Excursion to Zambia

We always wanted to visit and experience the mighty Victoria Falls. But we encountered way more than we expected.
So, in early spring 2010, we set course for the Sesheke border post as we did not want to stand in the queue at the Kazungkula pont jockeying for a place between all the trucks.
 
With great trepidation, we cross with ease through the Namibian side. Then we stopped at the Zambian side. Quick in a flash, we were surrounded by runners and money changers.
We kept our cool and pretended we were seasoned border crossers. The new immigration building was still in progress and we sauntered into the first small office.
No, we need to go to another old building screaming for repair and paint. We pay for our first document, and off to the next small building.
Here is a friendly officer who saw we were like wide-eyed hares looking into an oncoming car light. You have to go here, then there and there.
He said after we have all the papers, we must come back to him. We follow his instructions from one building to another office.
Interestingly to note, Zambia then do not really worry about which monetary denomination you make payments, being it ZAR, Nam $, USA $.
You just have to be quick with all the various exchange rates.  Our last stop was in a dilapidated caravan with a big hole in the floor.
With all our papers in hand, immigration, customs, road tax, carbon tax, third party insurance and Sesheke council tax, we went back to the friendly officer.
He checked everything, stapled them together and said that whenever a policeman stops us, we just show them all the papers. We were very grateful to him. Thank you, sir.
 
We cross the mighty Zambezi River over a beautiful bridge and follow the road to Livingstone. What a real wildlife town. Donkeys, warthogs and even elephants wander in or near the town.
We drive to the river to find a place to camp and something for lunch. We stopped at the Victoria Falls Waterfront. And this is where we were surprised!
Here we meet Izak Smit and another mutual pilot friend. Izak is a helicopter pilot who flies sightseers over Victoria Falls in his helicopter.
While we chatted about this and that, mostly aviation, Izak disappeared into the bowels of the Waterfront building and later returned.
He said we must finish our lunch and our Mozi, a local Zambian beer, quickly as he organized a flip in a helicopter for us!! In a hurry, we set off to Baobab Ridge from where United Air Charter operates.
 
We meet our pilot, Bruce Benson, and after the safety talk and the necessary paperwork, we get in the back of a very fancy helicopter.
We lifted off and set the course for Vic Falls. AND then we dropped into the gorge flying low level following the river until the 26th Rapids.
Our skilled pilot put the nose of the helicopter high up into the air as we climbed out of the gorge, just to make a steep turn and dive back into the gorge! WHEEE!!
We routed back up the river to the falls where we climbed high up to get a good view of the falls. What a sight and an experience to remember!
Thank you, Captain Benson! It was awesome!
 
We asked where we could camp for the night but Izak had none of it and insisted we crash at his place for the night which was next to Gwembe Castle Crocodile Farm.
The sun was setting and Izak quickly hopped into his 4X4 to get some meat for braai and some Mozi’s to quench the thirst. Thus, there we were, in a foreign country, at a foreign house, all alone.
Then, suddenly we hear branches breaking, shots being fired and explosions!! Does one hit the deck and wait for the battle to be over or what? Izak returned and said we must relax!
It is only the locals throwing crackers to keep the elephants out of their little farmlands. Throughout the night we hear crackers and pots banged together to deter the elephants from their fields.
Izak said that some mornings he cannot get out of his gate as the elephants block it or the road.
 
We say our goodbyes and thank everyone for the wonderful experience and drive back to Sesheke. On the way to Sesheke, is a makeshift gate where we stopped.
A young man requested we pay K20 000.00 for Kazungkula Council Tax. After crossing the Sesheke bridge, we continue on a bad gravel road west side of the Zambezi River.
Stopped again for more council tax. We hop and shake onwards until we see a small sign, Kabula Lodge this way. We follow the sandy two-spoor road into the bush.
Twisting and turning, sometimes crossing small open plains teaming with cattle, we were wondering how far still to go. Then, suddenly, you hear sprayers and see green grass appearing around the corner!
What a beautiful setting. We booked a chalet next to the river and that evening we had a lovely braai and a “kuier” with the owners, Piet and his wife, Leonie.
 
Early the following morning, we woke up to the cacophony of vervet monkeys. It sounds as if there is some palace revolution going on in the trees next to and on the roof of our chalet.
Completed our morning drill of washing teeth and face, we drove out further up the river. Well, one cannot really say driving, more like we were negotiating the road.
Soon we stopped as there was a branch placed across the road. More council tax to pay. How much, we ask. 100, he said. 100 in which denomination, we ask?
In any, be it US dollars, Pula, Nam dollars or South African Rand. We give him R100 and negotiate the road further and turn off to Sioma Camp.
Piet said he could assist with a boat to take us across and to Sioma Falls. Unfortunately, the skipper is presently working at another lodge further down the river.
Thus we continue further up the river. The Chinese will be building a tar road in the coming years.
 
We turn off to enter Ngoya Falls Park and pay US$15 to enter to Nado, the gatekeeper. He is also a part-time preacher and was busy working on his sermon. We drive down a small track to the campsite.
Only 2 campsites here. We meet an interesting man, named Bakri. He is a long thin guy with pink sandals. He will lead the way to the falls. We did not expect it to be far, so we did not take any water or a hat.
But it was far, very far. And it was hot! Cat stuttering hot! Bakri is slogging ahead with his pink sandals, followed by me and then the wife.
As I was following him, I noticed that his heels were deeply cracked as if it is mobile Victoria gorges. Bakri’s vocabulary is mostly short and to the point, “eh yes sir”.
For instance, if I ask: “Bakri, up to where does the river overflow when it is full? The answer: “Eh yes sir”. We eventually reached the Sioma Falls but it was too hot to take nice photos and suffered back to the car.
Oh, did I say it was very hot?
 
We returned back to Kabula Lodge and put up our tent in the shade on nice green grass and vedged in the afternoon heat.
While we waited out the heat with a cold alcoholic beverage, it appeared as if we were sitting on some highway or on a motocross track for insects.
Some zipped past you with high-revving engines. Others sound like trucks with heavy loads. Then some sounds they got engine problems as they splutter along.
The motocross ones, you hear them coming over the bumps but crash somewhere and then continue further and crash again.
 
We packed up, paid our dues and drove back to Katima Mulilo. 40 kilometres short of Katima we stopped at a Toyota Corolla, bonnet open, a couple of blokes hanging and peering into the engine bay.
What is wrong? We think it is the gearbox. I offered to tow him somewhere, yes please, if I could tow him to Sesheke. He leaves his passengers on the side of the road with a bucket half full of water and off we go.
Now and then the centre of the road is relatively high and the poor Corolla is involuntarily used to flatten them. 
Whenever I put my hand out with my thumb upwards, then somewhere out of the dust appears a hand to show all is good.
As you cross the bridge to Sesheke, to the right is a big tree with lots of broken-down cars underneath it. This is the “garage’ I need to tow the Toyota Corolla.
We said our goodbyes and good luck and returned to the border back into Namibia.