Friday Oct. 28, 2011
This morning we checked out of our lodge/tent site and made our way into town to exchange our pula for rand since we’d no longer be needing it, then got a taxi to take us from Kasane to the ferry dock/border post for Botswana and Zambia. After that, we took a 10 minute ferry ride that was carrying cargo (for only 4 pula) to the Zambian border of Kazungula. After being on that interesting ride, we took a taxi to Livingstone, which was about an hour away and cost us 50 rand. Then went to Jollyboys Backpackers to check in. After getting settled in, we walked into town and got some lunch at Ocean Basket, a seafood restaurant. Who’d a thought a seafood restaurant in Zambia? Not me!
I got a California sushi roll and split an order of fish and chips with Diana. We had a mini heart attack though with the price of lunch being 80,000 kwatcha/$16 US/N$128. To put it in perspective, you can usually get the same seafood lunch for N$40-50 in Namibia...not N$128! After that shock, we had another scare when we got to the grocery store and saw those prices. We ended up paying the equivalent of N$330 for groceries! So expensive here!
After coming back to Jollyboys, we decided to cool off by jumping in the pool. After just a few minutes of being in the pool though, we heard our names being called. It was the t-shirt guy! I couldn’t believe it! He had tracked us down to Zambia (from when we met him in Botswana) and had our t-shirts for us.
A little later, we met up with an American guy and his girlfriend, who was from France. They had been living in Australia for the last 10 years or so and now are traveling around. Really great people and great conversations. I tell ya, the people that you meet and the conversations that you have really make trips like these, amazing.
Saturday Oct. 29, 2011
Today was our day to do Victoria Falls on the Zambian side. Originally we were going to do canoeing but when that didn’t work out, we decided to do Victoria Falls. On the Zam side, you’re able to walk on top of Victoria Falls only 3 months out of the year. So we definitely took advantage of that and walked around on top and were able to see some amazing views of the falls.
We had also wanted to swim in Devil’s Pool, which is a small pool on top of the falls that people can swim in, but with it being $35 US to do that, it just wasn’t in our budget. Plus, we’ve heard some gruesome stories from people also staying at Jollyboys. After getting back from Vic Falls, we weren’t too tired so we decided to explore the craft markets in Livingstone. At the first one that we went to, we wanted to buy some shetenges but couldn’t find any so we took a taxi to another market. In the end, I bought four beautiful shetenges. We then went back to Jollyboys and grabbed some dinner at their cafe. I had a feta and spinach quiche with a side salad and garlic toast. So yummy! Throughout part of this vacation, I really have felt like I could have been back in the States merely for the comfort foods that were now available to us in these different countries. So nice. Plus, the quiche was only 25,000 kwatcha ($5 US/N$40). That night, we also met up with two Americans who were travelling around and it was just so nice to talk to other Americans for a change.
Sunday Oct. 30, 2011
We woke up early to have breakfast then headed on our way to zipline across the Vic Falls gorge. It was scary as all hell to go across the gorge and only be attached by cables but so much fun at the same time. Definitely an adrenaline rush! Plus we were able to do it twice, which made for the second time less scary and a whole lot more fun. For $40 US, it was definitely worth it!
After having a long couple of days, we came back to Jollyboys and just relaxed. As I was writing this, I was sitting in an outdoor lounge full of oversized pillows made out of shetenges. Now, that’s the life :)
That night, we took a sunset/booze cruise along the Zambezi river and just enjoyed ourselves. With the boat having two decks, we actually had the whole bottom deck to ourselves. Just what we needed. Along with enjoying the gorgeous views (including some ones with hippos!) we also enjoyed some fried appetizers, mini burgers and unlimited drinks. Can’t forget the unlimited drinks!
