Day 10: Lusaka to Livingstone.... Dr.. I presume?

 It's a 2 engine prop 16 seater... purring away at 18,000 feet, flying south to Livingstone, Zambia. Over first agricultural and then dry summer bush, following the path that we drove up on Wednesday. The sun is streaming in and I'm curled up near the cockpit.... settled against the window, taking a cat nap. Why did it take so long to drive. Just an hour flight to Livingstone, a jump off town for safaris. Its airport is as small as this plane.

Now the cross border fun begins. A car service picks me up to handle this rather complicated border crossing dance. Livingstone, Zambia is on one side of the gorge for the Zambezi River at the Victoria  Falls. Victoria Falls, Zimbabwe is on the other side and a one lane bridge connects them both. The driver who picks me up at the airport in Livingstone drives me to the border crossing at the bridge. I get out, go into immigration, show my passport and entrance visas to Zambia and 2 trip visa to Zimbabwe. I get handed a little scrap of paper stamped and out the door I go. The driver then takes me across the bridge to the Zimbabwe border. I get out, go into immigration, show my 2 entrance visa to Zimbabwe, get a little scrap of paper stamped and out the door I go.(these little scaps get collected at each border) The driver then hands me over to another car and driver, gets back in his SUV and returns to Zambia, I climb into another SUV and off we go, to the bank so that I can get dollars. Don't be confused, a few years ago Zimbabwe's treasury was in such a free fall that the dollar was instituted as the currency to stabilize the economy. I don't get charged for currency conversion... in the heart of Africa, that's economics for you.

The A'Zambezi River Lodge is the destination until Sunday morning.  www.azambezilodge.com  I left the 45 pound suitcase here on Wednesday and have been looking forward to a relaxing 36 hours. The fire pit burns hardwood, the Zambeze flows by, the star sky is out and I am waiting for elephants, down by the river.

5 am wakeup call in the morning. Come see what we are up to at that hour. Night!