01.12.10 Day 1 of my trip! - my journey to Livingstone

My alarm went off at 05.00 although I was awake at 4.30 anyway. It was dark and reminded me of what I will need to get used to back home. I got dressed and lugged my bag out to the car. Charmaine had made me breakfast and a pack up to take with me! We left at about 5.30 as I was anxious to make sure I got to the bus stop in plenty of time. The bus was scheduled to leave at 06.00.

On arrival, we saw an old rickety green bus being loaded up with bags, cases and boxes. We both looked at each other - would this actually get me to Kasane? But when I asked if it was the bus I needed to catch I was told that it was going to Zimbabwe. Phew! So, I waited, and waited. By 6.20 there was still no bus and I sent Charmaine off as she had been waiting with me for half hour. I had asked around and the bus was definitely coming, although it was more a question of when!

Quite a few coaches had been coming to the bus station, and some of them appeared quite posh such as the 'Gaborone Express'. Probably pretty standard compared to what we expect in the UK, but not compared to the Zimbabwe bus.... As I waited I took in the sights - a man selling fake leather wallets trying his best to get people to buy them, another man selling CD's, a woman selling bananas. Then the girl next to me said "It's here". I looked around expecting to see a massive coach. There were now around 40 people waiting to get the bus, which would not have been a problem if the coach I was expecting to turn up, had turned up! No. What trundled around the corner was a little mini bus. You know the kind that you used to use on the way to netball matches at school? Hmmmm this could be very interesting indeed!

The bus stopped right at the top of the stop. Imagine a train waiting just outside the station, you can see it, and everyone else can see it, but you can't actually get on it. Also imagine if you will the increasing tension as people begin to count how many people are standing at the bus stop, and how many need to get on the bus. The result? People begin moving forward, off the pavement and into the road itself, many now pushing one another, shouting at one another..... and I either stand there and give my place away. Or I join in and fight to get on the bus.....

A few minutes later the bus slowly made its way to where the queue appeared to begin. And it was a free for all. People pushing, passing bags over their heads, through windows, passing children even! I was just thinking that there was NO WAY I would be able to get on this bus! For a split second I thought about stepping back and leaving it to the others to fight over the few places available..... but I realised if I did I would likely not be leaving for Kasane until the next day. And I was desperate to go today! So in I pushed.

The ticket conductor grabbed by big rucksack and pushed it under the front seat - so I hoped that that meant I now HAD to get a seat on the bus. Not sure that these rules really work here though! I still didn't believe that I would get a seat but a woman pointed at me and then to a seat next to her as if to say "you're here". But then a young man tried to push past me and take my seat! I told him to stop pushing in (I know, so English!!) and told him in no uncertain terms that the seat was mine. So the conclusion of that phase of my journey was that I got a seat. YAY!

All OK? Erm well, not exactly...... I was sat next to a very pleasant SMALL man and then a much larger lady and her daughter. Fine! But then the conductor noticed that while there were four people occupying the four seats, one of these was a child. So he points to a man and tells him to sit where the child is sitting (the child would need to sit on the mother's lap). Now there were still many people to get on this small bus, many many SMALL people. But the conductor chose a VERY LARGE MAN. Not just a large man, or slightly rotund man, but a VERY LARGE MAN!!! My alarm must have been written all over my face, as me and the SMALL man exchanged glances. I guess the benefit of this situation, should I need to look for one, was that I realised that whilst I may be a little fatter than I would like, at least I was not as big as the VERY LARGE MAN -that would surely make for a very uncomfortable journey! ;-) It was hilarious and I immediately found the funny side, and thought it would make a funny story to tell my friends and family. It could have been a screen from a Steve Martin movie. I kept chuckling to myself. After we set off, the conductor asked the VERY LARGE MAN and women to change seats as the child should be in the middle. I think that this was slightly better although now I had a child standing on my feet! 6 long hours to go.

Luckily I was pretty tired from the last few days and nights with broken sleep, so slept away the first hour. I awoke at around 8.30 and saw we were arriving in Nata! Toilet break! I had purposely not drunk any water for fear that we would not be stopping and realised that I was dehydrated. We stopped for 20 minutes - enough time to have a stretch of the legs and eat some of my pack up. Then it was back on the bus with the VERY LARGE MAN saying "just a little bit more? A little bit more?" (he was trying to get us to squidge up, I felt for him and have no idea at all how he managed to squeeze into the seat with the arm rest digging into him).

