The Smoke that Thunders

This morning we awoke to yet another darn rooster crowing!  I thought we left that "alarm clock" behind in Lusaka!  Not only did we awake to the roosters call, but also to the sound of a hippopotamus snorting in the pond next to our hut.  After a lovely, but chilly breakfast al fresco, we boarded the van for Victoria Falls.  We could see the mist from miles away.  This is known as The Smoke that Thunders.  Upon arriving we were greeted by the local baboons.  They are not shy and quickly surrounded our van - some so bold as to jump on top of the van.  Upon entering the park, we donned on our rented rain gear and hiked the Knife Edge Island Trail.  As we crossed the Knife Edge Bridge we were showered by the mist of the falls.  After that hike, our group split up and half of us hiked down to the Boiling Pot.  This is where the water from all the falls comes together.

On the hike back up we stopped to rest. Despite the warning signs not to bring food, one of us (whose name shall remain anonymous) passed around the pretzel sticks.  Not sure if it was the smell of the food or the crinkling of the bag, but within seconds we were surrounded by baboons of all sizes. Some of us stuffed their remaining pretzels in our mouths, while others threw the pretzels aside.  One panicked member threw the pretzels at another member - yet causing a baboon scrum at her feet! We all had a good laugh after that but decided that the pretzels were best left inside the backpack until we were back at the van. On the way home we spotted a giraffe.

Once back at Waterberry Lodge we were treated to another delicious lunch.  After a brief rest we went on a sunset boat tour on the Zambezi River.  We saw a plethora of colorful birds, warthogs (Pumbas as our guide called them), elephants at the watering hole, monkeys and crocodiles.  The highlight of the tour was when a hippo popped out of the water right in front of our boat.  Our guide got us out of their quickly as they have a tendency to ram the boats.

We finished off the day with a traditional Zambian meal in the bush.  No utensils allowed!  We were entertained with African music and songs.  Off to Chobe tomorrow for our safari.

Janet