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Dr Livingstone, I presume.
Livingstone's statue presides over the end of the walk
along the top of the Falls on the Zimbabwean side of the river.
In 1855, Livingstone was the first European to see the Falls.
The Falls are on the Zambezi River, between Zimbabwe and
Zambia. The Falls are 1.7km wide and the water drops over 100m
down a sheer cliff rock face.
The Falls are immense: 500,000 cubic metres of water
tip over the edge every minute. That creates
an unanticipated roar, and a spray of water that
swirls into the air.
I couldn't convince the young French couple on
my plane that what we were seeing from the air 10 minutes
out of Victoria Falls airport was
the spray from the Falls!
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On the Zimbabwean side, a pathway meanders along
the edge of the falls. Livingstone's Statue
overlooks the Devil's Cataract.
This photo looks up the Zambezi River from the
point where the water drops into Devil's
Cataract.
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Top of Devil's Cataract.
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In June, the waterload of the Falls nears its peak.
The spray leads to a thriving business in the car park
that rents yellow raincoats to worried tourists.
I hope that Dr Livingstone, behind the tourists,
finds this amusing.
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In the local language, the Falls are known as
Mosi-oa-tunya, "the Smoke that thunders". No more
apt name could be found.
In June, the waterload creates so much mist
that it clouds views of the Falls. But the mist
allows for spectacular rainbows. Here, you can see
a glimpse of the main falls in the upper right.
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The Main Falls, and a double rainbow in the spray.
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The section of the falls known as the Rainbow Falls.
Zimbabwe and Zambia are generally dry, with grassy plains
or areas of low scrub. The spray around the Falls is
sufficient to create a tiny strip of rainforest that
supports mahogany, ebony and fern trees, and a few
impala.
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The further one walks along the falls, the wetter
it gets. The brave soul below decided to walk all the
way out to Danger Point. This overlooks the point
where the water is channeled into the narrow
gorge along which the Zambezi continues.
I could see no good reason not to follow. So I got
drenched. It was like being in a cloud.
The Falls are maybe 100m away, yet
I could see nothing except when the mist cleared briefly.
"Mist" may give the wrong impression: it was as wet
and windy as the heaviest rain storm imaginable,
and the noise was even more extraordinary
because I couldn't see the Falls.
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One of the mysteries is why all those people with
raincoats stayed away; and only people without
raincoats were brave (or silly) enough to venture
forth.
This photograph was taken with a throwaway
waterproof camera. In the process, my camera
bag proved its usefulness. My socks had to be
wrung out, but my good camera wasn't damp at all.
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Bridge across the Zambezi - and bungi jumpers
The Victoria Falls Bridge was built in 1905
to link what are now
Zimbabwe and Zambia. Cecil Rhodes wanted the glory
of spanning the river just below the Falls, even
though common sense suggests that there have to
have been easier and cheaper places to build a bridge.
The Bridge spans 152m and was designed by
Sir Ralph Freeman, the same engineer that designed
the Sydney Harbour Bridge. Like the Sydney Harbour
Bridge, the Vic Falls Bridge takes cars, trains
and foot traffic.
Here, a bunji jumper falls towards the water in the
Zambezi below. The latex cord is measured for each
jumper, dependent on weight, so that they fall within
20 feet of the water.
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After they jump, jumpers bounce several times
on the end of the rope.
After the momentum ends, they are left dangling
head-down.
Jumpers are retrieved by someone winched down
from the
bridge. Here, the retriever has turned the jumper
right side up, and they are returning to the bridge.
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Victoria Falls Safari Lodge
Victoria Falls Safari Lodge restored my faith
in grand hotels after a nasty experience a few
years ago when vast sums of money resulted in
awful food and poor service.
VFSL was so wonderful it was almost enough
to let me forget the price!
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The bar, deck, and upstairs the restaurant
overlook a waterhole
that attracts elephant, antelope of several
kinds, and
birds.
From the bar over a drink before dinner, I saw
elephant and kudu. Later, during the day, I
sipped a G& T watching kudu, impala and enormous
storks and cranes.
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My room was luxury itself. This deck looked out
into bush to the horizon.
I could happily have spent a week here. But on this
trip I only had one day, because the next day
I was off to Zambia to see the solar eclipse.
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This is one of those pictures that make sense
if you've been there. It's the sign on the main
corner in Victoria Falls town, on the corner of
Livingstone Way and Parkway.
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