Victoria Falls, Zimbabwe (Oct. 16, 1998)
Victoria Falls, Zimbabwe, is the only bona-fide tourist trap I visited.
Of course, this would normally be a total bummer, but my original
reason for visiting Africa was to see Victoria Falls. So, I spent two
days in the town, which was about enough. I think if I'd have been 20
to 25 years old it would have been great, since it looked like the backpacking
capital of Southern Africa, complete with a couple-three bars
that could have been in any college town in the US.
I didn't take any pictures of the hotels in town, but there are two of
note. The Victoria Falls Hotel was built by the Brits when they ran the
place and is quintessential British Colonial architecture and service.
It's a wonderful place, especially when $1 US = $33 Zim. I had one of the
best dinners of my life there, including desert and coffee, for about $13 US.
The Elephant Falls Hotel, just outside of town, on the other hand is totally
over the top -- it even has a waterfall. It just overwhelmed me with the scale
and size of the complex. To me, it epitomizes both the good and the bad of
the US -- big, bold, brash, and a bit out of place.
Anyway, I stayed in the Ilala Lodge, which is a more or less ordinary hotel since
I was there for the scenery, not to backpack or stay in the room. Well, the scenery
was definitely worth seeing...
The Falls
I took pictures from both the Zimbabwe and Zambia sides of the Falls, and they're
intermingled in this set of pictures. I think all of this set are from the
Zimbabwe side.
The Earth and Water
The great crack that creates the falls was a source of great wonder
to me -- it's not overwhelming like the Grand Canyon, but its as
if the earth just decided to open up and swallow the river.
The Zambezi River
The river itself is quite beautiful and placid above the falls, except
for some of the inhabitants...
I really enjoyed the views of the Falls, but a couple of days was a bit long. Well,
it was on to the Matobos for a couple of days after that.
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Tom Loos