Sometimes I ask myself "how the heck did I get here?" Here I am in southern Zambia all alone, traveling by bus, paying and doing activities and finding accommodation to stay at. It is absolutely wild, but I am proud of myself for being able to do so. Usually I rely on my parents to plan and help with getting everything set but now it's all on me. It's nice to know I can do it on my own.
Traveling in Zambia is a difficult task so considering I am mastering it I think I could travel anywhere in the world and make it work. Zack and I have bought our bus tickets back to Lusaka. We will purchase or tickets to Mpika when we arrive in Lusaka. Livingstone is Zambia's wealthiest city and their bus station here is still a gravel road with small shops where you purchase your tickets. They do have plenty of bus companies, though. I will also say that the easiest transaction I have had here has been purchasing my bus ticket back to Lusaka. It went a lot smoother than I thought it would.
Being in Livingstone, there are a lot of shops and small markets to buy souvenirs. It's always fun to go and bargain so Zack and I did. We were able to pick up somethings for ourselves and family members. One thing I noticed, though, was how they insisted on trading items. They kept asking for my shoes and one even tried to take them off my feet. It never worried me because I obviously wasn't going to give them up, but still a strange experience. I just kept saying "I need my shoes too. If I give them to you I won't have any."
So last night we met back up with our friends from rafting - Ben and Joseph. Ben is a 29 year old from Australia and Joseph is a 20 year old from England. He is on a gap year from school. Ben has been traveling close to 3 years now. He was also going to leave Wednesday, but decided to stay and hang out with us until Saturday ha. It's great!
These kids are cool and fun to hang with. We ended up meeting up with a few other fellow travelers at our hostel. In the end our table was full with people from America, Australia, England, Brazil, South Africa, and Spain. I loved it. Like how cool is that!? I love being a fellow traveler too. We all learn so much from one another while at the same time trying to prove whose country is the best. Not to hard for us proud Americans, though. Back to back World War champs!! (Just saying!)
However, as an American you have to accept the fact that we are also the a**holes of the world - or at least that's how a lot of foreigners see us. They are never too mean or anything, but it always comes up. It's almost funny now. You just have to learn to embrace it. Not too hard for a guy like me.
Another reason why I love hanging out with all these people is that it makes me feel like I belong to this special group of world travelers. Everyone at the table is spending time in their twenties to explore and venture out and we all can bond around that. Just as my brother Thomas has his special group of Air Force pilots (which is so cool) I have my own group of travelers. I like it. It's a great feeling.
Additionally, when sharing a few cold beers and playing games with everyone it erases all the sad feelings of being away from home, missing college, etc. Even if it's only for a few hours it's still nice to be relaxed and feel like you belong in this far off country. It's nights like these that will give me nostalgia later on in life. Good times.
So, Zack and I white water rafted the Zambezi River on Wednesday and rode elephants on Thursday. I think the pictures tell the story of both activities better so I won't go to in depth because I could write a book on both because they were so much fun. When rafting we got tossed by Mother Nature. I fell out of the raft at least 5 times because the rapids do what they like to you. You're just along for the ride. Rapid 8 was a level 5 rapid and it proved to be true. We hit the wave so hard that it literally took the entire boat and all 8 of us inside and flipped us over. I resurfaced underneath the raft (yes there is a small pocket where you can still breathe) but you want to get out from underneath because you don't know where it will take you. After maneuvering to the side I worked my way out and popped up right as another rapid wave crashed over me. It was so so intense! In a situation like this you really understand the strength of Mother Nature and how little she cares for you ha! You are just a pawn in her game at this point.
At rapid 9 our guide told us to paddle to the side of the river to get out. The rapid was a level 6 (I'm not sure how many levels there are, but this rapid was nasty). Where do you draw the line between a rapid and a waterfall ha. We all would have been thrown from the boat for sure. There were to major swells that would have just taken the boat where it wanted it to go. Luckily, we walked around this one. The great part about this was that we walked on Zimbabwe's side of the river! Woooo now I have officially been to Zimbabwe. The Zambezi River is the border between Zambia and Zimbabwe.
So, now you think I'm insane for rafting the Zambezi which is one of the most intense rivers in the world. Okay, maybe, but at the same time it is so fun. One of the best experiences I have ever had. Truly. For the most part you are able to stay within the boat and navigate the rapids, but it's actually very fun to get booted out. The river is fairly deep so rocks aren't too much of a concern. Additionally, the raft guide does his best to stear clear of rocks on the side. While floating in the rapids you get the full experience and quite an adrenaline rush. Once in the water the guide will call to you to swim left or right because they know where the dangerous areas are and so as long as you do as they say they paddle over and hoist you back into the boat. Furthermore, they have two kiackers (these guys are true athletes) who hit every rapid you do and wait at the end and monitor everything just in case you need help. Finally, they have a rescue raft that also helps collect you from the water. At some points we were able to get out and swim in the less intense rapids. This was very enjoyable and relaxed. You get pushed by the current which is super fun! I did notice some crocodiles sunbathing on the rocks as we passed by (I fear crocodiles), however they were juveniles and not very big. Also, they don't go near rapids.
We received lunch on the river and dinner once we finished. Pictures will be posted on Facebook soon (hopefully).
The elephant ride was so cool as well. Then again, when is riding an elephant not cool. Zack and I got the biggest elephants and its true - they were massive! I enjoyed riding them and getting to feed them. Their skin is quite tough and they love to eat. My elephant would go up to a tree and rip it right out the ground and chomp on it. They especially love acacia trees. My grandparents live on Acacia Drive and so this is where that name comes from. They are thorny trees, but it doesn't seem to bother the elephants. Overall, it was a great experience.
A quick note about electricity. The national power grid is shut down in sections for hours on end. If you don't have a generator or other power supply you are left in the dark. When buying groceries the power was shut down and the entire grocery store was dark. Imagine that happening in America. When it came back on they had to restart all the cashier machines and everything. It makes shopping difficult to say the least. Also, when at the bar with friends the power was turned off. We all sat around two candles and talked for the rest of the night. To be completely honest, that was actually quite enjoyable. However, it can be a pain.
Sometimes when you are out in the middle of nowhere like in southern Zambia you find or hear something that reminds you of home. It's nice. I overheard the radio at the hostel playing the song "Walking in Memphis." Such a great song and it strikes a cord with me considering I use to live there. When this kind of thing happens it gives you a good feeling.
Chiara and Francesca will be staying another night in Livingstone before they must catch their flight back to Italy. So Zack and I will be the only foreigners in Katibunga for the remainder of our time.
Well, I said I wouldn't write a lot and here I am writing a novel. My apologies.
Well, back to Katibunga we go!
Victoria Falls will always be one of my favorite places.
Thanks for reading!
*Home safe in Katibunga. Long two days of travel. Will post next blog on Wednesday. Better head to bed.*
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