By Chrispin Inambao KATIMA MULILO We closed for our annual Christmas holidays shortly before the world was to explode in a mighty display of rainbow fireworks commemorating the birth of Jesus Christ, and this break could not have come at a better time as the newsroom was severely fatigued. News, I mean scoops, much sought after by any journalist and not the usual run-of-the-mill stuff coming by way of press conferences, is also hard to come by this time of year. And to make matters worse, some of the journalists were already on leave and we were operating on a skeletal staff though newsroom deadlines had to be met. Immediately after closing I hit the road in my debt-financed sedan so that I could attend to pressing issues, whereafter I could take my overdue Christmas break in order for me to re-energise both physically and mentally as my energy levels were low. The year 2006 was quite eventful both locally, regionally and globally, what with the judicial murder of the ousted Iraqi dictator Saddam Hussein and the worsening economic situation in neighbouring Zimbabwe and Jacob Zuma’s acquittal on rape charges. The trip to Katima and eventually to the spectacular Victoria Falls was less eventful, apart from my dozing midway through the trip and I had to catch up with sleep at one lay-by cognizant of the fact some of the most deadly road accidents are attributed to fatigue. After attending to some pressing family affairs, I headed for the Victoria Falls – a must-see that attracts thousands of tourists loaded with British Pounds, US dollars and Euros. While there we strolled along the Rain Forest and visited several sites on the Eastern Cataract of the Vic Falls and even taking a dip along a less suicidal stretch of the falls. The Victoria Falls/Mosi-Oa-Tunya that was inscribed as a World Heritage Site in December 1989 under category III: Natural Monuments, is a site of outstanding national and universal significance and is listed among the Seven Wonders of the World. The stately Taj Mahal of India, the great Pyramids of Egypt, the magnificent Great Wall of China, the breathtaking Grand Canyon of the USA and others count among these wonders. Shared by Zambia and Zimbabwe with the largest stretch being on the Zambian side, the Victoria Falls reaches its peak flow between the months of March and May when the average volume of water rolling over the lip of the cataract is approximately 550 000 ‘cubic litres’ per second. The highest flow ever recorded was 770 000 ‘cubic litres’ per second during the record flood of 1958, according to the Zambian tourism authorities. It is located at latitude 17 degrees 56 minutes south and longitude 25 degrees and 51 minutes east, some 11 km from Livingstone. During the peak flow period, the water spray is so dense that everything is hidden in the mist and the thunder of the falling water can be heard several kilometers away. The seasonal variation in the water flow is so great that the falls produce wide-ranging impressions on the visitor. The flow during the dry season can be as low as 20 000 cubic litres/second. Normally this happens in later November or early December but in years of poor rainfall the rocks become visible as early as September or October. It is described in modern times as the greatest known curtain of falling water from the columns of spray that rise hundreds of metres that are sometimes visible from 32 km away. The falls area has been home to humans for 2.5 million years. Shared by six countries, namely, Angola, Botswana, Mozambique, Namibia, Zambia and Zimbabwe at 3540 km in length the Zambezi River is Africa’s fourth longest river, the longest being the Nile, followed by the Niger then the Congo River. Places of interest that one can visit whilst in Livingstone are the Railway Museum, the Livingstone Museum, the Mosi-Oa-Tunya National Park and Mukuni Village, among others. Sandwiched between the curio centre and the visitor information centre on the entrance to the Eastern Cataract of the Vic Falls is the “the Shop That Thunders”. Unfortunately, as I only operated on a shoestring budget I could not do micro-lighting, gorge swinging, abseiling, rap jumping, boat cruising, rafting on one of those rubber ducks or bungee jumping. They say the best way to view the falls is by air on one of those helicopters. I was also informed one “chief” soiled his trousers when he decided to go for that ultimate thrill of bungee jumping that costs US$100 or so per jump, and he is apparently not the only one in the ever-growing ranks of mis-adventurers. Though I would have loved to do bungee jumping I should draw consolation from the fact that unlike during my previous visits this time around I managed to ‘swim’ on a lesser dangerous spot of the falls though this activity is strongly not for the faint-hearted. And as photographing is not prohibited within the falls I was able to take pictures of several resident monkeys that like humans are so nimble-fingered they habitually pilfer food particularly fruit especially from women and children who visit the falls every day. And during our visit we witnessed one such daytime robbery in which the victim was a tiny Indian boy who lost a large packet of assorted biscuits to a big female baboon with a pinkish bottom. After this primate stole the assorted packet it snacked on it to the amusement of several tourists. And while it was busy having its ill-gotten lunch we managed to pose for a photo with this street-smart that seemed not to mind our presence. Another monkey was spotted while comfortably seated on a plastic chair, while another was rummaging through the contents of a parked truck possibly looking for loot. As Livingstone is the tourist capital of Zambia with its main tourist attraction being the Victoria Falls, it boasts some of the best lodges and guest houses and for the hundreds of travellers wanting extra comfort and luxury there is the three-star Zambezi Sun Hotel and of course the five-star Royal Livingstone within the vicinity of the majestic falls. My colleague Surihe Gaomas who also spent a memorable week on the Zimbabwean side viewing the falls had this to say: “it was awesome and breath-taking, and also very refreshing after a hectic year. It was also a nice break from a hectic year. I would really advise everybody to go there, as it is right here in Africa and you don’t need to go to Europe to see some of these things. It was really rejuvenating.” Though Zambian officials should be commended for being so polite and helpful to many a traveller, the only negatives are the excessive border charges, namely the so-called carbon tax payable to the Zambia Revenue Authority and the one-off Third Party Insurance compulsory for motorists traveling to or via that country. The other highlight of my holiday was I spent many hours on my rubber duck boating along the Zambezi River at Katima Mulilo. I would have loved to have spent more of my time swimming but I did less of this because of an increase in killer crocodiles. I was also prepared to do some angling but due to the present moratorium implemented by the Ministry of Fisheries and Marine Resources this was out of the question. And what with the presence of a virus among fish caused by migratory birds. I also spent several days fixing my house at our village at Bukalo while tending to other less strenuous communal activities such as roof sealing to prevent leakages during rains. Flora and Fauna The Victoria Falls area basically has four vegetation types, which could be appreciated by ardent nature lovers. Themost common tree species being Colophospermum, Mopane, Combretum Imberbe, Acacia nigrescens, Dalbegia melanoxylon, Phoenix reclinata, Diospyros mespiliformis and phragmites mauritianus. These trees are of great economic and ecological importance because of their various uses such as being breeding sites for birds and insects, river-bank stabilization, and they are also used among locals for carving and for herbal purposes among Africans still preferring tribal remedies. Over 80 different species of fish occur above the falls and over sixty below the falls and several game species occur in the adjoining national park. The most common forms of wildlife within the falls area are the Chacma baboons and the Vervet monkeys. Nocturnal activity by the Hippopotamus amphibius is also common and during low water levels elephants become a common sight in the falls area.