Saturday, January 10, 2015

Livingston, Zambia- Big White Water and Rhinos up close


Victoria Falls

Swimming at the top of the falls (Devils Pool), you can only do this for three weeks of the year in November when the water is low enough, otherwise your ass is going over!

The supreme rafting crew: Aussies, Dutch, British and a Canadian

Check out the youtube link to the video I made of this epic rafting trip (make sure to watch the end to see a local Zambian man shake his booty ;) 
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y4VABlLbOFw&feature=youtu.be
One of the coolest wildlife experiences I have ever had
Victoria Falls in Zambia, a destination you really should go to if you want to love life even more for everyone who has an interest in adventure or nature. It has one of the biggest volumes of water in the world (more than Niagra Falls), all the big wildlife animals, the biggest and best white water rafting in the world (or one of the best), and you can walk with lions and wild rhinos! This place can be expensive, but price is what you pay, value is what you get. I spent just under a week here, on a break from teaching as my kids had exams all week, so I would have just been sitting around, so I made a deal with the principle/ one of two other volunteers that we would keep the school open a week later into Christmas holidays so we would have more time to "party" (learn, play soccer, dance, plays games, field trips, etc). I took a bus from Lusaka to Livingstone: pact, loud music, hot weather. truly Zambian :p I stayed at Jollyboys backpackers, owned by a Canadian from Vancouver Island, a well run and reasonably priced hostel, and super social, and the best part there was a pool!!!

Everyday I planned some type of adventure. Met some other travelers who I spent time checking stuff out with, here are some pictures:
At the top of the falls (Devils Pool)
Part of the hike to the top of the falls
Hired a taxi and a driver to take us into a village outside of Livingstone to see what life for locals living in the village is like (This is a house for goats)

Chicken house

Caterpillars, I love finding weird things to eat then getting others to eat them :p

Transporting Charcoal across the farm

A lady I spoke with said that on this bridge the river floods every year, and at least someone dies every year (They have to walk over the bridge even when water flows over the top. She also said a child had died here within the last month from a crocodile in the water. This made me think about what safety, and how relative it can be. Imagine the high school I went to wouldn't let us play floor hockey because the stick could be used as weapon........

Any time I see a big fire I got to check it out, because I love fire! This was burning garbage on the side of the road.

Mosi-oa-Tunya National park- We hired a taxi driver to take us around here- cost: $15 each for park entrance, and $20 each for cab driver service for 4 hours, a good deal ;)


Hanging out with the Bamboons.





Elephants twice the size of those in Thailand


RUUUUNNNNNN!!!!!

If you ask the guard at the park to go show you the rhinos, he will. Suggested donation about $20 USD, to do this on a guided tour it is over $100 USD.

In china they pay $50,000 per ounce of Rhino horn, and it is causing the population of Rhinos to be wiped out in Africa. These three Rhino's are constantly guarded by Ak47 carrying wild life officers

The girls got way closer then me- Anke (on the left) was the first European I have ever met who knew how to properly use an English pun: I sarcastically said when I saw a sign that said not to feed the wild life: I can't believe they even have this sign, here, like who would ever even think about feed the wild life (we feed the baboon's peanuts), and Anke says "yeah, you would have to be "nuts"" Mehehehe
Tessa and Anke are two student doctors from the Nethlands who were helping at a hospital in Malawi
Zebra butt
Giraffes run with the two legs on the same side moving in the same direction at the same time, causing them to be the klutz's of the wild!
Seen from the boat of our booze cruise

The Zambezi above the falls

The booze crusie crew, we were the kids of the ship, everyone else was 40+

Titanic Zambia style, with Hippos and Croc instead of cold water to fall into :p
The best bartender in Zambia



Big boy, 500 KG, has killed 15 people in one village, the scariest most evil look creature I have ever seen: Check out the link to this youtube video I posted of him: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=biz9WM_8HPE&feature=youtu.be

You can feed these things- The best crocodile farm I have ever been to



This is true

I tried to organize a motor bike rental with a local. He drove me and two others to his "Friends" where we found this bike laying out in the open. My friend suspected this to be a stolen bike and a chop shop because: This is a very expensive bike, it was sitting out in the open (not normal unless people are afraid to of this place, because stuff unfortunately gets stolen a lot....) The people were not at the house. Then a van roles up with three big dudes, one looking like Lil Wayne. They ask us what we want for bikes. Then they said they can arrange the bikes tonight (how they were not there?....), and then we leave.... I turn my phone off the next day, don't want to do business with these guys in case the bikes are stolen, and then we ride them, the cops pull us over, etc.... Good little side adventure though, and got to see what Zambian gangsters look like :p 


There was a mango tree at the hostel where we could pick as we pleased, I would eat at least four a day :)

Livingstone is a world class destination, with lots to do. Make the trip and have one of the greatest adventures of your life!