Our Tuesday farewells to our new friends from the banjo safari were bitter-sweet, with heads full of fond memories which we should carry with us for years to come. Most left for their homes, while Tony left for a gig in Durban. Pinky and I had decided on an extended stay to spend a few days at a place we had never seen but had on our bucket list - Victoria Falls, which straddles the border between Zimbabwe (previously Rhodesia) and Zambia (formerly Northern Rhodesia) on the Zambezi R. But first we we returned to the Clico in Johannesburg for the night. While having dinner there, a woman from the next table comes over, looks at me, asks didn't I go to Princeton, and aren't I a member of the class of '69? It turns out it was Christy Wise, wife of friend and classmate Bob Axelrod! We enjoyed spending time with her at the table, and I marvel how such a coincidental meeting could take place in a 9 room hotel so far from home.
The next morning our Uber ride returned us to the airport for another South African Airlines flight. We soon found ourselves checked into the Victoria Falls Hotel in Zimbabwe, a magnificent 5 star Edwardian-style majestic, luxurious hotel dating back to 1904. From the terrace one can enjoy a gin & tonic while watching the ever present mist rise from the river's gorge a mile or so away and occasional warthogs, monkeys and baboons making their way across the lawn.
Our travel agent, Nancy Cassano, had booked a sunset cruise on the Zambezi, and we were glad she did! The river boat was reminiscent of the African Queen, with a flat cover and just 6 tables accommodating 6 couples, a skipper and his mate, who served a full bar and snacks, which adequately served for dinner. We motored upstream and back, well above the falls, the 2 hours highlighted by hippo sightings and a gorgeous sunset.
We had booked a tour of Victoria Falls, an acclaimed Natural Wonder of the World, Thursday morning. Our guide Phumulani took us from the hotel a couple of miles to a national park which afforded a dozen vistas of the falls. There can be nothing like it, stretching over 2 miles across the Zambezi R., interspersed by a few islands and actually comprised of several falls, and an ever present mist. And many more pictures!
That evening we treated ourselves to a high English dinner in the beautiful Livingston Room (voted the seventh best hotel restaurant in the world by The Daily Meal).
Phumulani had asked us if we would be interested in visiting a local village, and, after we said yes, he picked us up the next morning for a 20 minute drive to meet with the head of homestead of a village called Monde. which exists in sharp contrast to the luxurious hotel where we were staying. His name is Ncube. Custom has it that each family has a surname aligned with nature, and his is with the baboon. The homestead consists of several 1-story thatched huts with packed dirt floors, and common cooking and food storage huts. Surrounding the living area are gardens consisting principally of corn (maize.) Ncube oversees about 40 people and answers to the chief of the village. Despite it being the rainy season, the village and surrounding region have been suffering through a drought, and there's concern that they may loose much of their crop. Water is a big concern, and they have to walk some distance to retrieve drinking water from a deep well installed by an NGO. Ironically, there exists a water supply line in the dirt road leading to the village, but for the village to connect it would cost $300 to $400, and the village can't afford it. In Zambabue poverty rates stand at about 80%.
That afternoon I walked to the bridge below the falls while Pinky hung out at the hotel. Built in 1905 (The same year that Princeton started its wrestling program!), the bridge was to complete a railroad connecting Cape Town with Cairo. It affords spectacular views of Victoria Falls and the gorge below it. I walked across the bridge, had a Mosi beer on Zambia soil, and photographed several bungee jumpers tethered to the bridge.
That evening we enjoyed the Boma dinner & drum show, an African experience with Zimbabwean cuisine and energetic performances including drums, dancing and singing (but no banjo!) The evening was great fun, and we would recommend it to anyone. It was a fitting conclusion to yet another exceptional adventure.
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