Our final stop on our African odyssey was Tintswalo Game Lodge, situated in the Manyeleti Nature Reserve, directly adjacent to the world-renowned Kruger National Park. That means LOTS MORE ANIMALS!
After our night of discussion in Johannesburg, we were off to the airport early in the morning for our shortest flight of the trip to Hoedspruit, South Africa, which is the home of Eastgate airport—the gateway to Kruger National Park. It was a very short flight on Airlink (which seems to be the go-to airline for getting around within Africa). They are a very nice airline that primarily flies smaller jets (four seats to a row—we flew all our flights with them in Embraer E-90s, which we liked.) This flight was the shortest flight we have ever taken. We were in the air for less than an hour. If you don’t count the time spent taxing on runways, it’s around 35 minutes. It’s a short flight.
One funny thing did happen on the flight. They actually serve food on these very short flights—to everyone, even those in the cheap seats. On the way to Hoedspruit, the flight attendant comes on and says, “We will shortly be coming around with drink service…and your choice of a cheese bagel or (are you ready for this?) a Krispy Kreme donut. Seriously. When he said it, the plane erupted in a combination of cheers and laughter. Sure enough, they came down the aisle and handed you a tiny box with a single Krispy Kreme donut inside. Just cracked me up.
I should mention here that when we left Johannesburg, we also left behind the amazing Delia, our guide through the entire trip. It was a sad parting, marked by lots of hugs. She is a gem among travel guides and humans. I would not have wanted to do this trip without her. She would not need to accompany us to Tintswalo, as we would be completely under the lodge’s care while there.
We were met at the airport by Welsent, our driver. (Isn’t that a great name for a driver that was sent to pick you up??) After about an hour’s drive, we arrived at Tintswalo. If you have been following this entire trip, you know we have had some amazing lodging experiences, and this would pretty much be the topper. Tintswalo is not a hotel but a beautiful main lodge connected by raised boardwalks to six individual lodges, each housing one or two people. Walking in is an experience you’ll never forget.
Not because the front door looks like this, but because you walk through to the deck that sits behind the door, and you see this. (Full disclosure, I stole the photo above from the lodge because I was not happy with any of mine.)
Just outside the back door of the lodge were (at that time) probably 8-10 elephants. The lodge leaves a hose hanging from a tree and turns it on in the afternoons. If you would like to see these elephants in person, Tintswalo has a webcam pointed directly at this spot 24/7. You have to figure out what time noon is in South Africa because they are pretty much just there in the afternoons. You can check it out by clicking here.
Elephants come and wiggle their way (in one case, a young male bullied his way) to get a drink from the hose and just generally frolic around under the running water. If you want a site to greet you when you arrive at a lodge; this one tops them all. At this point in the trip, I thought I had seen all the elephants I could ever want to see when we were in Chobe, but I guess that wasn’t true. This small herd would return almost every day we were there, along with other animals that walked through, including Cape buffalo, impalas, wildebeests, and others.
During our stay, we would eat out on this deck numerous times. I would sit and work on photos and write posts while the elephants drank, and other animals walked by. It could be very distracting.
I’d like to show you around, so here are some photos I took upon arrival with both my Nikon and my iPhone. Enjoy.
Here we are on the deck with the elephants taking an ussie.
Friends meeting the Tintswalo elephants.
Lunch was set for us on arrival.
The menu. I am going to learn how to make bobotie. It was delicious.
Still looking at the elephants
And still more.
We meet Michaela, the general manager. She has to be younger than our kids.
And more of the elephants posing with an old prospector. Dagnabit!
Here’s the hose coming down. They would catch water in their trunks.
More shots outdoors.
The living room of the main lodge.
Looking the other way in the living room.
The dining room in the main lodge is beautiful.
We can’t stop watching the elephants.
I mean if you had elephants at lunch…
You would look at them too…
Wouldn’t you.
They are constant companions in the afternoons.
We sat down to lunch and when we were done, it was time to see our private lodges. Each was named after a famous African explorer. We were staying in Speke named after John Hanning Speke. I love a good, stupid joke, so if someone called on the phone, I would just say, “Speak,” because that’s how his name is pronounced. ?
