Day 14:

With a game plan in mind, an excursion to Zambia, we started our day off right. Breakfast first... then we parked our car in the lot just outside of customs and across from the Victoria Falls National Park entrance & made the walk to the Zimbabwe customs office. Getting out of Zimbabwe was a cinch. We paid our fees, got our stamps, and made the walk across the Victoria Falls Bridge. We were able to take in the breathtaking view of the "smoke" (as they call it) rising up from the water crashing below. It's a view that would never get old. Within minutes, we were greeted by a couple of Zambian men who were curious about us. They asked us all about our homeland, how long we were visiting for, what we were doing that day. It was fun, until they relentlessly tried to sell us jewelry that we didn't want. I was as gracious as possible in turning them down. Sometimes, even when you tell them that you have no money, they keep pushing because they know that you could just get more money... Their selling strategy is simply to wear you down, but the key is that once you buy one thing, they will try to get you to buy another.

When we were almost to the Zambian customs office, we were greeted by another man, who decided on his own that he would get us a taxi. He was so persistent on getting us a taxi, that he followed us into the customs office and watched us until we were done. At that point, he just kept on talking to us and telling us that it was a long way into Livingstone and that we needed a taxi. We agreed on a price, and he took us over to one of the drivers who then drove us into the town. We were dropped off in front of a cafe, and proceeded on foot. We followed the main road passed many shops and even saw an event happening in a parking lot that appeared to be the national soccer team doing some contests and entertaining the "commoners". It was interesting, and it seemed like everyone was having a great time.

We continued on, and ended up at a Mukuni Park Curio Market that lined one block and had a covered walkway. It was great. There were several shops most of which sold identical goods, but they had far better things to offer on this side of the border. I had my eye on a few things, but we knew that we would need more cash. So, with goals in mind, we continued on. We ended up wandering through a shopping area that was definitely for the local people. There were shoe shops, mattress shops, and home supply shops.

It was one of those moments, where I looked around and realize how blessed we are to be American citizens because the shops were very small and crammed full of simple things, and the shops were mostly dirty and so poorly lit that some of them seemed dark. It was a truly humbling moment. If these people saw how we live here, with our large immaculate shopping malls full of expensive trivial things they wouldn't even know what to do. It reminded me of a story Brad had told me about a couple of Congolese that were brought to the US for training. One of the first places they were brought was Walmart. Apparently, they were completely overwhelmed, but at one point brought back two overflowing shopping carts full of alcohol. What we take for granted, our living in absolute excess, to them is like sweet manna from heaven because they are so used to living with the bare minimum. Sometimes, I think we lose track of reality here, I know I do at times.

We ended up near their large indoor market which had produce, tech products, clothing, and textile. It was interesting, but it wasn't for us because it was clearly for locals. We ended up turning back toward where we started. Brad was thirsty and needed some caffeine to help him gear up for the negotiating ahead. After fueling up at Cafe au Lait Limited, it was time to find the ATM, so we headed across the street to Barclay's (a large banking institution). The ATM line was astoundingly long, and I ended up in an awkward situation when a drunk Zambian guy came up to me and was trying to give me his keys. He kept telling me that I had to drive him because he was too drunk to drive. He then continued to make some unkind remarks, and was telling Brad that he wouldn't say what he was thinking because it wouldn't be appropriate... It was really uncomfortable & I was really happy when it was our turn to make our way up the steps to use the ATM. By the time we came back down, the guy was gone. The last thing we wanted was any trouble because of being in a third world country, where the people look out for each other not necessarily visitors, so we did our bests to just let him do what he needed, and just minded our own business as best we could.

