Your Guide Made WHAT
Type of Pit-Stop?
Tuesday started off at dawn, with the requisite early
deadlines and long wait times that come with any large group activity. Nearly 35 “guests” and a dozen guides met at
the neighboring African Queen Hotel to learn the all-important rules of the
river. Luckily we paid attention to the “what to do in case your raft flips”
portion… (dun dun DUN)
From the next day on the canoe -- didn't risks the cameras on the rapids. |
The rest of the trip was relatively uneventful (but lovely) other
than our guide separating from the entire group and “pulling over” our raft to
the Zimbabwae side of the river to hand plastic packages stuffed with mystery
contents and a wad of cash to a waiting boy with five dogs. Later, after we
missed his second drop, he pulled us over alongside three young boys fishing, handed
them US$5 with murmured instructions and much gesticulating that appeared to be
asking them to go back to the missed man to let him know the guide would be
back the following day. None of us asked any questions, and eventually our
guide muttered something about “owing some people some money.”
Rowing, Rowing,
Rowing!
Smuggled ourselves into Zimbabwe! |
We saw more than a dozen crocodiles, 20+ hippos sunning themselves, one goat on the Zimbabwae side apparently waiting to become lunch for one of the many lions that roam the park on that side of the river, birds of every shape and size, deer-like creatures called impala, and very large deer-like river buck. We canoed right up to our Lodge, where we hauled up our boats (ok, TJ and the guides hauled while I watched) and then had lunch.
Hot Water Bottles of
Delight (and other odds and ends)
The other odds and ends will have to wait… I spy a lump waiting for me in the bed, and
I’m going to go snuggle my feet up against it. [6]
TJ's Footnotes:
2.
Almost completely through the rough part of the
rapid, and just as I thought to myself “we’re actually going to make it” when
all the prior boats had failed, I happed to look up and see (a) the left half
of the raft in the air immediately above me perpendicular to the water and (b)
Jessica shaken lose and dropping right on top of me. The next part involved a lot of water, a few
rocks, and an oar in my side. I surfaced
and looked through the floating oars and Dutch in search of Jess, eventually
seeing her float serenely by in a current, almost shrugging at me as she
went. For the record, I was the first
back in the raft; we picked Jess back up at the next rapid.
4.
Go figure, it took sea chanties to establish
some cadence for our paddling. (Stroke, stroke, “Oh TJ, look at that beautiful
tree!”…………………….. stroke)
5.
She refuses to believe that these have actually existed
her entire life, muttering something about "wasted years" whenever I try to tell her.
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