Here are a few pics I took of the path leading to our lodge and the inside as well. One thing to know about the path. You were not allowed to use it at night without calling the Night Porter. He would sit up all night in the main lodge, and when you called, he would come down and get you to bring you to the main lodge. The main reason for this was that elephants could walk right up to the walkway. When we arrived on the first day, they were fixing an electric fence that a rogue elephant had knocked down the night before. On our last morning there, the staff informed us that the same elephant had returned the night before, and they had to rouse the staff who scared it off by beating pots and pans. However, it still managed to damage more of the fence and a couple of trees. The night porter became our friend when he removed what we thought was a HUGE spider from our bathroom.
It was quite aways to the main lodge
Leaving the main lodge on the walkway.
There were three small lodges in each direction. You often saw wildlife just off the walkway.
Inside our lodge, this was our view from the bed. Animals would walk by all the time.
Our own plunge poll.
The bathroom. You can see the toilet closet that had an open window to the animals. The shower was the same way.
This guy came to visit us in the bathroom. He was about the size of my fist. We called the Night Porter and he dealt with it.
I was going to delve deeper into the rest of the first day, but this post is already quite lengthy. Our first major activity was going on a game drive. More about that in my next post. Keep a sharp eye open for it coming soon.
In Africa, you have space…there is a profound sense of space here, space and sky. – Thabo Mbeki
I’m not sure if you’re aware, but I always include a quote at the bottom of each post that relates to the topic. I just Google “quotes about xxxx,” and use the one I find that best fits my topic. Yesterday, when I was looking to find one to finish our first day in Johannesburg, I found one about South Africa in general. But when I was looking for it, I found the quote below by, of all people, the actor Ryan Phillipe. And it pretty much encapsulates what I want to say about Johannesburg, South Africa and pretty much the people of Africa everywhere we went. Here’s the quote:
Working in South Africa, the people in Johannesburg get under your skin. It stays with you. It’s a place I want to take my children back to. It’s a place that filled me with great joy and inspiration, but also sadness. I think it’s one of the most complex places on the planet. —Ryan Phillippe
Editor’s Note: No trip we’ve ever taken has affected me like this one did. And I realize that this discussion will seem like I have a point I can’t get to. So as much as I want you to read and understand how I feel, I won’t hold it against you if you skip all the text and look at the pictures.
When we first arrived in Cape Town, we drove from the airport to the tourist area near the harbor where we were staying. On the ride in, we noticed a number of areas that were in what I (at that time) would consider extreme poverty. Our driver explained that those were areas where the poor lived. He told us in no uncertain terms to stay out of those areas unless accompanied by someone familiar with them. We had been told the same thing by our friends at home — that certain areas were worse or slightly dangerous than others.
First, I want to mention that every South African (and those from Namibia, Zimbabwe and Botswana) we spoke to were the most open and honest people we have ever met (as a group). They were willing to discuss their countries’ triumphs and failures, as well as their foibles and achievements. We had more open and frank discussions with a wide range of people, from our guides and drivers to ship directors and nearly anyone we asked questions of. Never have I felt or heard such openness about a country I was visiting from that country’s people.
This is Delia. She guides people around a country she loves—South Africa. She is an amazing woman whom I greatly admire.
Foremost among those open to discussion was our guide, Delia. Her insights into the facts of apartheid, as well as her discussion on how far things have come and how far they still have to go to achieve true racial equality, were truly interesting and a shock to me. I am still not sure I am ready to write about it, but I do look forward to discussing it. Then, when we reached Johannesburg, our city guide, Beverleigh, joined us for dinner on our last night at the hotel, and that table for seven was one of the most eye-opening and intense conversations I have ever had while traveling.
Let’s get back to Johannesburg. AmaWaterways had planned a day for us that included an introduction to some of the charity work they do, a stop in the township of Soweto as well as visits to the Nelson Mandela home, a lecture on the diamond and gold trade (which was also open and beyond interesting to me due to the nature of the discussion of economics), followed by dinner.
