Today in Trust member Kate Thompson’s South Africa diary, continues her exploration of Victoria Falls
Day 23: Thursday, 01 July 2010
After breakfast, I borrowed a raincoat (like a long souwester) and headed for the Falls. I started by going over the road bridge which leads from Zambia to Zimbabwe, having ascertained that there was little point in going into the latter. Apart from the cost of another visa ($US55) I was not sure that I wanted to set foot in the country, for obvious reasons. I had been told which way to walk, which involved running the gauntlet through a curio market full of things I had no intention of buying. I had also been warned about people on the bridge pestering one, but in fact I only had one man who told me he came from Zimbabwe.
Having sympathised with him, I strode smartly on! I got my pass from customs – a small piece of paper with a stamp on – which I then handed to the man at the gate and walked across the bridge. The bungee jumping takes place in the centre and, although I saw the rope, no-one was actually doing it at the time. The spray from the falls was just like a heavy shower of rain although the view was very hazy for much of the time. The border between the two countries is halfway across, so in fact I did just go into Zimbabwe, but their customs post was obviously some way further on because I didn’t see it. I then had to get another pass to be let back into Zambia – slightly worrying for a moment!…
Having collected my raincoat from the security lodge of the hotel, where I had left it, I began by walking away from the Falls along a marked footpath. Apparently in the dry season it is possible to walk across the river and people bathe in ‘The Armchair’ then because no water is going over the Falls at that point. As I was walking towards the ‘wet’ bridge a local man showed me the best way to go and pointed out the different features. I guessed he would want a tip but, to be honest, I wouldn’t have known which was which without him. I had a $5 note in my purse but that wasn’t enough; I then gave him R100 (about £10) and he asked for another 100. I said I needed the rest for the taxi, which was true, and he seemed to accept it.
Victoria Falls
I got absolutely soaked crossing the bridge (twice); my trousers dried pretty quickly but my socks and shoes were drenched. I travelled back to Johannesburg in just my shoes and had to stuff them with newspaper when I got back to the hotel. It would be interesting to see the Falls in the dry season, as they are obviously very different, and apparently you can get better shots because there is less spray.
Road Bridge Across The Gorge
I had time for a coffee before the pick-up time of 10.30, but there was a slight delay which allowed me to buy a nice picture book of the Falls. I don’t know why I was leaving so early, for a 13.30 flight, but I sat in the departure lounge and read the book, after spending my last $US on a nice little elephant in malachite. The flight took off on time and this time I had a good aerial view of the Falls before we went into cloud. The return journey was uneventful and I arrived back at the hotel just after 4.00.
In the evening I went out to dinner with Gail and Chris (who I had met on the plane) and Alan and Richard, a father and son who support Chelsea, but you can’t have everything. Gail and Chris support Norwich. The four of them had done a couple of the tours I am interested in and there appears to be nothing else on offer, so I need to decide what to do. There is a trip to the races offered for Sunday, but at £40 I declined, as I have been to Newmarket very recently
Day 24: Friday, 02 July 2010
After a leisurely breakfast I walked to Sandton City with Gail, Chris, Alan and Richard and we arrived there just before 12.00. We went our separate ways and I picked up a list of the shops. It is a huge complex, consisting of three distinct areas, but there was really nothing I needed so all I bought was some sandwiches for this evening, apples and toothpaste! I had a very nice pizza in Nelson Mandela Place, where there is yet another statue of the icon, this time a 6’ bronze. We all met up again at 3.00 and walked back to the hotel, where we booked the ‘Cradle of Humanity’ tour for Monday.
I watched the two quarter-final matches in my room and caught up on some reading. Several people are still suffering from what we now learn is ‘Cape Town flu’. Alan and Richard were advised to have the swine flu vaccine before they came out here but as I have flu jabs as a matter of course, being in one of the at-risk groups, I am covered. Poor Gail is really suffering and is coughing so much that it makes her sick apparently.
Tomorrow is another early start, for a flight back to Cape Town for the quarter-final between Germany and Argentina. I had a slight panic when I received one of the regular e-mails I get from the Neighbourhood Watch team of Herts Police, which said that there had been a break-in at a house in my street last Friday. I was pretty sure it wasn’t my house, as my neighbours would have rung me, but when I couldn’t get a reply from them I rang the police and had a nice chat with the man who answered about the football! Thankfully, it wasn’t my house.
Part fourteen of Kate’s diary will appear tomorrow