Hey!
I just read your pòst about the crocs Jaak! I´m sorry, i must have missed it before. They are my shoes!! I love them! They are the most amazingly comfortable shoes and not only i can attest to them. When we were in Makutsi, on the safari tour, the lady there, Tish had a pair on as well. She was the only other person i knew apart from Yvonne that had a pair that´d i´d seen before. I thought they were Aussie, but apparently they´re American! Maybe someone can put some light on where on earth they came from!
I got them at Main Peak in Cotts. They have heaps of different colours. And two different styles from what i saw. I bought them at the last minute after another pair (Jetties) that i bought at a place that sold orthopaedic shoes fell apart after a week. (Shoes are the bane of my life now that i´ve had two ankle operations and suffer every day with pain but i´m not going to go into that because the last thing, ever again, that i want to hear is ´How´s your foot?¨or more to the point, ¨How´s your ´bloody´foot?????¨´
They´re plastic, or are they rubber? They´re lightweight and are the rage overseas it seems! We saw them in heaps of shops overseas.
Along with my Icebreakers! Which are clothes that are the best! They´re 100% Merino wool and are made in NZ. Oh, and my Monts!! Which is my coat that i got five secons before we left to go away. Greg is getting sick of me raving on about these Icebreakers!!
So, in answer to your question, that´s what they are! Sorry for not seeing your comment earlier!
And a Belgium beer sounds wonderful! Greg also has some friends in Brussels who verified the worth of Belgium beer!
By the way, Mum...i´m wearing the black ones we got for walking! And we´re doing heaps of walking as you can probably tell! So don´t worry - they are certainly getting their money´s worth!
Monday, 26 March 2007
PRADO - TINTORETTO & GOYA
Sunday March 25th
Madrid
Day 24
(We´ll change the pics on here as soon as we get them on a disk. We need spanish one´s now!!)
This morning we had the best buffet breakfast! Black espresso coffee to die for! It was included in our price of accomodation so we have booked another night tonight! Tomorrow we´ll try to see whether we can get accomodation at the hotel we booked before we left seeing we´d already paid a deposit there.
Our plan today was to see the Prado Museum! And we did! On the way there we ended up in the Market Square which was incredible. All these stamp vendors swapping their stamps and playing cards. We thought of Pa and his stamps and how much fun he´d have there! There were guys who collected bottletops. In fact there were people who collected every possible thing. I took heaps of pix. So fascinating. And the cafes were all around. What a place. It just feels so cultural here.
People have different faces. Isn´t it so interesting to be in different countries where the faces have different colours and yet it´s not the colour of the face that stands out it´s the expression on the faces. And the last 3 countries have all had that contrast. In Hong Kong the faces and the movement of their bodies seem intent. They had direction it seemed. A certain kind of business about them. In Africa the people have such big smiles. They lope more. Have a casualness about them. Very much like Australians.
Here they don´t seem to smile as much. It´s weird. They seem strangely engrossed in the people their with somehow. There are girls with their friends. Lovers. Guys in groups. Men in ´salons´, the small little hotels on each cobblestone street. The faces have a contrast.
I can´t quite put a finger on what i mean. But there´s a difference.
Back to the Prado. We eventually got there! After messaging Mum and Elise from Market Square (standing in the middle of it, oblivious to the world going on, there i was messaging, Greg taking photos!) who i have constant contact with and which i appreciate so much. It keeps me connected. What would i do without my ma and my Lisly loos! To know that daylight saving has finished in WA is very comforting. But weird. Daylight saving starts here at midnight. How about that!
The Prado was AMAZING! We were so lucky to see the Tintoretto exhibit!! I didn´t know a lot about him until we saw this amazing exhibition. We learnt so much about Raphael and Michaelangelo by looking at his paintings as well, as he painted such biographical works.
And to see Goya´s works. Now that was brilliant. I recall Lesley, my art teacher talking so much about him when i was doing my art and design course in Gero. Goya was one of her favourites, particarly his dark period. And to see it all in it´s glory here in Spain, his home was just something. We spent FIVE hours looking at his exhibit!
And we found one by Rembrandt as well. I can`t remember what it was called and now i can´t wait to find out more about this particular painting. I´ll never forget the detail on this wonderful lady that was being served by her child assistant. The light on her face, the detail on her pearl earrings, the gold on her dress. Beautiful. It was then i wished i had the internet and could go research when i got home!