I must be honest, when I first saw this day scheduled, my thought was… what a bore. Maybe I will skip it and just rest. But after hearing Delia speak about it, and Beverleigh discussing it, and the enthusiasm that Lucky (the man from Ama who had met us at the airport) showed about it, we had to go. Our first stop was the Township of Soweto. If you are unfamiliar with what a township is, I pulled this (via AI) from Google:
In South Africa, a township is a residential area established during the apartheid era to segregate non-white populations, primarily Black, Coloured, and Indian communities, from white residents. These areas were characterized by limited infrastructure, overcrowding, and socioeconomic challenges. While apartheid ended in 1994, the term “township” continues to be used to refer to these historically designated areas, which have since undergone significant transformation.
As we drive to Soweto, the things we see outside our windows get progressively worse. The poverty and conditions start at a level below what would be considered the poverty line in the USA, and they go down from there. No running water, no toilets except for some porta-potties, no facilities to wash clothes, no place to wash yourself on a regular basis, and eventually, nothing. Lucky told us how bad it was, and his stories were worse than what we were seeing. Garbage was everywhere. Not because people didn’t care, but because there was nowhere else to put it. One large apartment-size bin that would have served 100 apartments in the USA and been picked up once a week had to serve thousands of people and be picked up once a month.
We finally pulled into a part of Soweto that was as bad as anything we had seen. Lucky told us that his new trainee, Colin, would take over the tour from here because Colin lived here…in this part of Soweto. Colin invited us to leave the bus and walk through the area. He said not to take photos of adults unless we asked permission first, but that kids would happily say, “Shoot me!” and want us to take their photos. We walked through some of the saddest urban blight I have ever seen and finally reached an oasis in the midst of all the despair. That oasis was the Kliptown Youth Program. It is a school, a community center, and so much more. They had an American donor who was introduced to the place via AmaWaterways. They gave the center $2.5 million to build the building, and since then, Ama and their guests have supported the center in many ways.
When we got to the center, we met Thando Bezana. He is one of the many people who run the center. Over the next two hours, we toured the center and discovered how incredibly successful they have been in helping kids achieve success. Touring the center and walking through Soweto was one of the most eye-opening experiences of my life. I think I will shut up here and let you see some photos I took that day. We will start with a walk through a part of Soweto. Don’t forget; if you click the first shot, you can scroll through with your arrow keys or by swiping. And PLEASE…don’t look at my photography on a phone. Please…
Our guide Collen grew up no more than a few hundred feet of the center.
Soweto scenes
Our group walks through
Some great and very cute kids.
More Soweto sceneds
Soweto
Soweto
Soweto
More Soweto kids
Those ports-potties are the only toilets in this entire area.
Soweto
Soweto living.
The floors were very interesting. A combination of every scavenged floor material you can imagine.
This is where the laundry is done for hundreds of people. It is also the only source of fresh water in the community.
Laundry done at the communal water source.
A couple of things to add about this walk. We went into a home, but I didn’t feel comfortable taking photos inside. It was dark, and it smelled of the paraffin stove they used for cooking indoors. There was makeshift furniture and no electricity or running water. Outside, laundry that had been done at the local faucet (the area’s only running water) was hanging out to dry. It was both a home and total squalor.
However, the most remarkable aspect was the people who lived here. They may live the hardest life I have ever seen in a modern city, and yet their spirit seems indomitable. Smiles were on the faces everywhere we looked, especially those of the children. The adults we saw seemed to genuinely love their kids and were great parents, trying as hard as they could, but just unable to break free and move on.
But one reason to rejoice in the midst of all this was the aforementioned Kliptown Youth program. Here are the photos I took at their center.
The entrance to KYP
Our host, Thando talks to AJ. It turns out that a school near where AJ and Diane live in the Bay Area supports this program.
Successes are celebrated.
Kids are kids.
They have quite the computer lab…
With donated computers that are outdated in our world but state of the art in theirs.
I love a good street portrait.
Kids at lunch. You would neve know they live in such abject poverty.
Center goals for 2025.
The original center.
These guys danced for us representing the center.
Kathleen and I have decided that this will now be our chosen charity. The good work they are doing there is making a dent in one of the worst situations I have ever seen. It is not a solution. As I discussed later with A.J., this problem is generational. But it has to start somewhere, and KlypTown is a good place to make that happen. If you are interested in exploring this further, you can see their website by clicking here. I encourage you to take a look.