We set off again and this time it was becoming hot, sweaty and uncomfortable. I was just dozing off, when something made me open my eyes and sit up to attention. The next moment on the left hand side of the road I saw the biggest, darkest elephant I had ever seen (on TV that is!). It was stationary apart from its swinging trunk. It was absolutely stunning. It was almost a charcoal colour and then, within moments we passed it. Before I could stop myself I heard "Oh wow! An elephant!" come shouting from my mouth, a huge grin spreading across my face. This caused much amusement and I was asked if I had seen elephants before? I replied that it was my first one, clapping my hands like an excited school child. The conducted relayed this in Setswana to the bus driver - even copying my clapping in imitation! People on the little bus laughed and I was told I would see plenty more of these where I was going. Good!

The road to Kasane was generally bump free and straight, so I avoided any travel sickness. In fact they were the longest straightest roads that I had ever seen! I was able to see the landscape change as the hours went by and also observe the conductors behaviour and the fast work he made on getting the mothers phone number. He then ignored her and moved onto me - and then onto the women sat behind! I was surprised at this blatant 'pulling' technique, until I reminded myself that I am in Botswana - having been told even married men do this.

I didn't really get to see much of Kasane as the bus luckily stopped at the Kazungula Border Crossing, where I scrambled off the bus, grabbing my rucksack. This saved me some time and money and as it was now about 1.30pm, I thought I might as well get myself over to Livingstone straight away. It wasn't a particularly pleasant place. There were some buildings, lots of trucks and that was it. The conductor had pointed in the rough direction of where I needed to go, so off I walked, hoping that things would all become clear! Inside the building, the man behind the counter was very pleasant and explained what I needed to do - I filled out a form, had my passport stamped and that was that! But now what? I knew I needed to get on the pontoon (ferry), which would obviously be on the river...... but there was no river in sight! Having asked one person where to go with little response, I asked another lady and she said I could go with (I wrote 'go with' in my diary rather than 'go with her' and realise that this is a phrase I have picked up from Denise!). I could not remember at this point what the Lonely Planet guide had said about walking this part of the journey and whether it was safe. But there seemed to be a few people around so I tagged along. I had no idea how far we would be walking, as I also saw a taxi driving past, and also know that the African people are not afraid of walking long distances with heavy bags. But thankfully, I soon saw the Zambezi River shimmering close by.

Things then got a little strange as the women I was walking with kept disappearing. I followed them at one point as thought they were heading down to the river bank but they were huddled behind a truck doing something. I didn't wait to find out what and headed off on my own to the crossing. If I thought I had stood out in Francistown..... Here I looked so much like a tourist it was untrue! I couldn't decide whether to get the ferry or small boat and started getting in a bit of a tiz - even more so because I kept getting approached by men, so I made the decision to get on the ferry as there were lots of people waiting for this.

The river was not very wide at all and you could see the other side easily, so it would be a short journey. Cars and trucks were loaded on (about 4, it wasn't very big) and people laden with bags stood next to these on both sides. The water was calm when we set off, and the sun beating down harshly. It wasn't long before the ticket man came over. I was supposed to pay in 'kwacha' of which I had none. He asked for 40,000 kwacha which sounded an awful lot, until we managed to negotiate me paying in pula - which would only be 5 pula (50 pence) so not a lot at all.

Reaching the Zambezi side in what felt like only a minute later, it looked similar to the Botswana side I had just left. Still as dirty, with a couple of buildings and lots of trucks. However there were many more people through some tall iron gates, after the immigration part. I was approached by a man asking me if I needed kwacha and also a taxi to Livingstone. I lied and said that I was already sorted as didn't want to get myself into a situation. Once inside the immigration building I showed my passport and paid 80USD for a double entry visa. Again the official was very pleasant and he advised me to get a blue taxi to Livingstone, which would be waiting on the right outside the iron gates.

So off I went, with various men approaching me as I walked. Some trying to sell to me, others wanting to drive me to Livingstone or exchange USD for KW. Seeing the blue taxis in the distance, I was relieved. A young man continued to walk with me telling me he could give me a good rate for the USD. I said "How would I know if it was a good rate or not? You might be ripping me off?!" to which he smiled and said he would not. It all ended up being very easy and I got a shared blue taxi sorted (it would be so much cheaper in St Albans / the UK if we actively did this!) and thanked the young man. I now think that the majority of these men are just trying to make a living and not bad people at all. SO how it works is that a person will begin shouting "three spaces for Livingstone" and as it gets filled the available spaces remaining on shouted out. This goes on until the taxi is full, and we set off. I have already negotiated a price and would be 10USD (the journey is about 70km away, so I think this is pretty good?).

