Livingstone - The last part of our GSE adventure was spent in Livingstone - home of the Victoria Falls. We had sent through a number of recreational activity requests to the Rotary Club of Livingstone, and the club was very accommodating! On Saturday we headed across the border to Botswana to a game park in Chombe. This was an amazing day for the team. We crossed the Zambia / Botswana border in a small boat before jumping into an open jeep for our game-spotting adventure. In the morning we were on the water, where we saw herds or elephants playing, eating and drinking along the river bank. As well as pods of hippos and a number of crocodiles that were all to close to the boat for my liking! We saw one croc enjoying his breakfast of impala (small deer), which the other crocs were eyeing off jealously...
In the afternoon we went through the game park in the jeep and saw a number of other animals, including giraffe, baboons, more impala, mongoose, and a number of native birds. We went along the river bank and were within a few metres of the elephants.
The next day saw us take flight over Victoria Falls. Chris. Ryan and myself opted to travel in a microlight - a small two seater plane without any walls with an engine that sounds like a lawn mower (and yes - we waited until we landed safely to tell our families exactly what this adventure entailed). Greg and Fran opted for the safety of the helicopter - with equally stunning views of the falls. We then headed for an Elephant Walk. This involved 'boarding' the elephant via a platform and touring around the park for an hour. They do not move fast at all, and we were well protected as the leader of the tour carried a rather large rifle in the event we come across any wildlife that may disturb our elephant friends... After the walk we were able to feed our elephants, as well as the two baby elephants. This was great, until the baby elephant got an itch in his trunk and sneezed all over my pants...
In the afternoon (yes, our tourist day continues!) we went to Vic Falls and the sound and the spray was amazing! Although we'd been warned about just how wet you would get, our raincoats provided little protection from the almighty spray that the falls produces. The photos we took will not do the falls justice, as they were taken through the safety of a plastic snap-lock bag!
Our final tourist destination was the Livingstone Museum. We were there close to closing time and had a quick look around the displays on Zambian wildlife, cultural traditions and also the stories of explorers in the area, particularly David Livingstone.
We did manage to squeeze in some visits to Rotary Projects on our last full day in Livingstone. We visited St Joseph's Hospice, an Orphanage, an Old People's home and a home for sexually abused girls. The amazing thing about these Rotary projects is the clubs focus on the sustainability of the projects and empowering the organisations to become as self-sufficient as possible. We then attended a fundraising lunch boat cruise down the Zambezi River.
The afternoon provided us with the opportunity to wander through the market stalls for some last minute shopping. The locals are interested in bartering for the goods you carry in your backpack, and also the clothes and accessories you are wearing (including hairbands and bobby pins).
In the evening we were treated to our last bbq - which doubled as Greg's Birthday Party. Our hosts for the evening, Sue and Mike, provided us with great food, fabulous music and a few quiet beverages the celebrate the end of our GSE journey.
On Tuesday we left Livingstone for a brief stopover in Johannesburg (made even shorter due to our flight being delayed 4 hours) before heading home via Singapore on Wednesday.
We arrived home at around 8pm last night. There was a few tears at the airport as our families came to greet us and take us home to warm showers, flushing toilets and familiar foods!
Thanks to everyone who has supported our GSE Exchange. Particularly to our sponsoring Rotary Clubs (Albany Creek, Brisbane Mid-City, Buderim, Caloundra, and Murgon), the families and Rotary Clubs that hosted us in Disctrict 9210, our employers, and our families and friends who have followed our adventure!
Take care, Jodie : )
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