Here’s a quick video of the guys dancing. They were amazing and talented.
After our emotional morning at KYP, it was time to immerse ourselves in some South African history by first visiting the home of Nelson Mandela. I don’t have to say anything about apartheid or Mandela, because it is almost certain you know the story. Imprisoned for years, he is finally able to unite his country and put all of apartheid in the past (we later found that sadly, that was not true). After that visit, we headed to another neighborhood to visit and have lunch at the last home he lived in prior to his death. Lunch was wonderful, and it was wonderful seeing both homes. Mandela is to South Africans what George Washington is to the United States. Just about ten times more important. His photo and legacy are everywhere. Not only is it on the 100 rand note, but his face is on every single other piece of money I had in my pocket from 10 rand notes. We were shown around the house by David, a grad student who knew his stuff and explained the complicated relationship between Winnie and Nelson Mandela. It was a great experience. Here are some photos I took while at the two houses and on the street outside, where dance groups were circling constantly looking for tips.
One set of dancers we saw before we went in the house.
Entering house.
David our guide.
Back outside, dancers still there.
Our guide Lucky, decided to let these guys perform for us.
They were pretty good
And the provided me with some great facial shots.
And some fun action.
Like this…
And this.
Finally lunch at the home where Mandela lived after he retired.
A beautiful place in the middle of a traditional white neighborhood.
That has been turned into a restaurant by Mandela’s personal chef.
After our lunch, we had a free afternoon. Some of the folks wanted to shop, so the bus dropped them off at an upscale shopping mall. Others, like us wanted to go back to the hotel, Kathleen to nap and try not to cough, and I wanted to work on a post. But first, we needed just a couple of things from a local pharmacy. The hotel provided us with a driver and van (at no cost) to transport us to the pharmacy (approximately eight to ten blocks away), wait for us while we shopped, and then return us to the hotel. I mention this mundane piece of information because in any other city that we have ever visited, I would have just walked those eight to ten blocks and picked up what we needed. While driving there and waiting with the driver, he and I had a frank discussion about the security at the hotel, the reasons that I couldn’t have walked, the fact that in Cape Town we were told not to leave the tourist area and why we should feel unsafe.
Some quick stats that blew us away:
Overall Unemployment:
South Africa’s official unemployment rate rose to 32.9% in the first quarter of 2025.
Expanded Unemployment:
The expanded unemployment rate, which includes those who have given up looking for work, is 43.1%.
Youth Unemployment:
The unemployment rate among young people is particularly high, with one report indicating it was 53.5% in the first quarter of 2022.
Gender Disparities:
Women generally experience higher unemployment rates than men.
Racial Disparities:
Black Africans face significantly higher unemployment rates compared to other racial groups.
When you put all this together, you get a country and urban area that is primed for crime. People have to steal just to survive. And there are no jobs. And the jobs that exist for those at the bottom of the spectrum (youth, Black Africans, and women) pay very poorly. (The minimum wage in South Africa is R28.79 per hour—equal to $1.64. That’s $65 for a 40 hour week and $261 for a month.) No wonder places like Soweto still exist.
After our free time ended, we gathered in a hotel meeting room for drinks and a quick talk (about an hour) about the gold, diamond, and precious mineral trade in South Africa, and how it shaped the country’s history and continues to do so today. A historian specializing in South African history (whose name I can’t recall) joined us to provide facts. She was very knowledgeable and knew her stuff. As it turns out, South Africa is one of the richest countries in the world in terms of natural resources. They are among the top producers of gold, diamonds, platinum, and many other precious minerals that keep the world turning. However, much of South Africa’s wealth has been, and still is, owned and exploited by foreign interests.
When she finished, a question-and-answer session followed, and she was joined by Beverleigh, our Johannesburg AmaWaterways specialist. Both were very candid. I asked, “Why, when Mandela took over, considering his relationship with Castro and other socialists, why did he and his party not nationalize the mines and the sources of these other minerals?” Their answer saddened me. The answer that both women gave was that Mandela had to contend with other, mostly Western countries dictating terms to him. If he wanted recognition and support for the new government, then they needed to back off on any thoughts of socialism or nationalization of the white, foreign business interests.
