The Smoke that Thunders (or is it cloud?)

Today we are off with our driver Tom (who is just part of the gang now) to see Victoria Falls, one of the Seven Wonders of the World.  There are a couple of trails around the falls and we are going to conquer them all!

The first short walk that we take is along the top of the falls.  On our way we catch glimpses of the falls through the trees, but nothing prepares you for the first time you see the full expanse of the falls!  They are just awe-inspinring.  The clouds of mist formed by Victoria Falls, also known as the "smoke that thunders, can be seen from miles away.  There are five different falls which all drop off this tremendous ledge down into the Boiling Pot.  Rainbows are everywhere!

Before we venture out for our next walk, we stop at the rent-a-raincoat station.  There is a box full of water proof shoes (flip flops and such) that you can grab - just like at the door of the BBB!- And in homage to the place, Tom selects a pair that are about half the size of his feet ...unlike our kids at the BBB, he does put them on the right feet!  Next we are all given layer #1, a white plastic rain poncho, and then layer #2, a green fabric poncho, the combination of the two, when worn correctly (that is key there) is supposed to keep you dry.  

We head out along the long, narrow, and slick path to the Knife's Edge Bridge a walking expanse over a deep gorge where it is not just misting, it is pouring rain.  (Note the cleverly disguised cell towers on the horizon!) I made Linda put on the hand puppet, Mortimer J. Sockafeller from the MOMS for a few pictures in front to the falls....both ended up soaking wet! The views along this walk are breathtaking and there is just no picture that will every do them justice.  

Our third hike is down to the Boiling Pot - a place where are of the falls meet in a spectacular roil of water.  The hike is steep going down and even steeper coming back.  While at the bottom, we watch people bungee jump off the bridge, upside down, no hands.  People have many ways to make a a living in Zambia.  Apparently there is a guy who makes his living suspended from the bridge over the falls, so he can flip bungee jumpers right side up before they are pulled back up.  What a way to make a living!

We began the steep hike up the mountain with Tom leading the way (and Jannean bringing up the rear).  As we reached one of the resting points, we took a break, letting our calves relax and our lungs catch up.  It was here that I decided to offer my fellow hikers some pretzels-after all, we will need some kind of nourishment to get us back to the top.  We passed the bag around and everyone took a few.  As we sat there munching, we noticed the crunching of leaves coming from all directions and turned to see that Baboons seemed to be appearing out of every nook and cranny of the jungle.  (Uh oh, did someone say something about the baboons being nasty and grabbing backpacks from people?).  As they drew closer from all directions and baby baboons tumbled through the vines towards us, we quickly devised a plan to save ourselves.  "Throw the pretzels and run!"
When it became apparent that they were truly coming for us, Jannean was the first to initiate the plan by throwing her pretzels directly at the feet of Linda, who froze for a second like a deer in the headlights as she realized that the baboons were now all coming for her.  Minutes later we were all scrambling up the steep path in near hysterics (from both laughter and fear) with Tom calmly finishing up his pretzels and bringing up the rear! We reached the top in record time.  Posted quite clearly at the entrance to the path was a sign that stated DO NOT TAKE FOOD ON THIS PATH (note:  I feel it was in fine print).

We met back up with the other half of our team and enjoyed a coke light and a few more pretzels over a good laugh!