THE SMOKE THAT THUNDERS – VICTORIA FALLS

Livingstone. The nights were sticky, the days were hot.

Turns out, this is the secret to getting Elephants on the move. For what seemed like a regular herd of elephants, turned out to be the largest I have seen in my sweet life. It was a mix of salon cars, trailers, buses, minivans, cyclists, you name it; all held up by a procession of giants heading to the muddy water holes by the roadside. I could feel their excitement as they arrived for the mud bath – humans prohibited!

We slowly got past that and made it to the Victoria falls also known as Mosi-oa-Tunya which translates as The Smoke That Thunders – genius name! Getting access to the falls was pretty easy as the reception area is very organised and service quick! I liked the idea of metal grills “around” the falls. It confuses the mind to believe that a wonder so great can be contained. A fleeting notion that fades instantly when you behold their grandeur.

Walking past the grills, it wasn’t hard to notice the silence of the thunder. And upon seeing the skeleton of falls, my sky-high excitement took a nose dive! No one prepared me for that scale of “dryness”. Yes, I had been told they were dry, but it was still shocking. However, not to waste the opportunity, shock quickly shifted to intrigue about the rugged rock formations and aqua pools of water at the base of this now empty pit.

But who stole the Smoke That Thunders? Must have been the dry season and climate change. Together with my friends, we embarked on a quest across the border to Zimbabwe to find these two culprits. Maybe zip lining across the bridge from Zambia to Zimbabwe would help, but no. It only made matters worse, for, with a bird’s-eye view, the impact of climate change is eerie and simply worrying.

With my exploration of the falls on halt till the thundering smoke returns, we headed back to town for lunch. I broke off from the group to follow my lunch cravings and thereafter enjoy a walk through the town. I started the walk much later than planned because walking through 40°c felt risky – heat exhaustion is real. The museum was closed by the time I got there, but there is always a next time! Till then, get your thunder on!