TRAVEL.....What a Fall!
The Victoria Falls
in Zambia, stretching over 1.7 km, with blinding spray and rainbows at every
corner, is spectacular
One minute I see it, the next I can't.
At the Victoria Falls in Zambia, the spray is so strong that it
covers the entire landscape like a thick, impenetrable blanket. It begins as a
gentle mist caressing the face at the first viewing platform, and by the time
we finish a round of the marked vantage points, it has turned into a shower.
The poncho and the raincoat rented from the vendor, who is doing brisk busi
ness near the entrance, could not make any difference. Victoria Falls is
determined to live up to its local name of Mosi Oa Tunya -the smoke that
thunders. Indeed, the spray looks like a plume of smoke rising way up into the
sky, mingling with the low, dark clouds. Our local guide, Sims, takes us from
viewpoint to viewpoint, each offering just a tantalising glimpse of the
waterfall.
At the first stop, the view of the falls is framed by lush green
trees and the Zambezi river from where the plummet into an invisible gorge
begins. This is only a teaser of what is to come, every point opening up just a
little more of the vista.We gingerly make our way across the wet Knife Edge
Bridge, leading up to the dramatically named Danger Point, which gives the
closest as well as the most expansive view of the Vic (as I have begun to think
of it fondly).
Given that the falls stretch over 1.7 km, it is impossible to
see more than a tiny slice of it from any place. It finds a place on the Unesco
World Heritage Sites list. Along with other worthies like Mount Everest, the
Great Barrier Reef and the Grand Canyon, Victoria Falls is one of the seven
natural wonders of the world. As I watch the curtain of water, it is every bit
as spectacular as this status indicates. The gorge creates a natural
international border between Zambia and Zimbabwe, with each country proudly
claiming the best view. Now, there is the Victoria Falls Bridge that connects
the two neighbours -it also attracts adrenalin junkies for a bungee jumping
experience that has them plummeting head-first into the Zambezi.
Bird's-eye View
Soaked to the skin -but not bothered a bit -I make my way back,
heading to the upstream area from where the Vic begins its descent. On the
Knife Edge Bridge, a group of boys is having a rollicking time, taking selfies
and pushing each other in est on that slippery surface. Families are out in
full force, mothers carrying babies on a back sling. I carry on with a huge
smile on my face; in this special place, where there is a rainbow at every
corner, t is impossible not to smile all the time.
One of the stories that Zambians are proud of sharing is about
their favourite Scottish missionary David Livingstone.The first European to see
the falls in 1855 -earlier unknown to the world outside the local tribes -he
rhapsodised that “scenes so lovely must have been gazed upon by angels in their
flight“.
These words ringing in my ears, I clamber into the microlight
flight later that day for a bird's-eye view of the Vic. While this activity is
not as challenging as some others like bungee-jumping or whitewater rafting, it
requires nerves of steel. From a distance, my flight looks like a large
autorickshaw about to take to the skies.
On this two-seater plane, I am right next to the pilot, the
quiet but friendly Pascal from Zimbabwe. “Why do you want to hold on?“ he
responds to my nervous question about the handrail. I wear my headphones and
relax and enjoy as ordered. Pascal starts chatting the minute he turns on the
engine. And he keeps up a steady commentary through the fifteen minutes of our
flight, partly to make sure I do not miss anything and partly to keep me calm.
We fly towards the thick veil of vapour visible ahead and,
within seconds, are cruising over the hero of this story. Pascal flies on
towards the Zimbabwe side for a full loop around the falls, before flying over
the Zambezi, which looks perfectly still and gentle from up above, with no
indication of how forceful its plunge really is. There are two more loops over
the Vic, adorned by multiple rainbows that glitter in the winter afternoon sun.
All too soon, we move away from the main canyon and when we land
at the base, it feels like the wind is still caressing my cheeks and the roar
of the water is still echoing in my ears.
Charukesi Ramadurai
May 14 2017 :
The Economic Times (Mumbai)
No comments:
Post a Comment