Author: Tim

Lists, Stats & Photos

Okay, here we go with the trip summary. Feel free to scan through quickly as your eyes glaze over and your brain becomes numb!

Below are some of the Lists from the trip. All are chronological, except for the ranking of the places visited.

Favorite Experiences

• Notre Dame
• Hiking the Rock of Gibraltar
• Death of a Salesman; a Harrow School Performance in the Vaughan Library
• Lenny Kravitz Concert
• Train Travel in Morocco
• Evening Street Food Tour in Marrakech
• North Africa American Cemetery and Memorial, Carthage
• Lunchtime Performance at the Royal Opera House
• Black is the Color of my Voice at Wilton’s Music Hall
• Harrow School Tour
• The Who at The Royal Albert Hall
• Victoria Falls (Zambia and Zimbabwe)
• Chobe River Cruise
• Chobe National Park
• Okavango Delta

Least Favorite Experiences

• Taxi Drivers in the Rock of Gibraltar Nature Preserve
• Scammers in the Medinas of Tangier, Marrakech, and Tunis
• Crime Threat in Windhoek

Favorite Accommodation

• Byron House, Harrow on the Hill
• Riad Dar Zaouia, Marrakech
• Dobson Apartment in Calpe
• The Victoria Falls Waterfront, Livingstone
• The Drift Inn, Victoria Falls
• The Weinberg Windhoek

Least Favorite Accommodation

• Okavango Delta Tent (but totally worth it in order to experience the Delta!)

Favorite Meals

• Welcome Dinner hosted by Mary and Tony, following the Sir Gregory Doran talk
• Birthday Dinner hosted by Mary and Tony
• Hot Chocolate and Mont Blanc at Angelina’s, Paris
• Nightly Special at Ali Baba’s in Tangier
• Evening Street Food Tour in Marrakech
• Breakfasts at Riad Dar Zaouia in Marrakech
• Chapati MahDia Special in Tunis
• Bream Fillet on the Zambezi Riverfront at Sunset in Livingstone
• Easter Sunday Roast in London with Kathy & Ray
• Departure Dinner with Mary & Tony

Ranking of Places Visited (excluding London)

1. Botswana (grouped as country, rather than by individual locations – multiple short stops)
   • Chobe River Cruise
   • Chobe National Park
   • Okavango Delta
2. Victoria Falls, Zimbabwe
   • Victoria Falls
   • The Drift Inn
3. Paris
   • Notre Dame
4. Tangier
   • Medina
   • Chefchaouen
   • Dining
5. Marrakech
   • Riad Stay
   • Evening Street Food Tour
6. Tunis
   • Carthage
   • La Marsa
   • Sid Bou Said
   • Riding the Local Bus
   • Nice Locals
7. Gibraltar
   • Rock of Gibraltar Nature Preserve
   • Funky Pedestrian/Vehicle Crossing across Airport Runway
8. Livingstone
   • Victoria Falls
   • Zambezi River Accommodation
9. Valencia
   • Performing Arts Complex
   • Riverbed Converted to Recreation Area
   • Kind of Crowded in City Center
   • A Little Expensive
10. Calpe
    • Northern Rock
      • Would have liked to hike to the top, but weather and health prevented it (hopefully I’ll return to do this!)
    • Perfect Accommodation
    • Pleasant Old Town / Promenade
    • Not the best weather while I was there
    • My ill health resulted in a less pleasant experience
11. Windhoek
    • Half-Day City Tour
    • Nice Hotel
    • Crime threat placed this city at the bottom of my list (still happy I visited though!)

Lies, Damned Lies, and Statistics _{(Mark Twain)}

Countries Visited

I traveled to 9 countries and 1 territory on this trip; 6 countries for the first time (all in Africa). I have now visited 94 countries. Below is a breakdown of visited countries by continent (and the % of countries I’ve been to on each continent):

• Africa: 9 (17%) – reminder: HUGE continent!
• Antarctica: 0 (0%) – hopefully this will be my 100th country (and 7th continent) in 2027
• Asia: 21 (47%)
• Europe: 35 (73%)
• North America: 19 (83%)
• Oceania: 2 (14%) – planning on increasing this count next winter!
• South America: 8 (67%)

Trip Length

1. 2025 London: 109 days
2. 2024 London: 108 days
3. 2023 Caribbean: 100 days
4. 2019 South America: 77 days
5. 2022 Hawaii: 66 days (cut short due to high costs!)
6. 2020 Europe: 33 days
7. 2020 South America: 30 days (cut short due to Covid)

Total Trip Cost

1. 2023 Caribbean
2. 2022 Hawaii
3. 2025 London
4. 2019 South America
5. 2024 London
6. 2020 Europe
7. 2020 South America

Trip Cost per Day

1. 2022 Hawaii (23% higher than second place S. America; what a surprise!)
2. 2019 South America (skewed higher by Galapagos Islands and Easter Island)
3. 2023 Caribbean
4. 2025 London (used frequent flyer miles for transatlantic flights)
5. 2020 South America
6. 2020 Europe (skewed lower due to the use of frequent flyer miles for the transatlantic flights)
7. 2024 London (lower due to a) the use of frequent flyer miles for the transatlantic flights, b) visiting Balkan countries in the winter)

Total Steps

1. 2025 London: 1.79 million (818 miles!)
2. 2024 London: 1.68 million
3. 2023 Caribbean: 1.32 million
4. 2019 South America: 1.09 million
5. 2022 Hawaii: 1.07 million
6. 2020 Europe: 550 thousand
7. 2020 South America: 440 thousand

Steps per Day

1. 2025 London: 16.4 thousand (new World Record!)
2. 2022 Hawaii: 16.2 thousand
3. 2020 Europe: 16.1 thousand
4. 2024 London: 15.5 thousand
5. 2020 South America: 14.5 thousand
6. 2019 South America: 14.4 thousand
7. 2023 Caribbean: 13.2 thousand (pathetic!)

Footnote: You might recall that I was walking a LOT in London following my return from the southern Africa trip. Well, as some of you surmised (I’m looking at you X!), I was doing that (partly. mainly?) to get my average back up to World Record pace (as a result of minimal walking taking place during the group tour in Botswana). Result!

Extremes – Steps per Day

• Max: 35.4 thousand in Paris
• Min: 6.0 thousand on transit day from London to Livingstone

Planes, Trains, Ferries & Buses

• Planes: 13 flights totaling 25,359 miles (the circumference of Earth is 24,901 miles)
  • Longest: Heathrow to Nairobi on 31 March (4,242 miles)
  • Shortest: Newark / Dane County Regional (Madison) at the beginning and end of the trip (799 miles)
• Trains: 5 trips; back and forth to Paris, and within Morocco (plus several rides in and around London!)
• Ferries: 1 trip from Spain to Morocco
• Buses: 1 trip from Calpe to Valencia (plus several rides on the SL9 to and from Heathrow!)

