Day 98- V/Falls 9/1/13

Woke up this morning to find that I have a black eye, presumably from our rafting experiences yesterday.

Decided that it was about time that I took a proper look at the Falls from ground level. They may not be the tallest or have the greatest volume of water but at over a mile wide they are really stupendous. I can see why Livingstone had of course to name them after the Queen. There is nowhere on the ground from where you can see the whole effect (so thank goodness for yesterday's chopper ride) but with 16 different viewing points you do certainly get the full picture (except I suppose for the spray - with little wind, it just hung in the air, making us very wet!). The water is currently in transition from low to high flow rate so in some three months time there will be even more water thundering over the edge.

Then it was on to the Bridge which joins Zambia and Zim across the gorge. It was the opening of the rail line and this bridge which really put VF on the tourist map, and saw the opening of the Victoria Falls Hotel. The temptation to have high tea here was too good to be missed, so five of us sat on the terrace, with the superb view across to the Bridge and the huge cloud of spray ("the smoke that thunders") that rises up for every moment of the day. I honestly cannot think of a more beautiful hotel, with its perfect setting, and elegant Edwardian architecture and gardens. I am using their wifi which seems to be reasonably stable, so will try to include a few shots to try and show what I mean. We are told that wild animals including elephants and buffaloes sometimes walk the streets of the town at night, and this afternoon we are being treated to warthogs feeding across from me as Jitka and Jane work at their computers.

Ian, Karina, Rose and I (the Cairo Four) spent the evening finalising some of the details for our tour around the Garden Route etc in South Africa, making maximum use of the VFH internet - fortunately, our high tea filled us up so well we have not felt like any dinner, so plenty of time!