I guess that about sums it up. Our day concluded with the aforementioned dinner conversation. My conclusions, (yes, I know I need to do more research) were that we (the rest of the world) have been exploiting this country and others in Africa and still are, to the detriment of its people. And to make matters worse, while we were in the country for less than two weeks, there were at least two breaking news stories about national corruption in the South African government.
Now that I have said all that, I must tell you that in over 20 years of travel, visiting 55 countries, we have NEVER experienced better service—complete with smiles and genuine graciousness—than the service and caring we received in Southern Africa. These are people who have been downtrodden for so long, yet their spirit is incredible. Some of the hardest working and most joyful people we have ever encountered. Even in Soweto, or in a village just beginning to form alongside a river in Namibia, or among those still living under the shadow of colonialism in Victoria Falls, there was happiness and authentic caring. People going above and beyond to take care of us.
I’m about to step down from my high horse. Please just understand that I (like Ryan Phillipe) have very mixed feelings about Africa, but I completely appreciate the openness and spirit of its people. Let’s wrap this up on a positive note with one more video showing some of those incredible dancers.
PS: I will be back tomorrow with more animals from our four day trip to Tintswalo Safari Lodge just outside Kruger National Park.
Editor’s Note:We are home. I was about to type that words can’t describe the length of our journey, but that’s not true. One word can. That word is…exhausting. More on that in a couple of days. I hope to do one post a day, as if we were still in Africa. It all depends on the extent of my jet lag.
After our FULL day in Victoria Falls, we were up early to catch our flights from Victoria to South Africa’s largest city, Johannesburg. As someone who believes that airports are the worst part of travel, this is not my favorite trip. We had spent way too much time in airports so far, and we still had at least four more flights after this one before we would be home (we took eight total—some of our fellow travelers took 12, depending on how many connections they had to get to Africa or home). This was another case of boarding a bus, sitting in the airport, flying, and clearing customs in another country. You get the idea. It’s almost as if you trade boring, exhausting days in airports for the glorious days in between seeing Southern Africa.
We basically spent one full day in Johannesburg. We got into our hotel, the Fairlawns Boutique Hotel & Spa. If you remember, we stayed at the Cape Grace Hotel in Cape Town to start this trip with AmaWaterways. We thought that place was a truly beautiful hotel. Our next hotel was the Victoria Falls Hotel in Victoria Falls, which was older, more staid and colonial, but still (as much as I hate to admit it) beautiful. But this place knocked our socks off. It was so impressive that I actually remembered to whip out my phone and give you a short video tour.
This “room” was not only bigger than my first apartment, but I think the Springboks (South Africa’s national rugby team) could play a match inside (okay, that’s hyperbole…but good hyperbole ?). This place was beautiful. While the Cape Grace was very nice, it was a little too prim and proper for me, and I was saddened by the colonialism of the Victoria Falls Hotel—but this one, decorated in what I would have to call “African Safari,” was (and still is) my favorite hotel of the trip.
By the time we had arrived from our travels, it was fairly late in the day. I had forgotten to mention that two other amazing representatives from AmaWaterways met us upon our arrival. And we still had the amazing Delia with us. The amazing Lucky (yes, that’s really hisname) met us at the airport and took us to the hotel, as well as leading our full-day tour the following day. Once we arrived at the hotel, we met Beverleigh, who is basically like the Ama fairy godmother of Johannesburg. If Delia is the queen of Southern Africa touring, then Beverleigh is the princess in Johannesburg. Both of these people would play a significant role in my thoughts on South Africa in general.
One of the things I may have mentioned is that about three weeks before we left, we met Dave and Janine Marcus, who live here in Trilogy with us. Dave and I did Trilogy Tech Support together one morning, and I mentioned (like I could shut up about it ?) that we were going to Southern Africa. It turns out Dave and Janine are native South Africans. They still have a place in Cape Town. They travel to Johannesburg regularly and have friends there. They were of great help, providing valuable advice and information. We had one free evening in Cape Town for dinner, and they had recommended a restaurant, which, alas, we had decided to skip because of our late arrival at Table Mountain. Dave had also gotten us a restaurant recommendation in Johannesburg from a good friend he described as a “foodie.” Well, you know me, I love food, and the amazing restaurant prices in South Africa make it almost a sin not to eat out in a superb restaurant at least once.
