October 30, 2009 | Africa,Victoria Falls,Zambia
The Smoke that Thunders
Tuesday September 15, Zambia
As my brother and I hiked around the Eastern Cataract area of Victoria Falls on Monday afternoon, we understood exactly what the guidebooks meant when they said that the best view of the Falls was from the Zimbabwe side. From the edge of the island we were on, we could just see, around the bend, that it must be a terrific view. However, there was no way we were going into Zimbabwe.
Plus a lot of hiking on uneven ground wasn’t terribly comfortable for Mum. We decided to look into the helicopter tour of the Falls.
The next morning, we booked a 15-minute helicopter tour through the Bushtracks Africa excursions desk at the Zambezi Sun.
It was SO worth it. The pilot did two loops around the Falls, giving us a chance to see them from multiple angles. We also saw a herd of elephants from the air.
The local name for the Falls is Mosi-0a-Tunya (also spelled Mosi-O-Tunya). It means “the smoke that thunders.” We were there in the dry season, so we didn’t really hear (or register) the thunder, but it is certainly true that you can see the “smoke” for miles around.
I was very glad I had invested in my Tamron 18-270mm lens
Now, to the Smoke on the Water reference. When my brother and I were growing up, someone in the house behind us was learning to play guitar. Unfortunately, all he seemed to know was the opening riff of Deep Purple’s (now classic) Smoke on the Water. Which he played over and over and over and over.
Dun dun duh dun dun da da dah Dun dun duh dun dun da da dah.
Great song. It has taken me 30 years to appreciate it. Enjoy.
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