And then they had to go to work. . .

As we all know, all great things come to an end. . . but not without one last exciting adventure first! Ryan and I made our way to Victoria Falls, Zimbabwe on Thursday. Our flight was early and the Zimbabwe airport is probably the most inefficient airport we have ever experienced, but other than that, we had safe travels. We decided to hit up the market first when we got there. What an experience!! Bargaining is exhausting. Every time I looked up someone was saying “My sista, pick what you like, I give you best price!” Sometimes they would even offer an exchange . .. they all desperately wanted Ryan to bring them shoes, and pens were quite valuable as well. I just gave them my pen not realizing that I could have gotten something in return. No big deal- at least they have one now.

The view from the safari lodge was just beautiful. It looked right over a water hole and the animals would frequent the area. We saw quite a few elephants during lunch and dinnertime. One night we made our way over to a restaurant called The BOMA- a place of eating. It had traditional Zimbabwe food, entertainment, and dress. The food was pretty good. We both enjoyed the warthog the most- which made us feel a little bad when we saw warthogs hanging out around our room!!! Ryan and I had the lamb as well which was also delicious.

 

On Friday we went on a tour of Victoria Falls. WOW!!! I can’t even describe how incredibly beautiful it was! We got “rained” on a bit during our walk, but luckily they gave us some killer ponchos to wear! One of the best parts was learning about the history of Vic Falls and how David Livingstone became such a hero for the people. Our tour guide was great at telling stories and we just soaked it all up!

 

We had a nice moment of perspective while talking with our tour guide. He was telling us how he just couldn’t believe the things Americans worry about. He saw an episode of Fear Factor and was telling us that the people were freaking out about having to eat a pig head and testicles. All he could think was “Why would you waste such a wonderful meal?”

We got to end our trip with a sunset tour on the river last evening. We saw plenty of hippos, crocodiles, and elephants a long the way. There is definitely nothing like an African sunset. If only pictures could really do it justice- although Ryan sure did try to get some good ones! It was a nice way to end our stay in Africa.

I just want to thank all of you for sharing this incredible journey with me last month and with us this week. This was definitely an experience of a lifetime. I can’t even put into words how much perspective I have gained, how much I have learned, and how touched I have been by the people in Lesotho, South Africa, and Zimbabwe. I will miss the people, the children, and the love for life so many of them had, despite their many disadvantages. There is no doubt that I will be leaving a part of my heart in Africa.