While on the cruise we started talking to one of the staff on the boat, Stan, and throughout the night we learned about the Zim and Zam cultures, politics and how life is here. It was interesting to find out that there are two tribes/political parties in Zimbabwe. One is the tribe that President Mugabe belongs to and many government officials also belong to (although it’s the minority party), and then there’s the opposing tribe. All of this makes for a very interesting political scene. After talking to Stan, we started talking to him about canoeing and what do you know, he used to work for a canoeing company in town and still has connections. Even while we were still on the cruise, he called the company and told them that we’d like to do a full day canoeing trip. I just couldn’t believe our luck! Earlier, we had tried to book a canoeing trip through Jollyboys but there needed to be a minimum of 3 or 4 people to book it for a full day. There was also a half day, but there was just a $10 US difference from the full day and it just wasn’t worth it. Originally, we had also wanted to go white water rafting, but with it being dry season and the water levels being low, it makes for very dangerous rapids (like class 5--the highest class, the whole time). So this connection for a full day canoeing trip was a great ending to the day.
Monday Oct. 31, 2011
Happy Halloween! We decided to celebrate Halloween by going to Zimbabwe for the day. We started out by taking the Jollyboys shuttle to Zambia/Zimbabwe border, got stamped for leaving Zambia, then walked across a long bridge and another 10-15 minute walk before reaching the Zimbabwe border. We then finally got to Zimbabwe and paid $30 US for our visa. While waiting in line to get our passport stamped though, the immigration officer that had our passports and paperwork kept talking and talking to his friend next to him. Didn’t even care about the fact that there was at least 25 people waiting in line! It was a very interesting experience to say the least--similar to herding cattle where there was no organization to anything. I was so glad to get out of there. We were so rushed for time and hot as all hell that Diana even bypassed the immigration officer standing outside without even knowing it. We kept hearing someone shouting, “hey, hey you!” but we figured it was just someone trying to get us to buy something. I guess not. Whoops!
After finishing with that, we met up with Diana’s friend, Obert, who was going to show us around the town of Victoria Falls. We first went to Victoria Falls Park and paid $20 US for entry because we were considered Southern Africa residents (thanks, Peace Corps!). It was a small price to pay to see gorgeous Victoria Falls from the Zimbabwe side. Before heading into the park, we saw some guys in traditional outfits dancing. An awesome way to start our time in Zimbabwe. We then walked around Vic Falls Park--so much more tropical and rainforesty of a climate than what I’d thought it’d be. While walking around the park, we saw a few baboons, who were just hilarious to watch! The waterfalls itself though, from the Zimbabwe side, were amazing! Great views and actually weren’t just trickles, like how Zambia had been.
After the breathtaking Vic Falls, we went to talk and see an extremely large baobab tree. But with the 52 C/125 F degree heat, we just stopped at the closest Baobab tree and took pictures. We would have liked to see the large baobab tree but with the sweat pouring down our faces and everywhere else, we needed to call it quits.
After being completely exhausted and beat up from the sun and humidity, we continued on in search of the local markets. There were so many markets with stonework, carved animals, shetenges, jewelry, tshirts, etc. My bargaining skills though were a little rusty and patience was growing thin from the heat so it wasn’t the best experience. But after that, we walked into town to have some lunch and refresh ourselves. I ended up getting an ostrich steak sandwich, Diana had the eland sandwich and Obert had the kudu one. With the sandwich and some local Zimbabwean beers in our belly, we were ready to face more haggling and markets. Boy was I glad Diana was with me though, so at least we were going through the same craziness together.
We then went back to the shops and markets and I ended up getting a Victoria Falls, Zimbabwe tshirt, a wooden bangle, and a wooden hippo and elephant. The guys at the shop kept asking us to buy and buy but were tough when it came to bargaining down the prices. By that time, it was nearing the end of the day and needed to get back to Zambia. On our way back from Zimbabwe and to Zambia, it was also a crazy experience at the border. With it nearing the end of the day, the border posts were empty so luckily we weren’t dealing with lots and lots of people as we were before, but instead we dealt with something else.....another crazy African experience. We walked into the Zimbabwe side of the border, ready to exit, and since there wasn’t anyone else waiting, we started talking to the immigration officer about the country and even job possibilities in the country for foreigners. After about 10 minutes of talking, a few people came in and wanted to get their passport stamped so they could leave the country. But the immigration officer just completely ignored them and kept talking to us for at least a few minutes more. Just very unprofessional. But with the staff being immigration officers to Zimbabwe out of all countries, you really can’t make a fuss at all.
