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ZAMBEZI RIVER, ZIMBABWE
The Zambezi is Africa’s fourth largest river system, after the Nile, Zaire and Niger Rivers. It runs through six countries on it’s journey from central Africa to the Indian Ocean. It's power has carved the spectacular Victoria Falls and the zigzagging Batoka Gorge.
One evening we went on a $20 cruise down Zambezi River just above Victoria Falls. The cruise is officially called 'Sunset Cruise' but is known locally as the 'Booze Cruise' since all drinks and appetizers are FREE! Yumm! I had unlimited Castle Beers at my disposal! Very exciting! They picked us up at Victoria Falls Backpackers and then we went to a couple of other lodges to pick up the rest of the people. We got the hostel rate of $20 but people staying in the hotels or lodges payed $30 for the same thing. He ha ha!
It took about 15 minutes to get to the boat. Once on board, where did I go first? Did I select a seat? Nope! I had to get my first (of 7) free Castle of course! Anyway, once we had drinks we sat down with another pair from the US and were off. It was beautiful cruising down the Zambezi River and a trip how calm it was seeing as though the falls were just around the bend. Oh and did I mention the free Castle Beers? Everything goes well with Castle! Anyway, we saw elephants on the small islands we passed - as well as storks, hippos, and crocs.
One of the crocs that we spotted on the shore, when seeing us, got into the water and swam directly towards us. So the croc saw us as a food source, as other tourists had thrown food from their boat. Bad tourists! Why don't they follow cardinal rule of not feeding the wild animals?? I knew the the cruise was close to ending when Chris, the bartender, told me that I only had time for one more Castle. Well, I gulped 2 down - I mean wasn't that a challenge? - and we staggered off of the boat 5 minutes later.
Elephant Ride >
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What's the difference between alligators and crocodiles? Here's an easy way to tell:
In both alligators and crocodiles, the fourth tooth on either side of the lower jaw is exceptionally long. When an alligator closes its mouth, those long teeth slip into sockets in the upper jaw and disappear. When a crocodile closes its mouth, the long teeth remain visible, protruding outside the upper jaw. In general, if you can still see a lot of teeth even when the animal's mouth is closed, you are looking at a crocodile. Alligators have plenty of teeth, but fewer show until the mouth is open.
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