Post by OnlyMark on Jan 6, 2017 18:27:04 GMT 2
Swimming with dolphins is old hat now. Nothing too dangerous about it. But what about being in a small boat surrounded by crocodiles and hippos? Knowing one small upset will result in you communing in their natural environment?
We decided to have a couple of nights on the Zambezi River near to the Lower Zambezi National Park. Rather than do the usual game drive sort of thing I persuaded the rest of the family to try something a little unusual. I don't think they realised what it entailed. I must admit I might have skimmed over the dangers a little.
Or maybe a lot.
Especially with two teenage girls who are frightened of moths and flies. Fortunately they are good strong swimmers otherwise I wouldn't have even considered it. Sometimes you need to be taken outside your comfort zone to appreciate life a little more.
We set off from Lusaka along the main road that travels south to the border with Zimbabwe. At one point there are a series of bends renown amongst the truck drivers. They have named each bend for easy reference to each other. In a car they aren't really much of anything at all, but in a beat up overloaded African truck, they can be quite different. It didn't take long to notice a few who have had brake problems –
Near to the border post we turned off along the dirt roads, eventually getting smaller as we approached where we were staying. The last section only lasted a couple of kilometres and wasn't difficult at all. You just had to be a bit careful and it was scenic driving past the local homesteads –
The usual termite mounds were in attendance –
Smaller, it got –
Along the roads you often find kids selling mushrooms. I never saw them selling this type but they might have been doing. If you know what they are then speak up –
The lodge is situated on the river near to the junction of the Zambezi and the Kafue rivers. We'll have a look round later but for now I had a walk down to the river to see what the boats were like we'd be in 'on the morrow'. I say boats, but really they are canoes –
Nearby was a moth thingy. I was told its name but as usual, I've forgotten. It wasn't called a Big Spot Moth I'm sure –
The next morning we sorted ourselves out, I fortified myself with some coffee and toast and jumped into the small boat that would tow the canoes to our start point. The idea is to start upstream and float/paddle back down towards the lodge. If you didn't make it all the way back, no problem, the boat would pick you up and do the reverse –
A guide was with us in his own canoe and we split up our provisions, in cool boxes, between us. Provisions consisted of sandwiches each, crisps, chocolate, biscuits and cola zero. We had a bit of water as well just to show some responsibility.
And an apple.
Even though this was to be the highlight of the short break I was a little reluctant to take too many photos. Partially so I didn't spend all my time looking at everything through a lens, but partially so I didn't drop the bloody thing over the side, nor get it wet.
I've done this type of canoeing enough to be comfortable with it. It may not be technically too correct but for a layman like me I split the two types into Canadian type canoeing and kayaking. I've been fortunate to do enough kayaking to be proficient and not overwhelmed, especially in some African rivers and a spell of a few days in New Zealand, the other type, this type, I have done less but enough to keep my hand (paddle?) in.
Mrs M and the daughters have never. So I took the daughter who seemed the most scared and after a small familiarisation for Mrs M in some placid water (bless 'er, she adapts to most things), we set off.
Hang on a sec, before we did set off the guide gave us a safety talk.
It consisted of saying not to get between a hippo and deep water, which is usually where they want to go. If you do fall in, hold onto the canoe and the rest of us will save you. If you fall in near to, or are tipped in by, a hippo, swim away from the canoe as the hippo will go for the largest object. This being the green canoe. It wasn't until later I realised no mention was made of the crocodiles and what to do with them.
Yikes.
We set off in line astern. This lasted for all of twenty metres until the wind kept catching the canoes and trying to swing them away. Sometimes some hard paddling was necessary to keep more or less straight.