Tuesday November 1, 2011
Today was such an amazing and lucky day. We were wanting to go canoeing for a full day but with the issues that I had talked about earlier, it just wasn’t possible. With Stan, the staff member from the booze cruise, booking for the canoe trip for us, we thought we had double booked, so we cancelled the booking through Jollyboys. But then we thought, with only three canoeing companies in Livingstone, we thought we must have cancelled Stan’s reservation, so then we tried to rebook the half day trip through Jollyboys so at least we have something lined up. It was just back and forth with what was going on. So we decided to have breakfast and just started to talk about what we could do. But what do you know, five minutes later, a guy showed up at Jollyboys and told us that he was picking us up for the whole day canoeing trip!! We couldn’t believe it!
So we ran to pack our bags for the day and were off. We then drove in an open safari bakkie for about 45 minutes and then arrived at the place where we’d leave to go canoeing. We were taken through a remote village in the bush (in the middle of nowhere) and when we arrived, we met some local kids and played with them while the staff set up the kayaks/canoes. It must’ve been the biggest thing happening in the village because all the kids and some adults came by the water to see what was going on. When we asked one of the guys why the kids weren’t at school (it being about 10am on a Tuesday), he said that the local school was run by teachers who were volunteering their time so the school is only open 2-3 days out of the week. So sad!
The canoes themselves ended up being tandem (two person) kayaks, so I don’t know if they’re just called canoes here or what. Once we got on the water though, we immediately started seeing animals. Tons of hippos, two full crocodiles and a head of one croc, guinea fowl, a warthog, African geese, cranes, storks, African fish eagle, osprey, raptors, a really rare crane, African monitor lizards, a male kudu and an impala. We also saw lots of waterberry trees by the side of the river (which help to keep the sand on the banks of the river from eroding), jackberry trees, baobab trees and sausage trees (trees that had huge pods dangling from their branches). While on the river, because one side of the river bank was Zimbabwe and the other side was Zambia, we were constantly crossing borders all day. Really cool! The border itself is the deepest part of the river in the middle.
After paddling all morning, we stopped at Chombi island, a local island, for some lunch and swimming. It was a gorgeous island--crystal clear warm water and squeaky white sand. We then sat on a reed mat under one of the palm trees and enjoyed some appetizers. I think we were also supposed to have sandwiches but I have a feeling that they got soggy when water came into our boat and couldn’t eat them. Other than that, we enjoyed ourselves with some cold drinks and nice cold Mosi (a local beer in Zam). We swam and tried to cool off from the hot, hot sun. While talking to the guides, we found out that the island used to be owned by Zambia but then two years ago, it was handed over to Zimbabwe without a fight and without Zimbabwe paying. Interesting, very interesting. They also told us that there’s a Chief of a Zambian tribe buried in the center of the island, but with Zimbabwe now owning the island, they can’t have a ceremony on the anniversary of the death. And now there’s also a lodge being built on the island. Not good! For one, Zambians won’t be able to visit the buried chief anymore, and two, Zimbabwe won’t even allow Zambians to work in the lodge or in their country in general! I really wonder what else goes on behind closed doors there.
We then kayaked/canoed some more and finished the day with a nice cold beer. Once we got back on land, as we were waiting for them to unhook the boats, we saw some guys playing a huge marimba, which Diana was even able to play! It was a gorgeous instrument made out of about 8 gourds, 20 keys/wooden slots, and two players.
After getting back to Jollyboys, we showered then headed to Fezbar, a Mexican restaurant, to enjoy our last dinner on vacation. The restaurant was having a special called Taco Tuesday so we were able to get three crispy or soft tacos for only 35,000 kwatcha, filled with chicken or beef. The only thing that was still missing was sour cream, which they didn’t have. But they certainly did have margaritas! While waiting for our tacos, we enjoyed a small appetizer of nachos that was oh so yummy.
