June 6, 2016

Thunder. It gets louder and fuller the closer I get. From half a mile away, I can see the mist billowing into the sky. As I pedal through the Zambia border and begin to cross the bridge that connects Zambia to Zimbabwe, the water is pounding 300 ft below me. The spray from the falls coats me in a heavy mist. I crossed this bridge last week, but today I have the opportunity to see Victoria Falls properly.

It is called Mosi-oa-Tunya, “the smoke that thunders”. While it is neither the highest nor the widest waterfall in the world, it is classified as the largest, based on its combined width of 1,708m (5,604 ft) and height of 108m (354 ft). The result is the world’s largest sheet of falling water. Victoria Falls is roughly twice the height of Niagara Falls and well over twice the width of its Horseshoe Falls.

There is a beautiful cobble stone walk way that leads visitors through the majesty of the park. Each vantage point along the path offers new perspectives of this amazing natural spectacle. In June, the water is just below its highest level of the year. The result is a sound so violent and deafening that at times it is difficult to think. As we progress through the park, the mist gets thicker. Our clothes get wetter. It feels like someone is repeatedly dumping buckets of water on us. Luckily I talked Michelle (the “local”) into bringing our rain jackets (I’m not keeping score) because at least our torsos are dry (mostly).

During the low water months from November to January, there is a place called Devil’s Pool that allows visitors the ability to swim in a pool literally at the edge of the falls. (Check Google images for that one). I’m in awe. I’m dumbfounded. I need to look in a thesaurus because all I can come up with to describe what I’m seeing is “wow” or “amazing”. I try to think of superlatives that describe the sheer force, sounds, and sights of Victoria Falls, but sadly, words nor pictures will ever do it any justice. It is one of the seven natural wonders of the world and justifiably so.

Side note: After we leave the park and get cleaned up, we head out for dinner and stumble upon a new Indian restaurant that has been open only 3 days. We meet the owner who is also the chef. He is from northern India and spends time telling me stories about the amazing high mountain passes in the Himalayas. Check back in September for that story…

Michelle the monkey whisperer