The challenge my sister issued to me for this blog post title was to use both metaphor and personification. This was the best I could come up with. I don't even have any idea if what I wrote is actually personification, but leprechauns are persons after all so I feel like I can at least make a good case for it.
Where we left off, I was getting ready to head over the border from Zambia across the Zambezi River into Zimbabwe (also known as Zam, Zam, Zim.) Along the way, there was some potential for a bungee jumping adventure if I felt so inclined. Bungee jumping had never been that high on my "to do" list, but I figured if I was ever going to do it, a bridge across the Zambezi River with Victoria Falls as a backdrop was as good a place as any. As such, I left my hostel with all my bags and walked to the bus depot where I got a cab to the border. I then got stamped out of the country, trekked with my two backpacks into "no man's land" and walked up a set of stairs to the Victoria Falls Visitor Centre at the start of the Victoria Falls Bridge. I went over to the woman at the bungee jump center and told her that I didn't have a reservation, but I was interested in possibly jumping. She ended up talking me into doing the "Big Air" triple play that Wouke had done the day before--slide (zip line), bridge swing and bungee. It did seem like a decent deal because the jump cost $120, but the package of three was only $35 more. It was like getting one activity for free. Besides, Wouke wanted me to compare the jump and the swing to tell her which one I thought was scarier.
As it turned out, I was the first customer of the day, which totally didn't put any pressure on me or anything. Before I knew it, I was in a harness and heading to slide off the cliff on a cable across the river to Zimbabwe. Even though I was hanging 420 feet above the rushing water below, I had been on a zip line several times before so I wasn't that nervous as I soared across the canyon. I was able to look around and enjoy the view of the waterfall on the other side of the bridge while I started to psyche myself up for what was still to come. When I reached the far side of the river, I got unhooked and made my way halfway across the bridge to the jumping platform for my second activity.
Shortly after I got onto the bridge, a second customer arrived who was going to be jumping right after me. Like Wouke, I had hoped to do the swing before the bungee to save the main event for last. For some reason, the operators like to do the bungee first and, instead of arguing, I decided to go along with it, since they pointed out that if I did the bungee first and then chickened out of the swing, at least I would have gotten to do the primary activity. That made sense so I changed into the bungee harness then watched as one of the employees "tested" the rope and demonstrated how we were supposed to dive outwards for a successful jump. Before I knew it, it was my turn and I was having towels wrapped around my calves with the bungee cord attached to a harness. Meanwhile, another employee was wandering around with a video camera asking me all sorts of questions as if I wasn't nervous enough already. As the one worker prepped me, I started pestering him with a bunch of what ifs? What if the rope breaks? It won't break. Well, there was that one Australian woman whose rope broke just recently, I reminded him. Yeah, but that's the only time that's ever happened. Okay, then what if I have a heart attack on the way down? Do you have any history of heart problems? Well, no, but...
Next thing I knew, I was standing at the edge of the bridge trying very hard not to look down. I kept asking for a few more moments so I could breathe and get into my "zen" place, but the operator eventually pointed out that there was a guy hanging off the bridge who I was apparently weighing down or something so I realized I couldn't selfishly wait any longer. 5-4-3-2-1, BUNGEE! I didn't so much dive or jump outward as instructed as rather fall forward off the platform. I guess that was all I was able to muster under the circumstances. The 333-foot plunge down actually wasn't that bad, though the bounce back did hurt a little and made me a tad bit nauseous so I wasn't really able to enjoy the view of the falls. Also, the longer I hung there bouncing upside down, the more I felt like my sneakers were coming undone and were going to fall off. In my mind, that meant that the towels with the bungee cord attached could then slip off my feet, causing me to drop into the rapids below just like my Australian predecessor. By the time the recovery guy reached me, I grabbed onto him so tightly before he was even able to rehook the cable and bring me up. I don't think that made him very happy. I learned later that each bounce was actually making the harness tighter, though it certainly didn't feel that way to me.
Once I was safely back on the bridge scaffolding, I was finally able to breathe. However, I still had one activity to go--the swing, which according to Wouke was the worst of the three. I hooked myself on the safety line, walked along the scaffolding under the bridge to the Zimbabwe side and then crossed back over the bridge to the platform, shaking the whole time. I had to change harnesses again and then was hooked to the line at about chest height for the feet-first jump off the bridge. With the memory of the first jump still fresh in my mind, this time I was even more hesitant to take the plunge. I was actually surprised at how scared I really was because I've never had anything more than a normal fear of heights and daredevil activities. I mean I had jumped out of an airplane before, for heaven's sake.