Number of Journal Entries

1. 2025 London: 35
2. 2023 Caribbean: 35
3. 2019 South America: 34
4. 2024 London: 32
5. 2022 Hawaii: 29
6. 2020 Europe: 13
7. 2020 South America: 11

Favorite Photos

I saved over 3,000 photos from the trip. Here are a few of my favorites…

Winter Setting Sun on the Thames

View of London from Greenwich Park

Harrow School

Notre Dame

Notre Dame

View from Rock of Gibraltar Hike

Entrance to the Kasbah Mosque, Tangier

Tangier Boulevard

Juice Vendors in Chefchaouen

Chefchaouen Medina

The Marrakech Medina Maze

Bread Maker’s Oven, Marrakech

Ben Salah Mosque, Marrakech

Olive Vendors, Marrakech

Kasbah Mosque, Marrakech

Northern Rock, Calpe

Palau de les Arts Reina Sofía, Valencia

View of Victoria Falls Bridge from Boiling Pot, Livingstone

Knife Edge Bridge, Victoria Falls, Livingstone

Victoria Falls, Zimbabwe

Victoria Falls, Zimbabwe

Victoria Falls, Zimbabwe (I’ll probably frame this one!)

Chobe River, Botswana

Chobe National Park, Botswana

Chobe National Park, Botswana

Chobe National Park, Botswana

Chobe National Park, Botswana

Sunset Walk in the Okavango Delta, Botswana

Sunrise at the Okavango Delta Camp

Sunrise with the Hippos in the Okavango Delta

Parliament Building, Windhoek

Well, that about does it! Please let me know if you have any suggestions for things to add to my lists, or photos I’ve overlooked.

Thank you so much for following along. I hope you’ll join me again next year!

Wednesday, April 23 – Harrow on the Hill

Well, today is sadly the last full day of my winter escape. It’s been another wonderful adventure!

I spent the day mainly on travel prep. And it only seems fitting that the last dinner of my trip would be here on the Hill with Mary and Tony.

We went to the nearby Grove on the Hill.

I chose the salmon fillet. It was amazingly good!

This was a wonderful conclusion to my stay on the Hill. Many thanks to Mary and Tony for their hospitality! I will definitely be back! (just not certain when; maybe 2028?)

Thursday, April 24 – transit from Harrow on the Hill to Madison

My flight out of Heathrow departed at 1pm; I left Byron House at 8:30am to catch the SL9 bus in South Harrow. The first bus that came by was packed, and I had two pieces of luggage. Not good! But I noticed on the arrivals board at the bus stop that the next SL9 was surprisingly only 4 minutes away. So I waited for that one, and it was nearly empty. Brilliant!

I used miles + money to book a Premium Economy seat on United (50k miles + $369).

Travel Note: As a reminder, my business class flight to London in early January was 80k miles + $5. One of the benefits of visiting London in winter!

It turns out I needn’t bothered with Premium Economy, because the flight was only half full! That’s unusual. Oh well…

I know I’ve mentioned previously the advantage of being a member of Global Entry. It paid off again upon my arrival in Newark. According to the message board at the immigration point, the wait time was 20 minutes (for the hoi polloi!). For Global Entry? Zero wait time. Nice! And there’s a new screening process in place since I last traveled abroad. Previously Global Entry required a passport scan; today it was solely by facial recognition.

I think I’ve also written in the past about Global Entry’s weak link: Baggage Claim. You may get through immigration quickly, but if you have checked bags, you’re back to commoner level!

Travel Note: I noted that my U.S. point of entry was Newark (EWR) airport. Well, it looks like I dodged a bullet, because about a week later the airport experienced all kinds of delays and cancellations due to air traffic control issues. You can read more about it here.

Speaking of EWR, apparently they typically have 3 working runways. Well, there was only 1 open when it came time for my Madison flight to depart. That resulted in a one hour taxi time from gate pullback to takeoff. Crazy! (but our Madison arrival was only delayed by 15 minutes – the EWR issues must be taken into account when developing the flight schedules) The trip to Madison was in a plane with a 2×2 seat configuration. It took 2 hours and was completely full.

And a big shout out to Chuck for the late night airport pickup. Much appreciated! And he went above and beyond with a stop for burgers (at the Tip Top Tavern) on the way home! The best!

Well, that concludes another amazing winter escape. Thanks to everyone for following along! Also, I’m grateful for all of your messages, comments and phone calls. It’s wonderful to hear from you while I’m away from home!

I feel blessed to have had this opportunity to visit so many countries and experience other cultures. I do not take it for granted! Like the young woman from Iran reminded me: I’m lucky to have been born in a country that allows me unfettered access to virtually any other place on Earth.

I’m looking forward to seeing all of you back here in January!

Sidenote: I’ll return shortly with one final post: My annual trip summary; including the lists, stats, and pictures that you all look forward to! (well, a few of you anyway!)

Saturday, April 12 – Windhoek

Our tour officially ended today. We all gathered for breakfast before heading off on our separate ways. A few continued on with G Adventures for a tour to other parts of Namibia and South Africa. It was a fun group; I’m happy (grateful!) we all meshed so well!

I chose to stay an extra night in Windhoek. I could have stayed at this same hotel, but I checked the reviews, and they weren’t great. I’ll be moving to my new accommodation later today. But first, I’ve booked a half day city tour for this morning.

Travel Note: Taking group city tours usually isn’t my thing, but extenuating circumstances sadly dictated it in this case. Typically I just like to explore city centers on foot, determining my itinerary as I go. Well, I mentioned this to Shaddie a couple days ago, and he advised against it. Unfortunately, Windhoek has a high crime rate. Nothing violent, but theft is common against tourists. Ugh! After arriving at the hotel here I asked the reception staff about crime in Windhoek. They pretty much confirmed what Shaddie told me. I was advised that I could walk around the city safely, as long as I took nothing of value with me! Really? It feels like I’m back in Johannesburg again! So….I decided a group tour would the best (and safest) way to see the city.

Windhoek is the capital and largest city of Namibia, with a population of around 500,000. It is located in central Namibia in the Khomas Highland plateau area, at around 5,500 feet above sea level. This high elevation resulted in much cooler temperatures than I experienced in the other south African countries I’ve visited on this trip. (highs here in the 70s, lows in the 50s)

The tour started with an 8:45am pickup at my hotel. I was the first onboard the minibus; there would eventually be 6 of us. A nice small group.

Our first stop was Christ Church, or Christuskirche. (ca. 1910)

This monument is dedicated to the victims of the Herero & Nama Genocide (1904-08).

The Independence Memorial Museum. It was built in 2014 as a gift to Namibia by North Korea. (Interesting!)

The statue outside the Museum is Sam Nujoma, the first president of Namibia, serving from 1990 to 2005.

We didn’t tour the museum, but did make a rest stop at this restaurant on the 4th floor of the Museum.

There are some nice city views from the balconies of the restaurant…

A view of The Parliament Building.

Windhoek High School Stadium

The Parliament Building, also known as the Tintenpalast (German for Ink Palace – an allusion to the extensive use of ink by the workers in the building). It opened in 1913. I like the vintage Land Rover parked in front!

A view of Christ Church from the Parliament Gardens.

Windhoek Railway Station (ca. 1912).

Our next stop was to the Oshetu Community Market in the suburb of Katutura. The suburb was created in 1961 to house Windhoek’s black population following their forced removal from an area slated for redevelopment. There was much resistance to the move; the resulting unrest escalated into a confrontation with police, which culminated in 11 deaths and numerous injuries.

Being prepared here is kapana (seasoned, thinly sliced strips of grilled meat).

A row of kapana vendors.

