SUNSET CRUISE
Sunset Cruise on the Zambezi River is something the people of Livingstone Zambia package shamelessly for people like us from countries that can’t stand the sun heat, talk more of admiring it while it goes down. Shamelessly I, Nwoke Anambra paid money to get on a boat and watch the sun set. Rich people things. Na the money wey just remain. Nwayo nwayo.
A major positive for me on this cruise was that 90% on board were Africans. Zambia is helping us get it right in this area.
The Silimba instrument played us on board the "Lion King" and soon with the Captain, we set sail on the Zambezi River. The river at this point is not for swimming as it borders the Mosi Tunya Game Reserve. It is a haven for crocodiles and hippos. A guide would give us various stats on the River as we slowly sailed.
Here we were on this ship that was full, looking at much bigger vessels, filled with humans, sailing by and around us. Walk with me. Now, this cruise happens every day of the year. Our vessel had about 50 persons on board. The bigger ones were having about 150 at least. With about 7 such vessels in the area, that is an average of 700 persons per day. Nothing less than $20 is charged for these trips. Do the math. What are we packaging on this side?
We would momentarily sail across the Zim/Zam water border to sight other cruise boats operating from their end. Beach club people hanging out and some event centres along this river. Business is booming.
I know it is the same sun we have for this planet but please, Zambian sun is beautiful. Watching it fall was "mushy mushy" and I was glad I wasn’t alone. If Ndi Igbo lived in that part, we wouldn’t be calling sun anwu. Mba. We would have used a softer term like oku ndo (shadow light) or maybe ife enu (light above).
With light refreshment served, beer in hand, crocs and hippo sighted, silimba playing and singing going on, several cruise boats sailing and waving, I and Nwanyi Anambra by our sides, the sun could have taken all evening to set. But alas, the day was gone and we were back on land.
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