Crossing The Aggressive Zambezi

Don't be frightened by the words "tourist destination." As one of the most visited places on the continent of Africa, the oasis known as Victoria Falls really does feel like paradise.  The Zimbabwean town of Victoria Falls surrounding this jaw-dropping attraction is nothing if not a hamlet of tourism for the country of Zim.  Few tourists pass through the country without making a stop to this north-western corner of the country.

In addition to seeing the falls, there is plenty to do from the adventurous to the relaxing: bungee jumping, rafting, sunset cruises, lion walks, elephant rides, high tea, shopping, swimming, spas, and hiking. In a place that showcases some of the best of Africa, I happily spent my days there with more to do than I had time for.  Looking one warm day for a new perspective of the misty falls and wanting get some wiggles out of my little one without risking breaking items in a shop, we decided to cross the bridge into Zambia.  Though it doesn't sound as official as some of the other activities I've mentioned, everyone visiting Vic Falls must check out the incredible Vic Falls Bridge, one of only three ways to cross the roaring Zambezi River from Zim to Zambia.

As the fruition of Cecil Rhodes' vision to connect Zambia and Zimbabwe as a part of the (never finished) Capetown to Cairo railway, the Victoria Falls Bridge spans the beastly second gorge of Victoria Falls. Built in just 14 months, the bridge was constructed first in England before making its way in pieces to be hung across a misty span of 198 meters above a raging river full of whirlpools and crocodiles.  Without a single pier in the water, the bridge floats in mid-air, stretching its arms to connect two rumbling pieces of land that vibrate with the force of the nearby falls. It hurts my brain to think of how this would be built today.  But this beautiful link between two countries was completed in 1905, a feat as big as the falls themselves!

Below are some pictures of our trek to the Zambian side of the Zambezi River, as well as the ins and outs of getting through this cross-point for pedestrians, cars, and trains alike.

 

 Pedestrians wanting access to the bridge just need to continue walking down the one and only road (A8) that borders Zimbabwe´s Victoria Falls National Park.  

On the bridge itself, there are guided tours that focus on the bridge's construction.  These tours go under the main deck of the bridge, offering a unique perspective.   

Most visitors who stop in the Zim-Zam immigration office find themselves waived through with little problem, a quick glance at the books, and no stamp in the passport. 

 Pedestrians get through faster than monkeys, cars, trucks and trains, which often crawl or sit in inspection lines for hours.

 It seemed rickety for a bridge that has a two lane highway and so much on it... This sign made us a little nervous!

 Our view from above.  As with almost all of my other Vic Falls photos: rainbows everywhere!  The shadow of the bridge can be seen on the bottom left.

 On either end of the bridge, aggressive men tried to convince us to bite the bullet and bungee jump. The Shearwater Bungee Jump provides an 111 meter (364 foot) bungee drop above one of the world's most dangerous rivers.  If the whirlpools, the fast flow and boulders, or the fall itself does not kill you, the parasites and bacteria in the water might!  This particular bungee sight is famous for a number of safety accidents.  Above we snickered as, to get across the bridge on the only pedestrian path, we all had to straddle and hop over a hair dryer cord in an awkward apologetic moment.  The blow dryer was being used to fix a bungee cord at the jump sight. 

That'll make your customers confident in you.

 

Vendors around the bridge, carrying bracelets and other small items, are aggressive to say the least.  Though they approached us in friendly ways with determined chit-chat, their incessant conversation and refusal to leave us alone was not ended until we finally, at least 15 minutes later, explained in our own aggressive way that we were in no way interested in buying any single thing and they were, furthermore, beginning to ruin the time that we just wanted to spend together without being hounded.  Telling vendors that you are local, whether or not you have an accent, always helps with price and sometimes with aggression.  I recognize these business men and women need to try their hardest to make their livings, but it is hard to be anything but unfriendly when sightseeing becomes a confrontation.

 

 Once on the Zambian side, a secluded cafe up a steep set of stairs on the right offers refreshments and an overlooking view of the river, bridge,and distant Vic Falls Hotel. Next to this cafe is a small (free!) museum about the bridge.

Aggressive river, aggressive vendors, and aggressive bungee businessmen? They're nothing compared to aggressive vervet monkeys.  Watch out for these kings of the bridge!

(first blogpost picture by friend Lucy Fisher!)

Gems on the Side of the Road

My final road trip in Zimbabwe ironically served as the perfect summation of my two years in the country.  We had just come from riding elephants with my four year old, as an unforgettable, perfectly perfect last hurrah he is still talking about. The sun was heating in the morning sky, the ground was sweating off its dew, and we were sailing over a smooth highway full of cars and combis on their way to the city.  Then BOOM.

A giant crash and a pulling steering wheel yelled for us suddenly to veer to the side of the road.  We pulled to a stop as Kurt and I looked at one another. Definitely a tire.  We walked to the back of the car as a worried Jonas pressed his face inside the window.  The tire we had just bought the previous week had blown away from the rim, which now sat on the pavement.  Our last 100 meters of highway was littered with what looked like black grated cheese tauntingly waving at us in the breeze. 

We both knew this was not good and a feeling of déjà vu came over me as I thought about our lovely afternoon months before spent watching the same car sink into the quicksand.  It was one of four last days in Zim.  Most of our fellow co-workers and friends have left the country for winter break just days before us.  We had no jack.  And of course, we had only a few minutes left on our phone. The only friend who answered us was stuck in brunch with her in-laws.