Relieved at the man’s absence, we made our way back to the curio market. We passed several booths before getting to the first one that I wanted to see. We negotiated hard here. I ended up with a beautiful tribal mask. Then we went down a little further where we negotiated the price down for 3 paintings. ...we were ready to go... but on our way out, we were stopped. One of the shop keepers really liked Brad's sunglasses. He told us that he would trade Brad's sunglasses for any three things in his shop. We were on board since Brad's sunglasses were not expensive. However, the shop keeper, and now his brother, were then telling us that we couldn't have any three items and that if we wanted what we had chosen (a large carved out bowl, a carved ironwood elephant, and a mask) then we would have to pay them extra. They wanted a lot, and it took a lot of effort to get them where we wanted them. We weren't messing around because they intentionally tried to trick us. We were ready to walk (reluctantly) if they didn't give us what we wanted. We settled on the three items traded for Brad's sunglasses and 100 Kwacha (their currency) which was about $10 USD.

With our hands full of Zambian treasures, we headed back toward the border. We were dead-set on finding a place for lunch and ended up at Kubu Cafe. They had a fairly well diversified menu, so we ended up getting a sandwich and a burger. The food was pretty good, and the service was wonderful. It was a pleasant place where you could sit on the patio without being hassled. We felt ridiculous with our large pile of loot sitting on the table next to us, but we also, had a great deal of pride in our stack of finds. With lunch over, we still had some Kwacha to get rid of, so I headed next door to the grocery store to buy some food to take back. They didn't have as good of options on the other side of the border in Zimbabwe, surprisingly. Here, I was able to grab another pack of Oreos and Kips.

We felt so alive, and felt as though we were finally starting to find our stride in this part of Africa. We wandered back toward the street where we grabbed a taxi to take us back to the border. When the price was agreed upon, we loaded up and climbed in. The drive back was short, but we had an unplanned stop along the way. Our driver was stopped by an officer that was in the middle of the road. Our driver, then, pulled over and got out of the car and was talking to the officer for a while, and then was over by the police car. Brad and I were concerned about the situation and were quite confused. Frustration was setting in because we had no clue what was going on. We wondered if we were going to have to walk back.

Finally, our driver returned to us and shared that they were looking for someone, and that he had told the officer that he would take us to the border first since he had committed to that, and then return to help in the search. It was peculiar, but we said 'okay' and continued our journey.

At the border, as soon as we were out of the cars, the locals around the customs building began talking to us. I had one man telling me to make sure I kept my food up high because the baboons would try to steal it. I wasn't entirely sure how true this was, but I figured he must know from experience. I was going to be dammed to let some monkey steal my precious Oreos, so up into my large trough like bowl they went.

Going back through Zambian customs was, once again, a breeze. We just got in the short line and waited our turn for our stamp. We then proceeded back toward the bridge. A man came up to us on his bike with a small pull-cart attached. He begged us to let him give us a ride to the Zimbabwe customs office. We had to continually decline. I think he was frustrated that we wouldn't say 'yes', as he started to get a little snippy with us. It wasn't long before our friends from earlier showed up, claiming that we had said we would buy jewelry. The guy that had talked to me was far more accepting when I declined his offer. Brad, on the other hand, had a very persistent Zambian who did not want to take 'no' for an answer (I'm cracking up as I am writing this). While Brad was continually trying to rid himself of the persistent salesman, I ended up with another guy begging me to trade my food for his trinkets. I continued to politely say 'no', as I looked straight ahead and increased the speed of my walk. Brad was finally able to catch up, and the guy trying to peer-pressure him began to back off. Finally, we reached the office.

Getting back into Zimbabwe was, as usual, a pain. Although, it was far more organized than when we were coming from Botswana, we still were dealing with silly problems. We waited in line as the officers took their time processing each person in front of us. Thankfully, we had beat the rush of a tourist group, that somehow seemed to pass us by. We filled out our necessary forms, and handed the man our card (we were purchasing double entry visas this time - which sadly, we were never told about the first time we crossed over). Naturally, despite several efforts, our Chase Visa card wasn't working - the irony, it worked fine everywhere else before & after. Both of our cards were continually declined, so we ended up using most of the cash that we had. We were so frustrated, but did our best to shake it off because there was nothing more we could do.

