South west safri Africa day 6-10

Day 6 We had another early start 5.30am to get across a ferry point and over to Zambia. The ferry point was only a few miles down the road but you can get stuck in a queue for up to 5 hours if your not there early. Lucky for us there was no queue, only a large lorry half stuck on one of the ferry’s and land which meant only one ferry in action. While we waited our turn we watched the smugglers on their little boats taking the booze of the ferry’s, which was put on for them on the Botswana side and they took it off half way across the river (something to do with not paying tax) But we where told that these smugglers did kill police all the time if they tried to stop them…scary stuff!

Ferry

smugglers

We headed to Livingstone and Victoria falls where we stayed for two nights and one of the best campsites yet. We watched a DVD on all the activities you can do and despite not being very keen on the idea we opted for the white water rafting and a riverboat cruise. That evening we went on the cruise down the river, it was a lovely evening all drinks included, watching hippos bob up and down in the river. The boat ride also gave us the chance to meet our new team as only 6 of us were now going down to Cape town, and we were being joined with a 8 people that were all on the same tour from Nairobi. That night everyone stayed in the party mood and drank into the evening. 

boat cruise

sun set on the river

Day 7- The day I thought I was going to die! We all had our orientation on the white water rafting early, they explained about the safety (but I could hardly understand what they where saying) we where given our life jackets, hat and a paddle and off we went. The climb down the mountain to the start was challenging, it was almost like rock climbing without a rope. 

Then I saw it…the first rapid OMG (the boiling pot) was its name.  They said it was one of the most dangerous rapids…don’t ease us in gently then! We had to try and paddle across the rapid with enough power that the rapid didn’t drag us to the rock face and into a washing machine. Lets just say we failed miserably and before I new it I was no longer in the raft but spinning around under water, I was trying to swim still not knowing if I was going towards the surface or not.  It was getting lighter and lighter but a yellow colour so I knew its was a raft, I hit the boat and I was trying to find the air pockets that they told us about in the safety meeting, not knowing that the boat was not upside down. I really started to panic now as I could not get out from underneath the boat and still thinking about these rocks the whole time, I really thought I was a gonna. When all of a sudden I was getting pulled back onto the boat and I remember seeing a very worried looking Matt (who had also gone through the washing machine). 

about to go under

there is a raft under that!

So me and rafting did not get off to a good start and this was 1 of 25 rapids for the whole day with names like, stairway to heaven, devils toilet bowel, commercial suicide and my favorite name gnashing jaws of death!. Petrified for my life I soldiered on holding onto the boat for dear life through the rapids, watching other boats flip praying we wouldn’t be the next. By lunch time I was a wreck, I really didn’t think I could carry on but everyone assured me that the worst was over….So on I went and then the inevitable happened we flipped on a rapid. This time I managed to cling onto the safety line or as they called it (the oh shit line). No underwater drowning went on only this time I was bashed up quite badly on some rocks (whoever calls this a fun sport is insane) Once the day was over I was bettered, bruised, sun burnt and a nervous wreck. Lets just say my white water rafting days are now OVER.  I had to get the DVD just so I could remember how stupid I was to go in the first place :).  There where a lot that loved the day so I hope I haven’t put anyone off going white water rafting :). The rapids where a category 5 and 6 so maybe do a little less. 

we are going in...

We didnt even flip on that one!

Ouch!

We just survived a rapid 

Day 8- Leaving after a lie in of 8 am we drove to our new camp, Tebi Lodge which we had already been to a few days back and back into Botswana. 

I was walking like a 90 year old due to the rafting and feeling generally sorry for myself. We chilled out all day after putting up our tents and had a very nice steak and mash dinner. I was on washing up that night with a mountain of stuff to wash. Going to bed I felt a bit sick, two hours later I was rushing to find the torch struggling to open our zip on the tent to run to the loo…all my lovely dinner was now no longer in me, being sick was not what I signed up for. Matt came hobbling around the corner with an ankle the size of a balloon, which was a mixture of rating injury and a mosquito bite. We were in a sorry state in the middle of the night. 

 Day 9- we missed the morning game drive due to the dreading bug but luckily the guys hadn’t seen anything new. I spent all day lying where I could in the shade, on my tent matt. It wasn’t just me that had the sickness bug there were 4 of us, but we new of a few others that had it back in the last camp, I was grateful it wasn’t the food and could not have been avoided. That night Matt upgraded us from our tent to an air con lodge with a bed and everything…it was amazing and just what the doctor ordered. As we had 1 nurse and 4 doctors on the tour I felt in pretty safe hands if I did take a turn for the worst.  

Day 10 Another long drive today we only stopped to have lunch along the side of the road taking shade under a lonely tree. Long driving days on the truck consisted of playing cards (shit head), sleeping, trying to read but the roads are very bumpy. We listened to music making play lists on each other’s Iphones/ Ipods, as we had a direct connection to the sound system. On the truck we have 1^st class which is where you get some camping matt’s and sleep in the galley way by the lockers, very popular with the people with hangovers, then you have premium economy where you sit on the cooler boxes or the tables, and then economy is the standard chairs. As we only have 14 on our tour we had a lot of room anyway. As the landscape changes constantly its nice just to stare out the window and take in the African landscape.

Once at Sitatunga campsite we chilled in the bar that night…like most nights really, most camps do have a bar even if they don’t have showers :). The showers in this campsite where particularly bad, they where like a cow shed with tin doors cold water, unless you where lucky and the fire was put on outside that warmed up the cylinder. So far we have been very lucky with the facilities and I did imagine they would have been a lot worse.

First class

Truck life

Once at Sitatunga campsite (Delta Rain) we chilled in the bar that night…like most nights really, most camps do have a bar even if they don’t have showers :). The showers in this campsite where particularly bad, they where like a cow shed with tin doors cold water, unless you where lucky and the fire was put on outside that warmed up the cylinder. So far we have been very lucky with the facilities and I did imagine they would have been a lot worse. 

The Bar

camp!

 

day 6-10