Vic Falls-Botswana-Namibia

After a few days in Victoria Falls, it was time for Sarah to make the trek up to Tanzania to fly back to Beirut and time for me to make my way back toward Cape Town. We parted ways at the Zambia border... after a bit of fear and frustration at me not being able to use my ATM card. Yes, folks, please take a few types of cards to Zimbabwe because the banking system is less than stellar. Being the good friend that she is, Sarah left me with what cash she had on her (I wouldn't let her draw more because I knew she had a long journey ahead with unknown costs) and I went back to town.

I literally tried every ATM in town and none of them worked. I took only my South African bank card (from Standard Bank in SA) thinking that of course it would work in Zimbabwe. And it did, a couple of times, which is why I didn't have any reason to think that I would be left with about 18 USD and no formal transport to my next destination. I asked some people around town how to get to Botswana because I knew the border was about 80 kilometers away and perhaps there would be an ATM close to the border that would work for me. Everyone suggested I go to a "hiking spot" -- yes, for hitchhiking and wait for someone who was headed that direction. It didn't take long... a nice man named Canaan picked me up and drove me all the way to the Botswana border. He would have driven me further, but the cost of taking vehicles into Botswana was higher than he wanted to pay. We waited for public transport to town together and chatted about both our lives. He is Zimbabwean, but studying in Italy... he was back to visit his family and traveled to Botswana for building supplies for a garage at his home. Sadly, most products like this are much more accessible and inexpensive across Zimbabwe's borders in neighboring countries. Just a byproduct of the political situation in Zimbabwe. We finally got a lift and made it to town where we parted ways. Canaan and I are still friends, though, on facebook! :) I began my ATM search in town.. by this time it was about 2pm and I knew that I had to make a plan before sunset or it could be bad news. Again, none of the ATM's worked and this was quite an expensive place to stay because it was nearly in the middle of the Chobe game reserve, so I didn't have enough cash on me to stay and travel to the next city that might have a working ATM. As a sidenote, it's fortunate that I had some fruit, bread, and peanut butter, so I didn't have to spend money to eat (a nice thing i do whenever i travel to save money -- stock up on cheap eating supplies). I ate the biggest avo of my life for lunch that day. It's also fortunate that people in this region are some of the friendliest that I have met in my life!

Also, I had a small travel guide that told me how much it cost to cross borders in each of the Southern African countries... I decided to go toward Botswana and Namibia becuase their borders are close and it doesn't cost anything for Americans to go into Botswana and Namibia as tourists... unlike Zimbabwe and Zambia.. it cost me 30 USD (actually 300 Rand because I didn't have cash and they pegged the exchange rate at an unfair 10 to 1 ratio, instead of the accurate 7 to 1) and it would have cost me 50 USD to cross to Zambia with Sarah.

Once again, I found myself sitting at a "hiking spot" waiting for a lift. Again, it didn't take long before someone picked me up, this time Moses! Moses is a Namibian who delivers medical supplies to rural hospitals and clinics -- he was so friendly and very helpful. He drove me another 80 or so kilometers to the Namibian border. Once in Namibia, my friendly driver had to work in some remote places and thought I'd be better off catching a taxi (yes, like the mini-bus taxis in South Africa, cheap, run frequently, and have regular routes, but not like a private taxi that many of you may be used to).

About an hour or 2 later, I made it to Katima-Mulilo in Namibia after crossing 2 borders, hitchhiking about 250 kilometers, and spending about 3 dollars in public transport (sadly, I only spent a few hours in Botswana, I definitely want to go back, though). I arrived around 5pm and got there, fortunately, before the sun went down. The first place I went in town was a Standard Bank ATM that fortunately worked and I withdrew enough money to last me for several days. It was quite a relief.

Although I was scared at some points during this adventure, it was one of the most invigorating and challenging things I've put myself through... to literally travel and do what needed to be done with nearly no money. I realized what I was capable of .. it was amazing! I traveled the rest of the way back to Cape Town alone and learned a lot about myself in the experience. More on my personal experiences in the next post -- and more about Namibia! :)

Victoria Falls

Easily one of the most beautiful natural sites I have ever seen. Sarah and I woke up before sunrise to enjoy the falls as the sun creeped out over them. It was amazing... well once we got in of course. We had to wait until just after daylight for the guards to arrive at the park and let us in. We were the only 2 in the park for quite a while, which was awesome. Check out the photos -- just amazing!

