Livingstone

The water of the Zambezi surges past the wooden decking of the Royal Livingstone. Mr. Ted E. Bare is thoroughly impressed with his riverside view and agrees to pose for a rare photo. We sip mango juice and watch the water surge by, just minutes before it reaches the falls and plummets over a hundred meters to the bottom of the gorge. The sun is hot on my skin, I’m relaxed and life feels very good indeed. The hotel is magnificent; a scene of decadence and wealth that I have almost forgotten existed. I can feel a need growing inside me, a need to spend a night here, to recapture a more stylish aspect of my life.

I’m still laughing as I wring the water from my clothes. I am soaked to the skin; hair, underwear, wallet, the lot! I have just crossed over the narrow Knife Bridge and been treated to an downwards, upwards and sideways shower courtesy of the Victoria Falls. The falls are thunderous and produce a constant ‘smoke’ as water droplets are thrown high into the sky by the force of the water hitting the bottom. The view on the other side of the Knife Bridge is spectacular. You can see the main bridge connecting Zambia to Zimbabwe where crazy people go bungee jumping; the jump is one of the highest in Africa at over 100 metres. The edge of the spray produces beautiful views and because of all the moisture, there is a lot of different plant life. The view down to the boiling point (where the water swirls around and around endlessly, producing deadly currents) is awe-inspiring.

The lion looks at me as if I have been marinated in special saliva-inducing ingredients and I am suddenly very glad that there is a fence between us. His unnerving gaze is focused squarely on me. He is a majestic king; everything from his pointed teeth and furry ears to his black tipped tail looks luxurious. His coat is in excellent condition and his eyes sparkle. Now if only I could stop feeling like a piece of doe-eyed prey I would be ok. He is the jewel in the crown of this collection of big cats. I have already seen both young and adult cheetah, lynx and young lions. Nothing is as impressive as these four lions though. I have always loved cats and even though this one looks like it wants to eat me, I still feel a strong benevolence towards him. If I thought I could pet him and still keep my hand attached to my arm then I would be reaching through the fence no problem.

It turns out Livingstone is a lovely place. It’s filled with tourists because of the falls but it feels modern, safe and because of its size is easy to get around by foot. There is plenty to do and when I return there in May for a longer visit I will have no problem spending three or four days there. I am planning on doing some more adventurous stuff, hopefully including a days white-water rafting.

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