I have never crossed so many borders in so little time. Zambia, Zimbabwe, and Botswana all have multiple stamps in my passport now. As we left the airport and headed to the hostel, the elephant and painted dog crossing signs made me incredibly excited for what was to come. With a quick border stop and Ebola screening we crossed into Zambia where our hostel was located. The hostel we stayed at was absolutely perfect. It was like we were staying at a resort. For $8 a night I could sleep in a bunk bed with no more than 3 other in the room, lie by the pool, eat unlimited mangos, and have a massage for $12! Shading the pool was 5 mango trees that were fair game for anyone. Whenever I wanted a snack while lounging around the pool, I would simply scour under the trees and find 2-3 of the sweetest, juiciest, perfectly ripe mangos I’ve even seen. I probably ate $15 worth of mangos every day.
Our first activity we planned was the devils pool. This was the activity was also one highest on my bucket list. I remember seeing a YouTube video of it years ago and telling myself I HAVE to do that someday. The only time you can do the devils pool is during the dry season when the water is low. Our guide took us across the drier top of the falls before we go to the devil’s pool. After hoping rock to rock we had to swim across part of the river before climbing up on an island just in front of the pool. The pool is situated next to one of the most active part of the falls with white water crashing over the rocks into the gorge below. As I climbed down into the water of the pool, the current took me right to the edge of the falls. I climbed up and sat on the shallow lip of the falls where water ran over about 8 inches deep. It was truly breathtaking to be sitting on the edge of Victoria Falls leaning out to watch the power of the falls plummeting down into the valley below. Two years ago when I began planning this trip, I told myself that I would stop in Victoria Falls just to do this and I couldn’t believe that day finally arrived. It was literally a dream come true.
The next day we took it somewhat easy and relaxed by the pool, drank some wine, and ate all the mangos my stomach could handle. I decided to make a short trip to the crocodile park a little ways down the road. After seeing the 60 crocs they have on display, including 3 that have eaten people before I got to view some of the baby crocs they had. I asked my guide, a young girl, if I could hold one. She replied saying she had never even held one! I said “So you mean to tell me you work at a croc park and have never held one?” She replied “Nope, I am terrified of them and snakes”. I then asked if I could jump in the baby croc pit to catch one on my own. Which we were in Africa and they don’t have a ton of safety rules so she didn’t care. I started out catching a little guy, about a foot long, and then moved on to an 18 incher. I convinced her it was time to get over her fear and that I would show her how to hold one. It was funny cause this was the first crocodile I have ever held, but I have watched more Steve Irwin than anyone you have ever met so I was confident (but I have held alligators before). Before we knew it we had both held out first crocodiles!
On our last full day we decided we had to do a safari before leaving Africa. At 7am we headed to Chobe national park and began our safari with a river boat cruise. There were animals in every direction, crocs in front of us, hippos behind us, cape buffalo to our right side, and impalas to our left. The number of animals we saw was incredible. We then ventured down the river a little further to see a herd of elephant right along the edge of the river. This wasn’t just any herd of elephant, I counted over 100 of them all bathing in the river, playing in the mud, and giving themselves dust baths. It was absolutely insane to see so many elephants at once in the wild. Before we knew it, it was time to head back for lunch and then begin our jeep safari. Within minutes of entering the park again we saw even more elephants. We drove past them an parked right along the trial where they would pass on the way to the river. About 20 of them ran right alongside the jeep as we watched with dropped jaws at how close and vulnerable we were to them on land. For the next 3 hours we drove cruised along the orange sand rode’s of Chobe seeing more elephants, hippos, impala, giraffe, and dozens of species of birds. It’s hard to imagine a landscape can support such immense amounts of life in an area, but somehow Chobe does it.
We were exhausted after the Safari but some Aussies said since it was everyone’s last night in Africa that we should all go out with a local friend they had made. We decided to tag along and when the Aussies as their friend who was picking us up if there as room in the car, he didn’t hesitate to reply that there was plenty. Our ride showed up and I immediately realized why he said there was plenty of room, it was an industrial work truck, and we were riding in the bed of it. Standing in the back of the truck leaning on the cab we cruised down the Zambian streets to our first bar. It was at another local hostel that I don’t believe had anyone guests. I was amazed at how friendly everyone was. As new people showed up they greeted everyone at the place like they were best friends even if they had never met them. This was very impressive to me. Comparing myself being at a party in the states to being at a party in Zambia, I felt much more welcomed in Zambia. In the states I feel like people get stuck in their clicks of friends and it’s not the most common to converse with strangers. After a few drinks we jumped back in the bed of the party truck and headed to another bar. Yet again, everyone was so friendly. We were the only white people the entire night, the ones that obviously stuck out from the crowd and the entire night I felt more welcomed than I have ever felt anywhere. It goes to show you how friendly Zambians really are. If the roles were reversed and a Zambian came to a bar in the U.S. with a couple friends, I know the same welcoming I received in their country wouldn’t happen for them in my own and it makes me so sad. I wish our country wasn’t so focused on politics, work, and ourselves but had a better attitude about meeting new people and stopping to enjoy life a little more. All I can say right now is thanks Zambia for the new friends, welcoming attitudes, and a night out with locals I will never forget.