We also rented rain jackets for 2$ each, which we thought was a waste of money until we got to a ledge that literally looked like it was raining permanently.

After our visit to the park, we went back to town and found a nice place to have breakfast, scouted out town, and did a bit of shopping at a craft market. While Sarah was planning her trip to Tanzania, I met a few schoolgirls and they took me to their school and showed me around. It was so awesome... just making friends with some seventh graders and having candid conversation about Zimbabwe and America. Thanks Rotary -- for the "ambassadorial" component of this scholarship, I think that experience was one of the most classic examples of what that component is meant to be.

While we were in Victoria Falls, we also enjoyed a boat cruise on the Zambezi where we saw Elephants, Hippos, and Crocodiles! :) It was awesome. Following the boat cruise, we ate at this amazing restaurant at our hostel called In-Da-Belly ( a pun from the Ndebele tribe in that part of Zimbabwe) and ate warthog, crocodile, fish from the Zambezi, and other yummy food.

Throughout our adventures in Zimbabwe, Sarah and I called it "the magical land where dreams come true"... mostly because every time we wanted something (a hostel, a drink when we got to Bulawayo, lunch at the bus station, to try warthog... literally everything), it was made possible in just a few minutes... by the magic of Zimbabwe :) Also, Zimbabwe had one of the most beautiful night skies and some of the most friendly people I have ever encountered! Amazing!

Zimbabwe

Wow! I'm pretty sure most people in my life at home suggested that I not go to Zimbabwe. I'm not really sure why -- probably the political unrest and fear of danger, theft, etc, etc -- you know, all of those things everyone warned me about before I came here. I was a little nervous before I went to Zim honestly, and looking back I didn't have a justified reason. I think life teaches you that after the fact, most of our fears are actually quite unjustified. If we could realize how to let the unknown excite us rather than scare us, I think a lot more would be done in the world -- and a lot more fun would be had!

Fortunately, I can report that I felt safe the entire time that I was in Zimbabwe. I think I actually felt safer there than in South Africa. I had the privilege of traveling with a good friend of mine from undergrad -- Sarah. We left Cape Town after the World Cup final and flew to Johannesburg. Our flight wasn't supposed to leave until 3 or 4 am and some friends were driving past the airport, so we napped on airport benches from about 11:30 til 3:00 am. Our flight was delayed and we had to get moved to another airline because our bus was supposed to leave from Jo'burg at 8am. Fortunately, we got onto another flight (after a bit of firm negotiation and a bit of begging). From Jo'burg we got a bus (yes, Greyhound haha) to Bulawayo, Zimbabwe. The bus trip took more than 12 hours and we arrived in Bulawayo late on the evening of 12 July. The drive was beautiful, it was mostly rural and calming. The border cross was anything but calm, it was more like chaos. There were literally people everywhere and queues (lines) wrapping around the building. Apparently we used the busiest border cross point between the two countries.

As we were waiting at the border post, we met some men who had been sitting behind us on the bus. It unnerved Sarah and I how friendly they were... for no reason. She and I being seasoned travelers and a bit too steeped in literature about human trafficking and threats to travelers, did not take their kindness without question. I recommend caution to my friends who are traveling and often exercise it myself (well except for the hitchhiking part of this story, but we'll get there just now), but I think we had too much caution and hesitancy toward these men. They were friendly just because that's the way they are, and the way nearly everyone we met in Zimbabwe was. We were pleased to find out throughout our time in Zimbabwe that people are just friendly. I think it's sad that we've been taught to be so cautious that it took us several days to let our guards down enough to just be comfortable and connect with people. She and I realized that it probably says something about our culture and certainly media coverage about Zimbabwe that caused us to be so overly cautious.

When we got to Bulawayo, we hadn't made any plans for a hostel and had a taxi driver take us to a "guesthouse" and we found a place to stay. Our friends that I mentioned above had offered for us to stay with their family in their village about an hour from Bulawayo -- that was where the caution kicked in. Regardless of whether it would have been harmless or not, we decided it was better for two girls traveling alone not to go to a remote village with two men we had just met.

Outside of the guesthouse was a small stadium and a pub/restaurant where we had a snack and a drink before bed. We met several locals and one expat who loved Zimbabwe so much he moved there with his family. He and one of his friends gave us their numbers in case we had any trouble getting to Vic Falls the next day. The next morning, we walked around Bulawayo, explored a bit, then found a bus stop with busses headed toward Vic Falls.

