Traditional Village Buildings and Textures

July 24, 2018. Here's a dozen photos of the huts, walls, and vegetation (and a couple of goats) of Mukuni Village in Zambia near Livingstone and Victoria Falls. As with yesterday's photos of people, these are posted simply in the order they were taken as we walked around the village.

Traditional Village People

July 24, 2018. We began this day, the last non-travel day of our Intergenerational Program, with a visit to the Mukuni Village. Though traditional, it's not small, with over 7,000 inhabitants. It's also photographically rich, and I had real trouble culling my many photos down to a reasonable number for this blog. I eventually decided to devote one post (today) to the people of the village, and another (tomorrow) to its buildings and textures. Here's a dozen, just in the order they were taken.

Our excellent guide through the village

Victoria Falls from the Zimbabwe Side

July 23, 2018. After lunch we took a minibus across the border to view Victoria Falls from the Zimbabwean side. More of the water falls on this side, and there are many fine lookouts. The rainbows were fantastic in the afternoon light.

Statue of David Livingstone, who is notable not only for having devoted his life to exploring this part of Africa and discovering Victoria Falls (for Europeans), but also for persuading Great Britain to give up the slave trade.

It looks as if there should be a pot of gold just there at the lower left.

A striking image of granddaughter Mina below a rainbow from the falls.

Visit to a Local School

July 23, 2018. We made a morning field trip from David Livingstone Lodge to the nearby Tongabezi Trust School (commonly known as Tujatane) to meet local students and teachers.

The US students had exchanged letters with their Zambian counterparts, so they first met and talked with their partners.

Meanwhile, the grandparents observed a practice of the school's music and dance group, which has won national prizes.

The students played games together, and chatted some more.

As we left, there were warm hugs. Here are our granddaughter Mina and her pen-pal Agness.

The sewing machines in the school's sewing classroom are available to women in the community, who are putting them to good use.

One woman had a fantastically intricate hairdo, which she let me photograph.

After the school, we went to the Livingstone Museum

and then to a very fine crafts market.

Victoria Falls by Helicopter

July 22, 2018. Once we were ensconced in the David Livingstone Safari Lodge and had some lunch, we could decide how to spend the afternoon. Mina and I decided to take a half-hour helicopter flight to look at Victoria Falls: the falls themselves, the river that feeds them, the islands at the top of the falls, and the rainbows that result from the light interacting with the spray. Amazing sights!

Crossing the Zambesi River

July 22, 2018. To quote from our Road Scholar day-by-day description of the program: "This morning, we will say goodbye to our safari hosts and transfer by open-air safari vehicles to the Kazangula border. Here, we will take a five-minute ferry ride across the Zambezi River to Zambia. After clearing Zambian immigration, we will board an enclosed minibus for the remainder of the transfer to Livingstone and David Livingstone Safari Lodge." 

The ferry ride takes only five minutes, but waiting for an empty ferry, and then waiting to clear immigration formalities on the other side, takes considerably longer.

A ferry-barge comes in, one truck at a time ...

... and another leaves, one truck at a time.

Meanwhile, micro-trade goes on at the shore.

In the distance, a small portion of the bridge that's being built...slowly... to cross the river.

People and a Baobab

July 21, 2018. Finally, we should occasionally acknowledge that there are people on this trip.

Tour Leader Lisa and Driver/Guide Kurt talk with Camp Director Alex as the older kids listen in.

Drivers Grant and Kurt scout the river with Lisa

After a long day of driving around the park looking for animals, the kids build up a lot of excess energy. Lisa has them work it off by running ten times around their safari vehicle.

A massive baobab tree where we parked. These trees are different from the Madagascar variety, but no less strange and impressive.