A weekend at Livingstone : Chapter 1 : Cloud that Thunders

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It was just two days that we had reached Lusaka and I was once again packing, though this time just a small weekend traveler sack bag, and the early next morning we had hit the road for Livingstone. Stopping at several places to stretch and flex our muscles; crossing many villages from Kafue to Mazabuka to Choma to Zimba, flanked or perhaps outlined with a variety of speed-breakers (from ass-shakers to back-breakers); cruising 600Kms in almost five hours and a half (thanks to Japanese roads) , we were finally at the historic city of Livingstone. Now named after the Scottish missionary explorer Sir David Livingstone, this town was earlier called Maramba but later renamed so, and listed amongst 'the UNESCO World Heritage Sites' for its splendid cascade of falling waters renowned today as 'the Victoria Falls'.

With 335ft high excitement (thats the max height of the fall) we reached the lodging facility of Jollyboys Camp Site, where a big poster of Mr Nangana-the crocodile welcomed us with a statement 'I Eat People' (typically wild welcome). Quickly finishing the check-in formalities and freshening up a little we headed straight to the pilgrimage of the day, The Falls.

While walking towards the wonder, from gates in the direction showed by Sir Livingstone, I could hear and feel the strong gush of water; soon the heavenly Victoria Falls, indigenously called 'Mosi-oa-Tunya', meaning 'Cloud that Thunders', was roaring loud in front of me. Though it was the commencement of the dry season (as per the climate statistic and fall standards), yet the enormousness of this water body could not be challenged. The height, expanse and depth I was experiencing was epitome of each.

Facing the lips of the waterfall that was once called 'the end of the world' by Arabs, I felt an unknown peace and gratitude to nature. Victoria Falls seemed to have carved itself to our amazement; multiple rainbows decorating 'Mosi' proved Davis Livingstone's words,“Scenes so lovely must have been gazed upon by angels in their flight”.These falls truly are natures way of reminding us that the greatest and prettiest marvels are still natural, and not man-made.