I haven’t had this kind of food in months, so it was nice to have it....and for our last dinner on vacation no less! Then for dessert, we had chocolate and banana chimichungas with vanilla ice cream...yummy! Unfortunately when the dessert arrived, we were so excited to eat it that we never took a picture of it. But you can trust me that it was delicious!
Wednesday November 2, 2011
Today was our last day in Zambia, which meant our trip was ending. The trip has been amazing--full of good luck, great conversations and people and just the “pick me up” I needed. Having a travel buddy who gets me and is laid back like me made it even better. We’re even already thinking of taking a trip possibly to India, Nepal and Bangladesh after I COS in March 2013.
After waking up, we headed down to the restaurant at Jollyboys for some breakfast before hitting the road. I got this yummy breakfast parfait with layers of yogurt, granola and honey, with banana slices on top, then with a side of scrambled eggs, and Diana got some eggs and toast....and we both also got coffee. Lots and lots of coffee.
We were originally going to go to the bureau de change to exchange our kwatcha back to rand, but instead we poked into the giftshop in Jollyboys and found ways to spend the last kwatcha that we had. I ended up getting a bracelet wrapped in shetenge material. A nice treasure to remember the trip with. After that, we sat outside and just waited for the time to pass until when we had to check out and get the Intercape bus. Now the Intercape bus is a different story in itself. This time, the bus was packed full and smelling of body odor, cigarette smoke and fried chicken--such a weird combo, but at least we know it’ll be a safe ride back to where we have to be. Along the ride, they play Christian media--movies, worship services, etc and all I could think about was, “Toto, we’re not in Kansas anymore.” We finally reached Okahandja the next morning and immediately hit the sack. After waking up around 2pm, we were ready to face the day. I for one, was very excited to go grocery shopping in a store that had huge oranges, papayas, fat free milk and even chocolate soy milk!! Then the next day, I hiked back to Opuwo and started to transition from vacation mode back to work mode.
This morning we checked out of our lodge/tent site and made our way into town to exchange our pula for rand since we’d no longer be needing it, then got a taxi to take us from Kasane to the ferry dock/border post for Botswana and Zambia. After that, we took a 10 minute ferry ride that was carrying cargo (for only 4 pula) to the Zambian border of Kazungula. After being on that interesting ride, we took a taxi to Livingstone, which was about an hour away and cost us 50 rand. Then went to Jollyboys Backpackers to check in. After getting settled in, we walked into town and got some lunch at Ocean Basket, a seafood restaurant. Who’d a thought a seafood restaurant in Zambia? Not me!
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| Mosi: a local Zambian beer |
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| My California roll! |
I got a California sushi roll and split an order of fish and chips with Diana. We had a mini heart attack though with the price of lunch being 80,000 kwatcha/$16 US/N$128. To put it in perspective, you can usually get the same seafood lunch for N$40-50 in Namibia...not N$128! After that shock, we had another scare when we got to the grocery store and saw those prices. We ended up paying the equivalent of N$330 for groceries! So expensive here!
After coming back to Jollyboys, we decided to cool off by jumping in the pool. After just a few minutes of being in the pool though, we heard our names being called. It was the t-shirt guy! I couldn’t believe it! He had tracked us down to Zambia (from when we met him in Botswana) and had our t-shirts for us.
A little later, we met up with an American guy and his girlfriend, who was from France. They had been living in Australia for the last 10 years or so and now are traveling around. Really great people and great conversations. I tell ya, the people that you meet and the conversations that you have really make trips like these, amazing.
Saturday Oct. 29, 2011
Today was our day to do Victoria Falls on the Zambian side. Originally we were going to do canoeing but when that didn’t work out, we decided to do Victoria Falls. On the Zam side, you’re able to walk on top of Victoria Falls only 3 months out of the year. So we definitely took advantage of that and walked around on top and were able to see some amazing views of the falls.