With everything finalized, we felt rather silly walking back to the car with our stockpile of goods, but we were so excited to have found such great items. We headed back to the hotel to unload & unwind. We decided it would be a good night to go to The Boma for dinner & a show. ...and we did just that.

We showed up without a reservation & were given a sarong to wrap around us and tie over our right shoulder. We were just in time to be greeted by the greeting committee. A group of Zimbabwean men and women dressed in tribal garb with faces painted, all while singing us a fantastic welcome song. It was slightly overwhelming to the point that I had a ridiculous large smile on my face and couldn't help but laugh with pure joy. I was so excited, like a kid at Christmas.

We were led to our table off to the side in a quiet area near a stock pile of drums . They took our drink order, and then proceeded to bring us an appetizer with some exotic meats (such as crocodile & kudu), and some not-so exotic things like vegetable samosas. Everything was delicious. Once we devoured our appetizers, we hit the buffet. Each of us started with a bowl of soup, that I remember was fairly sweet but definitely delicious. It was then time to move on and get serious. We had to hit up the big buffet, a buffet of meats and stews!

I wasn't feeling bold enough to go wild and try everything, so I made it a point to make my main food source the chicken skewers. I ended up having a nice chat with a guy from Australia, and was talked into trying the peanut (butter) spinach by an American. I grabbed a bit of the guinea fowl stew, and a white grain like-substance that resembled mashed potatoes, but had a consistency more similar to couscous. I also, ended up grabbing the tiniest scoop of mini-fish because I couldn't tell what it was when I was in the line... The low down: the chicken was chicken, the peanut-butter spinach was not my fave (turns out I'm just not a huge peanut butter fan), the white stuff was bland but went well with other dishes, I didn't even bother trying the tiny fish because they still looked like tiny fish, and the guinea fowl stew was BOMB!! Sadly, my guinea fowl was mostly bone and skin & not a lot of meat, but I was so glad I got to sample it. While sitting there, Brad gave me some warthog from the stew to try, and it's safe to say it was, hands down, the best thing at the table. The flavor was amazing, and it was incredibly tender. I would have thought that it would be gamy and maybe fatty, but I guess it makes sense... I'm a pork-lover!

While we were eating a team of drummers and dancers took the stage to enlighten us with their talents, and give us a little sample of Zimbabwean culture. It was so fun! It was loud, but fun! They had festive costumes and their dancing was crazy as they went along with the overwhelming rhythm of the large drums. I LOVED IT! ....a little bit later on, after dessert, they passed around smaller drums to all the guests to join in and did small competitions between each section of the room. At one point, they had everyone up in a circle on the main floor competing in a dance off. Brad & I stood there for a while before we tried to escape in fear of getting picked because we are your stereotypical white people that are terrible dancers and have no musical rhythm.. or just rhythm in general. As the majority of patrons danced on, Brad & I decided we were ready to go back. We wanted to explore the National Parks the next day, and were tired from our grueling border-crossing journey earlier that day.

Day 15:

We woke up at a normal hour, and decided that it was a good day to head back to The Lookout Cafe for breakfast. The weather was beautiful, which made it a great morning for open-air dining. We didn’t enjoy our meals as much as we had before. Brad got what I will call a "deli plate" (because it was meats & cheeses), and I have no remembrance of what I got... It definitely wasn’t the poached eggs! Probably just eggs and toast. Sometimes, less is more...

With some slight disappointment in our hearts (over the food, never the view), we headed back to the car. The plan was to head south toward Hwange National Park. We took the detour that was in place because of a road closure. We weaved our way through part of the town, and back to the main road. Dead ahead was another police stop. Brad's immediate reaction was to just turn the car around. He didn't have it in him to be hassled again over the car. I think he was on a short fuse at this point. I was frustrated now too, because it was another plan that we had to scrap. We just decided, instead, to go try to enter into the Zambezi National Park that sits just down the street from the hotel.

