Africa of yesteryear...

As might be expected, Tiffany and I have learned quite a bit about each other on this extended honeymoon. Among other things, I now know that Tiffany is the perfect elixir for most ailing economies. We were browsing the outdoor crafts market at Victoria Falls (Zimbabwe) the day before last, and I caught the tail end of one of Tiffany's negotiating sessions with a local craftsman regarding two small, carved giraffes. Although I wasn't privy to this gentleman's opening price (which, as a rule, is generally around 75% higher than it should be), I think my lovely wife managed to pay the highest price ever for this particular item. I won't go into details, but suffice it to say that later that day, we bought a carved hippo of similar size for 3% of the price paid for the giraffes (no exaggeration). George W. will be glad indeed when we finally get back to the U.S., as Tiffany's effect on the economy will surely match that of any interest rate cut.

My sticker shock from the giraffes faded quickly upon checking in at the Victoria Falls Hotel, which is quite simply one of the most magnificent properties we have ever laid eyes on. What makes the hotel so special is that its colonial feel is not contrived (a-la Las Vegas), as the hotel has provided respite to presidents, game hunters and other visitors to the area (including honeymooners) for over one hundred years now. We ate a delicious lunch outdoors at Stanley's (one of the hotel's yummy restaurants), which overlooks not only the eerie mist generated by the imposing falls, but also resident baboons which frequent the property from time to time. There have been very few occasions during our travels that a particular hotel, in and of itself, has rivaled the sights surrounding it, but this has been one such case.

The famous falls, which were a short hike from the hotel, were absolutely awe-inspiring. Victoria Falls is one of the only places in the world, as far as I know, where there exists a permanent rainbow (the power of the water creates the aforementioned thick mist, which in turn reflects the sun, which...). The shear volume of water flowing from the Zambian side of the river (the top of the falls) to Zimbabwe is mind-boggling. Nothing against Niagara Falls but this might be the ideal honeymoon spot.

To top it off, yesterday we managed to add a few new wildlife sightings to our growing list during a short safari to Chobe National Park in Botswana. Among the more interesting animals were hippo, African Buffalo, baboons, a huge monitor lizard, a baby crocodile and a number of elephant playing in and around the Chobe River. In addition, Tiffany enjoyed what she has since decided is her favorite wild animal "behavioral moment" to date: as one of the bull elephants ambled along the river bed, he apparently decided that the spray generated by his trunk was insufficient to clean his back so he gracefully rolled right into the river. The sight of a multi-ton mammoth frolicking on his back in the shallow, muddy water was truly something to behold. By the end of the day, between Etosha National Park in Namibia and Chobe National Park in Botswana, we had seen 4 out of the 5 creatures which constitute the "Big Five"... the only one we haven't seen yet is the ever-elusive leopard. As a side note, it's our understanding that the phrase "Big Five," which includes Rhino, Elephant, Buffalo, Lions and Leopard, was coined by early game hunters in Africa to describe those animals which were the most dangerous to hunt (although we were quite surprised to learn that these days hippo are actually responsible for more human deaths in Africa than any other animal... they just look silly and cuddly). On to our next destination! See you there.

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