Bungee jumping at Victoria Falls

That got your attention, didn't it 😄.

Tempe has a friend who owns the bungee jumping business at Victoria Falls. So after checking out of the hotel we made a plan to meet them for lunch at the cafe on the other side of the Victoria Falls Bridge, near his headquarters.

On the way we visited the markets, but we were sweet-talked and hassled so much we left empty-handed, with only our photos.

The craft shops of Africa Mall were such a contrast, and the cool courtyard was an inviting place to enjoy a Coke before setting out on the long walk down to the bridge.

How about these cute patchwork elephant cushions?

I could hardly bear to look down at the mighty Zambezi from the great height of the Victoria Falls Bridge, but I'll go to any lengths to please you, dear reader, so I took this picture. I hope you appreciate how hard it is to hold a camera with sweaty palms and knocking knees.

Garth showed us the stepping off point for the Slide, a sort of flying fox ride across the canyon.

And we saw the harnesses for the Bungee, all checked and sorted according to the weights of the jumpers.

We were just settling down to our hamburgers, resigned to the sad fact that we wouldn't see a jump that day since Garth had no bookings, when in walked a Finnish couple and, cool as cucumbers, signed up for the Slide (he and she), and the Swing and the Bungee Jump (he). 

We ordered another round of beers and enjoyed the show. First the Slide, across those raging rapids I showed you from the bridge.

Then the Swing, where you swing back and forth through the arch of the bridge like a human pendulum.

Finally the Bungee where, with a joyful whoop, our Finnish friend launched himself off the platform head first, arms spread like a bird, for the 110 meter drop.

The journey across to Sarah's home on Kasane was ... Interesting.

Our taxi driver, Talent, took us as far as Kazungula, the border post between Zimbabwe and Botswana. Talent was appropriately named, managing to shoe-horn six passengers, and their luggage, (plus himself) into a small 6 seater hatchback. A Botswanan couple was crammed into the back peering out from under their bags, and their little boy stared wide-eyed at the two of us, the only white passengers.

As a concession to us, Talent even stopped twice to show us the elephants and giraffes along the way. Very nice indeed! 

Once across the border, we walked through no man's land, then caught another taxi, and finally reached Sarah's little house in the grounds of Kubu Lodge in Kasane. You might be surprised to know that even this night owl was asleep by 9pm after such a huge day. 💤💤

Sunset on the Zambezi

One of the best times of the day to see wildlife, I'm learning, is as the sun's going down, and one of the best places is around water. So I took Sarah and her friend Tempe (granddaughter of my lovely Sydney friend Sheila) on a sunset cruise along the Zambezi River

Mix yourself an ice-cold gin and tonic, sit back and enjoy the ride.

Hippos

Impala

Elephant

Open-mouthed crocodile

Various birds with names I forget 😔 (the white one's an egret)

Falling on our feet

After collecting Sarah from the border post at Kazungula we continued on to the iconic Victoria Falls Hotel for a final weekend of luxury before going bush.

This was the view from the lawn of the hotel, looking across to the Falls and the bridge over the Zambezi River. You can see the spray rising like smoke into the sky. The locals call the Falls "The Smoke that Roars".

Our wonderful hosts, Rodney and Wendi, left us the next morning, and we set out to explore Victoria Falls. Before we'd even left the grounds of the hotel we came face to face with some of the local wildlife, a family of warthogs sniffling in the garden below our window, and these banded mongooses enjoying a romp.

Baboons live in the park outside the hotel, and their facial expression always seems to say, "You lookin' at me?" 

The Falls themselves lived up to their traditional name of Mosi-oa-tunya (The Smoke that Thunders) and were breathtaking, and completely drenching! Be warned, if you plan to go there you will get wet even on the pathways close to the Falls. 

My shorts were a better idea than jeans, skin being easier to dry than denim, and my fast drying sandals proved preferable to having to spend days drying out a pair of leather sneakers. Even the plastic ponchos I'd packed failed to stop us getting wet through. This was definitely no fashion parade!

We slipped through the lobby back at the hotel trying our best to look invisible. Footsore and weary, we were glad we'd booked massages for the afternoon.

Ahhh, bliss!