"We were chased by zebras, challenged by elephants, and chewed on by lions," Mrs. Maloon said to me after Thursday and Friday's African animal encounters. Indeed, Friday was all about adrenaline. The majority of the TAA Mission team experienced a series of serious adrenaline rushes throughout the day--if not one way, then another, and another, and another.
2. From there, they moved over to Victoria Falls where they met up with the group members who had chosen more extreme ways of increasing their adrenaline flow: the zip line/slide, the swing, and the bungee jump over the Zambezi River.
3. Meanwhile, the action-adventure group had started with the zip line (or slide as it is called in Zambia) over the Zambezi River into Zimbabwe at the far side of the bridge. Some in the group went solo, others in tandem. All said it wasn't as scary as they thought it would be and that it was slower than they hoped--although they had time to actually look at what they were soaring over instead of zipping by everything in a blur.
4. At that point, most were done with the activities, but Jacob moved on to the swing down from the bridge and out across the river. From this observer's perspective, this was the most terrifying event to watch. It's hard to explain when you can't see it, but I am still scared to think of it! Adrian and Ahilyn did this same swing event in tandem--and it was just as scary watching two do it as it was watching one.
5. The last of the big three events was the bungee jump. Narce, Alejandra, and Jacob braved this adventure, making all wonder what could top this.
6. Once done at the bridge, all parties met at Victoria Falls for a walking tour of the area above and along the falls. We were warned it would be wet, but most had no idea that in this case "wet" meant "wet to the bone." The wet came not just from the heavy mist and spray from the falls, but from a downright deluge whenever the wind gusted in our direction as we walked down slick moss-covered steps and slid across the moss-covered Knife-Edge Bridge that crossed a portion of the falls. There were screams of laughter and surprise as we gingerly navigated (speaking for myself at least) the slippery sidewalk. For some (including yours truly) this was the best shower of the week (a trickle of cold water hardly constitutes a real shower, but it's all we had to work with).
In addition to all these adrenaline-releasing activities, the group enjoyed dickering and bartering with the natives in their small, dark "shops." It was fun to reunite on the busses at the end of the day to see what treasures a t-shirt, a toothbrush, or a 4-color pen plus a few dollars or kwacha purchased. By the time we returned to Kaazmein Lodge, everyone was exhausted with all the energy expended in various ways. Even those who just watched were worn out. It was an excellent day--even a "best day ever" kind of day :)
3. Meanwhile, the action-adventure group had started with the zip line (or slide as it is called in Zambia) over the Zambezi River into Zimbabwe at the far side of the bridge. Some in the group went solo, others in tandem. All said it wasn't as scary as they thought it would be and that it was slower than they hoped--although they had time to actually look at what they were soaring over instead of zipping by everything in a blur.
4. At that point, most were done with the activities, but Jacob moved on to the swing down from the bridge and out across the river. From this observer's perspective, this was the most terrifying event to watch. It's hard to explain when you can't see it, but I am still scared to think of it! Adrian and Ahilyn did this same swing event in tandem--and it was just as scary watching two do it as it was watching one.5. The last of the big three events was the bungee jump. Narce, Alejandra, and Jacob braved this adventure, making all wonder what could top this.
6. Once done at the bridge, all parties met at Victoria Falls for a walking tour of the area above and along the falls. We were warned it would be wet, but most had no idea that in this case "wet" meant "wet to the bone." The wet came not just from the heavy mist and spray from the falls, but from a downright deluge whenever the wind gusted in our direction as we walked down slick moss-covered steps and slid across the moss-covered Knife-Edge Bridge that crossed a portion of the falls. There were screams of laughter and surprise as we gingerly navigated (speaking for myself at least) the slippery sidewalk. For some (including yours truly) this was the best shower of the week (a trickle of cold water hardly constitutes a real shower, but it's all we had to work with).
In addition to all these adrenaline-releasing activities, the group enjoyed dickering and bartering with the natives in their small, dark "shops." It was fun to reunite on the busses at the end of the day to see what treasures a t-shirt, a toothbrush, or a 4-color pen plus a few dollars or kwacha purchased. By the time we returned to Kaazmein Lodge, everyone was exhausted with all the energy expended in various ways. Even those who just watched were worn out. It was an excellent day--even a "best day ever" kind of day :)
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