Aerial shot of the mighty Zambezi River, the defining border between Zambia and Zimbabwe...

Not too shabby a place to lay our heads for one night...The Royal Livingstone Hotel....

...literally on the banks for the Zambezi River.

For those who think Africa is uncivilized...um, no.......

This was the view from our screened in porch....nice!

We came to Livingstone, Zambia for the purpose of visiting the UNESCO World Heritage Site Victoria Falls.  It was a 20-minute walk from the hotel to Victoria Falls itself, so after we settled into our fabulous rooms we headed that way to see the falls before it got dark at 6 pm.

Kim and I have always wanted to see Victoria Falls, which is Africa's version of Niagara Falls, but since we try to avoid people in our travels, in our 4 previous visits to Africa we hadn't put it on the itinerary.  But it fit in perfectly with our travel plans this time, and we thought Kenny would enjoy it too.  

Our first glimpse of Victoria Falls...absolutely breath-taking!

See that little bridge on the left side that crosses the gorge?

Knife Edge Bridge!

Comparison to Niagara Falls:  Niagara has more volume of water, but Victoria Falls is the widest curtain of water in the world.

Vic Falls is at its peak in April, at the end of the rainy season.  We were told that in April you have to wear a raincoat to even walk where we walked, as the mist is so strong.  We were there in September, when the curtain of water is about half its April width and strength.  Me and my camera are glad...neither of us work well in showers!

Zambia is all about safety...can you even imagine a protective fence like this in the US?!

And just to prove that America hasn't cornered the market on crazy people, that is the silhouette of a person standing on the falls.  (For all I know, it may be an American tourist....)

We ran out of daylight to cross this bridge over to the Zimbabwe side of Victoria Falls...

...but we did see yet another crazy person, this one rappelling down the rock face.

I just do not see the fun in scaring yourself to death.....but everyone's different, I guess.

Selfies on the edge???  No thanks!

I'll stay safely behind this formidable barrier!

WOW...just SPECTACULAR!!!  There really are no words to describe it.

"Dr. Livingstone, I presume?"  (Sesame Street quote...I'm so cultured, I know...)

David Livingstone (a Scottish missionary and famous African explorer who lived in the mid-1800s) was the first European documented to lay eyes on the falls, which he named "Victoria Falls" for Queen Victoria.  While it was certainly awe-inspiring, the huge waterfall was more of an obstacle to Livingstone as he was traversing the continent of Africa preaching Christianity.  As you might guess, this famous missionary was also the namesake for the city and our hotel.

As we walked back to the hotel, we passed by some other residents....

I thought he was kidding when Kim said to me, "Terry, there's a giraffe."

"No, Kim, that's just a statue," as I stared at the kneecaps of a still giraffe.

And then the statue moved!

Definitely NOT a statue!

We got back to our suites to enjoy a gorgeous sunset on the Zambezi River.  

You can see the mist from the falls in the background...

There are hippos out there...we heard them many times but never actually saw them.

As we walked to dinner that evening, a couple of giraffes crossed ahead of us!

Quite a snazzy place to dine!  The first restaurant where the waiter brought a stool for my camera and purse.

Interesting Zambian appetizers on the menu....would you prefer orchid tubers (chikanda), worms, or croc tail?!

We almost certainly will never pass this way again, but it definitely was...

...a night to remember on the Zambezi.