Morning PZ Lovers!
Last weekend the PZ massive plus our staff member Ailsa ventured to Livingstone- the Zambian side of the Victoria Falls. We started off from a very hectic Lusaka Bus Terminal, being mauled by over-eager coach salesmen, at 6:00, for a departure time of 6:30- but being in Zambia we were doubtful of leaving before 10:00. Alas it turns out the only thing that runs according to British standards here in Zambia is the Bus system: so we left promptly at 6:30. After a 6 hour journey south, accompanied by Westlife, Backstreet Boys and the massive phenomenon Celine Dion, we arrived at our destination, enthusiastic to throw ourselves off bridges, down rivers and into whatever strange scenarios we came across. Our first hiccup came when we appeared at Jollyboys Hostel reception to find no booking under our name- just one twin room for Ailsa. After negotiating to negotiate in the morning, we settled in our dorm and left for the natural wonder of the world Livingstone is famous for. After being told by Mel (the new SIA sport ambassador) to be prepared to get wet, we rocked up in shorts and t-shirts-some less suitable for a drenching than others. We ventured across the knife’s edge bridge to find the only rainfall in Zambia. The spray from the falls was incredible, reaching at least the height of the falls again (111ft in case you were wondering) above the gorge height. After a good ol’british photo session we took the bus back to town for a nice meal at a restaurant ran and staffed by local youth workers- being trained on the job.
The next day was the big one, rafting down the Zambezi River. After nervously meandering our way down a sheer, wooden ladder system we reached the bottom of the gorge, split into Team Zambezi (Harriet, Lyndsay, Sheila and I) and Team Awesome (Ailsa, Siena, Tom and Kyle) and started our journey through rapids 10-25. After several capsizes- some purposeful, some not – we safely made our exit to lunch served alongside the river- watching the Lions test. After, we made our way on to the sunset cruise to have dinner and drinks under the twilight of the Zambian moon.
The next day began bright and early for Tom and me, with micro lighting over the Victoria Falls. The feeling of flying over such an incredible sight – the locals call it Mosi o Tundra (The Smoke that Thunders) - was indescribable. We flew over herds of elephants, giraffes and zebras, hippos snoozing upstream in the Zambezi, deserted hotels in Zimbabwe as well as circling the falls several times for some excellent video opportunities. Meanwhile the rest of the girls and Ailsa went on the hunt for the “Big Five” on a game drive through the national park. Seeing the majority of the animals in the natural environment was an experience definitely worthwhile, and the chance to see some giraffes doing what animals do best was, I’m sure, an everlasting memory.
Our final day kicked off with breakfast on the edge of the falls, and when I say edge I mean about half a metre away, on a slippery rock, with a random Zambian holding your hand as a ‘health and safety precaution’. This was where Dr Livingstone saw the falls for the first time and for us, a breathtaking encounter in the morning sunshine, with rainbows framing the falls. Lyndsay and Siena, inspired by Tom’s and my adventures, also took to the skies micro lighting in the afternoon. In their opinion “The scariest yet most amazing experience of their lives!” I (blowing my entire life’s savings) decided to gorge swing over the Zambezi- involving a jump similar to a bungee jump, except not upside down, facing forwards with a freefall of 55ft, (check out the jump at Abseil Zambia on Facebook –an innocent plus that I promised) which was completely exhilarating. Everyone was far too scared to even watch let alone take part (just kidding). Tom also went on his lion walk, which consisted of distracting the rather sizeable lions with a stick so that you could stroke them.
All in all a fantastic weekend and an awesome break from the hustle and bustle of Lusaka and a deserved break after five weeks of hard work even if Kyle and Matt did miss out on seeing the British Lions.
Lots of Love
Katie (and the PZ team)
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Hi guys! This is just an opportunity for you at home to keep updated on how things are going at our end of PZ. We will be updating as often as we can, with photos, videos and no doubt some strange stories of experiences we couldn't have imagined. Take Care PZ Team xxx