We had also wanted to swim in Devil’s Pool, which is a small pool on top of the falls that people can swim in, but with it being $35 US to do that, it just wasn’t in our budget. Plus, we’ve heard some gruesome stories from people also staying at Jollyboys. After getting back from Vic Falls, we weren’t too tired so we decided to explore the craft markets in Livingstone. At the first one that we went to, we wanted to buy some shetenges but couldn’t find any so we took a taxi to another market. In the end, I bought four beautiful shetenges. We then went back to Jollyboys and grabbed some dinner at their cafe. I had a feta and spinach quiche with a side salad and garlic toast. So yummy! Throughout part of this vacation, I really have felt like I could have been back in the States merely for the comfort foods that were now available to us in these different countries. So nice. Plus, the quiche was only 25,000 kwatcha ($5 US/N$40). That night, we also met up with two Americans who were travelling around and it was just so nice to talk to other Americans for a change.
Sunday Oct. 30, 2011
We woke up early to have breakfast then headed on our way to zipline across the Vic Falls gorge. It was scary as all hell to go across the gorge and only be attached by cables but so much fun at the same time. Definitely an adrenaline rush! Plus we were able to do it twice, which made for the second time less scary and a whole lot more fun. For $40 US, it was definitely worth it!
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| Me doing the zipline and above the gorge at Victoria Falls |
After having a long couple of days, we came back to Jollyboys and just relaxed. As I was writing this, I was sitting in an outdoor lounge full of oversized pillows made out of shetenges. Now, that’s the life :)
That night, we took a sunset/booze cruise along the Zambezi river and just enjoyed ourselves. With the boat having two decks, we actually had the whole bottom deck to ourselves. Just what we needed. Along with enjoying the gorgeous views (including some ones with hippos!) we also enjoyed some fried appetizers, mini burgers and unlimited drinks. Can’t forget the unlimited drinks!
 |
| Look at those hippos! |
While on the cruise we started talking to one of the staff on the boat, Stan, and throughout the night we learned about the Zim and Zam cultures, politics and how life is here. It was interesting to find out that there are two tribes/political parties in Zimbabwe. One is the tribe that President Mugabe belongs to and many government officials also belong to (although it’s the minority party), and then there’s the opposing tribe. All of this makes for a very interesting political scene. After talking to Stan, we started talking to him about canoeing and what do you know, he used to work for a canoeing company in town and still has connections. Even while we were still on the cruise, he called the company and told them that we’d like to do a full day canoeing trip. I just couldn’t believe our luck! Earlier, we had tried to book a canoeing trip through Jollyboys but there needed to be a minimum of 3 or 4 people to book it for a full day. There was also a half day, but there was just a $10 US difference from the full day and it just wasn’t worth it. Originally, we had also wanted to go white water rafting, but with it being dry season and the water levels being low, it makes for very dangerous rapids (like class 5--the highest class, the whole time). So this connection for a full day canoeing trip was a great ending to the day.
Monday Oct. 31, 2011
Happy Halloween! We decided to celebrate Halloween by going to Zimbabwe for the day. We started out by taking the Jollyboys shuttle to Zambia/Zimbabwe border, got stamped for leaving Zambia, then walked across a long bridge and another 10-15 minute walk before reaching the Zimbabwe border. We then finally got to Zimbabwe and paid $30 US for our visa. While waiting in line to get our passport stamped though, the immigration officer that had our passports and paperwork kept talking and talking to his friend next to him. Didn’t even care about the fact that there was at least 25 people waiting in line! It was a very interesting experience to say the least--similar to herding cattle where there was no organization to anything. I was so glad to get out of there. We were so rushed for time and hot as all hell that Diana even bypassed the immigration officer standing outside without even knowing it. We kept hearing someone shouting, “hey, hey you!” but we figured it was just someone trying to get us to buy something. I guess not. Whoops!
After finishing with that, we met up with Diana’s friend, Obert, who was going to show us around the town of Victoria Falls. We first went to Victoria Falls Park and paid $20 US for entry because we were considered Southern Africa residents (thanks, Peace Corps!). It was a small price to pay to see gorgeous Victoria Falls from the Zimbabwe side. Before heading into the park, we saw some guys in traditional outfits dancing. An awesome way to start our time in Zimbabwe. We then walked around Vic Falls Park--so much more tropical and rainforesty of a climate than what I’d thought it’d be. While walking around the park, we saw a few baboons, who were just hilarious to watch! The waterfalls itself though, from the Zimbabwe side, were amazing! Great views and actually weren’t just trickles, like how Zambia had been.