We had tried to get in a couple days before (or maybe after Zambia), but they would not let us because they didn't think our vehicle could handle the terrain, nor did they think our car was actually four wheel drive... (makes sense, it kind of looked like a mom car). Today though, we succeeded. The lady at the desk told us to take caution, stay on the main road, avoid flood areas, and that if anything happened to us we were on our own. We paid our fee, got our pass, and headed into the park. We reached the gate keeper who verified our documents and let us through. It was all dirt road from here. We didn't think it was nearly as bad, as the lady had made it seem. There were definite rough spots, but we didn't feel doomed from the start.

We were incredibly eager to see some more wildlife. We spent many hours in the park driving up and down roads as far as we thought possible. At one point, we attempted a mud spot along the main road, and ended up having to back out because we were not getting enough traction. We were disappointed because we hadn't seen anything other than birds, springbok, and monkeys. We ended up turning back with the intention to start exploring side roads, and that’s when things started to improve. Small crocodiles had beached themselves along the stream near one of the bridges in attempt to warm up. We began to see larger types antelope grazing or lying in the grass... and as we took on one of the large hills, we saw zebra and wildebeest sticking together.

We made our way back down and unsure of what to do, headed back toward the entrance with the goal to explore more of the side roads. We drove up and down a couple with nothing exciting to share, but then, as we began our descent down one of them, on our left hand side, stood a large bull elephant snacking on the tall grass. He was so handsome, but didn't have much interest in us, so began to wander away, and as did we.. As we headed further down we came across a group of warthogs that spooked as soon as we got too close. We decided we wanted to trek on a little further, but our journey was cut short by a deep mud hole. We were stuck. Thankfully, not too stuck. Brad hopped out, and was able to give us enough of a shove while I pressed the gas pedal to get us out. We ended up finding another way around, but it just led to a dead end and no other sightings. We were wearing down fast, and losing hope. It was too hot for many animals to be out, and the grass was way too tall to see anything resting below. However, before we headed out we decided to head back a little ways so that we could do one final check because the elephant had renewed our spirits. We ended up heading down by the river to see what else we could find. We were hoping to see some animals getting a drink, but that was not the case. As we continued along the path, a bathroom break was required. Once again, I was vulnerable to the elements, but my bladder was feeling so much relief.

We continued driving along the river for a little while, and we got pretty lucky. We ended up running into a mash up of zebra and giraffe, and we had the pleasure of watching them for a little while before we all decided to part ways. The sun was sweltering, and we knew it was time to go... but before we did, we headed back the opposite direction along the river where we had seen another random driver. From there you could see a narrow strip in the middle of the water. A small group of hippos rested along its bank, and a crocodile laid upon it. We were really excited about this because the crocodile looked quite large and well-fed. It was the first time we had seen one this large in the wild.

We were 3/4 of the way back to the exit when we snuck up on a tower of giraffes. (A tower is what you call a group of giraffes.) We watched them for close to ten minutes before parting ways once again. I love watching giraffes because of their excessively long limbs.

We finally made it back to the hotel, where we dropped off our gear, and cleaned ourselves up. We hung out for a little bit longer while I did a little bit of laundry in the sink.

With dinner on our minds, after not having a proper lunch (it was Kips & granola bars as usual), we headed to Shearwater Cafe just along the main road that takes you through town towards the falls, the bridge, and Zambia. We were ready for a really good meal. We ordered our drinks, a pizza for me, and pasta for Brad, and enjoyed the warm African air. I continually had issues with my sparkling water, as it was clear that the manufacturer wasn't probably sealing the bottles. Thankfully, the restaurant was willing to take care of the issue without any trouble and even comped our drinks. The food was really good! It was nice to be eating something more familiar and more substantial.

We wanted to do a sunrise game drive the next morning, and were eager to get back to the hotel to get rest so that we could be up by 5 AM. We discussed going to Chobe National Park, but decided to just go back to Zambezi NP. We had heard amazing things about Chobe, but because we were wanting to do a sunrise drive, we thought it best to stay closer so that we didn't have to be up as early, or deal with customs that morning.

