Tuesday 30th August 2016: We leave the hotel at 8 and head to the airport for an international BA flight to Zambia - the usual waiting and delays - met by a new driver, guide and coach, clear border controls into and out of Zambia and into Zimbabwe. Livingstone in Zambia where we land has - 250,000 population - we drive through downtown and I think it is pretty ordinary, but John reminds me 'this is Zambia' we are in. Zambia and Zimbabwe were both British colonies and were formally Rhodesia and South Rhodesia until 1964 and in 1980 gained their independence. Livingstone has only one set of traffic lights - even Geraldton can boast lots more than that. It costs us each $80 US for Zambia and $45 US for Zimbabwe. 

 
We cross the bridge over the Zambezi River - it was built in 1905, is one lane traffic, one lane walking, is 111m high and has a bungee jump off it. This is a big river, number 4 in the world and forms the Victoria Falls. Our hotel, the Victoria Falls, is close by - we arrive at 3 and meet again at 4 to go on a cruise on the Zambezi with drinks and nibbles included. This is lovely and restful after a day of travel. We see some bird life, then about 8 hippos in the water, not far from the boat and then a couple of elephants on the bank along with monkeys and apes. On the boat we are given a talk on David Livingstone, by Chris, a retired guide. Livingstone was an explorer, discoverer and a liberator. In 1855 he documented the Zambezi and mapped a lot of Africa - he survived malaria 4 times, met his wife when she nursed him after he had his left arm severely damaged by a lion. They had 4 children, Mary and the children were shipped back to England when his pursuits became too difficult - he did go back to England, but was funded to go back and open up trading on the Zambezi, but encountered the Falls when he had previously bypassed the mountains and realised the Zambezi was not able to be navigated. Mary died of malaria, the children never came back to Africa. He encountered the slave trade and met an accomplice in Stanley, a writer for a US journal and to cut a long story short they managed to end the slave trade. He was now trying to find the source of the Nile which runs South to North, all other rivers here run East to West. He passed away at 70, a hero, the people loved him.
Another traditional song and dance display during dinner with some way out costumes.