As I slowly approached the platform edge, I kept a firm grasp on the jump operator while repeating, "I can't do this. I can't do this" over and over again until I was practically crying. I begged for more time, but he told me it was only going to get harder the longer I waited. The guy who edited my video later said that I stood at the edge for more than a minute without jumping. As I stood there, the operator told me to look at the hotel on the banks of the river and think about something that made me happy. I got a word in my head and with that word ringing in my ears, finally took one small step off the platform into the abyss below. As I plummeted downward like a kamikaze plane, my stomach leapt into my throat. Just as Wouke described, for the few moments I was in freefall, I truly felt like I was going to die. I thought the line would never catch and I would keep going down until I ended up SPLAT! on the ground. It wasn't so much that my life flashed before my eyes (there wasn't enough time) as that I just sensed imminent death. Then mercifully, the rope pulled taut and I started swinging back and forth. Just as I reached the height of the first swing, I let out my first scream of the day (more like a whoop) out of relief that I had made it through the three events alive more than anything else. As I swung back and forth waiting to be recovered, I was able to enjoy the scenery for the first time and revel in having overcome my extreme fear. Yet, I still held on for dear life when the guy came to get me as I had this irrational fear that the cable might suddenly break. I couldn't scramble back onto the bridge scaffolding fast enough. Despite that, I had a lump in my throat when I thanked the guys for keeping me safe because I really did appreciate it. I have to agree that the swing was scarier than the bungee jump and even sky diving because you can actually see the ground.
When I made it back onto dry land, I ended up deciding to purchase the photos and video of the bungee and swing since I figured I would never be doing that ever again and I should have some actual proof that it happened. I then took a spin around the Visitors Centre and learned about the history of the bridge before I headed across the bridge into Zimbabwe. When I got to immigration, I happily discovered that it was only $30 for a visa for Americans rather than the $50 I had expected. I had originally planned to pay $100 to go back and forth between Zambia and Zimbabwe so it was nice to find out I was only out $30 in addition to the $100 I had been scammed earlier. After crossing the border on foot, I caught a cab for the ten-minute ride to the camping lodge in the town of Victoria Falls where I had a reservation for the night.
For those of you who haven't been, I have determined that Zimbabwe and the United States are basically the same place. For one thing, they speak English in Zimbabwe. Also, their currency is the US dollar. Then finally there's the massive waterfall along the international border with their northern neighbor, Zambia (a.k.a. African Canada.) The only real difference between the two countries is that Zimbabwe has been ruled by an evil dictator for the past 30 years. So yeah, I guess that's kind of a big thing. In the past decade, Robert Mugabe's rule led to massive hyperinflation, which resulted in the destruction of Zimbabwe's currency and astronomical unemployment rates. Things are starting to get a little better, but they're still not great. That's one reason I struggled to find a bank that would cash my traveler's checks even though they were in US currency (I really needed more dollars.) I finally found the one bank in town that would do it and they charged me a huge commission fee, but I had no real choice in the matter.
In between trying to cash my checks and heading to Victoria Falls State Park, I stopped by the tourist information office to inquire about a bus going to the Botswana border. The man I spoke to inside the center was very helpful and told me that there were no public transport companies that took that route because it went through a game reserve. However, he said that he might be able to arrange a ride for me with a tour company that was headed over the border to Chobe National Park the next morning. He told me to come back before they closed at 5:00pm and he would let me know for certain. I had no other way to get down to Botswana short of going back into Zambia so I crossed my fingers that it would work out.
By that time it was after midday so I spent the rest of the afternoon in the national park on the Zimbabwe side of Victoria Falls. It's true what they say about the falls being somewhat more impressive from that side as visitors can see a much wider overall vista. Only about 20% of the system can be seen from Zambia and the other 80% is visible from Zimbabwe. I walked from one end where the river was flowing calmly near a statue of Scottish explorer, David Livingstone, to the other where I could see the Victoria Falls Bridge. It was a bit easier to avoid getting soaked than in Zambia, but there was one section near the Horseshoe Falls where the rain came down so heavily that it was impossible to see the actual waterfall behind the mist. I had come a bit better prepared this time, wearing flip flops and a bathing suit under my clothes. I still didn't have an umbrella or raincoat, though, and thus got totally wet in any case. My camera, which had stopped working the day before when it got wet, was functioning again, though the LCD display screen was now broken, so I couldn't actually see what I was taking pictures of. I snapped away at the near perfectly arcing rainbows that appeared over the rainforest without having any idea if the photos were actually going to turn out. Seeing that symbol of hope over and over after the triumph over my fears earlier in the day, made me feel renewed and excited about the next stage of my journey that was yet to come.
