Africa 2006 Victoria Falls, Notes: Jeff, Donna and Karl did a tour of town, while Karin and Scott went on a Jet-boat ride. What we saw:
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We split up for the day. Scott and I went jet-boating. Karl, Jeff and Donna went to the train museum and the Livingstone musem. It didn't seem like a good idea to bring the camera along on a jet boat ride. I wish I had taken it along for some pictures along the way. On the 40-minute ride to the gorge we passed through several villages. The kids all waved as we drove by. Some of the homes have stick fencng around them to keep the elephants out. The land is very dry and sandy here, and there is almost no agriculture. Most of the villagers make crafts that are sold in the local markets. The villagers also benefit from leasing their land to the jet-boat operation. They get a percentage of every ticket sold, and that money goes back to the villagers for schools and school supplies. When we arrived at the gorge it reminded us a lot of the Devil's Post Piles in Arizona (vertical columns of cracked basalt). You get to the bottom of the gorge in a gondola. The view from here is breathtaking. At the bottom we all get life preservers and jockey for the best position on the boat (like any of us know). The ride is fast and fun. We plow through, over and around the rapids. We do 360° spins. Our captain takes a vote on how wet we want to get and then submerges the craft below a large crest in the rapids. Very glad I left the camera at home! We see some baboons on the shore, some unidentified birds of prey and a group of local boys swimming. |
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We all regrouped at the end of the day to share our different adventures over dinner. Tomorrow we move on to Duma Tau in Chobe. |
Karl had this to say about his, Jeff's and Donna's trip to the museums: The visit to the railway museum was interesting but disappointing. On the city map we had, it was even listed as a world heritage site. That does not seem to be true. There were signs that it was set up not too long ago with some interesting displays. But it must have fallen on hard times, and there seems to be no recent interest. Not even a watchman or caretaker was on duty while we were there. The last entry in the visitor book was over a year ago. What they need is a philanthropist with deep pockets. The African rail history is quite interesting, especially the steam era. The country has lots of coal but no oil. As late as 1968 they were still importing steam engines from Europe. I found the Livingstone museum interesting. Very many of his original letters are on display. None of us took any pictures in there. |
Sawmill train??? |
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Above, the Garrett used to be the workhorse of the railroads in Africa. Right, Jeff and Donna explore a passenger car. |
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