We had just finished a cruise from Istanbul, Turkey to Cape Town, South Africa. A 51-day delight to Israel, Petra in Jordan, Luxor in Egypt, Dubai, UAE, 4 stops in India, the glorious Seychelles Islands and several African countries including Madagascar.
Now we fly from Cape Town to Johannes Berg for a few days and then off to six (6) days of excitement.
We fly to Victoria Falls, Zimbabwe. An old airport with a wooden terminal. Since we are going out of the country in returning, we step into a special line that takes 10 minutes to have the passport stamped and entry fees paid.
Outside the terminal is a wonderful man standing with a sign that says capital M/M Shaffer. We have not made a phone call, other than to tell them three months ago we were coming and answering a few emails that we would be there at that time. This trip is starting out on a very positive note.
Our first day for a couple of days is at the A ‘Zambezi river lodge on the River below Victoria Falls. We arrive at the hotel in time for lunch. Out our sliding door in the courtyard is a family of warthogs running around eating grass. It is a great afternoon and then out of nowhere comes the first Thunderstorm of the rainy season. With wind, sideways rain in lightning it is welcomed by the locals since it has not rained in four months during the dry season. After the storm passes, we take a ride on a pontoon boat down the River looking at Crocs and hippos. Our two young guides come very close to the shore and the boat is stuck on a sandbar period since it is the end of the dry season, the River is lower by some 20 feet. You could not jump into the water to free the boat or you will be dinner for the Crocs. Fortunately, another boat arrives and pulls us off the sandbar. An exciting way to begin the trip.
We made arrangements with our host to pick us up at 8:00 AM the following morning to spend time viewing Victoria Falls. As you come into the park, there is a statue of Sir David Livingstone who was greeted “Dr. Livingstone, I presume?” Since when found he was the only white man on the continent. What a treat after Niagara Falls and on a future trip to South America Iguaçu falls on the border of Brazil and Argentina
After a scrumptious lunch with warthog, croc, and wild Buffalo on the menu, we head out to an African village. We turn off the main road and go about 3 miles on a dirt road until we come to fenced in circular huts and goats and animals. We pull in and out comes Mpala, the chief. He says welcome guys just like we would. His English is better than ours. We take a seat in his welcome Hut that is made to look like a concrete shelter, but his animal dung mixed with mud and smoothed and painted. We begin a conversation and suddenly, his cell phone goes off. Wow! He has better cell service than we do in Nevada. Parts of central Nevada have none.
His hut and the entire village have no running water except for the well by the elementary school in no power. His wife shows us the kitchen Hut which has a fire going all day for cooking. It is spotless. They have five children, 4 girls and their son, who will become chief upon Mpala’s passing. He is the 16th chief of the tribe. His great grandfather was moved with the tribe from Namibia during British rule. The tribe’s paternal and the Chieftain passes to the oldest son of the chief.
My wife Nancy made a comment to the chief that he was rich. She understood that each girl would secure a diary of nine cows when wet period he smiled yes and said that the diary does not come all at once. It comes over the lifetime of the marriage.
We take a trip through tribal area and see the huts in areas of some of the members of the tribe, we stopped the school and look at the building in the water well. With the rain from the previous day, some of the windows are broken and water has dripped on the school materials. Upon our return to the states, we send a care package of school supplies to the chief.
During our tour of the school, we had discussed education for his children. He says the school goes to 6th grade and then the kids go into town. He said education in Zimbabwe has to be paid for. He is considering sending his oldest daughter for her senior year in high school. The cost for the previous year was $58 for the year. Needless to say, we provided some support and also received some of his wife’s excellent basket weaving.