Our guide bought some kapana for us to sample. It was pretty good! (we were told that spices typically include salt plus a mixture of paprika, coriander, cumin and garlic)

Our final stop was Penduka Village. Penduka provides vulnerable women from marginalized Namibian communities with an opportunity to earn a sustainable income through their creation of unique craft items.

Yikes! (located in the Penduka parking lot)

This being the weekend, we unfortunately were not able to observe the women at work.

Batik tapestry is one of the products created here.

The Village is located on the Goreangab Dam in Katutura.

There’s a dining facility on site, and…

…these cute little bungalows. (880 NAD/night, incl breakfast; $44)

This was a fun tour! I’m actually happy I booked it; I wouldn’t have seen all of this just walking around on my own. (The cost of the tour was $34)

Sidenote: I was wearing my Wisconsin baseball cap again today. And there happened to be a couple from Indiana on the tour who recognized the Motion W. Very nice!

I was the last to be dropped off on the tour. I just needed to stop at my original hotel to pick up my bags and then transfer to my new place. The tour guide offered to give me a ride. Thanks! He originally was going to charge me 100 NAD, but I negotiated him down to 20 NAD ($1). It was only a 10 minute drive, and earlier this morning I had asked the hotel staff how much the taxi fare would be to my new hotel. Hence my negotiating power!

(I normally would have just walked to my new hotel, but there’s that pesky crime thing to deal with here…)

The Weinberg Windhoek

Lounge area

Dining space

Rooftop Bar

The Terrace

2,817 NAD/night, including breakfast ($159/night)

I love this place! I arrived at 1pm, and spent the rest of the afternoon relaxing on the terrace. (The middle balcony is my room)

The complex where the hotel is located includes a few dining options. I went with a Sunset Breeze (vanilla vodka, Caribbean rum, passion fruit puree, sour mix, lemonade), and stuffed bell peppers. It was very good! (although, my first choice was pan-seared sea bass, which was sold out) Cost of the meal: 265 NAD ($14).

Travel Note: I don’t think I mentioned that throughout this south African trip (Zambia, Zimbabwe, Botswana, Namibia), English was the language used. That’s convenient!

Sunday, April 13 – transit from Windhoek to Addis Ababa, Ethiopia

My flight on Ethiopian Airlines departs Windhoek at 2:30 this afternoon. I’ve been told that the airport is a small one; arriving two hours early will be plenty. My morning will therefore be leisurely!

I had a breakfast of eggs Benedict (with salmon) on the terrace. Tasty!

Check out was at 10am. At that time I had the hotel book me an 11:30am ride to the airport (half hour trip, leaving me a cushion against the 2 hour pre-departure arrival). I was quoted 500 NAD ($25) for the ride.

Sidenote: After arriving at my first Windhoek hotel a couple days ago, I heard about a Namibian ride share app called Yango. I ended up downloading it, to possibly use as a cheap(er) airport transport option. I ultimately decided against using it today though, mainly because of the Windhoek crime situation (will the driver be legit? Try to scam me? Or worse…).

I did some reading on the terrace as I waited for my ride to show up. Well, by 11:30 the driver had not yet arrived. I checked with hotel reception. They called the car service and was told the driver was waiting in the adjacent parking garage. Another member of the hotel staff checked the garage. Nothing. Seriously? Another call to the car service. This time we were told the driver was on the way. Ten minutes out. By now I was pretty annoyed and told them to forget it, I didn’t believe anything we were being told by the driver. Against my better judgement I used Yango to book a ride. The driver arrived 5 minutes later and got me to the airport with no issues. The ride cost 220 NAD, and I paid with cash because I coincidentally had 240 NAD left over that I was going to exchange at the airport.

(on the way to the airport I saw two giraffes eating leaves from trees alongside the road!)

Hosea Kutako International Airport, Windhoek. And yes, it is very small.

So, I’ve now made four return trips to London during this winter break (from Paris, Tunis, Valencia and Windhoek), and the only time I was asked to confirm that I have the recently introduced UK visa is when I departed Valencia. Just saying…

I was wearing a Wisconsin t-shirt today, and while waiting for my flight in the departure area, I was approached by a man from Berlin, Wisconsin who was in southern Africa on a hunting trip. I’m kind of amazed by how many times my connection to Wisco has been recognized this winter (and the obscure locations in which it occurred!)!

Boarding the flight (an A350).

The flight to Addis Ababa took 5 hours and was 90% full.

Travel Note: This Ethiopian Airlines itinerary was one of the two that I had to book through the travel agent in Harrow. As you may recall, that was due to the fact that I couldn’t get the airline’s website to accept payment from my credit card. The cost of the one way trip to London was £440 ($550).

Monday, April 14 – transit from Addis Ababa to London

Addis Ababa airport is huge! I arrived around 9:30pm, and it was very busy. Fortunately I had a 3 hour layover, because the international transfer checkpoint was packed!

My flight was scheduled to depart at 12:20am, but was delayed by two hours. And it was a confusing two hours (plus), because there were no notifications regarding the delay. On top of that there was also a gate change that was made with no announcement. Not impressed!

The flight to London was on another A350, took 8 hours, and was also 90% full. I was able to sleep a little, so that helped.

I arrived at Gatwick, so took the train to Farringdon and then the Met line to Harrow on the Hill. The Gatwick Express would have been quicker, but also more expensive (not going to go there!). I departed my hotel in Windhoek around 11:45am yesterday, and arrived at Byron House at 11am (Windhoek time). Did I mention that Africa is a massive continent?!?

I concluded my day by making a grocery run and going to bed early!

This two-week trip was quite the adventure! The long journey was well worth it!

Thursday, April 10 – transit from the Okavango Delta to Ghanzi

Well, it was a rough night. The combination of oppressive heat in the tent and Juan’s snoring resulted in minimal sleep for Tim! (a rare third person reference!) That’s okay though, the visit to the Delta was totally worth it. And the overnight experience wasn’t a total disappointment – listening to the hippos’ grunts and squeals was a joy!

We’re starting early today – gathering at 6am for a sunrise walk.

I had no objection to the time of our wake up. In fact, I welcomed getting out of the tent and moving around!

And thankfully, the rain had stopped!

The main focus of the walk was this watering hole, and observing its occupants – several hippos!

Stay calm, we mean you no harm!

I count 20 hippos eye-balling us! Including the guides, there were 15 of us on shore. Not good odds, but thankfully we all survived!

After a breakfast of eggs, baked beans, and toast, Annie and I were back in the mokoro for our return to civilization.

Do you see something over there Annie?

Hippo alert!

We kept our distance, and fortunately they didn’t feel threatened by us (understandable!)!

After reaching shore around 9am, we headed back to our accommodation in Maun, the Sedia Riverside Hotel. The complex also includes a campground, so we took advantage of the showers there to cleanup before we resumed our road trip across Botswana.

Update: My passport and money were there waiting for me upon my return from the delta. They missed me!

Our destination today is Ghanzi, a town in the middle of the Kalahari Desert in the western part of Botswana. We departed the campground at 11:30am, made a stop for lunch and provisions, and arrived at our hotel at 4:30pm.

