We've been out of touch for the last four or five days because we had no internet while in Botswana and Namibia. Now we're in Victoria Falls, Zimbabwe, and there is great wi-fi in our hotel.
The transfer from the hotel in Johannesburg to the OR Tambo International Airport in Johannesburg last Monday was excellent. We were chauffered in a Mercedes Benz with a guide to tell us a bit of history of South Africa. We were the only passengers.
The plane that flew us from Johannesburg to Kasane, Botswana was an AVRO-RJ85, a regional jet of sorts. We had a very nice flight of about two hours that included a light lunch. When we arrived in Kasane, we had to go through a passport control station manned by one person for the whole plane.
We boarded some safari Land Cruisers to take us down to the river. We also had to pass through Immigration again because we were leaving Botswana. The Zambezi Queen cruises in Namibian waters on the Chobe River.
We boarded some boats to take us to the other side of the river to pass through Namibian Immigration.
We re-boaded the boats to take us out to the Zambezi Queen. The African crew welcomed us with songs. This would be our home for the next four nights.
This is a shot of the top deck where we ate all our meals. The crew was very friendly, and even addressed Linda by her first name. We celebrated her birthday onboard, and the crew sang "Happy Birthday" to her that night.
Our cabin was very spacious with private bathroom and even a king-size bed. We had air conditioning, a balcony, toiletries, hair dryer- the works. They run a very classy operation on the Zambezi Queen.
We re-boarded the boats to take us up (or down) river to get to the Zambezi Queen. African sounds of the crew singing welcomed us. This would be our home for the next four nights.