As the afternoon wore on, I realized that I needed to hurry back to the park entrance in order to get a cab back to the tourist office on time. As I raced down the path away from the waterfall, a bushbuck antelope leaped right out in front of me and then a short time later, an older couple walking ahead of me pointed out a group of vervet monkeys hanging out in nearby trees. Once I got back to the entrance I noted that having spotted a banded mongoose and several warthogs earlier in the day, I had seen all of the mammals that were posted on a sign about wildlife in the park. I felt pretty fortunate to have such good luck. My luck continued when I arrived at the tourist information office and the man who had helped me earlier told me that he had found a ride for me with a safari company going into Botswana early the following morning. I had to pay about $30 for the trip, but I figured it was worth a little extra money to have a comfortable ride and avoid having to go back into Zambia.
Late in the afternoon once I returned to the lodge, I made an attempt to catch some of the waning rays of sun that were shining down. The area around the pool was completely shaded by that point so I tried to find a stretch of grass where I could lay out my towel. However, just as I was taking off my flip flops to sit on the towel, I noticed that I had placed the towel on and was stepping into a patch of nettles. A few of the painful prickers stuck to my foot and I was able to pluck them out and put my shoe back on, but then had to spend the next ten minutes plucking dozens more off the bottoms and sides of my shoes and towel. When my painful task was finally completed, I walked over to the pool area to sit down until I was convinced to join a Zimbabwean family that was swimming in the water. The family lives in the UK, but was back for a vacation to visit relatives. I swam with them for about half an hour until I started to get cold and got out to take a shower.
That night I was feeling adventurous so I ordered the crocodile steak that was on special at the lodge's restaurant. The meat was a bit more gamey than I usually like, but I'm glad I gave it a try. After dinner, I tried to settle in for an early night since I had to get up before dawn, but the bar across the street had other plans for me. I didn't mind at first when I was just overhearing a traditional Zimbabwean choir that was performing for some overland tour goers, but when the bar started cranking up the tunes it was nearly too much to bear. I was still awake when an American college student who was on the tour returned to the dorm room some time after midnight. We chatted a bit in the dark, even though we couldn't actually see each other. Some time after 2:00am, the music finally stopped and I was able to get a little bit of rest after a long and eventful day.
Shortly after I got onto the bridge, a second customer arrived who was going to be jumping right after me. Like Wouke, I had hoped to do the swing before the bungee to save the main event for last. For some reason, the operators like to do the bungee first and, instead of arguing, I decided to go along with it, since they pointed out that if I did the bungee first and then chickened out of the swing, at least I would have gotten to do the primary activity. That made sense so I changed into the bungee harness then watched as one of the employees "tested" the rope and demonstrated how we were supposed to dive outwards for a successful jump. Before I knew it, it was my turn and I was having towels wrapped around my calves with the bungee cord attached to a harness. Meanwhile, another employee was wandering around with a video camera asking me all sorts of questions as if I wasn't nervous enough already. As the one worker prepped me, I started pestering him with a bunch of what ifs? What if the rope breaks? It won't break. Well, there was that one Australian woman whose rope broke just recently, I reminded him. Yeah, but that's the only time that's ever happened. Okay, then what if I have a heart attack on the way down? Do you have any history of heart problems? Well, no, but...
When I made it back onto dry land, I ended up deciding to purchase the photos and video of the bungee and swing since I figured I would never be doing that ever again and I should have some actual proof that it happened. I then took a spin around the Visitors Centre and learned about the history of the bridge before I headed across the bridge into Zimbabwe. When I got to immigration, I happily discovered that it was only $30 for a visa for Americans rather than the $50 I had expected. I had originally planned to pay $100 to go back and forth between Zambia and Zimbabwe so it was nice to find out I was only out $30 in addition to the $100 I had been scammed earlier. After crossing the border on foot, I caught a cab for the ten-minute ride to the camping lodge in the town of Victoria Falls where I had a reservation for the night.
That night I was feeling adventurous so I ordered the crocodile steak that was on special at the lodge's restaurant. The meat was a bit more gamey than I usually like, but I'm glad I gave it a try. After dinner, I tried to settle in for an early night since I had to get up before dawn, but the bar across the street had other plans for me. I didn't mind at first when I was just overhearing a traditional Zimbabwean choir that was performing for some overland tour goers, but when the bar started cranking up the tunes it was nearly too much to bear. I was still awake when an American college student who was on the tour returned to the dorm room some time after midnight. We chatted a bit in the dark, even though we couldn't actually see each other. Some time after 2:00am, the music finally stopped and I was able to get a little bit of rest after a long and eventful day.
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