Team Alaska's Crete2Cape Adventure: Days 25 and 26. Victoria Falls, Zimbabwe

The day's flight from Lusaka to Victoria Falls was one of the most beautiful flights of the rally. We did only one leg - no refueling stop - starting our engines at the reasonable old hour of 9:15 am though this got us off the ground much later than we had hoped due to the usual delays caused by fueling, immigration, getting receipts etc.

Instead of flying a direct course to Victoria Falls, we flew direct to Lake Kariba which Mark in the Tiger Moth had recommended we do and right he was. The lake is beautiful and the shoreline spectacular. Kariba is the world's largest man-made lake/reservoir running along the border of Zambia and Zimbabwe flowing into the Zambezi River. Keith, Pedro, Cedric, Mark, and Ingo flew near us and it was fun hearing all the enthusiastic chatter on the radio about the scenery. I took as many photos as I could while also not wanting to miss the scenery through my own eyes' lens. A bit of bumpy air always affected the quality of some of my photos which frustrated the struggling photography novice in me. But my memories of this fight will stay strong for sure.

We flew low over fishermen and herds of wildlife that meandered through the verdant meadows stretching down to the lake. We followed the Zambezi River towards our destination and had fun watching Keith diving and climbing at our 1 o'clock position. The impressive gorges that frame the river would deepen then shallow out abruptly in places which made the terrain so interesting. Soon we saw the veils of mist rising from the gorge that is home to Victoria Falls. The falls were in what they call the low season which means a slightly diminished water volume than during the high season, but they were still impressive in the way they follow for some distance the twists and bends in the steep walls of the gorge. We landed after 2 hours and 56 minutes of flight at Victoria Falls Airport - a very modern and well-equipped facility. A bus took us to the Victoria Falls Hotel -- a beautiful, well-maintained, 112 year old, functioning "museum" of old British colonial charm. We rally members in our wrinkled, mostly baggy flight outfits with the odd av-gas fuel stains here and there and dusty shoes and boots entered the lobby of this magnificent throwback to late 19th century chic and propriety; we were awed by the gentle refinement of our lodging for the next two nights. Stepping down into the large lounge area towards the back where big doors were open leading to a grand veranda, we were welcomed by uniformed staff approaching us with silver trays of iced beverages in shapely wine glasses. We were ushered out to a lawn area where some appetizers awaited us. The grounds were beautiful and what a surprise to see uniformed hotel staff -- some with white pith helmets and white gloves-- circling the landscape with pellet guns to keep the baboons from crashing our reception. At one moment, a family of warthogs, youngsters bringing up the rear, trotted purposefully across the lawn not interested in us but definitely on some sort of mission. Their tails like erect antennas were pointed towards the sky and the creatures' busy bums cavorted side to side as their feet picked up speed. What a sight! They disappeared as quickly as they had entered the area.

Our room with its high ceiling, ceiling fans, and large furniture including a floral settee and wicker chairs was beautiful. Again, we had to be careful about the baboons. These nosy primates liked to hang out on the tiled roofs that slope down towards the porches and walkways that framed the entrances to our rooms. Leaving a door or window open was never a good idea.

Nick and some of the other pilots went back to the airplanes to do some minor maintenance such as cleaning up spark plugs and such. I stayed at the hotel and enjoyed wandering the long hallways and large sitting rooms enjoying the old photographs and beautiful, painted portraits that decorated the walls. Two full length oil portraits of King George V and Queen Mary each took up the entirety of their walls on both sides of a main entrance to the largest sitting room. The history buff in me imagined the visit the then king and queen made here with an impressive retinue of servants and caretakers. High tea must have been a spectacle to see. In the mid afternoon, Cedric, Alexandra, Yasser, Timur and I walked the trail from the hotel to the falls with a knowledgeable guide. I had no idea that the falls here are sprawled out over the long winding path of the deep gorge. Lookout points are situated at many places and we all had fun taking photos and reading the many plaques and signs about what we were seeing.

Our "high" evening tea was a delicious barbecue outside at a neighboring estate where long tables were placed end to end dressed out in white table cloths. A live band played for us and Nick, who had been a professional drummer with a country rock band back in the late '60s, got invited to sit in on the drums for awhile. I yelled, "Throw the drummer a fish!", but no one took me seriously.

