In standard two we got to know about Musi wa Thunya. It was during a recitation of a work by Setswana poet SS Mafo-yanwe, which tells the story of a great waterfall in a country far away — a place our nine-year-old minds could only wonder about.
Even by poetic standards the idea of water falling off a cliff and making a great splash so that it felt like rain sounded a bit grandiose.
Musi wa Thunya, Setswana for ”the smoke that thunders”, is the South African name for the glorious falls between Zambia and Zimbabwe that English colonial missionary David Livingstone saw fit to name after his queen. The falls and the fascination with it soon generated a trading post and a town that was to bear the royal name. They are truly a wondrous sight — one that must be seen.
The name Victoria has stuck despite President Robert Mugabe’s frequent anti-colonialist and anti-imperialist chest-beating.
Then again, it is quite possible that the country’s leaders read something else in the ”falls” after the English lady’s name. The Victoria Falls — as with many tourist destinations — creates the false impression of a good life. And you cannot dispute that it is a great destination if you are not intending to set up permanent abode.
Perhaps as a measure of the town’s convivial priorities, the local Spar teems with more alcoholic beverages on its shelves than food.
On the streets nobody seems to take the signboards seriously that warn against changing currency or begging. These go on unhindered.
Perhaps I am just being a typical South African, but you wonder how sustainable the relative calm of the town is. Already you feel harried by the desperate vendors who are willing to trade the shoes off your feet for a curio if you have no foreign currency.
Should you decide to visit, bring lots of hard cash because credit cards and other forms of plastic money might bring you little joy.
Surely those malnourished children who beg on the streets will not always accept it as normal that cash- flush tourists spend more on a single meal than their parents’ joint weekly (and sometimes monthly) income?
But, as you would expect of a holiday town, Victoria Falls is littered with places where you can spend a night. The Safari Lodge, a 10-minute ride from the airport, is a gem in the rough. From the bar counter, you can see to the end of Zimbabwe.
Literally.
The boma restaurant serves a range of game. Romance is written in the clear night’s stars, aided by intoxicating drumbeats and gyrations of local traditional dancers.
At this point I was glad I decided to take my wife on this media junket. It is not an experience for the notebook, but for the fond memories we will treasure when we celebrate our golden jubilee. If the night spent at the Safari Lodge were the only one we were to spend in Victoria Falls, then I would have left the town absolutely satisfied.
But it was not.
The majestic five-star Victoria Falls Hotel comes straight out of an earlier, colonial era preferred by visitors from the mother country. They even have high tea.
From the vantage point of the Victoria Falls Hotel, you can see brave travellers doing the most hair-raising of sports, bungee jumping.
The spectacle of diving head first into the Zambezi River with your feet tied to a rope must rank as one of the craziest things I have done since I officially became an adult. Few things will get you thinking about your legacy than jumping off a bridge more than 100m high to deal with the fear of fear.
My wife chose to gorge swing. Bungee jumpers will tell you that it is a watered down version of the real thing, but really that is little solace when entrusting your life to a piece of rope bound around your feet or clinging to it with your hands.
The third night of our trip was spent at the Gorge Lodge overlooking the Zambezi River. The name of the place, it could be said, is misspelled. It should be called Gorgeous Lodge. Indeed the gorge is so close to your chalet that it would be proper for management to have in place a ”no drinking and walking” regulation.
”Gorgeous Lodge” is at the end of a road that seems to be going nowhere. Suddenly there it is. Simplicity is sold here.
The view from the top of the gorge, through the river to the setting sun is not a sight that can be described adequately.
Driving back to the airport we could only hope — as the manager of the nearby five-star Kingdom Hotel said over lunch — that this lovely country will soon reclaim its glory.
A political settlement needs to be found soon so that thousands may reflect on a beautiful, natural phenomenon rather than a man-made catastrophe.
Fikile-Ntsikelelo Moya was the guest of gotovictoriafalls.com.
Getting there
South Africans do not need a visa to travel to Zimbabwe. SAA flies from OR Tambo to Victoria Falls.
Victoria Falls Safari Lodge
Set high on a natural plateau, the westward facing lodge borders the Zambezi National Park and is 3km from the Victoria Falls.
Gorge Lodge
The attraction lies in the stunning views and a bird’s-eye view of even the birds themselves.
Victoria Falls Hotel
Has an atmosphere steeped in history, combining old charm with the comfort and convenience of today.
Visit www.gotovictoriafalls.com for more information