The Dqae Qare San Lodge

Mosquito nets are back! This could be another rough night though. There is no A/C, but a fan is available. However, the power is turned off at 10pm! (the property’s only source of electricity is solar) I could leave the windows open; if it weren’t for the holes/rips in the screens! Oh, and there’s no hot water.

(Not complaining, just explaining!)

The lodge is run by the San people. The San are one of the oldest (if not the oldest) tribal groups in the world and the original inhabitants of southern Africa, with archaeological evidence showing that they have lived on the land for 30,000 years.

After getting settled in, we went on a short nature walk around the property with two members of the tribe.

It was an interesting hike, as we learned about the San’s interaction with their environment.

And even enjoyed a little bit of a sunset!

We spent the rest of the day relaxing (some of us played cards), and Shaddie cooked us a dinner of spaghetti and vegetables, with cake for dessert. Was a good effort! Oh, and as we were approaching the end of the tour, an attempt was made to reduce the alcohol inventory!

(Apologies for the lack of photos at this stop; I think it reflects my reduced energy level at this point!)

Friday, April 11 – transit from Ghanzi, Botswana to Windhoek, Namibia

I’ll lead off by saying I slept really well, considering. I’m sure my rough night in the tent helped put me under last night!

No sleeping in today though! We have a long trip ahead of us. Breakfast was at 5:20am, and we were on the road by 6am. Our destination is Windhoek, in Namibia. We’re looking at 8 to 9 hours of driving. I think there may be a nap taking place at some point!

We arrived at the Trans-Kalahari Border Post at 9am. The immigration officers for both Botswana and Namibia are located in this facility, which was convenient. And surprisingly there were no other travelers in the building when we arrived. Departing Botswana was a breeze. The entry into Namibia was a little more time consuming (for some!).

Beginning on April 1st of this year, Namibia initiated a revised visa program. I heard about through my tour group company. For U.S. citizens, a visa would be required at a cost of $90. There was an option to obtain the visa in advance online. I jumped at that, and took care of it while I was in London. In our group, only Naima and I arranged for the visa ahead of time. We cruised through immigration in about 15 minutes. For the rest, forms needed to be completed and payments made. The last of us finally made it through 90 minuted after our arrival. (Good thing we were the only ones going through the process at the time!)

Travel Note: Shaddie informed us that since its inception on April 1st, the Namibian visa program has generated $1.5 million in revenue. Impressive!

We arrived at the Auas City Hotel in Windhoek at around 3pm.

There’s a shopping mall right across the street from the hotel; I took advantage and acquired some cash from an ATM.

The Namibia Dollar. 1 USD = 19 NAD.

This was the last night of the tour, so we all went out for a final dinner together. The selected restaurant was Joe’s Beerhouse. Like our first dinner together in Victoria Falls, it seemed kind of touristy to me, but I’m a snob!

I led off with a Galactic Grapefruit (Smirnoff Vodka, Pink Grapefruit Syrup, Cranberry Juice, and a splash of Schweppes Soda, with a sprinkling of Fairy Dust!). Very good!

My main was Namibian Bobotie (a traditional South African casserole made with curried game mince & topped with a savory custard). The game meat was Oryx. Cost of the meal: 316 NAD ($17). It was good. I’m glad I tried a local dish!

Tuesday, April 8 – transit from Nata to Maun

Based on the lack of air-conditioning and mosquito nets, I was prepared for a rough night. It turned out to be just the opposite though. I slept great! The early wake-up yesterday I’m sure was a contributor; but there was also wonderful cross-ventilation in the cabin. I actually got under the comforter at some point during the night. And, wait for it, no mosquito bites! Bonus!

Some sunrise views…

From the screened window in my cabin.

Breakfast was at 7am (English breakfast again – eggs, bacon, baked beans, sausage), and we were on the road by 8am.

Our destination today is Maun, which will be used as a jumping off point for our trip to the Okavango Delta. Our road trip included a couple rest stops, a lunch break (some of us went to a Nando’s), another snacks/liquor/ice stock-up excursion, and a visit to a souvenir market (I didn’t buy anything).

African Baobab Tree at a rest stop.

We arrived at the Sedia Riverside Hotel around 3:30pm.

Nice place!

My room is in the single-story building ahead…

No mosquito netting, but it wasn’t required (tightly sealed room with a/c).

There were no activities planned for the rest of the day.

Many of us took advantage of the pool!

For dinner I tried the Ox Tail Stew. It was good, but hard to eat – many (large) bones. I eventually gave up and used my hands to hold the bones while I gnawed at the meat! Shaddie complemented me on following the local technique! I finished off dinner with a bowl of ice cream. Cost of the meal: 225 BWP ($14).

Travel Note: I don’t think I mentioned that the time difference between London and these southern African countries that I’m visiting is only one hour. Convenient. No jet lag!

Wednesday, April 9 – transit from Maun to the Okavango Delta

We’ll be spending tonight in tents at a bush camp in the Okavango Delta. It’s where the Okavango River meets the Kalahari Desert. The “water in the desert” ecosystem is equivalent in size to Switzerland. It became UNESCO’s 1,000th World Heritage Site in 2014.

Access to our campsite will be via hand-crafted dugout canoes called mokoro. As such, we were only allowed to bring a day pack with us. It was also recommended that we leave behind our passport and money (to be locked up in the storage compartment of our tour bus). Not a comfortable thing to do, but I complied.

The contents of my day pack. I did bring a little money and my driver’s license (for ID purposes – in case a hippo takes me down!).

Another early start. Breakfast was at 6:30am, and we were on the road by 7:30am.

Ready for the roughly two-hour road trip to the boat landing! In front is Matt; that’s Naima and Janin (a flight attendant from Berlin) in the middle; and next to me is Annie (a school teacher from Highgate, London).

Most of our journey was via unpaved roads.

Oh oh! Temporary delay to clear a road obstruction (tree).

Wildlife sighting!?! Never mind, just cows!

We arrived at the Daunara Mokoro Station around 9:15am.

These land cruisers are standing by to transport the arriving groups who spent last night in the bush camps.

Mokoros

Sidenote: After the groups from last night’s camp out arrived, some of us noticed one man sitting alone in in a safari truck, looking very forlorn and hugging his sleeping bag (fetal position equivalent). That’s a little disturbing. We later learned that the groups that spent yesterday in the bush camps endured a miserable day. There was heavy rain throughout, and they had to stay in their tents the entire time. Brutal! I can understand his misery. Hopefully our time will be better!

Annie graciously joined me on our journey to the bush camp. We departed around 9:45am.

This was a fun trip!

We arrived at the camp site around 11:30am.

We chilled out a bit while the porters set up the tents and prepared lunch.

Our accommodation for the night.

Lunch was burgers and pasta salad. Not bad!

Following lunch we had a bit of rest time before heading out on a sunset hike.

Elephant remains (likely died from disease).

Termite Mound.

Hello! (Cool tree too!)

This herd went off in the other direction once they heard/saw/smelled us approaching.

At least they decided to retreat rather than attack!

In the background are Red Lechwe.

A beautiful end to the two hour hike!

Dinner was waiting for us upon the return from our trek. We had oxtail stew. It was good, but had I known tonight’s menu, I probably would have ordered something different for dinner last night! Oh well…

Following dinner, the porters demonstrated some local singing and dancing for us. A little touristy, but cute.