I had not taken photos as didn't want to attract any more attention but it was a real sight. There was so much mud and dirt around. With some buildings, but mostly shacks and little stalls selling bananas and other bits. The roads to Livingstone were again long and straight; however there were more hills than in what I had seen in Botswana. There was lush green thick vegetation all around and it was just as Charmaine had described it. We pulled over at one point and was unsure why. The passengers in the back started talking about explosives! And I started getting a little concerned.... then it was explained that two large vehicles that had passed by were carrying explosives (I imagine for the mines) and the car had pulled over for safety purposes!

As the journey went on (me grinning away in the front as could not quite believe I was doing this all on my own) we hit Livingstone, and as we did the heavens opened. There was no air, it was hot and we could hardly see in front of us. We dropped off the other passengers (having turned off the tarmac onto potholed mud tracks to do so) and then the driver took me to 'Jollyboys Backpackers' where I would be staying. He said "here it is" and my heart sank as I saw grey concrete prison like buildings..... But he drove past these and I turned into a driveway with a large iron gate with ornate lizards carved in and a bright wall welcoming me to Jollyboys! Cool!

I walked through to reception and as I did saw the bar, a pool, lots of comfy cushions on the floor, a sunken lounge area, wooden statues, ornaments, wall hangings, gift shop and loads more! It looked very welcoming! I booked four nights, as was unsure whether I would want to spend some time in Kasane, at a cost of 10USD per night for an 8 person dorm. I was taken through and it was as you would expect 4 bunk beds with a mattress and pillow. I was feeling really hot and sweaty; the temperature still hot as it was now around 3pm, so opted to take a shower......and immediately felt refreshed!

Having changed my mind from a beer to a coffee (seeing they did fresh Zambia filter coffee), I sat in the bar area relaxing and updated my diary with all that I had seen so far. A little while later I met a couple of girls that would be sharing my dorm. The first was called 'Maria' and reminded me in looks of Victoria and Gail from uni! She seemed really lovely and was telling me about her nightmare day, having her camera stolen. Next I met Kirsten, and lastly Jennifer (an American Peace Corps). They were saying that they were going to Victoria Falls the next day and I also had my name down, so it was good to know some people going.

The evening was spent just writing and reading and doing a spot of people watching. The group of young people (god I sound old saying that! By young I mean maybe 20?) that had been in the pool all afternoon were getting louder and louder the more drunk they got. Next the booze cruise group came back and at first it was entertaining and then just annoying. I decided to have an early night so at 08.30 I clambered into my top bunk! I luckily had my personal CD player with me (ancient but has proved invaluable on my time here) to block out the background noise, of which there was plenty. I couldn't sleep and had a couple of conversations with the girls as they came in and out. I realised that my heart was pounding and I had the shakes (something I get when I need to eat) so had a quick banana and some nuts. The next few hours just seemed to be full of noise, it sounded like a party was happening right next door... but I must have eventually drifted off to sleep.

02/12/10 Victoria Falls

I woke really early and tried to get back to sleep, I did so but when I next woke up the snoring that had been happening for the last few hours just got the better of me. It was so loud! So at about 05.30am I got my stuff and left the dorm. The bar opened at 6 so I got a coffee and then at 7 the gift shop opened where I could use the internet. It was all really peaceful around Jollyboys and a nice time to be awake! I went for a walk to the high street at 08.00 as needed to see if I could get some kwacha. I suddenly realised that while I had told the bank that I was going to Botswana, I had not told them that I would be going to Zambia! What if I couldn't get any money out? But I needn't have worried - and now in my wallet I found myself with 1.2 million kwacha! I was a millionaire! The first, and last time, but I was going to enjoy this moment. Before coming back to the real world and remembering that this equated to about 200GBP!

