This happened so long ago (we were there on Friday—only a week ago, but it feels like at least three weeks), it almost seems like it was in another life. This particular day was (for us) the worst on this trip. It was the day we got sick. For some reason, I only get sick while we are traveling. Ask our friends and relatives who we travel with or visit. It’s as if I’m immune to colds and flu at home, but not on the road.

Kathleen had been coughing since she arrived in Cape Town, but she thought it was due to an allergy. When I caught it, we realized we both had it. And on top of having the cold, I made the mistake of not eating for the entire day and then just before bed, taking all my vitamins and regular prescriptions along with my malaria pill that we needed to take for this trip. The only problem was that we had been warned to “never take malaria medicine on an empty stomach.” And when I took it at 8:00 pm that night, I hadn’t eaten since 8:00 pm the night before. Needless to say, I got even sicker and this time it was my stomach.

We were staying at the colonial-style Victoria Falls Hotel, one of the oldest hotels in all of Africa. From their windows, you can see the falls…or at least the steam/spray from the falls. For some reason, this hotel bothered me greatly for several reasons. Maybe it was the whole colonial thing? Maybe it was the fact that it was IMPOSSIBLE to find our room without having someone take us there? Maybe it was because they had no map of the entire hotel (I asked and was told it was only on their website—if you go there, print out a copy in advance)? Perhaps it was because they had no indoor restaurants, so when we had breakfast outdoors on our two mornings there (at 6:30 with a temperature of around 45°F), the food was cold as soon as it hit your plate? Seriously, a beautiful hotel that costs a fortune to stay in, with a wonderful staff, and yet so many things bothered me. I suppose I really am a Victor (it’s a British thing).

Forget about us being sick. We did our best to do the evening activity after check-in. As soon as we had arrived and I had gotten our suitcases inside, I went to bed while Kathleen went off to meet some of the others for lunch. Then, around 5:30, we met Delia and the rest of the gang for a train trip that crossed a bridge that is over the Falls. We were to have appetizers and dinner on the train. We got on and they served drinks while it moved into position on the bridge. I should add that the bridge is so old that only one car or truck is allowed to cross it at a time. And the engine of the train could only back us onto the bridge. It could not go on the bridge itself. Made us feel really safe. We got on board and Kathleen got the traditional British colonial drink, the gin and tonic, while I was only up to Coca-Cola. Once we are out on the bridge and the engine is unhooked, you can get out to take photos (they are below) on the bridge. I took a few and then had to sit down on a bench on the bridge. Delia noticed and, being the angel she is, she asked if we would like her to get us a taxi back to the hotel. We happily said yes because by that time, I had chills (and not the kind with thrills) and a fever. We headed back almost immediately and were back at the hotel in no time. Of cours,e we got completely lost trying to find our room WITH NO MAP!

This is when I made the mistake of taking the malaria pill. BIG MISTAKE. Once I finally got to sleep, I slept for 12 straight hours (interrupted by coughing and blowing my nose). We both felt a little better the next day, but I still was not up for a big breakfast. Kathleen had slept less than I had, so she stayed in while I went to the coldest restaurant on earth (because it was outside in 45°F weather) for a cup of tea and a piece of toast. I really wanted to do the walk above the falls…which I was able to do, and we both felt better, but tired from that time on. Still have the cold, though, and we are sitting in the airport waiting to head home.

More about the next day in my next post. In the meantime, I took a few pictures that day. Here they are with captions. Don’t forget: if you click the first shot, you can scroll through it using your arrow keys or by swiping. And please, don’t view my photography on a phone. Please…

The post for the next day in Victoria Falls will be much more fun—I promise. Hopefully, I will have that up tomorrow. It’s the one that includes pics and video from our helicopter ride over the Falls. Yes, I went on a helicopter ride.

Long before the Scottish missionary and explorer Dr. David Livingstone ‘discovered’ the Falls in 1855, the local Batonga people had named them Mosi-oa-Tunya, ‘the smoke that thunders. — Anonymous AI on Google