Vic Falls, Zimbabwe - Trillionaires

What an experience crossing the Zimbabwe border. We had to pay R200 for Carbon tax, US55 for a visa for me, US40 for Third Party Insurance and another US40 for Commerical Vehicle Insurance. You are not sure who you can really trust as it all seems very suspect who is pocketing the cash but you can't do a thing about it if you want to come in so just have to fork over the cash! We have 100 trillion and a few hundred billion useless Zim dollars so they are desperate for US cash!!

Our first stop was lunch at the old colonial Victoria Falls Hotel which is like a living museum with thousands of framed memorabilia everywhere depicting the old colonial times and prized horns proudly on display from hunting trips. You can envision what it must have been like in these colonial times - ladies with sun shades walking through the gardens or taking the steam train to the falls. The hotel overlooks the stunning gorges of the falls. You hear the rumbling of the falls and see the spray hundreds of metres in the air and are lured along the 1km walk to the falls.

What a breathtaking place - the grandeur, the magnitude, the thunderous noise, the stunning rainbows, the volume of water, its speed, the spray from the falls soaring hundreds of metres in the air and unbelievably its ability to completely drench you...as if someone has just thrown a bucket of water on you and you have no idea where it was thrown from other than the dry area you just walked through now had you soaked. We found a path down 73 steps into the start of the falls and got even more drenched but what a feeling to feel like you are almost inside the falls!

We ditched the tent for the night and decided to enjoy the tranquility of Victoria Falls Hotel which was like a step back in history. We only realized today that it gave us a false illusion of what Zimbabwe is really like as we were completely protected from the mass of beggars and constant harrasment. The staff were so gentle and friendly and just cannot do enough. We were so loving our Zim experience that we wanted to rethink our plans to drive back to SA via Zim..until we asked a local who just had such sadness in his eyes as he told you how run down everything was now and just not worth going to. He just kept pondering what life once was to what it was now and that as long as there was a dictator in charge things were not going to be any different in his lifetime.

On our walk out of the falls we were approached by a guy called Gift who tried to sell us souvenirs. He had them lined in a row in the path so as soon as you approached his negogiations began of trying to sell us the the 3 items and the Zim $ he had. We were willing to buy 1 of the 3 but he just kept pushing and pushing. He then started asking for money for food and if we had any spare clothes and shoes. It is so tough to experience the human suffering that the people in Zimbabwe are facing. You realize how how fortunate we are, how much we have and how little we need and then how little they have and how little they are wanting. You just don't know what the right thing to do is as you can't buy from them all. There are a few tourists in Vic Falls on the Zim side so we are the locals only possible source of income so they are so desperate to make some type of exchange with you and they just don't give up until you are driving away.

Once we left the safety of the hotel today, we were harrassed everywhere we went. They stare at you through closed car windows and you cannot escape them unless you are in a moving vehicle. You don't want to be rude but you feel so overwhelmed and frustrated by the constant harassment. As a result we crossed the border today into Zambia to escape. We were harrased even leaving the country by an official who demanded papers from the police to allow us to take the vehicle from Zim. We had no idea what he was referring to and for a moment at the border I had a thought that we were not going to be able to escape!! Luckily the border exit opened and we were able to escape sadly saying to ourselves we will never return! What a contrast to the amazing experience we had at Vic Falls and its beautiful hotel and the friendliest staff ever! We had to pay to Zambia another US35 for Carbon Tax and US50 for a visa for me for along with a glare from the Immigration officials. Anyone associated with the UK over here isn't too popular with officials it seems!

We watched the Springbok win against the Lions so have a very happy Bokke fan! We are at a campsite on the Zambezi River and feel in a place of peace and tranquility again!

We are heading to see the Zambia side of Vic Falls in the morning and then crossing back to Botswana. We may go to Eastern Botswana to the Tuli Game Reserve to relax for a few days before heading back to Weenen on Saturday.