September 7, 2016

This morning we got up at 5:30 am and packed everything up. We had a nice breakfast in the hotel restaurant. Our transfer was there to pick us up at 7:50 am for another 30 minute ride back to Johannesburg airport. There was an escort at the airport to help us get checked in and onto passport control. We were leaving the country going from South Africa to Zimbabwe. We will be there 2 nights.

Even though we got to the airport early it really passed quickly because it was quite a walk to our gates and there were shops along the way to stop and look at. Our plane boarded on time. The only part I didn't like was we had to get on a bus to ride out to the plane. That is always a pain to have to do that. The plane ride was uneventful. The flight was only 1.5 hours. They served us a sandwich. The landing was very bumpy.

As we exited the plane there was a line that we were standing. They were checking our passports for us to get in another line to go through passport control and pay $30 for our visa. They did everything manually and it took us over an hour to get through. There were 2 other people on our transfer and they left after waiting 45 minutes on us. They rode in business class and were the first off the plane. In fact I saw them getting their luggage to leave when we were still upstairs.

As we were going to our hotel our driver told us of 2 tours. Riding elephants for an hour or a helicopter tour. I really didn't want to do either but Pammy had been asking me to do the helicopter and I kept telling her no.  This time I told her I would do it if she wouldn't make me ride elephants in the heat. Our driver dropped us and our luggage off at the helicopter place and we did the flight over the falls. They filmed the whole thing and then tried to sell us the video for $50. We said no thanks.

We were then transferred to our hotel. It was nice. They serve snacks and drinks in the afternoon and have a viewing deck overlooking the watering hole.

We had a free dinner included in the package. We went to the restaurant to eat and had one misunderstanding after another. At the end they wanted us to pay and we said no. They finally let us leave with an agreement it would get sorted out in the morning with our travel provider.

Upon returning to our room the had done the turndown service for us and put the mosquito net around our beds. We have to wear sunscreen during the day and mosquito repellent at night plus we have to take anti malaria tablets.

Tomorrow is another day with a tour of the falls starting at 8:00 am.