Victoria Falls...

Today bid a find farewell to Chongwe Lodge and their wonderful staff.  Flossie, the manager, was a very gracious hostess and Victor, our head guide, was outstanding.  We felt welcomed as family and we will miss their smiling faces.  We took a last cruise up the river to the airstrip where we boarded our 7 seat Cessna 402 for the 1.5 flight to Victoria Falls.  Our pilot was kind enough to arrange a fly over the falls which was stunning.  You can see the mist rising above the falls from miles away and the river is in flood stage so the volume of water rushing over the precipice is tremendous.  

Upon arrival in Livingstone we transferred to the opulent Royal Livingstone Hotel which is perfectly located on the shores just above the falls.  We walked down to the falls only 10 minutes away and strolled along the viewing trail which is set directly across the falls onto thin 50 meters from the cascade.  Luckily we rented ponchos because when we entered the mist it was like a tropical downpour.  

The falls were amazing - thundering power and green foliage everywhere with lots of little waterfalls dropping to the river which was obscured by a permanent cloud of white.   Had wonderful views of the falls from the river deck at the hotel when we returned to enjoy sunset cocktails in celebration of our arrival.  There was a zebra grazing by the swimming pool - just a classic African scene.  We dined on the outdoor terrace overlooking the river.  The menu featured fresh Zambezi bream which is a tasty white fish freshly caught in the river.  The wine list included some great selections of South African wines (one of my favorites) and we choose a nice pinotage which is a special blend.