WHERE 2 - Victoria Falls, Zimbabwe

Since I last wrote in Zanzibar we have done heaps!!

We spent 4 nights in Zanzibar, 2 at the beach which was absolute paradise - white sand, perfect sea, beautiful weather etc...

We then got a boat back to Dar and drove all the way to Malawi where we spent 6 nights camping at 3 different beaches on the lake (3rd largest in Africa). From there we drove via Lilongwe (capital) into Zambia and into Zimbabwe at Kariba to spend 2 nights on house boats (luxury in comparison - hot showers and a bed and a cook!) on Lake Kariba. Then back into Zambia to Livingstone (one side of Victoria Falls) and then into Zimbabwe again to the town of Victoria Falls where we have just spent 3 nights. Today we are going to Botswana...

Highlights for last 3 weeks
- Going through the border into Tanzania and teh official not asking me for the usual US$55 fee for a visa - looking at the monet being thrown in a drawer, I figured it was all a big scam anyway so I hung onto the cash - everyone else in the party paid. Then about 10km down the road, just as I was revealing my good fortune to my truck-mates, we were chased and caught by a car with a man leaning out of it waving a bit of paper at us who we recognised as the official at the border. Heart in my mouth and my $55 at the ready we slowed and stopped as he approached our driver and said 'You forgot yoru receipt'. It was made out in full for the whole group as if everyone had paid and oddly enough it was made out in my name! So I did pay and I have the piece of paper to prove it!

- The pure white sand beach in Zanzibar - absolutely perfect.

- Changing money at the border between Tanzania and Malawi. I got the job of changing the money for the whole 20 of us. It was mayhem - everyoneof the crowd of local dealers surrounded me trying to push wads of money into my handsand at the same timeall trying to rip me off by giving me a crap rate (so I held an auction from the safety of the truck for the best rate), short changing me , giving me old notes (we had no idea which ones were valid), saying they had no change in small notes once they had counted out the bulk of the notes etc. etc. After counting and recounting several times we finally handed over our cash and we succeeded - they didnt rip us off - must have been all those years of bank training!

- Snorkelling off Kande beach in Lake Malawi - there were so many fish and so many different types. Apparenty 80% of freshwater aquarium fish come from Lake Malawi.

- 2 days of luxury and excellent food surrounded by hippos and crocodiles on Lake Kariba.

- White water rafting down the Zambezi - rapids 4 to 19 over a distance of 25km.We flipped our raft over twice and were just a bit(?) scaredbut we survived unhurt - although a few of us managed to lower the level of the river by drinking huge amounts of it.

- Victoria Falls. Despite this being low water time of year it was still an immense amount of water falling over 100m.

- and surprisingly after driving for 2 long days through Zambia where we hardly saw another person or vehicle on the Trans Africa Highway we hit the outskirts of the scruffy capital Lusaka and suddenly came across the most modern shopping centre ever. Paradise. It was unreal.

Low Points
- Being ill for about a week - but I am fully recovered now.

- Forgetting that my watch was no longer waterproof and wearing it in the sea in Zanzibar. I bought a new Casio for £25 at that shopping centre in Zambia.

It doesnt seem like Xmas here. in fact I forgot it was December until I saw a shop assistant wearing a Happy Xmas hat. Despite moving on to areas where there are more Christians and less muslims there are very few Xmas decorations (but there are a few Xmas trees).

Happy Xmas and New Year to You All - Did I mention how hot it is here...?

Best Wishes
Luv
Pete