An ominous sign – thunder and lightning in the distance…

It started raining around 9pm, so we all headed to our tents. Tonight I’m sharing my accommodation with Juan. He’s originally from South Africa, but currently lives in Seattle, working in operations for a cruise line.

We had to close the screened window and entrance flaps on the tent due to the rain, thereby eliminating any breeze that might provide some relief from the heat. Ugh! We were required to bring our own sleeping bags on the tour, but I ended up not even using mine. I just slept (or tried to) in my clothes while lying on the cot. This could be a long night…

Travel Note: I ended up buying my sleeping bag at an outdoor supply shop in Harrow. I got lucky and found one on deep discount (originally £70, marked down to £27!). I was planning on just leaving it behind in Africa, but since I never used it, and it’s a nice compact size, I decided to keep it.

Monday, April 7 – transit from Kasane to Nata

Chobe National Park was founded in 1967 and covers 4,500 square miles. The park is best known for its massive population of elephants, who number in the hundreds of thousands. At Chobe, four countries come together: Botswana, Namibia, Zambia, and Zimbabwe (all visited on this trip).

Our ride for this morning’s safari. (photo was taken yesterday afternoon)

We departed the hotel promptly at 5:45 this morning (still dark). The ride to the park entrance was a little chilly, but only lasted about 10 minutes. The two land cruisers for our group were the first to arrive at the park, just before the 6am opening. Once there, our driver/guide was required to provide a list of his passengers to the park ranger. By the time all of the paperwork was completed another half dozen vehicles had arrived, ready to hit the park.

And hit it we did! Our safari company had spotters in the park prior to the opening, and had relayed any animal sightings to our driver via radio prior to our arrival. By the time we entered the park, daylight had broke and we were doing some serious motoring as we made or way to observed animal locations. Matt mentioned later that it felt like we were in a rally race car; good analogy, totally agree. One suggestion: hold on tight!

Our first wildlife encounter! Sadly, they were too busy eating to pose for me!

A Cape Fox

The fact that our group consisted of 11 people worked out well for today’s safari. That’s because the capacity of the land cruisers is 9 passengers. As a result, we broke up into two groups: 6 people in one, and 5 in ours. Plenty of room to get comfortable!

Whoa! What do we have here?

On the move…

Once an animal (or animals) is sighted, word is spread across the radios pretty quickly. Several trucks arrived for this!

That’s the land cruiser containing the rest of our group. They were in the perfect spot!

After the lion made its way into the brush, a few of the vehicles went off in search of other game. Several, like us, stuck around though. Why? Remember, there were two lions by the Chobe River. Our driver actually moved us a little further to the east, predicting where he thought the second lion would head. Turned out to be a brilliant move, because…

…he’s heading right for us!

Sitting next to me is Naima, from Lucerne, Switzerland. She was so transfixed by the approaching lion that she forgot hit the button to start the video function on her phone. Can’t blame her! I was just happy I had her between me and the predator! (Kidding!(mostly…))

Wow!

Thanks for stopping by…

Impala (or Rooibok)

Another sighting…

Buffalo crossing ahead!

Rest stop!

More buffalo…

Roan Antelope

Cute!

Amazing!

I kind of like this picture. There are so many elephants around us that while everyone is looking at the animals behind us, they’re missing the large male elephant approaching from the front!

There we go!

Wow! What an amazing morning. The encounters with the wildlife here reminded me of the Galapagos, where the animals are so comfortable with human interaction.

Sidenote: The government of Botswana adopted a shoot-to-kill policy against poachers in 2013 as a “legitimate conservation strategy” and “a necessary evil”, which has reduced poaching to the point it is thought to be “virtually non-existent” in the country.

After (another English) breakfast back at the hotel, we were on the road by 10:30am. Our destination is Nata, a 4 hour drive away.

Botswana is very flat (like Illinois!).

Rest stop…

…with its own warning sign!

We stopped in Kazungula for lunch and to restock our snacks and liquor supply.

The tour bus worked out well. Its capacity is 28 passengers (in a 2×2 configuration), so that meant that each of us could have a set of side-by-side seats to ourselves.

Travel Note: You may have noticed that I haven’t done very much walking since I joined the tour. I fear my World Record average daily step count is at risk!

We’ll be spending the night at Elephant Sands Lodge in Nata.

Accommodation is in these individual cabins.

My humble abode!

You’ll note that there are no mosquito nets (more on that later…).

Apparently this watering hole is popular with elephants during the dry season. As they’re just coming out of the rainy time of year here, we have horses. (no complaints!)

This is the reception/lounge/bar/dining area of the lodge. There is also a small pool. At the moment the tables are being prepared for this evening’s buffet dinner.

View of the main lodge building from my cabin’s porch.

Dinner was pretty good. I liked the dessert too (forgot to take a photo!) – a type of bread pudding with custard sauce. Yummmmmm.

It had been a long day, so most of us were ready for bed after dinner. Plus, the lodge shuts down at 10pm, which wasn’t too long after we finished eating. We weren’t allowed to walk back to our cabins after dark (possible animal encounters); a shuttle bus was used to drop us off.

Now, back to the mosquito nets (or lack thereof)…

This is the first accommodation on my trip that does not have air conditioning. And while there are screens on the windows, I noticed significant air gaps in the door frame and floor boards. Plenty of opportunities for mosquito entry! I therefore covered myself in bug spray and left the fan blowing on me at full blast all night to deter the beasts! Was I successful? Stay tuned…

Sunday, April 6 – transit from Victoria Falls to Kasane, Botswana

The group is hitting the road this morning. Destination: Botswana. We’re not departing super early though, so first…

…a nice (English) breakfast at the hotel.

Following our arrival in Kasane later today, we’ll be going on a sunset river cruise. There will be no food or drink provided, so we’re going to stop and pick up those things while we’re in transit. Fortunately our tour leader, Shadwell (Shaddie), was aware of the fact that the liquor stores in Botswana are closed on Sundays. Can you say Victoria Falls booze run?!?

Our ride to the border took about 90 minutes, and there was basically no waiting to get through immigration control (Sunday factor?). Citizens of the U.S. are able to enter Botswana without a visa. Sadly, foot and mouth disease is endemic here, so each of us also went through a shoe cleaning process (and at subsequent check points throughout our travels in the country). The tire treads on our bus were also cleaned.

(Photography was not allowed at the border control station)

A half hour later we were in the town of Kasane. Here we stopped at a little shopping center to pick up snacks for tonight’s cruise. Shaddie also suggested that we each buy a 5 liter bottle of drinking water, which would last us throughout the trip. This was also where we obtained some local currency, most of us via an ATM, but there was also a money exchange office in the shopping center. (I was able to use my credit card at the grocery store)

1 USD = 14 BWP (Botswana Pula)

Travel Note: While I’m thinking of it, kudos to both my credit card and debit/ATM card companies (Fidelity and Schwab, respectively). I had no issue using either of these cards at any stop on this south African journey. I provided each company with a detailed travel itinerary though; no doubt that was a factor in the success. I did have to make phone calls to clear a couple fraud alerts on my credit card, but that occurred when I was attempting to make online purchases (plane tickets and Namibian visa).

Our lodging for the night.

A nice little hotel.

