rafting the Zambezi

I love travelling with Trevor and Katie because, like me, they are adrenaline junkies and are up for just about anything. Our second day in Livingstone, Zambia, Trevor, Katie and I went rafting down the Zambezi river. 

When we arrived at the rafting place we had a brief moment of panic when we were told that rafts would have either six or seven team members. Our group of three would need to pair up with a group of four and the only group of four we spotted was a group of very large Afrikaners who looked like they couldn’t fit in their life jackets, let alone the raft.

But we were saved! A group for four able-bodied and hilarious Americans (and one Brit) recruited us to their raft. It was a real treat rafting down the river with Alex, Derek, Bryan and the girl, whose name I can not remember… (I hope she’s not reading this). All four are currently working in different parts of Africa. Derek and the girls were working in Angola as part of the foreign service, Bryan was doing microfinance in Kenya and Alex was doing something in Sudan, where they all met three years ago. It was interesting to hear what all of them were doing and gave me some potential job ideas, which with only four months left in Kim I suppose I need to start pursuing. 

So with our new friends in tow, we hit the river. 

Three hours on a rive is a great way to solidify friendships. It's also a great way to judge people you have just met. Alex, the Brit, for instance is one of the funniest people I have ever met, but he was also a waste of space on the raft. He was on the same side of the raft as Derek and I and he was an absolute disaster when it came to paddling. Despite the efforts of Derek and myself, he always ended up hitting our paddles. And every time he saw a camera he stopped paddling so that he could pose for the camera and make sure it got his "good side." Despite his complete lack of rafting capabilities, I enjoyed rafting with him as he added comedy to the venture. 

The girl was also pretty funny to raft with, mostly because she was terrified. Every time we hit any rapid or foamy patch of water she dove into the middle of the boat and clung on for dear life. I didn't mind that she hardly paddled because in all honesty she probably had the upper body strength of a tea bag. 

And what Alex and the girl lacked in paddling prowess, Bryan and Derek made up for with their own abilities and humor. The best thing about rafting with these four was that it showed me that even when I'm 30 I can still live in Africa, go on adventures, and avoid a life of banality.  

When we weren't careening down Class 4 and 5 rapids, being pummeled with water or swimming in the Zambezi, we got to take in the surrounding beauty. I spent a lot of time looking at the basalt rock that comprised the gorge and my biggest regret of the day is that I didn't snag a piece to take home with me (when that is my biggest regret from a trip it is safe to say it was a good trip).

My favorite rapids were 16a and 16b, aka "The Terminator" and "I'll Be Back." These rapids were two huge waves that occurred one right after the other. After cresting the Terminator it looked like I'll Be Back was going to smash our boat to smithereens. But thanks to Voster's (our guide) handy maneuvering we made it through both rapids.   

Team 'Chop My Money' (that's what our four new friends named us... not sure why) made it down the Zambezi safe, sound and with lots of stories to tell. Vic Falls and the Zambezi River are gorgeous geologic phenomenon and I would happily visit both again.