The free minibus to the falls was due to leave at 10.00 - there would be 7 of us. The bus would just drop us there and then we would need to make our own way back. I was surprised at how close the falls was (I would be visiting from the Zambia side and not crossing from Zimbabwe). As soon as we left the minibus we were approached and offered a trillion dollar bill as a souvenir. This was worth much less than we were being asked to pay and it was lucky that Jennifer was there as she had been working in a village called 'Makusi' in Zambia for the past year so knew this, and also had learnt some of the language. In the end I ended up tagging along with Kirsten, Maria and Jen as we would both be walking round it the same way. They were really kind letting me join them, and it made for a much more enjoyable experience than if I had gone round on my own.

The day was amazing and so enjoyable. We hiked up, down, round to the east and the west. We sweated our own body weight in water - no wonder we all only went to the toilet once the whole day! The view of the falls was very different to what I expected (see photos and I am sure you will have the same opinion!). I hadn't actually thought about the fact that the rainy season had only just started and in fact water levels were very low. This meant that the amount of water gushing over the falls was massively lower than in February. However it still made for magnificent viewing. The water spilled over the top of the cliff in a number of places, with lush green vegetation above and stark rock below. The sheer drop was staggering and even more so the amount of water considering this was the low season.

We walked to different viewing points starting at the top and then making our way down to the 'Boiling Pot' at the bottom of the falls and where lots of rafting takes place. We found a deep pool in the midst of a small waterfall and the girls sat and I dangled my legs. Turns out that we were joined by the mouths of some fish which was quite funny until I felt teeth and we decided to get out! It really cooled us down and we sat in the shade on the rocks and ate our packed lunch. Reminded me a bit of when I was little and used to have days out in the country. A friendly lizard joined us for lunch and I was about to give it some bread, when Kirsten told me not to feed it as it could lead to the lizard being in danger from humans and also the diet would not be good! They all studied insect type life (can't remember what the name of this is, sorry for being thick!), so they definitely knew their stuff. They were also able to tell me what a lot of birds, insects and vegetation was which was great. I felt like I had my own personal guide!

We made our way back up to the top (a LOT of steps and very knackering) when I spotted three baboons. My heart jumped into my mouth as I have been told that baboons can be really aggressive - especially when they are carrying young. I tried to signal to Kirsten and eventually she came down and saw what I was pointing at. They were really close and we moved carefully and slowly up the steps past them. At this point Jen and Maria shouted as they had also seen some baboons. As we continued up to where they were standing, we noticed that the baboons we had passed were now following us! Soon we were surrounded by a whole family. Adult males and females, and lots of babies! It was such a breathtaking experience - mixed with fear that we might be attacked! So we had baboons to the left and right, above and below. More and more came until we thought that it might be wise to continue our climb to the top. On a couple of occasions we had to slide past as the baboons were actually sitting on the steps. We were all pouring with sweat and the adrenalin pumping through our veins.Apparently if you don't make eye contact and pose no threat, then they will be ok with you.

The encounter got even closer when we were walking back at the top from the east side to the west. Firstly we met some Zimbabwean guys who were trying to sell us some copper bracelets made from the copper excavated from the mines - they were cool guys and Maria and I bought two. On our way back some baboons quite a way in front suddenly seemed to take a disliking to Jen and charged at her. All you can do is stand as if you retaliate, it will aggravate them. The baboons were within a foot of her and the main male was actually baring its teeth at her! We all had to stand very still until they slowly began backing away. It seemed like an eternity until it was safe to move and we walked very slowly and quietly passed them. Poor Jen was in bits as she was the one that had been closest. A while later we were all able to have a laugh and joke about it which was great.

So over on the East side we wanted to get as close as we could to the 'the smoke that thunders'. A guide tagged on and unfortunately helped me over some of the rocks - which meant that we would need to give him some money!! In the end we were all quite done in from all the walking and the sun beating down on us (it was now about 4.30) so we just tipped him and turned back. Maria thought it would be great to go to the bridge which is the border crossing to Zimbabwe, and the officials actually allowed us to do this. So we walked half way across so that we were standing on the Zambia side, with Zimbabwe less than a foot away! I felt sick looking at the bungee ropes and just could not imagine doing this. Not in my lifetime.

When we got back we went to 'Shoprite' a supermarket that Jen thinks could be owned by Wal-Mart? And bought some really cheap beers.... until we got to the till and we realised that they were not cheap at all and that the price displayed was for one beer, not the 6 pack it led you to believe! Seems like supermarkets all over the world get up to these tricks!

What a day! I was exhausted. So another early night was in order.