Day's Diary

April 11, 2007 ~ Victoria Falls

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Statistics are one thing, but seeing those stats in reality is another. That is how I felt when I viewed Victoria Falls for the first time. I had done my homework to prepare myself for this Seventh Wonder of the World. I knew that it is the largest falls in the world at more than a mile (5577 feet) wide and 360 feet high, making it twice the height and width of Niagara Falls at the Horseshoe Falls (200 ft. wide and 167 ft. high). I knew that one could get closer to it than any other falls, because the Zambezi River drops into a deep, narrow slot-like chasm, connected to a long series of gorges and at the closest point one is only 200 feet from the falls themselves, face to face with them across the chasm. I knew that the spray from the falls, called “smoke” by the locals, shoots above the falls for over 400 feet, and can be seen from 15 miles away. But seeing it was more than I could have imagined.

My friend, Dr. Sue Makin, a surgeon at Mulanje Mission Hospital, and I left Good Friday for Johannesburg, South Africa, where we spent the night (more about that at another time) and then on the next day to Victoria Falls, Zimbabwe. We flew two hours south to go two hours northwest. There are only two commercial flights into Victoria Falls, one from Johannesburg and one from Namibia, so we had no other choice if we were flying. We arrived around noon with all the rest of the tourists. We had to go through Visa clearance first – an opportunity to pay $30 US for the privilege of entering the country. That took over an hour for everyone to be cleared and we were near the back of the line, and then we headed for our hotel. This is truly a tourist town. That is the only reason that the town exists. The airport is about 15 miles from the town and we drove through the national wildlife park to get there. We were alerted by our taxi driver to keep our eyes open for wildlife. We only saw baboons and warthogs, but that was wildlife. From the road, we could see the “smoke” of the falls, a foretaste of the fun to come. Our taxi driver filled us in on local information and tips for a safe time. The economy of Zimbabwe is in shambles and there are those who will try and take advantage of tourists, so he cautioned us about buying anything from street vendors or accepting offers from anyone to change money for us. That is illegal. We took note. He explained that everyone in the town is employed in supporting the tourist business in one way or another. We soon saw that. He talked about the wildlife and opportunities to see them as well as the best ways to view the falls. The chamber of commerce would have been proud of him.

Our hotel was not the most expensive (after all, we are “poor” missionaries), but it was very nice and the staff was so welcoming. It was delightfully large and comfortable and we were told that there was entertainment each evening with dinner, which is served around the pool and cooked on open flame. Breakfast is the same, minus the entertainment. Actually groups come from other hotels for the dinner and entertainment. We got a bite to eat and then went to get the shuttle to take us to the falls. This is when we began to realize the state of the economy in Zimbabwe. We wanted to pay for our meals on our credit cards. We thought credit cards would cut down on currency transfer problems. On the internet we learned that was most acceptable, but in reality, it is not. The hotel would accept the credit cards, but they would prefer cash, American dollars especially, since the exchange rate to Zimdollars is so complicated and is depreciating daily. (More about that in another diary entry!) We had not brought many American dollars with us. We realized that we were going to be limited in how we did things, but we could still do them, if we planned. We had some South African Rand and that was helpful. So, we settled our bill and headed for the falls.

We knew to take raincoats and hats because the “smoke” will soak everyone. We took protection for our cameras and headed off. The access to the falls is a park that cost 150 rand to enter (about $20). It is a mile long walkway along the edge of the gorge facing the fall. At points the “smoke” is so heavy that you can’t see the falls. It is at these times that you get soaked. We were literally dripping wet, even with raincoats. But it was worth every bit of wet for the magnificent sight. I have seen Niagara Falls and the Grand Canyon and was respectfully impressed, but neither can hold a candle to the sight and sound and feel of Victoria Falls. I’m sending pictures, but they don’t begin to do justice to the experience. You can’t capture the full vista in one photo, and even if you could, you wouldn’t hear and feel the falls. I kept thinking of the hymn “How Great Thou Art,” which begins, “Oh, Lord my God, when I in awesome wonder, consider all the worlds thy hands have made…” I just stood in awesome wonder. It is amazing to think that God created this for his pleasure and for thousands of years only a few people ever saw it or knew of it. That didn’t matter to God. He enjoyed his own creation, made for his delight.

At the end of the walkway, is a view of the bridge that goes over the river and connects Zimbabwe with Zambia. It is from this bridge that those brave enough or foolish enough bungee jump. There was actually a line of people to do this. I can’t imagine dropping head down at 120 kilometers per hour to within feet of the raging river and then springing up to come back down several more times. But many love the thrill. I’ll take my thrills in calmer ways!

Sue and I found our own recreation. Sue is an avid golfer and she brought her clubs. On Easter Sunday, after worship at the Victoria Falls Hotel, the oldest and most elegant hotel and very British, she headed for Elephant Hills Golf course and I went back to the falls to take more pictures. On the golf course, she encountered warthogs, impala, baboons, gazelle, but no elephants, much to her delight. That evening at the hotel, when one of our choices for meat was warthog, she couldn’t eat it, thinking of the family she had encountered on the links. She missed out — it was delicious, as was the ostrich served the night before. Dinner entertainment included three groups doing tribal dances and demonstrating the culture of their ancestors. It was fascinating.

On Monday, Sue went to golf again, and I went to ride an elephant! This was the delight of a lifetime. Anyone who has been to my home knows that I have a collection elephants that folks have given me over the years, mostly small replicas in ceramic. I have long been fascinated by the creatures, so to have a close encounter of this sort with ones that were tamed was a great treat. Actually, there are only about 15 tamed African elephants in all of Africa. Until about 15 years ago, no one had tried to tame them, believing it was impossible. This group is orphaned elephants who responded to human interaction and over time were tamed and trained. They are all young – only 15 to 21 years old – and small – only about 3 ½ ton (a full grown female is 5 ton and a full grown male is 6 ton). There were five of us for four elephants and of course their handlers. A guide walked with us with a gun to scare off wild elephants or any other wild animals that might threaten us, since we were riding in the animal preserve. We saw no wild animals (a bit disappointing), but we had an incredible experience. The handler filled me in on all sorts of fascinating elephant details as we rode, like the fact that they eat about 20 hours a day, always grazing, and sleep only about four. They grazed on many the trees we passed as we rode, and frequently had to be encouraged to keep moving. This group of handlers does not use a whip, as many do with Asian elephants, but rather uses voice commands and rewards only. The elephants respond beautifully. They love the peanuts that come from obeying – more food! This was a great experience. At the end of the ride, we got to feed our elephant peanuts that they took with their trunks from our hands – what an opportunity.

Sue and I went together with our taxi driver/guide and new friend Oliver, to see the oldest baobab tree in this part of Africa. It is enormous and magnificent. I wanted to walk, but was told it was dangerous because of the wild animals. We saw more warthogs and baboons and impala, but no lion. The only lions I saw were in a cage at the elephant walk location, because they also do lion walks with young lion cubs they have rescued. They were playful enough, but I was content to just see them and go to the elephants. Sue wanted no part of them.

Tuesday morning, we got up early to watch the sunrise over the falls from our hotel roof. We could see the “smoke’ of the falls and the sun coloring it, and then we had to head home. It was an incredible time, an Easter that I will never forget. While it was a bit strange not preaching an Easter service, I got to experience part of God’s magnificent creation and sing his praises. The sunrise reminded me of the resurrection glory reminder he offers us each day.