On the other hand, when we arrived at the Fairlawns, we were exhausted. Beverleigh had offered to make arrangements with the hotel for us to eat in their dining room (which was superb at breakfast). I told her to do that for us. I also told her that we had reservations at a highly recommended restaurant in the city, but we were tired and decided to stay in the hotel instead. Without me saying where we had reservations, she turned to me and said, “I bet you have reservations at Marble. You have to go!” She went on to regale me with how much we would be missing if we didn’t go, how the hotel would transport us there, come back and get us and that we would have a “WONDERFUL experience.” Well, you can’t pass up that kind of recommendation, so we said, “Set up the car.”
Editor’s Note: At this point, I have a lot to say about South Africa and Johannesburg that some may find controversial (it has to do with being transported by the hotel’s car), but I want to reserve my thoughts until my next post, when I detail our full day in Johannesburg.
Let’s talk food.
I haven’t said much about the food. At this point, we had experienced some great food. None of it was bad (except for the cold breakfast at the Victoria Falls Hotel), but there also wasn’t much to write home about. But let’s discuss Marble. We ate, we took pictures (below), and we left stuffed. Everything was perfect except for the one tired impala or antelope I had as an entrée. (I ordered their “game assortment” as my entrée and the “game”—which I now believe to have been impala—was so tough I joked that it must have been the one the lions chased for days but it got away just in tme to wind up at this restaurant ?—but the sauce on it was amazing.)
Here are the pics. The captions pretty much describe the meal. I took them with Kathleen’s iPhone because I stupidly forgot mine at the hotel. Feel (guilt) free to look at them on your phone ?.
The interior of Marble. It was located on the third floor of a building about 20 minutes from our hotel.
Started up with some awesome bread and a mixture of butternut squash and seeds on the left and herbed butter on the right.
Accompanied by the perfect negroni.
My amazing octopus appetizer with chorizo. Maybe the best I have ever had.
Kathleen’s lamb entrée
My “game” entrée
Dessert was chocolate and orange bread pudding with whiskey cream and coffee ice cream on top. It was delicious and hotter than hell.
We can’t thank Dave and Janine (and their friend in Johannesburg) for the recommendation, and Beverleigh for ensuring we went. It was (for me) the best dining experience of the trip. This place fully passed the “Steve Test.” Not only would I eat there again, but I would make it a go-to place for special occasions, especially with the price.
Let’s talk restaurant prices. Prior to the trip, when I was reviewing restaurant menus, I was scared by the prices. Most were in South African currency (the rand), and when I looked at Marble’s menu, I saw that my favorite dish (anything with octopus) was 230 rand. At first glance, that seems like A LOT OF MONEY to pay for one dish. It does, right up until you pull out your calculator (thanks, Apple, for including a constantly updated currency converter right inside your iOS calculator) and realize that R230 is only $ 12.99 US. So, our entire meal, with two appetizers, two entrées, two drinks for me, one for Kathleen, and her glass of wine, as well as a split dessert (in one of Johannesburg’s best restaurants), plus the tip, came to less than $ 140 US. Seriously. Would I dine there if it were in my own city? With those prices? I would eat there weekly. I would try everything on the menu…twice. Two of us could not eat at a place like Marble here in Seattle for twice that much.
After that amazing dinner, we were picked up by the hotel van, whisked back to our luxurious suite at the Fairlawns, where we slept like babies. Which was a good thing because our next day would be a stunner in so many ways. I believe it will be the most joyful post I have ever written and the saddest. See you then.
Now that we have a democracy and you can go back and the airport air is not laden with evil any more, you can actually breathe oxygen when you land in Johannesburg. —Janet Suzman
After passing out (not really, but it felt like it) and sleeping for almost 12 straight hours, I awoke to Kathleen feeling lousy and telling me I should go and grab some breakfast. That was when I discovered it was an outdoor restaurant and freeeezzzziiinnnggg. I had a piece of cold toast and a cup of lukewarm tea. That got me through to lunch. On the way to breakfast, I did get a chance to catch some photos of the spray rising from the falls with the rising sun behind it. Here’s a few to start the day. Don’t forget; if you click the first shot, you can scroll through with your arrow keys or by swiping. And PLEASE…don’t look at my photography on a phone. Please…
A dinosaur?