Travel Note: You may have noticed the mosquito netting in my hotel rooms on this trip. Malaria is a concern in this part of the world, especially as we’re just coming out of the rainy season. I’ve taken anti-malaria pills in the past, but have not liked the side effects (nausea, fatigue). Therefore, on this trip I’ve just been vigilant in using insect repellent and clothing to prevent bites. And (spoiler alert) I’m happy to report that I was only bitten twice during the two week journey (ankle and knuckle)!

Our cruise this evening is on the Chobe River. Its origin is in Angola, where it is called the Cuando River. It then flows through Namibia’s Caprivi Strip and into the Linyanti Swamp on the northern border of Botswana. Below the swamp, the river is called the Linyanti, and further east, the Chobe, before it ultimately flows into the Zambezi River (the location of my hotel in Zambia, which feeds Victoria Falls).

We had a lot of space on our boat, which was nice.

A few elephants in the area…

You’ll notice that we weren’t the only boat on this part of the river.

Matt was my gin & tonic drinking buddy (throughout the trip!)! He’s a patent lawyer from east London. Nice guy.

Due to the sensitivity of their skin to the sun, hippos will stay in the water all day. Coming out only at night to feed.

Five more hippos lurking about.

Sidenote: Hippos are known to kill more humans than any other land animal in Africa, including in Botswana. Estimates suggest they cause around 500 human deaths annually. This is due to their territoriality and aggressive behavior, especially when protecting their young or when they feel threatened. They are known to charge boats and cause them to capsize, leading to drownings. Wait, what?!? (Fortunately. I think our boat is a little too large for that to happen…)

I typically don’t have much of anything worthwhile to say; Francisco (also from London) must be feigning interest to make me feel better!

This is a Puku, which can only be found here along the Chobe River near Kasane. They are one of Botswana’s protected animals.

A local guide joined us on the cruise.

Beautiful.

Here’s a photo of our boat.

Wait, how did I get this picture? Am I standing in the river (with the hippos!)? Hardly! I took this from another boat. And why am I on another boat? Because ours has run aground! Ugh!

We spent about a half an hour trying to maneuver out, but to no avail. Then another boat made its way over to try and tow us out. No go. All of our group eventually transferred over to this other boat (exact same type as the one we were just on, from the same tour company).

Our new craft had quite a few passengers already onboard; made for tight quarters on the remainder of the cruise. I felt bad for this other group, as they wasted time trying to tow us out, and then we invaded their space. It all worked out though, and we ended up sharing our alcohol and snacks with them!

Hippos lit by the setting sun.

Buffalo ahead…

Pretty late afternoon glow.

A photo of our group (and the boat operator, the one who didn’t run aground!) with the sunset as a backdrop.

Very enjoyable, despite hitting the sandbar!

Following the cruise, our group reconvened at the hotel for dinner.

I went with bream fillet (again), with a bottle of cider, and…

…ice cream (with sprinkles)! Cost of dinner: 215 BWP ($15). This was good, but the bream fillet at my Zambian hotel was better!

A fun day; this is a good group of people! (whew!)

It wasn’t a late night, as we’ll be departing at 5:45am tomorrow for a Safari in Chobe National Park. Can’t wait!

Thursday, April 3 – transit from Livingstone to Victoria Falls, Zimbabwe

I’m heading to Zimbabwe this morning. My route will be as follows:

• Taxi to the Zambia Border Station (very close to the entrance to the Zambian Victoria Falls, 150 ZMW)
• Walk across the Victoria Falls Bridge to the Zimbabwe Border Station
• Continue the walk to my hotel

The Zambian Border Control Station. There was no wait here; just a quick interaction with the immigration officer. Not too difficult to leave a country (well, usually!)!

Trucks lined up, waiting to cross into Zimbabwe.

The bungee jumping location on the bridge.

View of the falls from the bridge (Boiling Pot to the right).

Close up of Boiling Pot.

Welcome to Zimbabwe!

The Zimbabwe Border Control Station. It was about a 30 minute walk between the two border posts. I could have taken a taxi, but you know, that cheapness thing! Plus, it probably wouldn’t have been much quicker, as traffic on the bridge was pretty ugly.

There was a little bit of a line to enter the station, but it was mainly populated by locals. I was the only one in the queue who needed to acquire a visa. That went pretty quickly though; took 15 minutes and cost $30 for a single entry visa. And I had a nice conversation with the immigration officer as my visa was being processed!

And continuing my anti-taxi attitude, I decided to walk to my hotel. That took about an hour, which included a few rest stops (and navigation checks) along the way (I was carrying my luggage, after all!).

The high temperatures in this region were consistently in the upper 80s. I worked up a little bit of a sweat during the walk!

The Drift Inn is located in a quiet area outside of the Victoria Falls city center, which I liked. It abuts the Victoria Falls National Park; but unlike my stay in Zambia, it was alright to walk outside of the compound. Well, during daylight hours only!

Kind of cool that I was assigned the Botswana room, since that will be the next stop on my trip!

$105/night (including breakfast)

The hotel and the grounds are lovely.

I hit the pool soon after check-in! (That’s a bar and lounge area in the background)

Travel Note: The US dollar is the preferred currency in Victoria Falls, which is convenient. And credit cards are readily accepted. Even better!

Friday, April 4 – Victoria Falls

I have a singular focus today: Victoria Falls. But first…

…a hearty English breakfast. Very good!

A couple from Switzerland sat with me at breakfast. They’re on a 5 month driving trip through southern Africa. Wow! She’s on a 6 month furlough from her job with the International Olympic Committee, and he’ll be looking for a new job when they get back. Very adventurous!

On my way to the falls…

Understood!

It was a 40 minute walk to the falls. The entrance fee is $50 (compared to $19 on the Zambian side!).

There are 16 different viewpoints of the falls within the park. Let’s get to it!

A rather overcast (and misty!) day. Not very picturesque unfortunately, but at least the cloud cover makes it a little cooler!

It hasn’t been raining. That’s spray/mist from the falls!

This is interesting…

…I like the jury-rigged support!

Are those blue skies I see in the distance?

Dr. Livingstone, I presume? (he’s everywhere!)

More blue skies. I’m hopeful!

I did not spend much time at this viewpoint. I was getting soaked very quickly!

Like on the Zambian side, I didn’t venture far on the paths here that were basically getting rained upon. Not my idea of fun! Loser! I know…

Clearing up. Worth the wait!

Wow!

Rainbows everywhere. I love it!

My favorite photo from the time in the park.

(In fact, tomorrow I’ll be joining a tour group as I venture into Botswana. When I showed the photo above to the group, one of them pulled out a postcard with the exact same picture. Nice!)

I ended up spending over 4 hours in the park. And I’m obviously happy that I did! This is a perfect example of why I do not like to be on a schedule; I was able to wait out the overcast sky conditions.

So, which side of the falls did I prefer, Zambia or Zimbabwe? Probably kind of obvious that it was Zimbabwe. But I’m happy that I did both. The hike to Boiling Pot was fun. And it’s so easy to navigate between the two countries that it seems like it would be a waste to travel all this way and not see both sides.