I also have been 'blessed' to have a wife and daughters who don't seem to know left from right. If I say to paddle forwards on the left there is either a long hesitation while they work it out or an immediate reaction but on the right/wrong side. No wonder I now have a strained muscle in my shoulder trying to compensate. There was a fair old current as well –
A pod of hippos were close by after not too long at all –
Then the crocs on the banks. There were probably some in the water as well nearby but they remained elusive –
Another group/pod/whatever you call them, of hippos ten to twenty metres away –
We ended up seeing more hippos than you could shake a stick at. At one point we had to backpaddle 'with alacrity' because one had popped up just in front of my canoe. Daughter let out a scream as she was quite a lot closer to it than I was.
That was about what it was like all the time on the river. Periods of drifting down, periods of battling a head and side wind, periods of hoping the flaming hippos would let us sneak past without reacting, periods of peace and calm shattered by the loud 'huff' of a rising hippo nearby.
The crocodiles never seemed to come to the party and probably hung around in the kitchen out of the way, drinking all the beer and gossiping. Actually I bet the hippos scared most of them off.
I'll take you to relax from all the danger and walk around the lodge. This is one of the views near the bar –
The bar and the sitting area near the fire pit for those lazy evenings –
Small pool but good enough –
The bar itself and nearby, the dining room –
One of the variations on the type of accommodation are these 'luxury tents' overlooking the river –
A wander through the grounds to the campsite and their pool. Funnily enough, if you are camping, you are not allowed to use the lodge restaurant or bar. Probably to keep the riff-raff away –
Another type are these chalet type rooms –
The campsite bar is quite reasonable in itself and also has a good view of the river. Inside is a pool table and the bar. Pool cost equivalent of $0.30 a game, so we had quite a few –
Further there are tracks and steps all over the place –
Our place was a little self-contained house in the grounds with aircon and room for eight to sleep. Unfortunately, even though there were two bedrooms, there were also bunk beds in the living room/kitchen/diner. These did double duty as sofas anyway so nothing was really lost. It'd be good for a large family –
There are hippos that wander through the grounds at night but these things, known in a translation from the local language to English as 'water lizards' (what a surprise) were out during the day and would normally make a break down the bank for the river as soon as you got too close –
That'll do for now and for a little while as I've no plans to do much at all until the daughters fly home and possibly Mrs M goes away on a business trip.
We decided to have a couple of nights on the Zambezi River near to the Lower Zambezi National Park. Rather than do the usual game drive sort of thing I persuaded the rest of the family to try something a little unusual. I don't think they realised what it entailed. I must admit I might have skimmed over the dangers a little.
Or maybe a lot.
Especially with two teenage girls who are frightened of moths and flies. Fortunately they are good strong swimmers otherwise I wouldn't have even considered it. Sometimes you need to be taken outside your comfort zone to appreciate life a little more.
We set off from Lusaka along the main road that travels south to the border with Zimbabwe. At one point there are a series of bends renown amongst the truck drivers. They have named each bend for easy reference to each other. In a car they aren't really much of anything at all, but in a beat up overloaded African truck, they can be quite different. It didn't take long to notice a few who have had brake problems –
Near to the border post we turned off along the dirt roads, eventually getting smaller as we approached where we were staying. The last section only lasted a couple of kilometres and wasn't difficult at all. You just had to be a bit careful and it was scenic driving past the local homesteads –
The usual termite mounds were in attendance –
Smaller, it got –
Along the roads you often find kids selling mushrooms. I never saw them selling this type but they might have been doing. If you know what they are then speak up –
The lodge is situated on the river near to the junction of the Zambezi and the Kafue rivers. We'll have a look round later but for now I had a walk down to the river to see what the boats were like we'd be in 'on the morrow'. I say boats, but really they are canoes –
Nearby was a moth thingy. I was told its name but as usual, I've forgotten. It wasn't called a Big Spot Moth I'm sure –
The next morning we sorted ourselves out, I fortified myself with some coffee and toast and jumped into the small boat that would tow the canoes to our start point. The idea is to start upstream and float/paddle back down towards the lodge. If you didn't make it all the way back, no problem, the boat would pick you up and do the reverse –
A guide was with us in his own canoe and we split up our provisions, in cool boxes, between us. Provisions consisted of sandwiches each, crisps, chocolate, biscuits and cola zero. We had a bit of water as well just to show some responsibility.
