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Monday 31st May - 2nd June, Livingstone, Don't Look Dooooooooown!
We woke early intending to catch the 6.30am bus from Lusaka to Livingstone, the tourist capital of Zambia. Due to lateness in leaving and Lucky's laid back driving we missed the bus we wanted and had to wait a further hour in the Lusaka bus shelter for the next bus. The bus company we were traveling with was named Mazhandu family bus, and I was very impressed with it. The bus departed on time, with minimal fuss over storing baggage, and we were even given food and drink during the epic 7 hour journey. The journey itself was uneventful compared to our journey to Kitwe, a fact that Scott and I made sure Chris was aware of. We arrived in Livingstone around 4pm and after a bit of aimless wandering and some advice from a local we found our hostel for the next few nights - the Jollyboys Backpackers Lodge.
The lodge itself was impressive, obviously designed by someone who had been backpacking and knew what a hostel needed to keep its lodgers happy. There was a small pool more for decoration than usage admittedly, but it was surrounded by sun loungers and hammocks for the lazy backpacker. It had a well stocked bar which served basic meals for a small cost. A pool table, table tennis table, security lockers, internet access, a large comfy lounging area in the shape of a rectangular sunken pit filled to the brim with cushions and seats. Finally the reception was well organized full of guidebooks which could be loaned out, and a booking desk for any adventure activities you wished to take part in. Basically if you ever find yourself in Zambia Livingstone head to the Jollyboys! We checked in and we were showed to our room. A stones throw from the reception and assorted amenities next to the camping site; we were put in the Tonga dorm, a wooden building consisting of 4 bunk beds two of which were occupied by American students working in conjunction with local Zambian engineers on a bridge building project. In fact our roommates kept themselves to themselves and throughout our stay we hardly spoke to each other as they got up earlier than us and we got in much later than them ;). Tired from our journey we headed to the reception booking desk and proceeded to sign our life away by booking a combination package costing $135 which included a zip line, gorge swing, and the dreaded bungee j8ump for the following morning at 11am! A quick visit to the shops and a dodgy Spag Bowl courtesy of Chris, Scott and some questionable pasta later we headed back to our room and we attempted to sleep and not think about the ensuing jump - eek!
Tuesday morning we decided before the bungee attempt to visit the airport to try and find Chris a way home! His previously booked flight had been cancelled also due to the BA strikes. Unfortunately the offices in Livingstone were not very helpful so the trip was a bit of a waste. We moved from the airport straight on to the Vic falls via taxi. The bridge lies in "no mans land" between the Zimbabwean and Zambian Border Posts. We had to indicate to the immigration officials that we were only proceeding onto the bridge and then returning through the same border post. The Immigration officials issued us Gate Passes. Once past the gate there was a short walk to the registration area which was set up adjacent to the bridge on the Zambian bank of the Zambezi River. Here we checked in and attempted to pay for our package. We ended up being 50,000 kwacha short but the kind lady who was booking us in lent us the money. Once we had paid we were weighed, registered for the jump, and then put into our harness for the zip line the first of the three activities we were due to complete. The weigh in was quite comical as we had been joking about each others weigh for the past couple days especially with regards to the bungee (just for the record Chris 68kg, Myself 70kg, Scott 71kg, Silver 76kg)!
We were directed round the back of the registration area and to the edge of the Zambian side of the gorge bordering the Zambezi River. Here we could see the Victoria Falls Bridge we would bungee off with the zip line attached at our end to a modest looking structure and the bridge on the other side. With no delay we were asked which two would be first as the zip line was done in pairs. Earlier that day we cut a pack of cards to see who would go 1st, 2nd, 3rd, and 4th on all the activities (order = Chris, Me, Scott then Silver). So Chris and I were clipped and strapped in first and off we went. The zip line went directly over the gorge at quite a tame pace which although not so exciting, allowed for the most amazing view of not only the bridge, and the river but the falls in the background. Once over the far side a guide on the other side collected us and pulled us to the bridge where we unclipped from the zip line and clipped onto the bridge where we walked to the far side which we later found out was actually in Zimbabwe (checked off another country!). Scott and Silver followed and we proceeded back along the bridge to the Zambian side. The bridge was quite a large structure with a lane for road traffic, a rail way track, and pedestrian walkways either side. Positioned directly in the middle of the bridge facing away from the falls and looking directly down the middle of the gorge was the platform for jumping (we later discovered it had duct tape at the joints holding it to the bridge!). There were three instructors looking after us strapping us up and doing the necessary checks. At this point we all felt rather peculiar as we thought by this point we would be full of nerves and trying to back out but that wasn't the case. Whether it was macho competition, sheer stupidity, or the confidence from the zip line I don't know but we were all feeling confident and up for what was to come. The bungee was the one which we were all geared up for on arrival however it was subsequently decided that the gorge swing was far scarier.
