We woke this morning to the sound of hippos on the Zambezi River, the air was cool and crisp. After our visit to Victoria Falls and the Mukuni Village yesterday, we were exhausted, a good night's sleep was just what the doctor ordered. It's been wonderful to see the natural wonders of Africa, as well as learn about the culture, history, and lifestyle of the villagers. On our first safari, we witnessed a pride of lions drinking from the river, hippos sunning themselves, and a whole host of other creatures including crocodiles, elephants, impala, water buck, and cape buffalo.

Today we were off to the rapids for our white water rafting trip down the Zambezi River. It was very exciting as the Zambezi is known for its rapids. I was quite scared, and that didn't improve as we took off and the raft right behind ours flipped in the first rapid. We proceeded to serve as the rescue boat and pick up floating adventurers. The river gorge was beautiful beyond description. After a great dinner, we retired to the camp fire and learned about the southern hemisphere stars.

The river is so awesome, sustaining life and changing all along the way. Villagers depend on the water and wildlife surrounding the river, animals of all types are sustained by it, and tourists enjoy canoeing and white water rafting. It was like the heart of Zimbabwe and Zambia, beating through the countries. What a great journey!

More on Sandy's adventures in Africa...