectacular. You can see why it's one of the It really takes your breath away. The native name for it means "The smoke that thunders" and you can see where that comes from because you get SOAKED at the park from all the spray.

All in all, it was an amazing vacation. I pushed myself to do a lot of things I would have never done. Carpe dium! It was a perfect way to conclude my trip!