"Smoke that Thunders" a Victoria Falls Travel Page by Orchid

We arrived safely here after an hour and a half flying in from Johannesburg. Good views had as the plane approached the small airport. Customs and immigration ($30USD for the visa) was quick and harmless, and we were met by Maxwell with our pre-arranged taxi to our pre-booked accommodation at the Phumula Apartments.

We settled into the apartment (2BR, AC in each room) and went for a look around to get the lie of the land. Victoria Falls isn't large, and it was only 15 minutes walk at a leisurely pace to find the entrance to the falls themselves at the end of the road that passed through the shop & restaurant district. We were approached by a few sellers of carvings, but weren't interested in buying. They soon lost interest and let us go on our way.

It was not our plan to visit the falls today though - instead we decided to walk around a long loop road which led out to a big boabab tree, and thence back to the park entrance. For some of our walk we were folowed by a troop of baboons. In the mud by the road animal tracks were visible.

The wether in January is hot and steamy, and we were aware of the buildup of large thunderclouds as we completed our stroll.

We made it back before the heavens openned and saw the carpark turn into a river as rain pounded down.