I got up early so I could enjoy a cup of coffee and some British news before we made a second trip to Victoria Falls. Asher (our New Zealand roommate) came with us and we gave him the tour that Calvin showed us. Today was even more spectacular. Even though the spray coming off the falls was even greater, the day was clearer so our pictures are a thousand times better. Asher also has a waterproof camera, so he got some amazing pictures and videos of the falls way up close that we normally would never have gotten. We got completely soaked going over the bridge which felt great in the very hot afternoon sun and then hiked down to the boiling pot. Rachel’s ankle was bothering her, so Asher and I went alone. He’s a very interesting guy. He’s only twenty-one but will finish medical school in a year and a half because he’s been in accelerated programs for most of high school. He’s volunteering in a village near Lusaka for this doctor from New Zealand. The doctor graduated from med school thirty years ago but never really practiced. The job he got in the hospital did more paperwork than actual treatment of patients, and he finally got fed up with it and just moved to a random village in Africa. He looked around and saw all these Zambians dying because no one could or would treat them, so he just opened up a clinic and started performing operations that he had never really been trained for. He would actually have someone hold up medical books showing the surgery and follow along with it. This guy is obviously brilliant and has made a huge difference in the lives of the villagers there. He works seven days a week and doesn’t plan to stop anytime soon. Amazing! Getting to know Asher and hearing all these stories made today fun. He’s got a very dry sense of humor and is somewhat of a dare devil which made Victoria Falls interesting. Also, having a male presence has made some of the locals keep their distance…definitely a bonus!
I’m so happy we went back to the falls today – the sights were so much better than two days ago. We even saw a rainbow that went in a full circle. We all noted that guard rails and any other protection from the cliffs are really limited. If Victoria Falls was located anywhere else, it would be lined by huge fences and tons of warning signs. Only a few of the more precarious spots have somewhat of a barrier, but even those really wouldn’t stop you from toppling over the edge. I love it – the natural beauty of the falls isn’t ruined. According to Calvin, very few accidents happen, although fighting hippos might accidentally get too close to the edge and get washed down from time to time.
We had an interesting ride back from the falls. The hostel’s shuttle takes you in for free, but you have to find your own way back via taxi or minibus. We negotiated prices with a few taxi drivers, decided on one driver, and walked over to his taxi. This taxi was quite different from Sunday’s. For one thing, a few men were just finishing changing its tire. The spare didn’t look like it was in the best condition. The back doors didn’t open from the inside, which would have been a lot creepier if Asher hadn’t sat in the front seat. To top it off, the car didn’t even start, so he had to have his friends roll-start us. The driver rambled on throughout our trip. I didn’t catch a lot of what he was saying. He then backed out of the price we had established and said he couldn’t take us as far as we had originally planned. We told him just to drop us off in town then and we’d walk, but we wouldn’t pay him anymore. I was thankfully oblivious to much of the conversation after this. Afterwards, Asher told us the driver had pulled out a couple spark plugs and laughingly told him they were from the car. He also has a strong suspicious he was not exactly sober. He drove straight and got us close to the hostel safely, so thankfully this is just another little adventure and nothing more.
We relaxed at the hostel for the rest of the afternoon. I played pool with Asher and remarkably barely lost – I’ve greatly improved my skills somehow. The three of us played Jenga, which I lost twice. Our plan was to get picked up by Pastor Hartmann who lives in Choma (about an hour away), spend the night at his house, and then catch a ride with him up to Lusaka, but his plans changed and he couldn’t get us tonight. That worked out just fine – we were both happy to enjoy the hostel for another night and had already paid through Wednesday anyway. So tomorrow morning we’ll end this amazing little vacation and head on back to reality, if you can call it that.
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