Week 56 - April 29 - May 8 Part I: Victoria Falls

Due to some coincidental timing, May became a busy travel month for us with two unforgettable, bucket-list-type of experiences.  In the next couple of blog posts, we will capture our May adventures.

Several months ago, our friends Chris and Andy approached us with the idea of going on safari in Africa.  At first we were a bit apprehensive, but in the end we couldn't pass up the chance to see such amazing wildlife and hang out with some of our best friends/downright awesomest people!  So, on April 29 we started our travels.  First destination: Victoria Falls, Zimbabwe.

Arriving from all corners of the globe, the four of us finally met up in the Johannesburg, South Africa airport.  We were able to take the last flight leg together into Zimbabwe.  On that flight, we had our first "we aren't in Kansas anymore" experience.  After the normal safety spiel, the flight attendant made a final comment about some spray not being hazardous to your health but that it could dry out your contact lenses.  The staff then proceeded to fumigate the entire cabin with clouds of bug spray.  At that moment, we knew we were headed a bit off the beaten trail.  So, after about 26 hours of travel (much more for others in our party), we landed at the Victoria Falls International Airport.  From there, we were shuttled to the beautiful Victoria Falls Hotel, where we would spend just one night.  We freshened up a bit, but didn't waste much time before walking directly to the falls.  The walk from the hotel only took 15 minutes, but we learned a bit about recent Zimbabwe history on the way.  As a popular tourist destination, these walking trails to the park hosted the usual street merchants selling their knick-knacky wares.  However, several gentlemen were selling an unexpected item: currency.  Zimbabwe currently uses the U.S. Dollar as its official currency, but from 1980 - 2009, the country had its own Zimbabwean dollar.  Due to the extreme collapse of the economy in the 2000's, Zimbabwe entered a period of hyperinflation.  The government kept having to create larger and larger denominations just for the bills to have any value.  Before the currency finally collapsed and Zimbabwe shifted to the USD, they were making bills as large as $100 trillion because the exchange rate was roughly 7 million to 1 USD.  Now that the currency has been officially dead for several years, the bills are collectors items.  At a price of a mere $5, we had the option to become Zimbabwean billionaires.

The Victoria Falls Hotel

The who's the how's and the what's of the "Wonders of the World" ranking decision process are still a mystery for us.  But on almost every list that claims to rank these most wondrous things, you will find Victoria Falls.  This is not a waterfall, this is THE waterfall.  At 108 m (360 ft) tall, 1700 m (5600 ft) wide, water crashes over the edge at 3000 cubic meters (105000 cubic ft) per second.  Entering the park, you approach the falls head on. To better explain the numbers above, the force of the water falling from the top of the falls to the bottom......creates upward rain!  You are standing directly across from the top of the falls, getting soaked to the bone by rain coming up from the bottom of a cliff.  All of the moisture in the air creates constant rainbows arching across the chasm at varying heights.  It is a surreal experience.  Numbers and words don't do it justice.  The sheer force and stunning beauty of the falls truly make this natural phenomenon a world wonder.

The falls from a distance

We made it to Africa!

We spent a full afternoon taking in the falls from every vantage point possible.  Eventually, we had to head back in time to make our dinner reservation at the hotel.  The Livingstone Room is a vast, high-ceilinged space decorated in with simple elegance.  We were served a seven course tasting menu (complete with wine pairings for each course).  The food and drink were spectacular, blending globally recognizable dishes (steak) with regional specialties (ostrich carpaccio).  With our bodies travel weary and our bellies full, we headed straight off to bed after dinner.  Day one in Africa was complete, and it was an appropriately amazing start to the trip.