Travel Note: I became aware of The Seven Natural Wonders of the World upon my visit to the park today. Are you familiar with the list? Here it is…

• Aurora Borealis, aka The Northern Lights
• Grand Canyon, United States (been there)
• Great Barrier Reef, Oceania (been there, with Holly!)
• Harbor of Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
• Mount Everest, Nepal and Tibet (been there, kind of, via a flyover)
• Parícutin, Mexico
• Victoria Falls, Zambia and Zimbabwe (been there, both sides)

So, four out of seven; guess I have some work to do!

Saturday, April 5 – Victoria Falls

I’m switching hotels today because I’m joining a tour group this evening that will take me into Botswana tomorrow.

Shearwater Explorers Village is a large complex located close to the Victoria Falls entrance. Some might think the proximity to the falls is a good thing, but I didn’t. That’s due to the fact that sightseeing helicopters were constantly flying overhead. The noise was a little annoying!

I much preferred the solitude and intimacy of the Drift Inn. Oh well, it’s only one night!

Entrance to the resort.

My bungalow.

The room was included in the cost of the tour. (I paid extra for the single supplement)

Dining/Bar area.

Our group was getting together this evening for an orientation and dinner. So I spent the rest of the afternoon roaming around the town of Victoria Falls.

A sculpture garden located near the entrance to the falls.

I was going to grab a drink at The Lookout Cafe, known for it’s view of the Batoka Gorge (downstream of the falls and bridge); but all of the seats with the view were occupied. Oh well…

A view of the gorge from the cafe.

I thought I had brought all of the plug adapters I needed with me, but no! This oddball is the configuration used in this part of southern Africa. Fortunately these first hotels I’ve stayed at had plugs that allowed for varying types of configurations (including U.S.). I’m not confident that that will be the case in Botswana though, so I picked this up at an electronics store for $3.

The only issue was that it’s an adapter for a U.K. plug. Doh! No problem; I’ll just plug my U.K.-to-U.S. adapter into this!

As you have probably surmised, there wasn’t very much to see in the town of Victoria Falls.

The tour I booked is through G Adventures, and covers 8 days, 6 of those in Botswana. But in reality, it’s basically a 6 day tour, because day 1 is just a meetup in Victoria Falls (today), and day 8 is the departure from Windhoek, Namibia. And if you want to break it down even further, there are only 5 days of activities – day 7 consists of an 8 hour road trip from Botswana into Namibia.

Our group consisted of 11 people – one couple and 9 solo travelers. That ratio surprised me! It’s a wide age range too – the lone couple is a little older than me, but the solos are mostly in their 30s and 40s (one is in his 50s). There were 5 solo women and 4 solo men. The breakdown by country is:

• Canada – 3
• United Kingdom – 3
• United States – 2 (both of us from Wisconsin. Crazy!)
• Germany – 1
• South Africa – 1 (currently living in Seattle)
• Switzerland – 1

Our group leader/guide and driver were both locals, from Zimbabwe and Namibia, respectively.

After our orientation meeting at the hotel, we all went to a nearby restaurant for dinner. The place chosen was very touristy, with all of the diners that I could see being westerners. Seriously! Not off to a good start. I’ll keep you posted!

Travel Note: I typically avoid going on group tours, preferring to set my own itinerary and schedule. There are certain instances though when it seems like the best option (like here in southern Africa). Below is a list of the other tours I’ve been a part of:

• Costa Rica
• Kruger National Park
• Peru / Machu Picchu
• Egypt (incl a Nile river cruise)
• Galapagos Islands

I will say that for each of the above tours, my time with the groups has been very enjoyable. We all got along well. In fact, I’m still in touch with one person from the Costa Rica trip that was 25 years ago. Maybe the comradery is due to the fact that we all are of a similar (travel) mindset. Hopefully my experience on this tour will be similar. Fingers crossed!

Okay, I’m back in Madison! And as I struggle with jet lag (must be an old age thing…), it’s time to (finally!) finish up the trip with the Entries from my southern Africa adventure. Let’s do this!

Monday, March 31 – transit from London to Nairobi, Kenya

My flight on Kenya Airways departs at 6:30 tonight out of Heathrow Terminal 4. That makes it a little inconvenient to take the SL9 bus, but I’m stubborn (and cheap!). So, my path to Terminal 4 was as follows:

• SL9 bus to Heathrow Central Bus Station
• Piccadilly Line train back towards Central London,
• Exit at the Hatton Cross station in order to transfer to the Piccadilly train that will take me back to Terminal 4 (train rides are free when transferring between Heathrow terminals)

Ninety minutes after leaving Byron House I arrived at Terminal 4. Not the most efficient (I had the time), but inexpensive!

While waiting for my flight, I was lucky to witness this massive BA A380 on takeoff. Always amazed to see these massive beasts defy gravity!

Kenya Airways boards their flights by row number, starting from the back of the plane. Brilliant!

The 8 hour flight aboard the 787 (Dreamliner) was full. I had a window seat and was able to sleep a little. I sat next to a man from Johannesburg who is studying Computer Science at the University of Pennsylvania. Impressive! However, he is currently enjoying a semester abroad at the University of Edinburgh. Doubly impressive! He was taking advantage of a break in the term to make a return visit to Johannesburg.

Tuesday, April 1 – transit from Nairobi to Livingstone, Zambia

We arrived in Nairobi around 5am, and the layover for my Livingstone connection was 2 1/2 hours. That flight was on a full 737 and lasted 3 hours. The plane continued on to Cape Town, and it surprised me that probably 80% of the passengers stayed onboard. I assumed that Livingstone was a more popular destination. The cost of my one-way flight from London was £498 ($621); purchased at the end of January. (most likely could have saved money if I had my act together and purchased it further in advance!)

On the tarmac in Livingstone.

I must say that the Zambian immigration and customs officers were very friendly. Kind of a rare occurrence!

The taxi ride from the airport to my hotel took about 20 minutes and cost 550 Zambian Kwacha – ZMW ($20).

I’m beat! This was a long travel day(s). I left Byron House around 2pm (Livingstone time) yesterday, and arrived at the hotel around noon.

Travel Note: The African continent is HUGE! I incurred 11 hours of flying time, heading due south from London to Livingstone, and there is still another 3 hours of flying to reach the southern tip in Cape Town. I’m not sure the size of Africa is fully understood. This is likely due to the fact that the world map most of us are familiar with is the Mercator projection, which depicts the Earth’s surface onto a flat plane, preserving angles and shapes. However, it distorts the size of landmasses, especially as you move away from the equator.

As an alternate, there is the Peters Projection map that accurately represents the relative sizes of countries while distorting their shapes.

Kind of blows your mind, right? It did me!

For those of you interested in geography/cartography, I encourage you to watch an entertaining 4 minute clip from The West Wing that covers this topic. The link is here.

The Victoria Falls Waterfront Hotel. It is located on the northern bank of the Zambezi River, within the Mosi-oa-Tunya National Park. Because the hotel is located inside the park, there was no walking allowed outside of the compound’s walls, as it was deemed too dangerous (animal attacks). I took this picture just outside the gate, and there was a guard standing by while I was doing so (probably overkill, but I wasn’t complaining!).

Hotel Reception

Noted!

My room is on the left.

$104/night (including breakfast).

Nice pool area.

Dining/Bar area.

There’s a little pool in the dining area.

After roaming around the property and relaxing in my room, I was ready for some dinner…

I led off with a Caipirinha (Mainstay, Sugar & Lemon). 60 ZMW ($2).