And an apple.
Even though this was to be the highlight of the short break I was a little reluctant to take too many photos. Partially so I didn't spend all my time looking at everything through a lens, but partially so I didn't drop the bloody thing over the side, nor get it wet.
I've done this type of canoeing enough to be comfortable with it. It may not be technically too correct but for a layman like me I split the two types into Canadian type canoeing and kayaking. I've been fortunate to do enough kayaking to be proficient and not overwhelmed, especially in some African rivers and a spell of a few days in New Zealand, the other type, this type, I have done less but enough to keep my hand (paddle?) in.
Mrs M and the daughters have never. So I took the daughter who seemed the most scared and after a small familiarisation for Mrs M in some placid water (bless 'er, she adapts to most things), we set off.
Hang on a sec, before we did set off the guide gave us a safety talk.
It consisted of saying not to get between a hippo and deep water, which is usually where they want to go. If you do fall in, hold onto the canoe and the rest of us will save you. If you fall in near to, or are tipped in by, a hippo, swim away from the canoe as the hippo will go for the largest object. This being the green canoe. It wasn't until later I realised no mention was made of the crocodiles and what to do with them.
Yikes.
We set off in line astern. This lasted for all of twenty metres until the wind kept catching the canoes and trying to swing them away. Sometimes some hard paddling was necessary to keep more or less straight.
I also have been 'blessed' to have a wife and daughters who don't seem to know left from right. If I say to paddle forwards on the left there is either a long hesitation while they work it out or an immediate reaction but on the right/wrong side. No wonder I now have a strained muscle in my shoulder trying to compensate. There was a fair old current as well –
A pod of hippos were close by after not too long at all –
Then the crocs on the banks. There were probably some in the water as well nearby but they remained elusive –
Another group/pod/whatever you call them, of hippos ten to twenty metres away –
We ended up seeing more hippos than you could shake a stick at. At one point we had to backpaddle 'with alacrity' because one had popped up just in front of my canoe. Daughter let out a scream as she was quite a lot closer to it than I was.
That was about what it was like all the time on the river. Periods of drifting down, periods of battling a head and side wind, periods of hoping the flaming hippos would let us sneak past without reacting, periods of peace and calm shattered by the loud 'huff' of a rising hippo nearby.
The crocodiles never seemed to come to the party and probably hung around in the kitchen out of the way, drinking all the beer and gossiping. Actually I bet the hippos scared most of them off.
I'll take you to relax from all the danger and walk around the lodge. This is one of the views near the bar –
The bar and the sitting area near the fire pit for those lazy evenings –
Small pool but good enough –
The bar itself and nearby, the dining room –
One of the variations on the type of accommodation are these 'luxury tents' overlooking the river –
A wander through the grounds to the campsite and their pool. Funnily enough, if you are camping, you are not allowed to use the lodge restaurant or bar. Probably to keep the riff-raff away –
Another type are these chalet type rooms –
The campsite bar is quite reasonable in itself and also has a good view of the river. Inside is a pool table and the bar. Pool cost equivalent of $0.30 a game, so we had quite a few –
Further there are tracks and steps all over the place –
Our place was a little self-contained house in the grounds with aircon and room for eight to sleep. Unfortunately, even though there were two bedrooms, there were also bunk beds in the living room/kitchen/diner. These did double duty as sofas anyway so nothing was really lost. It'd be good for a large family –
There are hippos that wander through the grounds at night but these things, known in a translation from the local language to English as 'water lizards' (what a surprise) were out during the day and would normally make a break down the bank for the river as soon as you got too close –
That'll do for now and for a little while as I've no plans to do much at all until the daughters fly home and possibly Mrs M goes away on a business trip.