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| There were sooo many baboons throughout the Victoria Falls Park! |
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| I thought the Zimbabwe side of the falls was much better, I mean look at the difference! |
After the breathtaking Vic Falls, we went to talk and see an extremely large baobab tree. But with the 52 C/125 F degree heat, we just stopped at the closest Baobab tree and took pictures. We would have liked to see the large baobab tree but with the sweat pouring down our faces and everywhere else, we needed to call it quits.
After being completely exhausted and beat up from the sun and humidity, we continued on in search of the local markets. There were so many markets with stonework, carved animals, shetenges, jewelry, tshirts, etc. My bargaining skills though were a little rusty and patience was growing thin from the heat so it wasn’t the best experience. But after that, we walked into town to have some lunch and refresh ourselves. I ended up getting an ostrich steak sandwich, Diana had the eland sandwich and Obert had the kudu one. With the sandwich and some local Zimbabwean beers in our belly, we were ready to face more haggling and markets. Boy was I glad Diana was with me though, so at least we were going through the same craziness together.
We then went back to the shops and markets and I ended up getting a Victoria Falls, Zimbabwe tshirt, a wooden bangle, and a wooden hippo and elephant. The guys at the shop kept asking us to buy and buy but were tough when it came to bargaining down the prices. By that time, it was nearing the end of the day and needed to get back to Zambia. On our way back from Zimbabwe and to Zambia, it was also a crazy experience at the border. With it nearing the end of the day, the border posts were empty so luckily we weren’t dealing with lots and lots of people as we were before, but instead we dealt with something else.....another crazy African experience. We walked into the Zimbabwe side of the border, ready to exit, and since there wasn’t anyone else waiting, we started talking to the immigration officer about the country and even job possibilities in the country for foreigners. After about 10 minutes of talking, a few people came in and wanted to get their passport stamped so they could leave the country. But the immigration officer just completely ignored them and kept talking to us for at least a few minutes more. Just very unprofessional. But with the staff being immigration officers to Zimbabwe out of all countries, you really can’t make a fuss at all.
Tuesday November 1, 2011
Today was such an amazing and lucky day. We were wanting to go canoeing for a full day but with the issues that I had talked about earlier, it just wasn’t possible. With Stan, the staff member from the booze cruise, booking for the canoe trip for us, we thought we had double booked, so we cancelled the booking through Jollyboys. But then we thought, with only three canoeing companies in Livingstone, we thought we must have cancelled Stan’s reservation, so then we tried to rebook the half day trip through Jollyboys so at least we have something lined up. It was just back and forth with what was going on. So we decided to have breakfast and just started to talk about what we could do. But what do you know, five minutes later, a guy showed up at Jollyboys and told us that he was picking us up for the whole day canoeing trip!! We couldn’t believe it!
So we ran to pack our bags for the day and were off. We then drove in an open safari bakkie for about 45 minutes and then arrived at the place where we’d leave to go canoeing. We were taken through a remote village in the bush (in the middle of nowhere) and when we arrived, we met some local kids and played with them while the staff set up the kayaks/canoes. It must’ve been the biggest thing happening in the village because all the kids and some adults came by the water to see what was going on. When we asked one of the guys why the kids weren’t at school (it being about 10am on a Tuesday), he said that the local school was run by teachers who were volunteering their time so the school is only open 2-3 days out of the week. So sad!
The canoes themselves ended up being tandem (two person) kayaks, so I don’t know if they’re just called canoes here or what. Once we got on the water though, we immediately started seeing animals. Tons of hippos, two full crocodiles and a head of one croc, guinea fowl, a warthog, African geese, cranes, storks, African fish eagle, osprey, raptors, a really rare crane, African monitor lizards, a male kudu and an impala. We also saw lots of waterberry trees by the side of the river (which help to keep the sand on the banks of the river from eroding), jackberry trees, baobab trees and sausage trees (trees that had huge pods dangling from their branches). While on the river, because one side of the river bank was Zimbabwe and the other side was Zambia, we were constantly crossing borders all day. Really cool! The border itself is the deepest part of the river in the middle.