Day 16:

First, we stopped at the office so we could take care of the fees and paperwork before setting off on our journey once again. It was a fun drive, and it started off with a couple of guinea fowl running up and along the road ahead of us before spastically jumping off into the grasses. We were continually hoping to see some lions crossing to the river for a morning drink, or to see a leopard in a tree with a fresh kill, but we got nothing. No dogs or cats on this trip. We followed the main path as we did the day before. We followed behind a troop of baboons for a while until they cleared the road. We tried again to make it past the large mud pit, but it was too risky. We ended up turning back. This time with a photo of the map, we headed in search of new trails. First we made our way back up the large hill from the day before, but saw nothing on the way up. As we made our way back down and approached the main road, there in the trees, shaded in mystery were a couple of Cape buffalo. It was the high point, thus far. The biggest thing we had seen that day. We wandered back down some of the smaller roads in hopes of finding a new trail and succeeded. We found a small road that was quite overgrown most of the way, and it that led us further back into the park. We did not see a thing. It took us across a river, and over a large outcropping of rocks.

Eventually, we decided to turn back because it didn't seem like there was much hope for sightings if we continued on this road. We found a spot to turn back, crossed through the river, and attempted to make the climb over the outcropping of rocks but had a very difficult time. We were getting stuck. The front of the car was bumping the ground below and our front right tire was up in the air. I had to get out of the car in attempt to help guide Brad through this section. It was far more helpful to have a set of eyes on the road outside of the car rather than two sets inside. From here, getting back was a breeze. We cruised right along, and it seemed like we spent less time going back than we did going in.

When we reached the main road in the park. We continued on a little ways, and decided to head down another small road. On our way up, we ran into yet another group of giraffe and zebra. We watched the towering giants slowly meander through the area, while the zebra took off in pure fear. We followed the small road as far as we possibly could, back through large trees that looked like elephant land. The path we were on came to an abrupt end at the paved main road that leads you from Botswana into Victoria Falls (the one we had driven through on our way into town the first night). We were baffled that it was so easy to get into the park. It seems like easy access for poachers, as there was no fence or any other protection, but I guess elephants could just break it down anyways. We also, found it funny that we had just paid $30 dollars to get in to the park, when we could have just entered through a random dirt road off of Kazungula Road. Ahhhh, Zimbabwe!!!

Our sights were few and far between that day. With nothing truly exciting to report. It was all the usual, but this time Cape buffalo instead of elephants.

Since breakfast had been a stock pile of granola bars and the remaining Kips, we knew that we needed to get some food, and clean up. We head back to the hotel, and upon arrival, I noticed that we had actually done some slight damage to the vehicle around the front left wheel-well, but it was able to be repaired. Thankfully, a couple of the men from the hotel, came over & helped us pop things back into place. We were incredibly grateful for their willingness to go above and beyond.

After getting ourselves a bit more put together, and changing our clothes, we headed into town, and back to The Lookout Cafe. We decided we wanted to enjoy that gorgeous view one last time before we left. We scarfed down our delicious food, while we watched the place fill up with other patrons who were equally as enthralled with their surroundings.

When we were done & the check was paid we decided to walk down the hill a little ways in search of the nature walk, but I think we missed our turn because we just ended up near the train tracks where the local guys try to sell you the fake currency and carved items. We spent some time down there photographing the baboons that had walked down with us from the top of the hill, and then decided to turn back because we began getting frustrated again.

