Helping Hands in Zambia: The Falls

Today we woke up to the screeches, screams and howls of mysterious creatures.

Pumas, waiting in the trees, I was convinced. Or wild dogs who smell the Clif bar in my pack and can chew through my tent to get it... they'll definitely kill me while they're in here.

Turns out, it wasn't pumas or wild dogs, but baboons jumping through the trees, harassing each other and barking at birds and smaller monkeys.

Well, they sure sounded scary!

We had a lovely "English" breakfast at the lodge before packing up and beginning our amazing day at Victoria Falls. Right as we were leaving the lodge though, we saw three beautiful elephants eating and drinking in the lagoon about 1/4 from where we were standing by the truck. They were incredible! And although they weren't extremely close to us, I was shocked that they didn't seem to mind that we were there.

Our first stop was walking around the falls and getting our first look at the world landmark. While Jason went to get us park passes Dan and Vicky Kunz and I guarded the truck from two baboons who, unlike the elephants, came far too close for comfort! They were eyeing us up like animals that have seen far too many tourists.

Victoria Falls' baboons are more than a nuisance recently. One woman from the LCCA Mission was pulled down by her backpack and dragged by one. A man was pushed off of the cliffs of the falls after trying to retrieve a bag that was stolen by a baboon. Others get their cameras, backpacks and food stolen regularly.

This guy means business.

Once we get past the entryway, the Falls were breathtaking! Each new lookout brought an even more spectacular view of the falls, the gorge, the "boiling pot" of churning waters underneath the bridge to Zimbabwe. I couldn't get over the beauty of the water tumbling down 300-foot tall cliffs and plummeting down. This is the dry season, yet we felt mist on our faces from across the entire gorge.