My Zambezi Valley between Zimbabwe and Zambia
If the average person was asked about the Zambezi Valley, how many would actually have
anything to say? From all the places I have been in the world, the Zambezi Valley stands
out most in my mind. The mighty Zambezi River forms the border between Zimbabwe and
Zambia as they lie on the maps in our libraries. Few people have been graced the
opportunity to be in the presence of this majestic silver python as it carves away at the
crust of our earth. There is no better way to experience this natural wonder than by
organizing an expedition and venturing into the unknown wilderness of the "Dark
Continent" for memories that will last you a lifetime. Unfortunately these days you have
to do it through a Safari company that will charge you an arm and a leg for a week long
tour, only skimming the surface and not taking you into the darkest of Africa of which
you have read in so many adventure novels. Traveling is a very stimulating hobby, but
Africa is part of me.
Darkness overcame all as Mother Earth turned her back on the center of our solar system.
In the heart of Africa everything is sleeping, or so you are meant to think. The ruler of
that kingdom is patrolling his territory in absolute silence. His bushy black mane casts
a shadow in the pale moonlight. Eyes like those of an eagle penetrate the darkest shadows
of the bush. The soft gray pads of his paws tread along the game path barely leaving any
evidence of his presence. The great beast strides graciously along before disappearing
into black night. He will soon find either a dense thicket or some tall Buffalo grass
swaying back and forth on the rhythm of the early morning breeze where he can lay his
giant body down and get some rest.
Stars begin to fade as a mysterious yellow glow takes their place in the East. The bush
is coming to life. Birds are singing their songs of joy and hippos are snorting out of
pure pleasure for a new day has come. This will be a day where the fight for survival
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takes over like an uncontrollable urge, nevertheless, little is known as to who should be
feared. Should it be the predators lurking around, wanting to fill their own stomachs, or
will it be the natives searching for food in the land on which they have lived for
thousands of years. Remember that this is done in an effort to rise above the ever
present poverty. It is with a heavy heart that one is forced to judge who poaches for
food and who poaches for pleasure and other earthly rewards. Taking life to feed your
cubs, is just as important as taking life and feeding your starving children in a third
world country where corruption determines survival.
I the distance a deafening roar overwhelms all the timid sounds produced by the
creatures of the bush. As you approach this seemingly out of place low frequency humming
sound, it transforms into a eardrum banging thunder. It makes you think the god of
thunder has gone angry, very angry. Here the dry landscape is transformed into a
tropical wonderland resembling that of an equatorial rain forest. Rising above this
evergreen mass is what looks like a cloud of smoke the size of a small skyscraper. Upon
further investigation one realizes that it is not smoke, but a very fine mist carried by
the breeze to nourish the forest. Right there before you lies the almighty Victoria
Falls. The mile wide river suddenly plunges down several hundred feet into a crack in the
earth that it has been carving since the beginning of time. The Victoria Falls are
remarkable. In many ways it defies description. So vast are these Falls that it is
difficult to grasp their true grandeur and, for this reason, they are perhaps best see
from the air - a privilege not granted to everyone.
Downstream from the great Victoria Falls is Lake Kariba. Kariba is a unique place with
outstanding beauty. A great inland sea, nestled amongst the mountains, guarded by
enormous reserves of game, and made beautiful and savage by sun and storm, earth and
water, life and death. It is unforgettable on a dust-tasting, hazy-blue September day to
watch the game treading its daily course to the edge of the lake's vast waters, or in the
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rainy season when the air is crystal clear and the images razor sharp, to watch the
wet-skinned elephants slowly walking across the flood plains that are carpeted with a new
green flush. Most of all, of Kariba you will remember the smells of Africa. The dust of
the day, the moisture of the lake, and the smell of advancing rain. Or, perhaps ultimate
experience, watching the red sun sliding into dusky blackness as the earth turns beneath
it into night - the dead trees that fill the lake and the blue-black mountains that slope
down to its wooded shore slowly merging with the blackness until they are gone.
The great Zambezi River that flows and plunges into the depths of the earth, only to
emerge through a narrow canyon and then forming the spectacular Lake Kariba is one of the
most breathtaking wonders in existence. It is only through great care that this treasure
will be guarded for our children's children to enjoy. Although not everybody will have
the opportunity to visit this peace of heaven on earth, it is worth while to know that it
exists. In all the years that I have spent time there, I cannot imagine the world without
it.
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