ZIMBABWE: SUNDOWNER CRUISE ON THE ZAMBEZI RIVER AND A BOMA DINNER

Originally we didn't have our canoeing trip on the Zambezi AND our sundowner cruise on the Zambezi back-to-back, but because we had to reschedule the cruise, that's what we got.  It actually provided a fun contrast between an outdoorsy, natural experience and a more social experience.

There was a wonderful choral group of men in native dress singing on the dock, trying to sell their DVDs. We bought one for $10. However, when we watched the DVD when we got home, it wasn't nearly as good as the performance we heard at the dock.

The idea of a "sundowner," or a kind of happy hour held at sunset, was popular in all the countries we visited on this trip. We quickly discovered that all drinks--alcoholic as well as non-alcoholic--were included in the ticket price. Alcohol-based activities seem to be the rule for tourists in southern African countries. Just after we left the dock, a waiter came around with hors d'oeuvres that included samosas, meatballs, etc. EAT EAT EAT!

We headed upstream, getting a good view of houseboats/yachts anchored near the shore:

Some were in better shape than others:

We also saw what at first glance looked like smoke, but which we soon learned was spray from Victoria Falls:

The cruise was a pleasant way to see the river from another vantage point. Since we were in a large boat and not a canoe, we could also get closer to the wildlife. We saw quite a few hippos:

They look so passive, so cute, so lumpy. It's hard to believe they are one of the most dangerous animals in Africa.

We passed by the Hotel Livingstone on the Zambia size of the river, the hotel where we had eaten dinner the night before:

We noticed weird holes in the clay walls of the riverbank:

As we got closer, we could see brilliantly colored birds poking their heads out of the holes and flying around:

These are African bee eaters, and yes, they eat bees, along with other flying insects:

A kingfisher was hanging out nearby:

There were always plenty of birds wading near the shore. This elegant duo is an egret and a yellow-billed stork:

The best part of the cruise (well, maybe after the hippos) was the sunset.

Lovely.

Our dinner that night was at the Boma Restaurant, which was located on the grounds of the Victoria Falls Safari Lodge, where we were staying. The Boma is famous for its enormous buffet and its live entertainment. However, the reason WE were going there was because Bob had learned that they serve mopani (moh-PAH-nee) worms, a local delicacy.

As we entered the restaurant, we were draped with a piece of colorful African fabric and had an African design painted on our cheeks. The place was packed, maybe 300 or 400 people.

There was a wide variety of meats, including impala, crocodile, warthog, eland meatballs, kudu stew, and guinea fowl stew. First, we had to try roasted suckling pig:

Then we moved on to other meat.

Top: impala steaks. Bottom: crocodile.

Left to right: guinea fowl, eland meatball with unknown meat above it, warthog filet.

Well, we finally got around to the mopani worms. They came in two forms. The first was dry, almost dehydrated worms:

The second version was worms stewed in some kind of a sauce:

Neither was very good, but neither was horrible either.  And hey, we got a certificate that verified we had done the deed:

I'm not sure it was worth the certificate, but at least Bob can now check mopani worms off his list.