Final Posting of KSinSA; VF from the Zambian side

(Horseshoe falls from Zambia)

And so I come to the last posting of my travels across Southern America and Southern Africa.  My next blog will have to have another name.  My last 3 days were spent in Livingstone, Zambia, in a lodge overlooking the Zambezi.  It was a final few days of semi-luxury for me before moving on to Uganda and voluntary work.

I hadn't realised I would be quite so remote .... 30 mins by taxi from Victoria Falls on the Zambian side and the only guest at the lodge for the first night ... but I was delighted to have a bed, clean sheets, a fridge, space to wash and dry my laundry, and an internet connection.  The fluffy white towels I had also been hoping for turned out to be fluffy brown towels .... apparently it is impossible to get stuff white here unless it is nylon.  But I did feel as though I was in the lap of luxury.  I enjoyed the peace and quiet too.  Not so impressed though with the walking options - no long beach to wander along, just a 3 km track around the lodge's well fenced land that made "walking in the bush" more like "exercise by walking with an extra kg or two of mud stuck to your shoes" ....

I also had a neighbour by the name of "George" who passed by my lodge at 6.00am every morning ... never managed to photo him though.

The lodge had 17 wonderful staff all there to look after "just me" for the first night (a mother and daughter arrived on my second day and proved to be good company).  They couldn't have been more considerate: Fred the driver and guide, Clever the barman and waiter, Samson the laundryman, Dennis the gardener, Gerard the chef ... to name a few.  There was also Kevin the manager who charged me hugely discounted prices for lifts into Livingstone and to Victoria Falls although I was asked if I would please do a trip advisor report about my visit.  There was another chap who spent all day sitting at the entrance to the plot owned by the lodge ... about 2kms from the lodge itself .... with about 3 cars coming and going all day.  I was thankful for the protection, but what a terrible job.  I don't supposed it paid well, but at least this place is giving 16 local people (Kevin is white South African) a job.  The Namibian owners had apparently done all the training; the Zambian people I was told are not well educated, but they are willing to learn, trustworthy and kind. I forgave the management for the slightly misleading website that did not allude to the lack of anything at all going on in the local vicinity, not even a small supermarket for basic supplies to use in the well equipped kitchen in my tented lodge.

A day to the Victoria Falls from the Zambian side was a must .... and if I had to compare the two viewpoints I would say that the Zambian one had the best experience, the Zimbabwean one the best view.  If I said I got wet on my first visit, I got doubly wet on my second.  At least I was forewarned and had a change of clothing as well as flip flops.  On the Zambian side you can walk over to Livingstone island, although on the day I was there it was more like a swim .... I had to walk down steps with 2" of water flowing over them to get to the bridge.  You can also walk down to the bottom of the falls to "the boiling pot" on the Zambian side; I was lucky enough to spend 30 minutes on my own down there before other tourists arrived.  After negotiating the falls, the water swirls around in a kind of alcove and gives the appearance of boiling water.  I too this photo of the bridge between Zambia and Zimbabwe on the way down ... I hope you can see the two rainbows.

My Zambian sojourn ended with a meal at The Royal Livingstone Hotel with the mother and daughter.  I had promised a friend I would just go and have a look, but the "look" turned into gins and tonics and steak and salad .... am I getting predictable?  The service was nothing like that at The Victoria Falls, but the setting was tremendous.  

(sunset from verandah at Royal Livingstone Hotel, mist on LHS from VF)

And so my travels ended.  Uganda tomorrow.  And I think I have at last learned how to take a good selfie!!