We headed for the hotel so that we could start getting organized, but I just felt like going back into town and browsing the shops one more time. There wasn't really anything that I needed, but I thought one of the flat woven baskets would be fun to hang on the wall. We ended up in the handcrafted market down the street and across the train tracks. This time we went to an area where there was suppose to be no hassling, but that wasn't the case. I, also, remembered that there was a specific printed fabric that I wanted, but I couldn't find it anywhere. When I communicated what I wanted to one of the shop keepers he was determined to find it for me.... however, he just continually showed me patterns and color schemes that I didn't want and were nothing like what I showed him. While we were waiting for him to check elsewhere, we wandered into one of the shops, where we found a woven bowl that we could agree on. Brad got the price to what he thought was reasonable, and we left. We were almost to the car, when the shop keeper who was looking for the fabric found us. He brought us down the road back toward the market we had visited a few days prior, and brought us inside of the women's building, and they all proceeded to completely overwhelm me by showing me tons and tons of fabrics that were nothing at all like what I wanted. ...not even close. They were trying to guilt us into buying just about anything at this point too. I was so over it and burned out because everywhere you look there was a woman with fabric or keychains or something else trying to get us to buy it as they all talked over each other in attempt to get our attention, so Brad and I just turned around and left while turning them down one by one from start to finish. We said we may come back the next day, but the danger with that is that they try to get you to commit to a time, a day, a place. Its insane!

So we got back in the car and drove a very short distance to The Three Monkeys, a fun outdoor restaurant with a big "I <3 VIC FALLS" sign in the yard. We were excited because we had driven past it several times, and were curious. When we got seated, our awesome waiter took our drink order. While we sat perusing the menu Brad notice that the shop keeper that was on a fabric hunt, was at the restaurant entrance being kept out by the restaurant staff. They had more fabric in hand. We thought the situation was taken care of until we noticed that they found their way around, and into the yard. They came up to the railing (we were on an elevated platform sitting maybe four feet off the ground), and started lifting up the fabrics that they had found. I was dying on the inside. I didn't know whether to laugh or yell, at this point. Nothing, was even close to what I wanted, and their scheming to get past the entrance was hilarious. You just have to admire their commitment to trying to close a sale.

Brad and I enjoyed our dinner. I got a chicken wrap and a salad (both were huge), and Brad ordered a pizza. Overall it was pretty good and I would go back becuase it had great atmosphere. We didn't stay too long after because it was time to head back and start packing. So, when we got back to the hotel we did just that. We did our best to get organized, and had fun watching the reality shows on Discovery Channel. We just enjoyed each other on our last night.

Day 17:

We were up somewhat early, and headed to breakfast. We decided to eat at the hotel for convenience reasons, and I just found myself frustrated while we were there. We ordered from the menu for obvious reasons: it was the cheapest option. The food was fair, and I could not shake the desire to get out of there, so that we could focus on other things.

Our Britz rep was meeting us that morning so that we could drop the car off. We ran into him in the parking lot, and he let us know that he needed our paperwork from the border crossings. Thankfully, I had held onto every single piece of paper through out our journey, so it was just a matter of going back to the room and sorting through it. He looked over the car, and we were good to go. Brad & I followed him back by his house, where we met a couple of guys that were responsible for driving the vehicle back to South Africa. Once all the details were sorted (which meant our rep was keeping the Zimbabweans in check by stating that he didn't want his customers hassled over details, and they needed to figure it out), our rep drove us back to the hotel. He told us that he had been trying to work with the government to instate laws or actions that prevent police from constantly harassing or bribing tourists. An effort, I was thankful for because we had definitely experienced it, and it is just frustrating. I can't imagine how terrifying it for people who don't understand how those things work.

When we were back to our room, Brad & I worked to get everything packed up then met our taxi driver out front. We got checked out, and were on our way to the airport. It was a beautiful drive and a bit long. When we got to the airport, a man came and got our bags for us & brought us to the ticket counter. Getting through security and customs was a breeze as it was a very nice new and small airport with a couple of cafes & shops.

The flight back to Johannesburg was easy and short, but I had four hours until my next flight. So, after dropping off my checked luggage again, I headed back to Brads hotel so that we could hang out together for a while.

Eventually, it was time for me to head back to my terminal. Brad walked me to security... and, for the first time in a long time, I couldn't hold back my tears. I was not ready to let him go this time. However, it was time for me to head to Spain to meet my sister for our birthday road trip. So finally, I let go, and tried to make us laugh to ease the pain.

I went through security and it was time for the next chapter.

ISSUE 31: Victoria Falls, Zimbabwe 2017 (Part 2)