Fear Factor Part Deux

As if almost drowning in the Zambezi wasn't enough today, a bunch of us also signed up to do the "Gorge Swing."

As described by Wild Horizons Adventure Company:
"Imagine swinging in a child's swing in the playground...now imagine a giant swing 95m long and 120m high above water...now imagine a 70m free fall before you begin swinging. Stop imagining and test your courage!
Our Gorge Swing is suspended across the gorge at a point where the width is 316m and 120m deep. A harness is attached to the jumper and then the jumping ropes, the other end of which is pivoted to the middle of the cable. The jumper leaps off the edge of the gorge, free falling about 70m before going into a 95m long pendulum type swing."

A 70 meter free fall.  Oh crap!  Have I mentioned I hate heights?

But first, a random video of a warthog looking for love....

photo courtesy of Andrea Murachelli

Over to the left is where we would be doing our death-defying leap.

What?  Me worry?

Our goat buddy, Dixon.  I want a goat!

Dude kept talking to me in Italian to try and distract me.  I was crapping myself at this point.  Did I mention I hate heights?

The weight of the rope was so heavy, and the tension was already so tight, that it basically dragged me off the platform.  I was yelling, "Wait, wait wait waaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaahhhh!!!!!!!!!

Waaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa!

There goes Willie!

And there goes Laura!

That night at Mama Africa.  Mmm Elephant Turd T-bone...sounds delish!  There was also a band that night.  I was itching to sing, so they let me come up and do some "Careless Whisper" that I dedicated to our tour leader, Innocent.

This picture doesn't even do justice to how filthy this money was.  I heard people hide it in their shoes, in their butt maybe...who knows?  Gross!

Speaking of money...the current currency accepted since 2009 is the US dollar or South African rand.  Although the Zimbabwean dollar was considered to be among the highest-valued currency units when it was introduced in 1980 to replace the Rhodesian dollar at par, political turmoil and hyperinflation rapidly eroded the value of the Zimbabwe dollar to become one of the least valued currency units in the world, undergoing three redenominations, with high face value paper denominations, including a $100 trillion banknote that I bought for 18 US dollars. It is reported that the cost of a single egg was 50 billion dollars! The money is sold illegally on the black market to tourists.  Illegally because the government is embarrassed by this debacle.

 Meanwhile, our camp was being over run by EVIL monkeys!  They stole a bag of rice, tore it open and ate it dry.  I tried to scare them away, but one of them charged at me baring his teeth.  I ran away.

Our last night together at a bar called Explorers.  I was ready to party! photo by Willie Walsh

The dj kind of sucked, but Henning and I were ready to dance!

photo by Willie Walsh

One last shot!  We sure had fun! photo by Willie Walsh

Bye Victoria Falls!