Mosi, bordercrossing, elephants and Zambezimania

Iris, TK, myself and Line having breakfast at Jollyboys

 Dr Livingstone I presume

A few weeks ago Line and I went to visit our Friends Iris and TK in Livingstone, Zambia. Iris and TK are Fredskorpset (FK) participants like Line and I, working as occupational therapist and physiotherapist in Livingstone and in the surrounding villages. Their work sounds challenging in ways a Joburger like myself could not imagine, but at the same time very rewarding as it is indeed needed and appreciated.
Getting from Joburg to Livingstone is really easy. Onetime airways (a low cost airline) has a direct route which takes you to "the real Africa" in less than 2 hours. Arriving at the tiny Livingstone airport in 40C and none of our phones working it felt like we were much further than the 2 hour journey from modern Joburg pumping with stressed businessmen and women. We'd reached the real Africa!

From the moment that the Viking-queen Iris of Livingstone came and picked us up at the airport to the moment we left I had the most amazing time! Even though the electricity goes out at least once a day, water in the tap is not a sure thing, the heat is boiling and things in general does not work like you're used to if you come from the more, how to put it, organized parts of the world, I found Livingston a great place to be. Truly laid-back with lots of fun and friendly people around. Iris and TK stays in a house partly turned into hostel due to their hospitality and the amount of Norwegians travelling through Livingstone in need of a bed. And it's strange really, there are so many Norwegians in Livingstone! Lots of FK people as well as exchange students working in the local hospital. Great fun people!

Hanging out at the Jollyboys backpacker drinking Mosi (the local beer, named after the indigenous name for Victoria Falls - Mosi Oa Tunya, which means 'the some which thunders') together with the kayaking people, and the Norwegians of course, was so much fun. It did not take me long to get into the relaxed Livingstone mood, and it really made me long for being a backpacker.. *sigh*

Pit stop at Shoprite, Livingstone

After having spent all Friday hanging out by the pool of the 5 star luxury hotel, The Royal Livingstone, pretending to be guests of the hotel, drinking Pimms and generally enjoying life, we were a bit bored and decided to go to Zimbabwe(!) The Vic Falls beer festival was going to take place in Vic Falls, a village/city right on the other side of the falls which is actually the border between the two countries. We decided to join in.

Elephants on the roads is a danger in Livingstone. A lady was killed by an elephant-attack the week before we arrived

Wrapping up a few things and rushing towards the border only with a pit stop at the supermarket in Livingstone for the necessary supplies, praying not to hit any elephants on the way, we just made it to the border before it closed and crossed it without any problems ;)

How about one trillion dollars?

 Not worth much though..

These notes were sold in the street as 

sovenirs

The night we spent in Zimbabwe was great fun! Vic Falls is in many ways different to Livingstone. Although staying in Zim in many ways has become "easier" (as in there is actually food in the restaurants and in the shops, since April 2009 they use USD so that you don't need to carry a big backpack of money to buy a cup of coffee etc) the challenges are still many. Vic Falls is a really touristy place where life is a lot easier than in the villages.

The duckie (with random guy paddling it) 

We went back to the Zambian side the next day to be able to go paddling in duckies (small inflatable kayak-ish boats) in the Zambezi river. Having slept for just a few hours, Line, Iris and I soldiered on and went for the ride of our lives! The three of us and an English girl called Hannah was given a duckie each, and after a few minutes of practicing how to get into the boat again if it flipped (which we were told that it would do  - a lot of times) we were sent down the river accompanied by two guides in a raft. Going through the first rapids was pretty scary, as all you can do if your boat flips - which it does - is to hold your breath, hold on to the boat and the paddle, try to get some air when your head is above the water and and try to get back u into the boat. Quite soon though, we got the hang of it, at least a bit. 

We paddled  rapid 10 to 25, I will never forget the Oblivion...

Baby croc, nanana ;)

When the rafting guide said "Some of the waves coming up are pretty huge. You're NEVER gonna get through them" he knew what he was talking about. Actually managing to get through the first "impossible" rapid consisting of really big waves, my confidence was quite high paddling into the next one... the duckie flipped after just a few seconds, I was rolled around in the river, thrown all over the place by the extremely strong current and crashing into waves that were many meters high and extremely powerful. After paddling through 15 rapids it really felt like I had been run over by a bus,  but it was the most fun I have had in my life! I did not even think about the crocodiles in the water and I would totally do it again. In fact, we're already planning our trip for kayak-school in the White Nile (Uganda).

It's a bit embarrassing, but I did not actually see the Victoria Falls.. yeah I know, it's really bad. Especially considering the fact that it is a UNESCO World Heritage Site. My only excuse is that I really did not have time. I will have to go back though, that's for sure! And I know that even though i did not actually see the falls, I swallowed enough of the Zambezi river while paddling so I really "felt" the falls.

Thanks for an amazing, thrilling and hilarious weekend Iris and TK. I will visit you again before you know it...