adventures 207: "chobe sunrise, vic falls sunset"

Day 7 [Friday, September 9]

Early Morning Game Drive

The sun was not even close to up when we woke. We ate rusks in total darkness, bundled up in sweatshirts and long pants. Who knew Botswana mornings were so cold? We didn't have to be up that early, in all honesty. We had the option to sleep in, warm and cozy inside our tents, but none of us took it. Why? We were going into Chobe that morning for a game drive around the National Park, and more than sleep, we wanted to see everything. So we loaded up into two huge 4-wheel drive, open-air vehicles, glorified Jeeps if you will. The cold air was intensified by the vehicle whipping down the road, and we shivered in the darkness. We entered the park where the roads turned to dirt, and we came up upon the banks of the Chobe, where the outline of a hippopotamus was having some breakfast. As we looked out at the still water, it slowly changed from black to gray to a pale blue as the sun crept up behind us. Pink haze outlined the trees, and the bright yellow ball rose higher and higher in true Lion King fashion, allowing us to see the details of the hippo.
After watching him awhile, we moved on to see countless cranes and other birds, baboons, antelope of all kinds (impala, bushbok, etc.), giraffes, and all the elephants my heart could desire. We were out there for 3 hours, riding around and unsuccessfully chasing lions. (There was a buffalo carcass where they had been feeding, but had already finished by the time we got there.)

 (Click for larger images.)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 By the time we headed back to camp, the sun was high and we were wide awake. We packed everything after another second breakfast and headed towards Zimbabwe.

We waited at the border for 30 minutes or so, trucks and people stopped all around us, but we finally made it through and on to Victoria Falls. Upon our arrival, Trevor had a little surprise for us: no more tents! We were going to be staying in a backpacker's called Adventure Lodge with real beds and showers! We rushed into our rooms and rejoiced over the luxury of being able to lie down on an actual mattress. Excited, Siri and I didn't even mind the gecko living on our wall...well, maybe we minded a little, but we sucked it up.

Soon, though, we were off, anxious to see the Falls. The first view literally took my breath away. Water poured over the edge of a huge drop off, foaming and misting and getting us wet even from a distance. As we walked along the edge of the gorge opposite the Falls, each view got better and better. Rainbows were everywhere. The water tumbled along in a strong, steady routine, plunging down into the Zambezi River below.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

We reached the edge of the gorge where the river made a T and cut us off from going further and crossing into Zambia. We sat there, taking it all in, finally understanding why this place is one of the 7 natural wonders of the world. The sun began to set around us, casting a golden glow over us all and making the Falls even more magical, which I didn't think was actually possible. It was gorgeous, a sunset you never forget, a sunset that becomes a small part of you, forever glowing and reminding you of the majesty and glory of the Creator of it all.