The bungee was straight forward. We were strapped in and checked, and then we were asked to stand and make our way over to the edge of the platform with our toes over the edge. The guy who gets paid to push people off a bridge (that's how we were introduced) then placed one hand on our backs counted down 5, 4, 3, 2, 1 then BUNGEE and we were instructed to jump out and off and enjoy the ride. The feeling is quite inexplicable really. A complete feeling of weightlessness, freefalling head first 111 feet towards the Zambezi with an upside down view of the falls - unbelievable. On jumping Chris was silent, I screamed bungee, Silver swore, and Scott shouted poker and we all successfully bungeed! Later on when viewing the professional photos there was an amazing photo of Scotty in wish his face was flushed red and he looked petrified, very funny although he assured us this was excitement not fear - I wish I had bought it! I came off the worst out of the four of us with my man goods suffering an injury not on the way down but on the recovery when being hoisted back up to the bridge. The boys put it down to poor positioning of the harness, all I knew was that I was KO'd and all I needed was a sit down….not a gorge swing! So full of excitement from their conquest so far the three remaining continued on to the gorge swing and by the sounds of it my decision not to do it was a good/bad decision as it was much worse than the bungee the other three decided. The swing basically consisted of the jumper being attached to a cord by two clips. The jumper is instructed to run from the platform and jump out where they would then free fall for roughly 50 metres before the cord would kick in and swing them away from the ground and the bridge outwards. So basically they ran and jumped off a bridge - mental! Scott's jump in particular was good with his legs doing a running motion which on playback looked like he was running on water (similar to a scene in The Incredibles movie)! Chris also on his gorge swing let out a less than masculine yelp/scream with Juju adopting a more pg13 approach!
Personally I'm not much of an adrenaline junky, and the painful hoisted return to the bridge was one of the worst things I had experienced. It just happened to follow one of the best experiences I will ever have the bungee itself. I don't think from this point on I will be in any hurry to indulge in more death defying stunts but I am so glad we decided to go to Livingstone and try it!
After the bridge we moved on to get a better view of the falls. This involved paying an entrance fee, with Silver paying 7000 Kwacha and the rest of us foreigners paying 20000 kwacha. We walked along a designated route which contained some impressive viewpoints which we took advantage of taking pictures and doing the tourist things you do when at such a place (check Scotts Flickr page!). Along the way we saw punters renting waterproofs but we decided we would brave it, a decision which later we would somewhat regret. We were visiting on the back of the wet season in Zambia which meant there was a hell of a lot of water, and consequently spray. The further along the route we went the more drenched we became. Eventually we arrived at a bridge known as the knifepoint bridge; this was the place at which we would cross to Livingstone Island the place with the best views of the falls. Crossing the bridge was a unique experience with the sheer volume of spray being produced meaning that anyone crossing no matter how hard they tried would ultimately end up soaked through, like that fine rain Peter Kay talks about only worse. We circumnavigated the island before returning back across the bridge. Afterwards Silver told us about a walk to a place known as the boiling point. This involved a 630 metre walk, a lot of steps and tip toeing past wild monkeys - good times. The walk was well worth it though, at the bottom the shrubbery and wildlife suddenly stopped and we found ourselves positioned directly in between the bridge we had jumped off earlier that day, and the falls on our other side with a swirling whirlpool in front of us. Our clothes soggy but our spirits high we decided to stop and have lunch here and the whole time were down there we were the only visitors which we found strange. The lunch was not quite as impressive as the view as we indulged in tuna sandwiches whilst sat on the rocks in the sun. The view we all agreed was stunning! The return journey up the steps was a lot more difficult than the way down, Silver in particular started to struggle and the three of us had to wait at the top of the walk for him to catch up! We rounded off the day in style back at the lodge. It was mine and Silver's turn to cook so we decided to walk 30 minutes there and back to a local pizza place, on the way acquiring beers and cider along the way. This was by far my favourite day of our trip so far, and I think my fellow travelers agreed!
DC, Scott, Chris, & Silver xxx
- comments
Di (Dan's Mum) Fantastic read Dan.Mad the lot of you!!!! Much braver than I would ever be! What an experience. See you managed to find pizza - and there's me thinking you wouldn't see a pizza for 4 months!!! X mum
Martin (Dan's Dad) What a fabulous experience, one you'll remember for the rest of your days no doubt! Respect to all of you for making the jump. D x
Ga Ga & Nan Well done lads ,I nor Nan would have done it.What a wonderful write up again ,it has the makings of a good book. Keep it up Luv to you all GaGa& Nan.we give it 5 again.
Pau)l (scotts Dad another fantastic blog DC, what fantastic experience. lets hope your jewels didnt suffer too long!
Andy (Dan's Uncle) Great read although due to heavy work commitments I have been delayed in reading it. Keep it up. PS Hope your Nads are back to normal