"The Best Day Ever"

(I still was unable to upload Photos) I will try to do so in Cape Town this week.

The title above was given the minute we decided to get in the car and begin the craziest adventure of our entire trip.
We were given the option of having both the drives on the same day or spreading it out but a few of us mentioned how we wanted to see Victoria Falls which was near by so they crammed the two drives together in one and let us have a free day to explore. Our professors were not allowed to know about our travels so we just told them we were heading to town for the day. As we sat at breakfast that morning we had arranged to have a driver pick us up, drive us to the border of Zambia and then drive us to the Falls. He was also charging $30 American for transportation which we felt was a bit extreme. We canceled the arrangements and decided to be spontaneous and find our own way. The thought of this made my stomach turn and as I returned my laptop to my room that morning I thought about not going for the first time. It would be a lot easier to stay here and I could save some money plus who knows if we are even going to make it. Rumor has it took one gentlemen four hours to get through border patrol going into Zambia. I asked myself will you regret it if they do make it to the falls and come back and you have to hear all about it? I packed a quick bag and headed out the door, this is what I came to Africa for, adventure and boy did I get it.
We were dropped off at the border by a taxi around 9:10am; I had been up since 6:30am because the excitement was too much. I couldn’t help but feel scared as I filled out the form to cross into Zambia. What if we don’t make it back to the border before it closes and we are stuck in Zambia homeless for a night? What if someone kidnaps us? What if we get mugged, pick pocketed or if we cannot find transportation? Trust me I thought about every possible terrible outcome. “This isn’t me” I thought to myself. I decided right then and there I would change my mind set about everything and be open to every possibility. After we filled out our passport information we walked 3 kilometers down to Chobe River where we took a small engine boat across for 20 pula. We reached the bank and walked up to border patrol. As we stood in line I couldn’t help but to notice a sign that said that food was prohibited from one border to another. I quickly informed the group and began throwing away the lunch I had packed which consisted of an orange and two cupcakes. It wasn’t much but it would get me through the day. Well at first the border patrol man told s to each pay 50 American dollars, only a few of us had brought American cash, I was not one of them. Eventually we negotiated with him to drop the price to $20 a person for our visa and he let us pass. While we were in line getting our passports and visa’s Jenny and Katie K. began looking for transportation. We found one guy but he was sketchy and asking for too much money. We were lucky though because he introduced us to another driver who switched buses with someone who he knew so he could make room to take us. In order for this to happen he had to tell the four people he was driving to the airport to take their entire luggage and move it to another bus. The drive to Livingston was about forty minutes but we struck up a conversation with the two older couples who were on their way to the airport.
They told me they lived in Cape Town so they gave me some advice for when I travel there. Our driver told us he had arranged to have someone drive us to the falls when he drops us off at the Post Office. Once again I was nervous, what if he is not even taking us to Livingston? What if he asks for more money? I felt safe in Botswana because guns were outlawed that wasn’t the case in Zambia were guns were legal. He dropped us off and we met the new driver who would take us to the falls. The drive to Livingston was about 40 pula a person and the drive to the falls ended up being 20 pula. Everyone quickly noticed how generous our driver was on the way to the Falls. We all began singing “I’m so excited, that I just can’t hide it” And the bus driver couldn’t help but smile. We asked him if he would be willing to pick us back up from the Falls at 2pm (it was 11am at this time) and take us back to the Zambia border for sixty pula. I should probably mention that the pula exchange rate is about 6.9 to 1 American dollar. He quickly obliged and even told us he would show us the falls. We thought he would just get off the bus and show us where it was but he was generous enough to show us the entrance. I asked Katie K. what his name was and she said “Water” only to find out after calling him Water all day that his name was Walter.
When we arrived we were all jumping, skipping, laughing as we hurried quickly down the road toward the Zambia Bridge. We passed two waterfalls on the left and he told us there were about eight different calls and that the ones we just saw were called Falls # 6. While we were on the bridge everyone had talked about bungee jumping. I was not opposed to do it until I approached the bridge and quickly remembered my fear of heights. We walked up the stairs to the office and it was 600 pula to swing and 840 pula to bungee jump over the falls. I went to the bathroom and when I had returned half of the ten people that came with us were gone. They had gone with the bus driver to go to a near by hotel and get money from an ATM. Well it looks like I won’t be jumping I said out load. I wasn’t really disappointed because I could use this as my reason for not doing it since I am scared half to death anyway. The remaining people said do you want to jump, I said no at first. As we sat there and watched the promotional video I couldn’t help but think I traveled this far and I am going to let fear stand in the way of me doing something outrageous. Well at least I have the excuse of not having any money.
I went to the bath room again to blow my nose. When I returned Angela walked up and yelled with excitement “I am doing the swing”. The swing is about a 4 second free fall and then it propels you about three hundred yards out into the middle of the canyon. I was shocked that it was cheaper considering less people wanted to do it because it was “scarier” but I felt Angela would get the bang for her buck because you get to sit down in the gorge for fifteen minutes as the reel you back up. Oh well I thought I don’t have enough money, I only brought three hundred pula. As I put my head down in despair Angela held out a hundred pula bill and said here take it. Megan Casebolt then looked at me with in all seriousness and said “how much do you need” I said “no guys its okay I don’t need to do it.” Once again she repeated “How much do you need”? Three hundred more pula, Meghan dug deep into her purse and pulled out here wallet. “Here”, your good for the money and you cannot pass this up. Meghan wasn’t even jumping herself so I felt hesitant to take the money thinking she might need it. She smiled and said you have come all the way to Africa, we’ve driven through two different countries to get here and four different means up transportation, you have to do it.
I walked up and signed up for the SWING, I had already bungee jumped and I needed a new experience. As I was signing up, the lady registering me asked about my shirt. It was my bucket list shirt I had bought from Forever Twenty One. I told her I have done crazier when in all reality jumping off a bridge over a thousand foot canyon topped all experiences. I was very happy of how supportive the group we came with were about my money situation and throughout the entire day. It felt as though we were one big family, constantly wanting pictures of each other, laughing, encouraging and more importantly supporting. The moment everyone dug into their pockets I knew this experience wasn’t just about them or about me it was about us. I walked up to the bridge and began trembling immediately. I made the mistake of looking down and became mesmerized by the rapids crashing against the rocks. I took a deep breath and close my eyes trying to soak up everything around me. Angela had already put on her harness and was ready to go. As I walked up to the plank someone was getting ready to bungee jump. He held his arms out wide like a bird and jumped out into nothing. Oh my goodness I thought to myself, this is insane, maybe I can get my money back. Just then the guy grabbed me and said where is your ticket? I gave it to him and then he began preparing me for my jump. Angela Jumped first and then I had to wait about fifteen minutes to do it. Once again every negative thought began racing through my head, what if the cord snaps? What if they can’t pull me back in? Is this the way I would want to go? And once again I closed my eyes took another deep breathe and thought about how I love roller coaster, the rush of going fast and enjoying an unpredictable ride. I was at peace. As I had said before fear is a powerful thing it will either push you to the extreme and then some or it will hold you back from the things everyone else is enjoying. Besides if I can’t jump off a bridge how do I expect to sky dive in Cape Town? Katie K. felt like a big sister that day, she never left my side. I can honestly say without her words of encouragement I would have chickened out. If there was anytime someone could use some counseling it’s before a stunt like this. Thanks Katie for your love and support that day on the bridge.
They called my name and I stepped onto the plank. I made it a point not to look down. He attacked the cables; I said my goodbyes to Katie, Dan and the rest of the group as they waited a few feet down from me video taping the event. The instructor told me to walk up to the end and put my toes over the edge. I shook in fear. Goose bumps began running up my legs, spine, neck and then back down. He told me when I begin to swing to put my arms out so he knows I didn’t die of a heart attack. “Thanks for the comfort” I joked back with him. Then it began Five, Four, Three, Two, One (Swing). I stepped forward……emptiness. I have never felt clearer as I did in the four second free fall. No worries or cares in the world. The only way to describe what I was thinking on my way down was pure emptiness, I didn’t have one thought, I wasn’t scared, I was free. Then all the sudden it felt as though someone swooped me up with their hand and shifted me forward. I threw my arms out and gasped for air, “I’m alive” I yelled at the top of my lungs.
No one could hear me but it didn’t matter. I believe the swing was as close as I will ever come to feeling like a bird. I had a feeling run through my body unlike anything I have ever experienced. I swung around for a few minutes. I tried to take in the view that only a few will ever get the opportunity to see. The scariest part of the whole experience was when they reeled me in under the bridge. They tried pulling me to the bridge but I squirmed in panic. The guys helping me were getting impatient with me but I just wanted to grab onto something sturdy and concrete. I clicked my cable onto the rope and began heading back. I shook in fear, the only thing between me and a 1,000 foot drop is a 105 year old cage in inch thick. Once I got to the other side I ran to the grass, I looked up and there was a sign “Welcome to Zimbabwe”. Granted it wasn’t much but I touched foot on the soil so I will count it. I do want to make it back there one day just to visit my friend Titus. As I walked back I was welcomed by my friends clapping for me, smiling ear to ear. ZACH YOU DID IT!!!! Katie was a trooper and video taped the whole thing. If you ever want to see it let me know, I will try to upload it on my blog but it’s a pretty long video. Walter walked up and gave me a high five, “You did great, did you like it”. He then went on to tell me he has bungee jumped there three times and the first time was the most nerve racking. I watched Jenny, Lauren and Megan Pierce jump. We all felt relived. We made it to the Falls, we conquered jumping off the bridge and we were getting ready to go see the Falls