A combi pulled up in front of our car and a man jumped out as it slowed to a stop.  Kurt went to speak with the man and as I watched I had a terrible feeling from the body language that the two were negotiating.  I had a bad feeling as Kurt returned to the car.  Before he even said anything I butted in, “That guy seems like bad news. I don’t have a good feeling about him.”

 “He wants twenty-five dollars for a jack.  They say they’ll drive away as we use it and then have me give the jack back to them in Harare… but they won’t actually show me the jack.  I told them I needed to go back to the car to check if I had that much money, but really there’s no way—” He was cut off by the screeching of tires as the combi sped away.  It was clear the men had no jack and had just wanted to see if a desperate guy on the side of the road would hand them cash before they made their getaway.

Next I called the place we had just been riding elephants and spoke to the owner.  I explained our situation, simply asking if it was safe to be on the roadside, and what they recommended we do.  Really I was hoping that perhaps he or one of his men could drive the 10 kilometers from their location to help us as a nice gesture to a customer. The owner hemmed for a moment, then said, “What color are you?”

This was not the first time I’d been asked the question, though it had taken me back.  “White,” I’d said plainly. Wonderings of discomfort crept into my brain as I thought about just how it would feel if I were so clearly helped or not helped simply because of my color. 

The man continued, “Okay… If you’re white, someone will eventually feel safe enough to pull over. If you’re black it’ll be harder. Call us back in an hour if no one stops to help you.”

We spent the next twenty minutes watching drivers of all colors and economic brackets zip past us until eventually, a man named Abed slowed his barely-sputtering pickup across from our car and motioned Kurt across the highway.  Abed became our saving grace, having not only the rusty old jack to do the job, but getting down on his hands and knees to do the dirty work as traffic whizzed dangerously past.  Abed was a quiet man, but carried himself as though he were grateful to have the opportunity to help someone else.  It was an incredible gift that seemed to be a direct answer to our frustrated prayers. And suddenly, our problem was gone.

Abed never asked for money or gave us the slightest indication of anything other than being a good neighbor.  Still, I couldn’t help but wonder if a piece of him had hoped for a little something to come out of his good deeds. Certainly if this was the case, I absolutely preferred his loving entrepreneurial spirit to the mean entrepreneurial spirit of the men in the combi.

Kurt slipped Abed a little cash, and as we waved our goodbyes and gushed thank you’s to Abed one last time I couldn’t help but think that our experience that afternoon was the perfect definition of Zimbabwe.  As Abed’s rusty truck pulled away, I was reminded of the different kinds of people we found over and over in our time in the country of Zim.  There were those who wanted to take advantage of the misfortunes of others to get ahead.  Those were the people who made me skeptical and untrusting, and worse, made me feel entirely alone and helpless. There were those who waited, like the owner I called, ready to add in his opinions, but not quite ready to be prompted into action.  Then there were those friendly souls like Abed who were willing to go out of their way to help a fellow human in need. 

Zimbabwe was once considered the gem of Africa.  For sure it was no utopia, but it was ahead of its neighbors economically, feeding its people as the “breadbasket of Africa” with successful farms, making its own brand of cars, supporting the continent’s textiles with its homegrown cotton, and enjoying the highest literacy rate in the world. The mighty has fallen for a number of reasons that can be talked about outside the context of this quick little post.  But what is more important now is how to get it back on its feet.  I don’t have easy answers, or a well thought-out plan, but one thing is clear.  We made a lot more progress with the man willing to work alongside his fellow human beings in need, no matter what their color, than from the people trying to get ahead themselves. Thanks, Abed.

The Famous Buses of Zim

I always seem to think about posting bus pictures when I am preparing to travel myself.  As we undertake another new adventure, here are a few more for the collection:

"Laptop"

 

 "Kim" and "Warikandwa Tours"

 "Triple Fire"

 

"Relax Baby Boy" and "Special One"

"Cage Match"

 

"Mambo" and "Blessings"

"It Is the Lord's Duty"

"We Lead, They Follow"

"Go Well" 

"Mother's Love" and "Resurrection Power"

And here are some I missed over the past month, but would have loved to get a picture of:

Wagon of Love

Irreversible Adventure

Unserviceable

No Answer

Three Course Meal

Elshadai

Stars

Mine Rescue

More Research!

Out of Order

Busing

A recently humorous conversation at a friend's party with a marketing major -about marketing concepts that simply do not follow suit in Africa compared to other places- has inspired me.  I was immediately reminded that it is time to post another bus blog.  If you haven't seen the amusing bus names of Zim, few of which market themselves well enough to actually make me want to ride a bus, click here to see the full collection.

Here are some more recent goodies: (No photography awards will be granted today.) 

"Slow But Sure"

 

"Grasshopper God Is Great"

"God Breaking His Silence"

Mada Boss

"Most High God Deliver Me, Pamzimba, Leap of Faith"

"God Reigns"

 

"Uncle" and "Supremacy"

"One Stop"

 

"Future" and "Avanti"

"Love and Scandals"

"Rock of Ages" (you can baaarely see it if you look at the right angle...)

 

"Papie" and "Double Punch"

"Good Girls Praise Him"

 

"God Given" and "Believe"

 

"Boss K's"

"Road Link"

 

"Hard Core" and "Kelvin Sharks"

 

"Arsenal Fan" and "The Invincibles"

"God's Voice"

"Resurrection Power"