First view of Vic Falls.

This morning we finally visited the constant background roar we have listened to since our arrival at the campsite: Victoria Falls – Mosi-oa-Tunya, “The Smoke That Thunders”  (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Victoria_Falls). When you first see the falls, it’s definitely one of those, “mere words just fail me moments”. It’s just freakin’ awesome; the unimaginable amounts of water flowing over the precipice, the sheer physical presence of the roar of the falling water, and the spray… omigod! Did I say spray? At times it was literally like someone soaking you down with several garden hoses… from ALL directions all at the same time – up, down, and from all around! I had a rain shield for my camera; but even with that, the front of my lens got hit with so much water that there was actual liquid water (not just condensation) under and between my filters!

Devil’s Pool.

Double rainbow.  Also note the soaking wet people.

Soggy Roger taking photos.

Vic Falls mist.

After viewing the falls from up-close-and-drippy-wet, we walked along the “Photography Trail” for some long-shots. On the way back to the parking lot, we ran into a congress (rather appropriate isn’t it?) of Baboons. They were “wild” critters but they were so habituated to the presence of humans that  they barely looked at us while we photographed them.

Yellow Baboons.

In the evening, we were treated to our first “Ebron-meal”; a delicious scratch-made stew over rice.

After dinner, we headed back to Vic Falls for the “Lunar Rainbow”  (http://wildsidezambia.wordpress.com/2012/04/17/an-stunning-view-of-a-lunar-rainbow/); a phenomenon made possible by the light of a full moon shining through the billowing clouds of mist. Brett managed to persuade a Zambian border guard (with a $10 USD “retirement-fund contribution”) to allow our party to go out onto the Livingstone Bridge to see the rainbow. There indeed was a faint rainbow visible. Unfortunately, the lighting on the bridge (as limited as it was) prevented us from getting good images of it.

Everyone then headed back to our campsite, congregated around the campfire for a while, and then headed off to their tents; tomorrow our day was going to start at 5:00 AM.

After everyone else headed off to their tents, I stuck around to have a cigar. I lit up a Rocky Patel Select Petite Corona and was settling down to enjoy it when I heard some loud crashing and the sound of tree limbs being snapped. Since the late afternoon we had been listening to a number of Elephants trumpeting nearby, but this was close… really close! Our line of tents was about 5-10 feet inside an electrified game fence (approximately 10 feet tall but apparently NOT energized as I was later informed); these new sounds, accompanied by more trumpeting, appeared to be only a 100 feet or so away. Well, I was secure in the knowledge that we were well protected by our “electrified” game fence. So, I continued to enjoy my cigar while listening to the sounds of Africa. After a few more minutes, Brett came by just as more loud crashing and snapping was heard. He whispered, “… they’re really close.”, and motioned me to follow him. We crept towards the sounds but damned-near skidded to a stop as we passed our tents and approached the fence. Suddenly, right there in front of us, not 50 feet away loomed the dark, hulking mass of an African Bull Elephant! Luckily for us; the light was poor, the Elephant habituated to humans, and the Elephant was more interested in eating the Mopane Trees than squishing humans (namely me!). We watched him for more than 15 minutes; the light was too poor for photos but I did manage to get a digital sound recording. After the Elephant moved to another copse of trees directly behind our tent; I woke Eron up and the three of us just sat and took in the spectacle of wild bull Elephants (the first Elephant was soon joined by the rest of his “Bachelor Herd”) nonchalantly eating and trumpeting just mere feet from our position. We must have sat there in awe for a half-hour or more before the Elephants moved further away and were finally enveloped by the inky darkness of the African night. Eron and I retired to our tent and were serenaded to sleep by the trumpeting of our new “friends”. What a day; Vic Falls, a Lunar Rainbow, and finally, stalking Elephants while smoking a cigar – I don’t know if there is an official bucket-list category for that, but it’s now checked-off on mine…. 🙂