On the walk up to the park I had an interesting conversation with Walter that really made me appreciate him being with us. I asked him what type of jobs he has done in the past. He told me he worked at a computer company for five years and then spent some time at a bang setting up accounts. I asked him what got him into the business he is doing now. He said I got bored sitting behind a desk, I didn’t get any joy from it. He made up his mind he wasn’t going to live his life stuck. He saved up money and now owns his own tourist company. He has five drivers and he works his own hours. He gets the freedom to hang out with people and enjoy the things they enjoy. You could tell he was right where he needed to be in life. He explained how seeing the smiles on our face are worth every moment. He talked about a few things he had to overcome and how he feels fulfillment from his job now. I am glad I had this conversation with Walter.
It was time to see the falls, Walter drove us up to the park and told us we need to take a minute to see the history of it. We spent about ten minutes inside and I got bored and went outside to barter with some locals. One man even tried telling me that he wanted me to wear a necklace to the park and to return it when I return. I told him I couldn’t and walked away. A lot of people were trying to sell Zimbabwe dollar bills. Since they just switched currency to the American Dollar because their inflation at one point was one tenth to the twentieth power, they had bill that were ten trillion dollars, five billion dollars. Titus explained to me that a coca cola in Zim would cost around five billion dollar. We had to pay ten American dollars to enter the park. For some reason everyone wanted to have the American dollar, just to feel it. We could pay cheaper in American dollars then if we were to buy something with pula. It made me step back and think about how a bill could mean so much to these people and I wonder if they thought of it as an investment.