At the bus stop, we met some more friends and had a lovely lunch that we shared "African style" with our new buddies. We saw a woman cooking and walked over to see if we could buy some food for ourselves. Some men came over with their food and insisted that we share with them. We rinsed our hands of with clean water and got to eating -- hands only, no utensils! We at something called pap (eaten all over southern africa, kind of like a thicker version of grits), some fish and some meat. It was yummy and our new friends insisted we not pay them for the food. Following our meal, we watched a dance group practice for a performance, boarded the bus, and set out of Victoria Falls. The next 8 or so hours, we spent in a bus. Two police stops and a long ride later, we arrived in the dark of night and set out to find a place to stay. No, we didn't sort out accommodation at all before we went anywhere. The bus drivers were nice enough to drive us to 3 different places around the town to find us the cheapest option.

World Cup

Ok, so I realize the World Cup has been over for a while, but I want to talk a bit about my experience going to games and also the feel of Cape Town after the World Cup. There have been loads of talks on campus about the effects of the World Cup and discussion about who "won" from the World Cup (ie, did South Africa receive more benefit from hosting than it cost to build the infrastructure, etc).

That said, the entire vibe of South Africa and Cape Town specifically (because I spent most of the World Cup in CT) was unlike anything else I've experienced since I've been here. The excitement was contagious. People from all over the world and all walks of life happily and proudly supported their teams. Flags and fan gear were everywhere. But once the games were over, the crowd disappeared.

The residue (as I have begun to call it) is still obvious. The Brazil hats and the Germany flags and Viva Espana signs and the bright orange Holland gear are still to be found, but in interesting ways. Hats still worn by locals, t-shirts, ripped off memorabilia being sold by street vendors, and other small reminders. It's as if the World Cup washed in here like a river and left South Africa damp with its influence. It's interesting.

Beyond that, the atmosphere that the World Cup created -- of unity, of passion, of the ability to overcome -- has also left its residue and impacted South Africa and its people for the better. I'm interested to see how long that lasts...

Back in Cape Town

I've had quite an adventure traveling around Southern Africa. This trip included Zimbabwe, a stop in Botswana, and Namibia. I had an absolute blast and (as always) learned a lot from the experience. Over the next few days I will be blogging and adding pictures about my experiences. Blogs to come: world cup game experiences, Zimbabwe/Vic Falls, Sandboarding and School Visit in Namibia, Traveling stories, Public Transport in Southern Africa (including hitchhiking), and other super fun updates! Get excited!

Also, next week I start my second semester of classes and will also begin tutoring. I was selected to tutor first year International Politics -- and I'm so excited about it! :)

Zimbabwe

Sarah and I got to Zimbabwe a few days ago and are having an absolute blast. I guess this is one of the places you're warned about going and a bit nervous about because of the media portrayal. Every preconception I had has been absolutely eliminated since being here. I have not felt unsafe in the least and have only been met by friendly people willing to help in any way they can. We had lunch with some guys at the bus stop in Bulawayo before coming to Victoria Falls and a very interesting conversation. We walked over to a stand that was selling pap (kind of like grits and eaten very frequently in SA and Zim) and some meat. Instead of buying, some men invited us to eat with them (with our hands, after they were washed of course) and we had a lovely conversation. They also looked after us and made sure that we got on the correct bus to Vic Falls and had good seats! :)

We got to Victoria Falls yesterday and saw the falls this morning -- absolutely stunning. So beautiful.

Last note - the night sky in Zimbabwe is probably one of the most stunning things I've ever seen in my life -- so so beautiful! I've never seen the milky way so clear or so many stars at once!

Vic Falls, here I come!

So I haven't been back in Cape Town too long, but I've decided to take full advantage of my break from school (which is only two more weeks) and head out to Victoria Falls. I am so excited about going there-- i've been wanting to do it since I got here. My friend Sarah Harvey from CofC has been visiting during the World Cup and we decided to take a trip north and explore more of the region. We are flying to Johannesburg and then taking a bus through Zimbabwe to Victoria Falls. I think we may also get down into Botswana to go to the Chobe Game Reserve. I'm very excited about it and look forward to sharing lots of pictures and stories... from this trip and my last one! :)