Zimbabwe to Zambia

Crossing the Border between Zimbabwe and Zambia- July 5, 2011.  

Foyer of the Zambia Sun Hotel (Livingston Tourist Bubble)

Before we leave the elegance of the Victoria Falls Hotel, John and I enjoy a final, inclusive breakfast at the Jungle Junction café.  This may be the best hotel experience in my life, and I have had occasion to stay at both the Ritz in Paris and in London.  I feel as if I am taking part in a classic movie, sipping strong coffee on this outdoor patio, overlooking the gorge, the Victoria Bridge  illuminated by morning sunlight.

I settle our dinner and laundry account with my Visa Card and our transfer arrives, promptly at 10:15, to take us across the border to Zambia.  As we approach the border, our driver asks if I have the $100 needed for our two visas?  I surmised that there would be a visa fee, but am surprised at the amount and inform him, that no, I do not have $100 cash.  We have $80 American and the equivalent of $15 in pounds.  He is non-pulsed by this and tells me that we will just leave my passport at the border and he will take me to a bank, across the border.  I hope that I have better luck with this A.T.M than I did yesterday. Today is a banking holiday in Zambia, but when I insert my A.T.M. into the Barclay Bank A.T.M. the screen welcomes me by name and spits out 500,000 Kwacha. We return to the border, pay the visa fees in Kwacha, and cross officially into Zambia. Within 5 minutes we are deposited at the flashy, Zambia Sun Hotel.  Four exotically dressed male dancers drum and chant in the grand open foyer as we offload our luggage and a waiter glides towards us with a tray of fruity welcome drinks as I register at the front desk.  The hotel is burnt orange in color with geometric mosaics and murals of zebras and elephants decorating the sun-kissed walls.  A pool shimmers in the distance and metal wart hog sculptures grace the expansive lawn.  Except for subtle details, John and I feel as if we are at an all inclusive 5 star resort in Baja Mexico.

Metal Wart Hog Lawn Sculptures; their positions changed by the gardeners each morning before dawn.

After settling into our comfortable room we follow signs along the path behind our hotel leading to the Zambia Park side of Victoria Falls.  Entrance to the Falls is included in the room rate, and we sign the ledger, our room numbers and the time before entering the park.  There are many other tourists as well as locals walking the paths, most drenched and wearing slick green rented ponchos, cameras in hand. We heard that the falls are even more stunning, viewed from Zambia, but yesterdays, Zimbabwe Falls adventure is cemented in my memory and today’s seems tame by comparisum.  We spend 1 ½ hours in the park, walking the slippery pathways with minimal barriers between safety and the gorge below.  We cross a narrow steel bridges, spanning the turbulent river below and shrouded in mist.  I take many photos and have extra batteries on hand today.

Rainbow at Victoria Falls – Zambia

Victoria Falls- Zambia

After two hours exploring the Victoria Falls park, Zambia side, John and I return to our stylish room. After a brief rest, we feel trapped in our Disneyesque Hotel and  spurge on a hotel taxi to drive us the 10 miles into the town of Livingston. This craft market is more structured than the one we visited in Zimbabwe, yesterday, but we enjoy time looking into the many tiny stalls lining the street arcade. When we bore of the tourist arcade, we venture out along side streets to the real part of the market and encounter some hostility.

John in the Livingston Tourist Crafts Arcade, Zambia

I seldom take close up photos without asking first, but I lift my camera to take a distant shot of the street market, zoom in, and a women points
angrily at me.  Several other women turn their faces away. Not one to be intimidated, John and I continue our walk along the streets and through the markets, but I feel that eyes are watching us and know that we are not entirely welcome. We complete the loop back to the tourist arcade and take a taxi back to the safe bubble of our hotel.

Colorful Girls, Livingston Zambia

Angry Market Women, Livingston

Livingston Market Scene