7th July 2008 Victoria Falls Bridge

7TH JULY 2008. Part 2.


Shortly after the dancers finished David D. announced that he was going to bungee jump off the Falls bridge. Hazel immediately announced that she would also jump, 'To keep him company'.

This bungee junp is famous. Its a drop of about 350 feet into the Zambezi Gorge. The Husseys had both done it with two other generations of Husseys a couple of years before as had one of the Male boys twice.
So it was that a couple of stiffeners were ordered - Castle lager for Dave, white wine for Hazel - and we set off for the bridge.

The bridge itself is famous. Completed in 1905 it was the brainchild of Cecil Rhodes (of Rhodesia fame) and is the only rail link between Zambia and Zimbabwe and was meant to be a key component of his dream of having a north/ south Africa rail link between Capetown and Cairo.
Rhodes wanted the spray from the falls to drift across the trains and you can see from the aerial shot below how close they are.

Nowadays its obviously not been maintained to standard and the bridge shudders as the many heavy trucks taking copper ore south for smelting trundle across it one at a time.






Photo of Vic Falls bridge & Gorge taken by Dave D. on 5th July 2008.

The bridge is only a few minutes from the Sun; we could have walked but Pam offered to act as driver. There were plenty of people around and also bad tempered looking baboons who stalked the verges and road. We were approached immediately by the hawkers selling copper bracelets and Zimbabwean money; one caught the attention as he could recite the name of every British Prime Minister in reverse order commencing with Gordon Brown. We went to the scruffy little immigration post and got a ticket for 7 people to go on the bridge.

On to the bridge - Paul sporting the Zambian National Rugby Team shirt donated by the Husseys in revenge for the Robin Hood hat - and were directed to a wooden hut off the road where the bungee junping was arranged. To Dave's horror we discovered that the bungee jumping had been stopped at lunchtime because it was a public holiday. It was also closed the following day because that was also a public holiday. It was also our last day in Livingstone. Poor David had steeled himself for the jump and was in shock. He would not be jumping this year.
In a foul mood we got back into the car fending off the now obnoxiously persistent hawkers and went back to the Sun for a drink.

Approach to the Bridge. Dave D. Paul & Pam.

The Gorge from the Bridge. Knife Edge Bridge from the Falls Bridge.

Dave D. Paul & Pam on the Bridge. View across to the Victoria Falls.

Hawkers, our new best friends. Robin and Hazel and border guard.

Back at the Sun we decided to eat at the almost brand new Protea Hotel on the outskirts of Livingstone. Dave D. shuttled us up and Husseys met an aquaintance - an official connected with the Protea management - and his wife and we sat around the outside bar listening to his views on the world. It wasn't a conversation and he didn't welcome any other opinion or notice any attempt to change the subject so we were glad when we could shake him off by ordering our meals. The Protea had a big, delicious menu and we sat for a while drooling over it before choosing. T- bone steaks, sirloin, pepper and fillet steaks were the main choices but when the waitress came to take our order we discovered that amost everything was 'unavailable'. The two chef's specials were the only main meals. It is a very new hotel.

Fortunately both specials were good, the staff were good and we enjoyed the meal. On a nearby table sat the Charming Blanche with two young men, presumably plane crew stopping over for the morning's flight to Lusaka. No sign of a chicken bap on their table. Perhaps it was unavailable.

Back to the Sun at the end of a long day and Hazel and Sue decided to try the cocktails before we all staggered off to bed.

Dinner at the Protea, Livingstone. Cocktails at the Sun.