Dinner was a Whole Zambezi Bream with onion rings and vegetables. 330 ZMW ($12). It was very good. The waitress said that typically the entire fish is eaten, including the head and tail, but I just stuck to the midsection!

Finished the meal with a Mojito. 140 ZMW ($5).

A beautiful end to the day!

Sidenote: Livingstone is named after famed Scottish explorer David Livingstone, the first European to view Victoria Falls. (“Dr. Livingstone, I presume?”)

Travel Note: As I was researching this trip last fall, I reviewed the recommendations on the CDC website for the various countries I anticipated visiting. Noted for Zambia, Zimbabwe and Botswana was an outbreak of polio. I therefore chose to get a booster dose of the polio vaccine. I originally checked with my private health insurance provider in December to see whether or not the shot was covered. It wasn’t, and the cost would be $100. However, since I would be transitioning to Medicare on January 1st, I decided to wait and see if they would cover it. Success! Fully covered. One (of the few) advantage(s) of getting old!

Wednesday, April 2 – Livingstone

I slept great last night – 10 hours of solid sleep! That’s good, because I have a busy day planned: a visit to Victoria Falls and the Livingstone City Center.

A view from the hotel dining area at breakfast. Those aren’t smoke plumes, it is mist from Victoria Falls!

It’s a 15 minute drive to the Falls from the hotel. The cost of the taxi was 150 ZMW ($5). You know I typically prefer to avoid taxis, but in this case there was no option (no walking outside of the hotel grounds). I ended up using the same driver throughout the day (hotel to falls, falls to city center, city center to hotel). That was the recommendation by the hotel staff, as sometimes taxis are difficult to find. And it worked out well, the driver was nice and dependable. The only part I didn’t like was having to set a schedule with the driver. I gave myself plenty of time at each location though, so no issues.

Victoria Falls are a mile wide, spanning the Zambezi River between Zambia and Zimbabwe and dropping 360 feet, roughly twice the height of Niagara. David Livingstone named the falls in 1855 in honor of Queen Victoria. The view of the falls from Zimbabwe is generally considered better than that from Zambia. I’ll be checking it out from both sides over the next few days, and will let you know if I concur!

The entry fee to the Falls is 540 ZMW ($19).

Dr. Livingstone, I presume?

My first activity was a hike down to the Boiling Pot, a whirlpool located in the gorge beneath the falls.

It was a moderately steep trail, through a lush tropical forest.

This view made the hike worth it!

Although it got a little misty at times!

A bungee jumper from Victoria Falls Bridge. No thanks!

I’ll be crossing that bridge tomorrow as I make my way to Zimbabwe (the Zambezi River serves as the border between the two countries).

Making my way back up the trail…

Spotted along the path!

It got pretty steep at times. It actually wore me out a bit. That surprised me, considering all of the walking I’ve been doing. Maybe it’s jet lag? Yeah, definitely jet lag!

I was planning on taking a break on this bench on the way back up, but it was sadly occupied. And didn’t think attempting to share would be a good idea!

A view of the falls from the rim of the gorge. In the foreground is Knife Edge Bridge (more about that later).

Another view from the gorge rim. Boiling Point can be seen in the lower right. Knife Edge Bridge is on the right, and the Zimbabwean portion of the falls in the center left.

I was once again wearing my UW baseball cap today, and as I walked along the rim I encountered a couple from Minnesota who recognized the motion W logo. Fun!

The Victoria Falls Bridge.

I’ve now made my way closer to Knife Edge Bridge and other viewing points.

More moisture! This probably isn’t the best time of year to be visiting the falls. The region is just coming out of their rainy season, so the falls are at full force, generating a significant mist (basically a light rain). I had a poncho and umbrella with me; I used the latter, but not the former.

These two hearty souls are making their way across Knife Edge Bridge. I passed. I know, I’m a wimp! I just didn’t think getting soaked would be all that much fun.

Some views of the Zambezi River feeding the falls…

This was fun! Very impressed by Victoria Falls. Will the Zimbabwe side be better? We’ll find out in a couple days…

My driver was waiting for me as I exited the park. Time to check out the city of Livingstone. The ride to the city center took 15 minutes and cost 150 ZMW ($5).

The Livingstone Museum. I didn’t go in.

Dr. Livingstone, I presume?

Cathedral of St. Theresa

I like this mural!

So, there is a museum in Livingstone that intrigued me. It is a combination Railway Museum and…

…Jewish Museum. Really?

Well, as I approached I could see that it was pretty run down. And the entry fee is $15. Seriously? To see the falls was only $19; no way I’m paying $15 for this.

As I made my way back to town I came across this outdoor art gallery. I spoke to one of the artists, and the prices were reasonable. Something to think about…

The styles seemed unique, until…

…I stopped by this curio market and saw many of the same types of artwork here. Oh well!

I did a fair amount of walking around in Livingstone, but there really wasn’t much to see. I’m happy I checked it out though.

Fuel Price Check: 34.98 ZMW/liter = 4.75 USD/gallon.

Once again, my driver was waiting for me at the appointed time and place. Thank you! The ride back to the hotel took another 15 minutes, and once again cost 150 ZMW.

Travel Note: Like in the Caribbean, the taxis here are used mini vans imported from Japan. Both countries drive on the left with RHD vehicles. I can tell the vans are from the Japan by the script on their display panels. Kind of interesting where these vehicles end up.

Dinner tonight was once again at the hotel, overlooking the Zambezi River…

I started with the Sunset Cocktail (Malibu, Strawberry Liqueur, Fresh Orange Juice). Had to, right? 160 ZMW ($6).

I chose the Bream again for dinner, but went with the fillet tonight instead of the whole fish. Probably the better call. 390 ZMW ($14). Tasty! The glass of wine was 70 ZMW ($2.50).

This was a good day in Zambia!

Travel Note: I forgot to take a picture of my Zambian money! Here’s a photo I downloaded…

Tuesday, April 22 – Harrow on the Hill

Today will be my last trip into Central London before I travel back to Madison on Thursday. And it’s a lovely day, so my plan is to visit some parks. Let’s go!

My first stop will be a return to Holland Park in Kensington. I was there on Saturday, but it was so jammed with visitors that I spent very little time there. Will today be less crowded? Fingers crossed…

On the way to the Park, I came across a couple interesting homes…

8 Melbury Road – The Marcus Stone House (ca. 1875)

The Tower House, 29 Melbury Road (ca. 1881). The current owner of the house is Led Zeppelin’s Jimmy Page, who bought the house in 1972, outbidding David Bowie.

Holland Park is spread across 54 acres of what used to be the grounds of Cope Castle, a large Jacobean mansion built it in the early 17th century.

And thankfully, there were few visitors to the park this morning…

The Kyoto Garden was built to commemorate the friendship between Japan and Great Britain. It was erected for a Japanese festival in 1991.

As I made my way to Kensington Gardens (via Embassy Row), here are a few more sights that interested me…

The rest of my walk took me through Kensington Gardens, Hyde Park, Green Park, and St. James’s Park. I’ve pretty much photographed those areas to death over the years, so I’ll save you the agony, and post just a few more…

A shame Kensington Palace is covered in scaffolding!

Something seems amiss here!

This was a wonderful final walk around the Capital parks!