I have just arrived back from my Christmas holiday and thought it would be a good time to write a post. I had wanted to publish one while I was on holiday but I rarely had time to sit down and write one. So I will give the highlights of our holiday.
We left Mambwe on the 6th of December on the jonda bus to Lusaka. I was glad to be leaving for a holiday as many of my pupils had not done very well in their end of year tests which was quite demotivating. They had performed similarly for other teachers but I didn’t really take that as a conciliation.
We arrived in Lusaka at the same time as both the other pairs, despite being on different buses. We had an important job to do while we were in Lusaka which was to pick up our visa/temporary permit. Fortunately, this time they were ready and we could now collect them. It’s a little bit like a small passport which we were all quite excited about. We also wanted to do some shopping while we were there for some things we needed for the holiday like tents and roll mats. Many of the hostels offered camping as an alternative to private rooms or dorms. In one hostel, in Livingstone, we saved over $35 in just 5 days by staying in a tent which was definitely worth it.
Livingstone was our first destination. After a 7 hour bus journey, we arrived and got to our hostel. It was really nice, quieter than expected but still nice. There was a pool and a really nice area to lie down. It was under a thatched cover and had a large area with cushions where we could all sit. One evening we sat there in with hoodies and trousers watching a film. Livingstone was actually quite cold compared to our project and there were a lot of mosquitos. We all got bitten a lot so were all glad we were taking antimalarials.
Livingstone was one of the most exciting places as it was where we did the most adrenaline-fuelled activities. We first did the swimming in devils pool at the top of Victoria falls. We arrived at the royal Livingstone hotel which made us all a bit jealous of the guests as we were staying in a tent back at the hostel. We took a boat to the edge of the falls. On arrival we were offered a banana flavoured maize meal drink. We then walked over to a part of the falls which was dry but in the wet season is part of the falls. We looked over the edge and I realised quite how high the falls were and began to worry about how I would manage the bungee jump the next day. We then got in the water and swam to the devil’s pool. While we were in the pool there were fish which kept nibbling our feet and legs which was unexpected and a bit irritating. It was a amazing to look over the falls from the water. It did feel like too much of a photo shoot than an experience though as for 7 of us visiting the guide took 400 photos which meant you were being photographed for most of the time but I did still mange to take in the view. Here are some of the many photos that were taken.
The next day was the bungee jump. Surprisingly I didn’t feel that worried about it until I actually got onto the bridge. It was really high 111m above the Zambezi to be precise. It was a really nice view over the river and down the valley. The bridge is actually in a kind of no-mans-land between Zambia and Zimbabwe. We had to pass the exit post for Zambia to get there. When Andrew and I had signed up and been weighed, we walked out onto the bridge and were greeted by many people selling various animals carved out of wood. When I got the bungee station I began to realise what I had got myself in for. There were only two people before me so fortunately there wasn’t too much of a wait. When it was my turn I climbed onto the platform and sat on a bench. They wrapped thick towels around my calves then a webbing cord and secured it before I knew it I was standing on the edge of the platform with my arms out ready for the count down of 3, 2, 1, bungee! When I was falling it was such a strange and surreal feeling. As I bounced at the bottom I could feel all the blood rushing to my head. I was slightly worried that the bungee cord would snap. It didn’t and I live to tell the tale.
The next day was our cheapest(still expensive) but most enjoyable day. We had booked to do white water rafting and swimming under the falls. we arrived at the river and had a rather comedic but informative safety briefing. Then began the long walk down to the river. We then got in the raft and paddled upwards to the a part of the falls where you can swim. We got out and climbed into the pool. We all swam into the falls but it was hard to stay there as it was hard to breath as there was so much spray. It was crazy how we had been at the top of the falls only 2 days earlier. Then we began with the rafting. We started with some small rapids and the others got bigger and more challenging as we went down. On one rapid they let us get out of the raft and go down in the water which was very exciting. One of the rapids defeated us as the boat flipped and tipped us all out. It felt like I was under water for over 30 seconds but on the video we bought I was only under for a matter of a few seconds. The walk up back out of the valley was tiring but well worth it for the amazing rapid experience. The guides and support kayakers who were there were really great. We got on so well that we ended up going out with them one evening.
There really wasn’t that much else in Livingstone most of the activities are based on the falls. One other event was the time the hostel let us sleep in a dorm as they felt bad we were in tents due to heavy rain. It was about 10pm and it began to rain a lot. It was extremely heavy and lasted several hours there was water around 5cm deep very close to the tents so the hostel staff kindly said we could stay in the dorm for a night. It turns out despite our tents being pretty poor quality and very cheap they do stand up to rainy season storms in Zambia as none of our belongings got wet.
Our next stop was Windhoek in Namibia and it started with the first of 4 24-hour bus journeys over the holiday. We took the intercape bus from Livingstone direct to Windhoek. It was an eventful journey. We set off at around 10:30. There were very few people on the bus at that time around 9 including us 6. I settled down expecting a long wait until the next stop. As I was looking out the window I saw we were on the road to the falls which was quite confusing as that road lead to the Zimbabwe border. I had assumed that the bus would take the route to Namibia which starts in Livingstone runs along the south of Zambia and into Namibia as it turns out it didn’t do that it actually went through Zimbabwe, Botswana and then finally Namibia. This was stressful as we have to pay $55 for a visa for Zimbabwe and now our only route to Namibia required us to do this, fortunately we had enough dollars in cash between us. The rest of the journey involved a lot of border posts as at each border you get off to exit the country get on the bus for a short journey to the border post of the country you are entering and then the same for the other three border crossings. The journey now means I can say I have been in four different countries in one day and my passport now has significantly more stamps that it ever has had in it.
We got to Windhoek and got a taxi to our hostel. it was very nice a quiet homely places which has a nice pool a the back. It was aptly named Paradise garden. Once in Windhoek, we had to work out how to get to Swakopmund. We got a mini bus there and stayed at a very nice hostel which had grass which made sleeping in a tent much more comfortable and unlimited tea and coffee which is always a bonus. Being by the sea it was actually quite cool most of the time compared to Mambwe and Windhoek.
While in Swakopmund (and Namibia in general) we got very excited about the range of food in the supermarkets compared to Zambia. Although they don’t sell our favourite meat replacement of soya pieces which costs around 4p per serving in Zambia. We went quad biking in the dunes and had a trip to Walvis bay while we were there where I bought a wooden sculpture thing. We also went to the beach and went in the sea but it was bitterly cold. Almost as cold as the sea on the isle of coll! We also visited the crystal museum which had the largest quarts crystal on display in the world.
We had one day back in Windhoek before our bus to cape town. Emily and I went out to do some sightseeing in the city we went to a museum and saw some buildings like a church and tried to find a castle my guide book mentioned but managed to find the Italian embassy instead. The only thing that tarnished that trip was that while I was trying to take cash out at an ATM someone managed to snatch my card. Fortunately I managed to cancel it before they could take any money. While it was amusing to watch my banking app tell me it was declining over 8 ATM withdrawals around the city knowing they couldn’t take any money, I now had one fewer bank card and the other ones charge fees abroad. I’m still trying to get a replacement sent out.
The journey to cape town wasn’t too bad although we arrived at the border to south Africa at 3am and the crossing took over 2 hours due to having a large bus load of people to pass through the two immigration desks. They also searched our suitcases when entering south Africa as well which took a large chunk out of the sleeping time. The men were instructed to take all the cases out of the bus trailer while the women were told they weren’t needed which certainly irritated a lot of people.
More to come on the next part of the holiday in Cape town.
Jack in Zambia 