Mosi-oa-Tunya, the Smoke That Thunders

View of the Falls from the plane.

The local name for Victoria Falls is perhaps one of the most appropriate names for a place in the world (maybe tied with New Jersey's highest point which is called, you guessed it, High Point). Mosi-oa-Tunya translates literally into "the smoke that thunders" and there is no question why this amazing natural landmark received that name--you can even see the smoke rising as you're landing at Livingstone's airport. With the rainy season recently finished, the Falls are close to their peak, so I would like to go back some day when they're at just a trickle to actually see them.


The Zambezi River right at the edge.

There are Seven Natural Wonders of the World, and this is the second one I've been to after the Grand Canyon...so basically, I only look at big holes in the ground (the Zambezi River drops and winds its way around, passing by the sites of previous waterfalls that eventually collapsed because of erosion, putting the Falls where they are today). Anyway, Victoria Falls is neither the highest nor the widest waterfall(s) in the world, but it is the largest because its height and width make it the largest sheet of falling water anywhere in the world. And you see it. Plus, because of the drop and the locations of the land and islands, it's easy to get very close to the Falls right before and right after they drop, resulting in an excessive amount of spray that soaks right through. The nifty businessmen in both Zambia and Zimbabwe have realized that tourists like me who failed to plan ahead would need raincoats, so I was able to get one on each side of the border, but all it did was protect my backpack since anything that was even slightly exposed was instantly drenched.

Knife Edge Bridge...and people without raincoats.

I started off on the Zambian side, since that's where I was staying, and from Zambia I was able to see the Zambezi River with its swift-moving water as it approached its 360-foot drop (by comparison, Niagara Falls is only 167 feet). As I continued along the trails--and after picking up a raincoat for 10 kwacha--I made my way to one of the not-to-miss parts, Knife Edge Bridge. I'm sure it is structurally sound, but I felt like I was in the midst of a hurricane while walking across it. I could barely make out the falls through all of the mist. I felt bad for those who decided to forego the raincoats. After the bridge, I continued along the path, still experiencing a perpetual rainstorm until I reached the end of the path. Just walking so close to the Falls made me realize their awesome power. True, I couldn't really see them all that well, but that actually added to the allure.

One of the few areas dry enough to take a picture not from the
other side of a plastic sandwich baggie.

After making my way back out of the park, I decided to cross into Zimbabwe to see their side of the Falls. Two-thirds of the Falls are actually in Zimbabwe, so I figured it was a must-do. After the border crossing formalities, I entered the park with my $2 raincoat in-hand (Zimbabwe uses a mixed bag of currencies, including the US dollar, but the woman I got my raincoat from didn't have change so she gave me change in South African rand). The Zimbabweans put the physical path even closer to the edge--and therefore nearer to the Falls--so I was sopping wet quicker, and it was more difficult to see. Again, though, that only added to the allure and wonder of Victoria Falls.

Double rainbow, and full-circle rainbow (save for the shadow
caused by the bridge).

With my short journey into Zimbabwe finished, I walked across the Victoria Falls Bridge, the place from which crazy people bungee jump to the rapid Zambezi River below. But there was one thing that I liked even more than that (and that was fun)--rainbows. Now, you may be thinking, "I've seen some pretty fantastic rainbows before," but I would guarantee you that the rainbows from the bridge outdo anything you've ever seen before. Not only was there a double rainbow, but the first one was a complete circle. No pot of gold at the end because there is no end to the rainbow. I had never seen--or even heard--about complete circle rainbows. It was stunning.

Anyway, that's about all of the Falls I'll put in this post. I also had an experience at the David Livingstone Museum (don't get your hopes up for anything spectacular if you ever visit), and my next post will probably be about the rest of my time in Livingstone, which was mostly spent at the backpacker's lodge. I had forgotten how much fun traveling alone can be because of the other people who are just open and friendly and take you into their small group just because you're a fellow traveler...but that's for another post so I can do it justice. In the meantime, enjoy the pictures and this video I took below (more pictures will soon appear on Facebook). You may think it's hard to see, but this was about the same view I had, just without a plastic bag in front of my face (although lots of blinking and turning away to avoid the insane amount of water).