Our day started with an early breakfast so that we could see Victoria Falls before it got too hot and crowded – breakfast was at the Jungle Junction restaurant, and the view on our walk over was quite pleasant. You can even see the mist from Victoria Falls on the left side of the picture.

After a short bus ride to the Falls car park, we walked the paved trail on the Zimbabwe side of the falls. The views were incredible.

There was a rainbow visible across the canyon – I took many photos and this one seemed the most interesting.

Our fearless leader Dave Natale offered to take our photo – little did I know it’d be a three-person selfie!

We continued down the trail, enjoying the Falls from different vistas.

The Falls presented us with a much more vivid rainbow here.

The trail took us away from the Falls and into the rain forest for a short time.

We logged another new species, the bushbuck.

And then it was back to enjoying the water.

The trail ended at an overlook near the Victoria Falls Bridge; there were pedestrians, cars, a train, and even a few monkeys crossing.

We returned to the hotel to cool off; the hotel had followed up on my problem yesterday and the safe was now securely bolted down. I feel happier, even though I know that a hotel safe, no matter where you are, is mostly there for reassurance.

Once we’d recovered a bit, we took off for Elephant Walk shopping center. Diane saw a small shoulder bag at one store, but wished it had a zipper – ten minutes later, it did, thanks to Joyce, the owner’s mother and an excellent seamstress!

If you’re ever in Victoria Falls, check out the Elephant Walk center and look for this store (it has no sign, but it’s number 25 on the map, Spokang Trading Sewing and Upholstery).

We had High Tea on Stanley’s Terrace at the hotel; this afternoon, the group has a sundowner cruise (drinks and appetizers included), and then tonight, there will be dinner and a show back at the Jungle Junction. Dinner may be unnecessary, and I am expecting my lethargy level to be high, so I’ll post now.

We said goodbye to the Zambezi Queen this morning after one last cruise along the Chobe River. We were busily packing and eating, but here’s a hippo for the road.

Our trip to Victoria Falls took us through Namibia, Botswana, and into Zimbabwe, with passport stamps and various forms every step of the way. Once we were in Zimbabwe, it was about a one hour journey to the Victoria Falls Hotel, a true classic. We had lunch on Stanley’s Terrace before getting our room key to a very nice room in the Stables Wing.

There was a problem with that room, though – it had twin beds. We got moved to another room; this one is in a different part of the hotel and has been modernized.

And then it was off for our afternoon activity – an excursion on the Royal Livingstone Express, a vintage steam train, which would deliver us to the Victoria Falls Bridge at sundown. We hopped on a bus to take us to Zambia to board the train – more borders, passport stamps, and forms! We did get a nice view of the Falls along the way.

We reached the depot and boarded the train.

They served drinks and appetizers throughout the trip, making dinner unnecessary. We reached the bridge a few minutes before sunset, stopping just short of the border (whew!) and got out to enjoy the view.

They encouraged us to climb into the engine car and look around – they even let us blow the train whistle.

The Falls are beautiful.

Sundown was on the side of the bridge opposite the Falls.

And then it was back on the train, enjoying the scenery in the dimming light.

We returned to the hotel and unpacked. I put some of our belongings in the room safe and noticed a small problem – the safe wasn’t attached to anything!

The hotel says it’ll be fixed tomorrow. Delia, our trip director (who has lived in South Africa her entire life) had warned us at the start of the trip: “This is Africa; things don’t always run smoothly.”

At least we have Internet again!