Mosi-oa-Tunya

What does one do when they are living in Cape Town and they have a weekend coming up with no plans?

They go on an adventure of course!

Mosi-oa-Tunya is Tonga (an African language spoken in Zambia and Zimbabwe) for: "The smoke that thunders."

And boy does it thunder.

It refers to the absolutely INCREDIBLE wonder of the natural world that sits right on the borders between Zambia and Zimbabwe. It refers to Victoria Falls.

Annnnnd...for those of you that might not know...Victoria Falls is a MASSIVE waterfall! [Get it? The smoke that thunders? The smoke is the mist from the falls...and the thunder is the sound of thousands of pounds of rushing water!]

Victoria Falls

Victoria Falls (and I'm taking this from Wikipedia folks...so don't judge too harshly if the facts are wrong!) is considered to be the world's largest waterfall (not the highest, or the widest, but the LARGEST due the tons and tons of water and the sheer size of the falling sheets). It's about twice the height of Niagra Falls!

And it is BEAUTIFUL.

Two weeks ago, some friends and I decided that we simply had to see the place for ourselves. So, we hopped on a plane (and then another one!), and after rerouting a bit due to border patrol not quite liking that our whole party did not have proof of yellow fever vaccinations, we made it!

We arrived on the Zambian side of the Zambezi river and the falls, in a little town called Livingstone. We only had the weekend, so time was tight to really make the most of our time.

That first afternoon (after trying to get cash out of EVERY SINGLE ATM in Zambia to no avail - some sort of city-wide blackout....what else is new?), but after about two hours, we headed straight for the Zambezi, and a sunset cruise on the river!

The girls and I cruisin' the Zambezi! 

We saw hippo and crocodile, beautiful birds, and the most stunning sunset. And the ever flowing drinks on the cruise helped us in to our relaxed vibes a bit!

Hippos!!!

One super awesome sunset.....

Then after a few more drinks back at our warm and welcoming hostel (and chatting to new found friends!), it was an early night to bed.

YES. 

Early the next morning, we were suited up and given a quick safety briefing before white water rafting down the gorge and rapids of the Zambezi!

Now apparently white water rapids are rated on a scale from 1-6. (Or so we were told). 1 being the easiest and safest and 6 being the toughest, most difficult and dangerous. We did category 5 rapids! 3 of them! And a whole bunch more! We made it through ten rapids all together! (Minus one we had to get out and walk around because it was that dangerous).

The VERY first rapid, our raft completely capsized. Never in my life have I been so terrified of drowning. BUT it was also so much fun! We made it down the river (And I only fell out one other time....so I felt pretty good!), and when we were finished, we were all sufficiently exhausted and ready for some chill time and a good lunch.

Annnd we are flipping over. Awesome. 

Crashing through the rapids! 

Hang on for dear life! 

We are in there somewhere....

We have ONE picture that looks calm and peaceful like this...ONE.

Then, after lunch, we had another adventure planned! A quick boat trip from Zambia to Livingstone Island - where we got our first REAL view of the falls and we got to swim in Devil's Pool!!!

Boat ride to Livingstone Island! 

Double rainbow? Yay! 

The girls and I at Livingstone Island loving the views.

Devil's pool is this little pool right at the edge of the falls! You have to swim your way out there, battling the strong currents, and then you can hang out in the pool and watch in awe, wonder, and sheer terror as the water flows past you and right over the edge and over the falls! It was the most insane thing I have ever witnessed or experienced and something I cannot recommend highly enough! Put this on your bucket lists folks!

SO CLOSE TO THE EDGE!!!! 

Once again..hanging on for dear life! 

We might look happy...but we are all terrified. 

We even got one of our guides to take video footage for us...so you can really see how close they let us get to the edge! Check it out:

After an unbeatable experience, we got to watch an unbeatable sunset go down over the falls. Hands down one of my all time favorite days I have ever had the pleasure of living through.

Best. Day. Ever!!! 

Then the next morning (our last in Vic Falls), we traipsed across the bridge and walked ourselves in to Zimbabwe! We got to see the falls from the other side (and get rained on a bit thanks to the mist!). It was the most pleasant 3 hours I have ever spent in a country! Haha! (We had to hurry our butts back to the Zambian side to catch our flight home!).

The bridge connecting Zambia and Zimbabwe over the Zambezi River

Woooo! 

Completely soaked thanks to the giant waterfall. Sheesh. 

I like to stand near the edge of waterfalls...

I also like to sit close the edge of waterfalls...

Does it get any better? 

I got a quick shot of Devil's Pool from across the gorge! (Before it started down pouring on my camera from all the mist off the falls). See that little pool straight across? That's it!

Another shot of Devil's Pool from across the way...you can even see people about to jump in and swim in it! See them?

[Happy face]

All in all it was a weekend completely packed with unforgettable, once in a lifetime experiences (that, naturally, I cannot wait to repeat someday). And as I was on my way home late that Sunday night, I could not stop grinning from ear to ear. Spontaneous trips and good friends and adrenaline and good food and good wine....if this is life, I'll take it. SO lucky and happy to be living it each day.

I'm not sure when the next sudden desire for adventure will hit (let's be honest...when do I NOT have a sudden desire for adventure?)....so I guess I should rather ask..I'm not sure when I'll next act on my impulses for adventure, but I promise I'll keep everyone updated when I do!

Until next time!

One more...cuz it's awesome....