Day 26
Today I'm in: Cape Town, South Africa
I'm in Cape Town now, but much of today was spent in transit. First up was a cab ride to the Zambia border station located alongside Victoria Falls. Inside the border post things were pretty crazy - plenty of citizens from the two countries go back and forth every day, and I'd arrived at a particularly busy time. There was (sort of) a line, but people regularly pushed to the front and started shouting at the immigration officers. Finally one of them spotted me - I was the only person there with a suitcase - and stamped me out of the country.
There's a kilometer-long "no man's land" separating the two border posts, and taxi drivers from each country aren't allowed to cross it, so I had to walk with my suitcase and backpack. The road goes across the Zambezi River bridge, where I got wet (again) from the Victoria Falls spray, and winds through scrubland to the Zimbabwe border station. Inside I paid $30 for a one-day tourist visa, got my passport stamped, and found myself in one of the world's most notorious countries.
I'd like to say Zimbabwe looked and felt like a rogue state or a failed nation, but it mostly looked just like Zambia. Admittedly, I was in the town of Victoria Falls, which is one of the country's only tourist venues, and the government goes out of its way to ensure the town is kept clean and stocked with food and fuel. The economic and political situation of the country has also improved quite a bit in the last few years. I did have a few tense moments with a taxi driver who wanted to bring one of his friends along for the ride - I immediately opened the door and started to get out, even though my suitcase was in the trunk and he could have driven off with it.
The long lines on the Zambian side had eaten up the time I'd budgeted to see Victoria Falls from the Zimbabwe side (the whole point of the trip) and so I had to head directly to the airport. It was a gray and overcast day anyhow - not ideal for viewing the falls. Unlike Livingstone, the Zimbabwean airport is about 35 kilometers out of town, which meant the cab ride was long and expensive. Zimbabwe switched over to the US dollar a few years ago, so I brought quite a bit of cash with me, which I made sure to keep hidden from the driver to prevent him from jacking up the price (a metered taxi in Zimbabwe? Ha!) In any event, the ride cost me $40 and took about 25 minutes through a landscape of dry brush and scrub.
I've been battling a head cold for a day or so now (Johannesburg was very dusty, which I think set off my allergies, and Livingstone was pretty dry and dusty too) and today's two flights (Vic Falls to Johannesburg and then on to Cape Town) really did a number on my head. During the descent into Cape Town my ears refused to pop and filled up completely with fluid - even now they feel like they're full of water and I can barely hear anything. This has happened to me before and I should be OK in the morning.
I arrived in Cape Town at about 8pm, but since I'm not feeling well I'm staying in tonight. What little I did see of the city on the way in looked nice - we came in on the De Waal freeway, which hugs the side of Table Mountain and gives a nice view across the lights of the city. I'm staying in Gardens, which is a pretty busy area full of bars and restaurants. There were tons of people walking around as we came in, which was encouraging. Cape Town is a much, much safer city than Joburg, and so I'm looking forward to walking around tomorrow after I (hopefully) sleep off this cold.
Today I'm in: Cape Town, South Africa
I'm in Cape Town now, but much of today was spent in transit. First up was a cab ride to the Zambia border station located alongside Victoria Falls. Inside the border post things were pretty crazy - plenty of citizens from the two countries go back and forth every day, and I'd arrived at a particularly busy time. There was (sort of) a line, but people regularly pushed to the front and started shouting at the immigration officers. Finally one of them spotted me - I was the only person there with a suitcase - and stamped me out of the country.
There's a kilometer-long "no man's land" separating the two border posts, and taxi drivers from each country aren't allowed to cross it, so I had to walk with my suitcase and backpack. The road goes across the Zambezi River bridge, where I got wet (again) from the Victoria Falls spray, and winds through scrubland to the Zimbabwe border station. Inside I paid $30 for a one-day tourist visa, got my passport stamped, and found myself in one of the world's most notorious countries. I'd like to say Zimbabwe looked and felt like a rogue state or a failed nation, but it mostly looked just like Zambia. Admittedly, I was in the town of Victoria Falls, which is one of the country's only tourist venues, and the government goes out of its way to ensure the town is kept clean and stocked with food and fuel. The economic and political situation of the country has also improved quite a bit in the last few years. I did have a few tense moments with a taxi driver who wanted to bring one of his friends along for the ride - I immediately opened the door and started to get out, even though my suitcase was in the trunk and he could have driven off with it.
The long lines on the Zambian side had eaten up the time I'd budgeted to see Victoria Falls from the Zimbabwe side (the whole point of the trip) and so I had to head directly to the airport. It was a gray and overcast day anyhow - not ideal for viewing the falls. Unlike Livingstone, the Zimbabwean airport is about 35 kilometers out of town, which meant the cab ride was long and expensive. Zimbabwe switched over to the US dollar a few years ago, so I brought quite a bit of cash with me, which I made sure to keep hidden from the driver to prevent him from jacking up the price (a metered taxi in Zimbabwe? Ha!) In any event, the ride cost me $40 and took about 25 minutes through a landscape of dry brush and scrub. 
I've been battling a head cold for a day or so now (Johannesburg was very dusty, which I think set off my allergies, and Livingstone was pretty dry and dusty too) and today's two flights (Vic Falls to Johannesburg and then on to Cape Town) really did a number on my head. During the descent into Cape Town my ears refused to pop and filled up completely with fluid - even now they feel like they're full of water and I can barely hear anything. This has happened to me before and I should be OK in the morning. I arrived in Cape Town at about 8pm, but since I'm not feeling well I'm staying in tonight. What little I did see of the city on the way in looked nice - we came in on the De Waal freeway, which hugs the side of Table Mountain and gives a nice view across the lights of the city. I'm staying in Gardens, which is a pretty busy area full of bars and restaurants. There were tons of people walking around as we came in, which was encouraging. Cape Town is a much, much safer city than Joburg, and so I'm looking forward to walking around tomorrow after I (hopefully) sleep off this cold.
No comments:
Post a Comment