Man triumphs over nature. Tames lions, kills mammoths, conquers raging rivers that roar and foam at the mouth with white water as if outraged that man has dared to venture in. In Zambia’s Livingstone, home to the mighty Victoria Falls, man has enslaved nature. It happens in so many places I visit; it’s strange how I’ve only realized it now.

Aside from being used as an energy source, the Falls are the inevitable and obvious tourist attraction. People come here to tour them inside and out. Simply watching the falling water from paved walkways – pictures spoiled by non-photogenic railings in the way – quickly bores today’s sophisticated vacationers, and they seek a view from a different angle. Some hop a helicopter, or better yet a microlight, and get a bird’s eye view. Others take a more hands-on approach and, paddle in hand, splash their way through mighty rapids, swallowing the Zambezi gulp by gulp, and come out feeling like they’ve truly become one with the river. I did both and even bribed a security guard to let me see a lunar rainbow at the waterfalls the entrance to which is closed at night.