Kathleen says this one looks like an elephant.
After my quick shots and the tea and toast, I was off to the walking tour of Victoria Falls in the national park. We had a great guide, and he took us along the trail that has approximately 15 lookouts, each with increasing amounts of spray. It is a beautiful waterfall that you have to wear a poncho to tour. I can only imagine how much spray there must be during the rainy season.
Here are the photos I took along the walk. I am not thrilled with them because, basically, the water/spray looks white, the sky looks white, and everything else is black. BORING…but you be the judge.
Dr. Livingston…I presume?
Not a lot to caption.
Water goes down.
Spray comes up.
I did see a rainbow!!!!
I shot from behind trees.
Anything to get interesting.
This is kind of pretty.
And this.
Now, here’s something interesting on the trail.
And some of our friends on the viewpoint behind me.,
Looking into the cavern.
And another falls
Folks in their ponchos.
More water, more spray
They all kind of look alike.
More white water.
One last one.
These guys are performing everywhere. Same guys that welcomed us to the hotel and then at the train.
They were there when we finished our tour.
Lunch was on our own, and Kathleen was feeling better, so when I returned to the hotel, we went to the other outdoor venue and sat in the hot sun, getting warmed up. The food was okay, but I only ate half of the burger and left the other half of my fries. That tells you how lousy I was feeling. But we were both up for the next part of the day.
HELICOPTER FLIGHT OVER THE FALLS!!!
Now for the GOOOOD part. In the afternoon, we had planned a helicopter flyover tour of the falls with Zambezi Helicopters. It only flies for about 12 minutes, but it does a very cool loop over the falls that lets us see everything. And I was thrilled with the photos AND VIDEO I got. Away we go. Quick note: we could have booked the same flight through AMA, but it was about $100 US more, so we booked it ourselves. I called AMA and asked when we would need to be back. They told me 4:00 pm for the evening cruise on the Zambezi. When Delia announced 3:30, we were afraid we would miss the cruise…but we just made it.
Before watching the videos, please adjust your sound level to a comfortable setting. Helicopters are REALLY LOUD. Did I mention this was our very first ride in a helicopter? It was. Smoother than silk.
That’s the first video. Here are some still shots that I love. Don’t forget; if you click the first shot, you can scroll through with your arrow keys or by swiping. And PLEASE…don’t look at my photography on a phone. Please…
Not the helicopter we were on, but we did fly her on the her next tour.
This is the map. They go both directions over the Falls in a figure eight look so you can get views from both sides.
From the start
The canyons that lead away from the falls
Looking down on their beauty.
Totally different than walking next to them in the morning,.
Loved our first in a lifetime helicopter ride.
Loving these shots.
From all the angles.
Totally amazing.
Now we get it.
Amazing
Just love it.
Blew me away.
Incredible.
I have now officially run out of superlatives.
Here’s the second video. Thankfully for you, they are very short. Again, adjust your sound. Turn it down.
This was one part of the trip that will definitely stay with us. After the ride, we raced back to the hotel, and we got there with three minutes to spare before we were off for a dinner cruise on the Zambezi River above the falls. While onboard, we heard a very interesting lecture about the explorer David Livingstone from one of his biographers, a long-time British guide.
Of course, when you are on the Zambezi River at sunset, you have to take a photo. So, here’s my last shot from a very long day.
Tomorrow: On to Johannesburg!
The most impactful place I’ve been to, where I was completely awestruck, happy, and moved, is Victoria Falls, located on the border between Zambia and Zimbabwe. It is probably the most beautiful and romantic place in the world. — Hill Harper
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…
On the bridge, an ussie with Victoria Falls
Inside the antique train
Outside the coaches
On both sides
Looking back at another bridge over the falls
With the sunset.
The train on the way out.
Looking down into one of the canyons that flows off the falls.
A deeper look.
These gentlemen entertained us while we wanted to board.
The lead singer.
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
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.
