Victoria Falls

We were picked up on Monday a.m. in Kasane and driven across the border to Zimbabwe - just a short 1/2 hr. drive. We had heard lots of stories about Zimbabwe - the political situation remains unstable, their currency is worthless (everything is now in US dollars) and people are desperately looking for any opportunities for cash. Zimbabwe used to be known as the breadbasket of Africa, had wonderful health care and great parks. Everything has changed of course and the people we spoke with were very frustrated with the Mogabe leadership and delighted to have tourists visit their country. We were in Victoria Falls to see the falls and stay one night at the historic Victoria Falls Hotel, which overlooks the fall. This 100+ year old hotel is a tribute to the British colonial spirit. The art work, posters, furniture all speak to the good old days when the Empire ruled - a step back in time, but still kind of neat to see it still, all spit and polish, afternoon tea on the veranda overlooking these incredible falls, all the staff dressed up. Outside the hotel, a bit of a different story and we heard pleas from all sides - I could have traded my holey sneakers for all kinds of stuff and we were offered "trillions" of Zimbabwean dollars - a kind of worthless souvenir. We braved the curio market where the most aggressive sales pitches are made and managed to buy some textiles - batiks and handpainted wares that were nice and light! The falls were very impressive, made even more beautiful by a rainbow that appeared as we reached the viewing platform. The falls stretch between Zimbabwe and Zambia with several islands in the middle. The roar from the falls can be heard from far away and there is permanent cloud of rain/mist that stretches far in the air over the falls. Quite breathtaking. While the adrenalin junkies go out for bungee jumping, rafting down the Zambezi, and all kinds of wacky extreme sports, we opted for another pastime. Yes, Heidi, we did not let the opportunity fail to add one more country to Peter's golf list. We played 9 holes at Elephant Hills Golf Club in Vic Falls. A unique experience and also testimony of how things have fallen apart in this stylish place. We were the only players at this course, which is located at a large resort which was entirely empty. The course was in kind of rough shape, punctuated by interesting wild life, including waterbuck ( a large antelope), lots of warthogs, impala. In any case, we had a fun time and added a little bit to the Zim economy, particularly to the appreciation of 2 caddies who were very happy to get some work.
Back to home base Gabarone today. We took a small 19 seater plane and got great views of the salt pans, part of the Kalahari Desert Reserve, a site of a future trip for sure.