Victoria Falls

When I saw Victoria Falls, I cried.

It is the most spectacular sight I have ever seen. It's staggering.

The trail leads to numerous viewpoints, each wetter than the last. Some were dryish, some just sprayed you with a fine mist, but some were beyond belief. The spray fell like rain - as heavy as anything a Malaysian storm can throw at you - but from all directions - above, below, this side, that side. Rivers of water ran down my back and stomach, into my shorts. It smacked me in the face and under my chin. I ran through it, stood in it, held out my arms to embrace it, and laughed.

The falls are on the opposite side of the gorge from the trails and there was really only one place where I could see the river below. The water must only have been halfway down its fall when it met the spray coming up.

At Danger Point there is no fence, and I lay on the rock with my head hanging over the edge, into the gorge. My face was battered by a gravity-defying power-shower. There was nothing to see - a total whiteout - but it was fantastic to be there, to hear it and feel it and be part of it.

In other places I stood and gazed, hypnotized by the water till I wanted to fall with it.

A small horde of Chinese tourists juggled optimistically with a hopeless combination of umbrellas, ponchos and cameras. One dear lady kept determinedly tucking me under her umbrella. And before I knew it they were all taking turns to pose with me for photos. They were a sweet crowd, but I was glad when eventually I made my escape.

Another trail led to a point where you could see the Zambezi bridge and the gorge beyond the falls - a view interrupted every few minutes by someone plummeting down from the bridge attached to a large rubber band. For the first time ever, I wanted to bungee jump, just for the sensation of leaping into the gorge which had been tugging at me all morning.

In a dry sunny spot at Livingstone's feet, I sat and steamed. Soon I was dry enough to go and get wet again. And so the day wore on. Finally leaving, it felt all wrong to turn my back and go.