HIPPOS AND RAIN

14^th December 2013

Reception girls in their funny hats

The internet connection here in Livingstone is troublesome but I hope this makes it through to the WW Web.

The Falls

It seems that all the talk here at the hostel is about going to the Devil's pool. Its well documented on Youtube so no need to explain too much. I was to have done the 'walk' to this pool on the edge of the falls but decided better not to do it. The past few days rain have made water levels rise so the walk has become a really a precarious 45 minute wade through fast flowing rivulets making their way to the edge of the falls not so far away. Some people did it but said it did seem very dangerous. The guide said, reassuringly, that the route to the pool was bone dry a few days ago, adding that if the water continues to rise this activity will have to be cancelled for the months of the wet season in two days time.

Rain at Victoria Falls entrance

 

'The smoke that thunders'

A couple of days ago I went on a sunset cruise down the Zambezi. It was a fun trip with free food and booze and a chance to see a lot of hippos, crocodiles, and luckily an elephant swimming across the river from the Zimbabwe side. Towards the end of the two and a half hours a couple of African marimba players struck up and the whole compliment of the boat, mostly Africans, ended the evening with dancing to the music. A nice evening. 

Lady Victoria cruise boat

Hippos are very big here

A crocodile waiting for a meal

The elephant heading for the river.

The wet season has begun late, with a vengeance, and now after 4 days of sporadic torrential downpours it is a different place from when I first arrived in Zambia. The humidity has brought on a rather irritating itchy heat rash but hopefully the medication I bought from a pharmacy here will calm it down soon. The rain does tend to restrict activities but lots of interesting people to talk to. One of them, now gone to Namibia, was an Irish motorcyclist with a massive BMW bike. Ridden all the way from Ireland and heading to Cape town.