The next day most of the pilots flew to nearby Kazungula Airstrip to take part in an airshow which took up most of the afternoon. I opted to stay back at the hotel to get some writing done, take a rest and to simply enjoy the ambience of the hotel and its beautiful grounds. That night we were all up late for a delicious banquet at the hotel where we met many officials in Zimbabwe's ministries of transportation and tourism. At our table was the Deputy Minister of Tourism, Anastancia (do not recall her last name), who is an amazing woman. Her enthusiasm for what we all were doing was very evident. She also loved having her picture taken - but with eyeglasses removed. People from Puma Energy were also at the banquet and they sponsored a great slide show of the rally so far. Some great speakers entertained us and the food was very good. Before the evening ended, Anastancia made it clear she wanted a ride in our Travel Air. Nick happily obliged her with an invitation to be at the airport at a certain time in the morning and he would fly her over the falls.

The morning saw us sleepily climbing aboard the bus back to the airport. Late nights and early mornings were catching up with us. But, par for the course, was the fact that once at the airport everyone's adrenaline got fired up and enthusiasm once again claimed the day. Anastancia and her bodyguard showed up just a few minutes late. Nick was ready for her, but the question he and I both pondered was "Is she ready to fly?" It hadn't occurred to us to tell her how to dress for the occasion. She arrived wearing a tight dress and high heeled shoes. I looked at the stiletto heels and could only envision holes being poked in the wing if she stepped just one inch off the narrow black step strip for getting in and out of the cockpit. She's a very large woman as well - that is to say, she stands about six feet tall and has a large bone structure. I was about to suggest she remove her shoes before being helped onto the wing, but before I knew it, she reached into her large sequined shoulder purse and pulled out a pair of flat heeled shoes. She was prepared! What a relief. We still had to help her onto the plane and get her into the cockpit without her dress riding up to her thighs. A delicate operation indeed. Once she was in, I put my cap and goggles on her and made sure she was strapped in and knew how to release her seat belt/shoulder harness in case of an emergency. Off they went with her guard flying in one of the Bushcats behind the Travel Air. Thirty minutes later, they returned and she was beaming with delight. We had made a very favorable impression on Zimbabwe's Deputy Minister of Tourism and she had made a delightful impression on us.

Enroute to Victoria Falls from Lusaka. Passing over large farming area.

From farmlands to wild rolling hills across Zambia.

Our loose formation of from left to right, Pedro, Ingo, Cedric, and Mark in his red Tiger Moth.

Keith and Colin off our right side.

Approaching Lake Kariba

Flying low over some fishing barges in an inlet off of the lake.

Following the Zambezi river towards Victoiria Falls.

Nick and 'Smuggler' getting settled in for the day at Victoria Falls Airport.

Nick and Cedric with official greeter at our hotel.

At our welcoming reception in the area off the main veranda with the hotel in the background. Tables with food and drink are off screen to the right. Yasser in white shirt, and Timur in green tee shirt are our flying friends from Egypt. The two flew in a Cessna 172.

On hotel grounds looking in direction of the falls.

Colorized photos of King George V and Queen Mary -- grandparents of the current Queen Elizabeth II -- in one of the tea rooms.

Painting on a wall in one of the reading rooms of this large late 19th century hotel. From where I stood, the leopard was definitely purring. Now if I could have just jumped into the painting, I think his regard for me would have gone to the next level!! Love those cat eyes!

One of the lovely lounge/tearooms in our hotel. I wondered if the staff ever had to chase baboons out of here! I forgot to ask.

Out on the veranda was this marker which gave us an idea of how far we had come so far and what lay ahead.

Warthogs on a mission from God.

Wise guy baboon on one of the roofs outside our hotel room. He was probably the lookout whose job was to catch some unsuspecting guest leaving a window open.

Our first view of the falls from the ground after a 25 minute walk from the hotel.

On our walk to and from the falls, we saw a few of these signs.

Statue of David Livingston which was unveiled in 1955 to mark the centenary of his discovery of the falls in November 1855.

Nick sitting in on drums with the band at our hosted outdoor dinner our first night at Victoria Falls.

Natalie, Bush Cat pilot Adam, and Colin reliving the day at our dinner banquet our second night.

Nick enjoying conversation with guests at our dinner table. The gentleman is with the state transportation department. He and his wife had lots of questions for Nick.