After paddling all morning, we stopped at Chombi island, a local island, for some lunch and swimming. It was a gorgeous island--crystal clear warm water and squeaky white sand. We then sat on a reed mat under one of the palm trees and enjoyed some appetizers. I think we were also supposed to have sandwiches but I have a feeling that they got soggy when water came into our boat and couldn’t eat them. Other than that, we enjoyed ourselves with some cold drinks and nice cold Mosi (a local beer in Zam). We swam and tried to cool off from the hot, hot sun. While talking to the guides, we found out that the island used to be owned by Zambia but then two years ago, it was handed over to Zimbabwe without a fight and without Zimbabwe paying. Interesting, very interesting. They also told us that there’s a Chief of a Zambian tribe buried in the center of the island, but with Zimbabwe now owning the island, they can’t have a ceremony on the anniversary of the death. And now there’s also a lodge being built on the island. Not good! For one, Zambians won’t be able to visit the buried chief anymore, and two, Zimbabwe won’t even allow Zambians to work in the lodge or in their country in general! I really wonder what else goes on behind closed doors there.
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| Gorgeous Chombi island |
We then kayaked/canoed some more and finished the day with a nice cold beer. Once we got back on land, as we were waiting for them to unhook the boats, we saw some guys playing a huge marimba, which Diana was even able to play! It was a gorgeous instrument made out of about 8 gourds, 20 keys/wooden slots, and two players.
After getting back to Jollyboys, we showered then headed to Fezbar, a Mexican restaurant, to enjoy our last dinner on vacation. The restaurant was having a special called Taco Tuesday so we were able to get three crispy or soft tacos for only 35,000 kwatcha, filled with chicken or beef. The only thing that was still missing was sour cream, which they didn’t have. But they certainly did have margaritas! While waiting for our tacos, we enjoyed a small appetizer of nachos that was oh so yummy.
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| Mmmm tacos! |
I haven’t had this kind of food in months, so it was nice to have it....and for our last dinner on vacation no less! Then for dessert, we had chocolate and banana chimichungas with vanilla ice cream...yummy! Unfortunately when the dessert arrived, we were so excited to eat it that we never took a picture of it. But you can trust me that it was delicious!
Wednesday November 2, 2011
Today was our last day in Zambia, which meant our trip was ending. The trip has been amazing--full of good luck, great conversations and people and just the “pick me up” I needed. Having a travel buddy who gets me and is laid back like me made it even better. We’re even already thinking of taking a trip possibly to India, Nepal and Bangladesh after I COS in March 2013.
After waking up, we headed down to the restaurant at Jollyboys for some breakfast before hitting the road. I got this yummy breakfast parfait with layers of yogurt, granola and honey, with banana slices on top, then with a side of scrambled eggs, and Diana got some eggs and toast....and we both also got coffee. Lots and lots of coffee.
We were originally going to go to the bureau de change to exchange our kwatcha back to rand, but instead we poked into the giftshop in Jollyboys and found ways to spend the last kwatcha that we had. I ended up getting a bracelet wrapped in shetenge material. A nice treasure to remember the trip with. After that, we sat outside and just waited for the time to pass until when we had to check out and get the Intercape bus. Now the Intercape bus is a different story in itself. This time, the bus was packed full and smelling of body odor, cigarette smoke and fried chicken--such a weird combo, but at least we know it’ll be a safe ride back to where we have to be. Along the ride, they play Christian media--movies, worship services, etc and all I could think about was, “Toto, we’re not in Kansas anymore.” We finally reached Okahandja the next morning and immediately hit the sack. After waking up around 2pm, we were ready to face the day. I for one, was very excited to go grocery shopping in a store that had huge oranges, papayas, fat free milk and even chocolate soy milk!! Then the next day, I hiked back to Opuwo and started to transition from vacation mode back to work mode.