We also loved the Reubens. I last saw Reubens at Buckingham Palace (many moons ago - when i was 15!) and I was flabbagasted. And i was again. They are so HUGE!!! I love the art. We´ll go to the other famous art museums here as well. We especially want to see Picasso. That will be for another day. Greg has a few places in store before we go back to the art.
We loved the Goya exhibit so much we decided to go find his resting place, which we found in a twin church. We went into the first church and paid our respects. The place where he now lays had a ceiling decorated by him when he was alive, which apparently was one of his most magnificant works. Pity it wasn´t open to tourists!
On our travels today, and i´m not kidding. We travelled. By foot! We must have walked absolutely MILES all around Madrid. We saw the Palace. We saw the Madrid Cathedral AND went in there too! Nothing like going to church twice on Sundays!!!
In the end, we were HUNGRY so we went to this wonderful cafe, thanks to a guy that was handing out flyers to his restaurante outside the Prado. It was a buffet for 9 Euros and what amazing food. Anyone that comes to Madrid must go to Restaurante Diamantino! YUM! The empanada´s were to die for! (Tuna pie type quiche!) We drank Vina Veintina cold. Getting into the swing of things here that´s for sure.
About the language. I have to laugh at Greg. He´s so confident when it comes to speaking the local language. His understanding of Italian has come in handy. I just love the way he talks to the locals. If only i was as confident. I now understand why people are shy to ´practice´ a language other than their own. But i have learned one word which i have used. Gracias!
I wonder what the spanish word for hello is?
We´ve decided we want to learn a language. But what?
We´re planning our ´Eurail pass´trip at the moment...but we want to stay here for a while too. We want to see Leon, Segovia, Avila, Seville (where Easter is meant to be good! Barcelona, Toledo, Gibraltor...island of Majorca. Oh, all places we want to see....
Not sure what´s next. Where to go next, but i think it´s so liberating not to knów where we´ll be day to day, freeing in a way, and yet comforting when we´re in the same place for more than a day.
Again, we love where we are and want to stay. I wonder if that´s the way to go...leave when you still want to stay?
xxx
Madrid
Day 24
(We´ll change the pics on here as soon as we get them on a disk. We need spanish one´s now!!)
This morning we had the best buffet breakfast! Black espresso coffee to die for! It was included in our price of accomodation so we have booked another night tonight! Tomorrow we´ll try to see whether we can get accomodation at the hotel we booked before we left seeing we´d already paid a deposit there.
Our plan today was to see the Prado Museum! And we did! On the way there we ended up in the Market Square which was incredible. All these stamp vendors swapping their stamps and playing cards. We thought of Pa and his stamps and how much fun he´d have there! There were guys who collected bottletops. In fact there were people who collected every possible thing. I took heaps of pix. So fascinating. And the cafes were all around. What a place. It just feels so cultural here.
People have different faces. Isn´t it so interesting to be in different countries where the faces have different colours and yet it´s not the colour of the face that stands out it´s the expression on the faces. And the last 3 countries have all had that contrast. In Hong Kong the faces and the movement of their bodies seem intent. They had direction it seemed. A certain kind of business about them. In Africa the people have such big smiles. They lope more. Have a casualness about them. Very much like Australians.
Here they don´t seem to smile as much. It´s weird. They seem strangely engrossed in the people their with somehow. There are girls with their friends. Lovers. Guys in groups. Men in ´salons´, the small little hotels on each cobblestone street. The faces have a contrast.
I can´t quite put a finger on what i mean. But there´s a difference.
Back to the Prado. We eventually got there! After messaging Mum and Elise from Market Square (standing in the middle of it, oblivious to the world going on, there i was messaging, Greg taking photos!) who i have constant contact with and which i appreciate so much. It keeps me connected. What would i do without my ma and my Lisly loos! To know that daylight saving has finished in WA is very comforting. But weird. Daylight saving starts here at midnight. How about that!
The Prado was AMAZING! We were so lucky to see the Tintoretto exhibit!! I didn´t know a lot about him until we saw this amazing exhibition. We learnt so much about Raphael and Michaelangelo by looking at his paintings as well, as he painted such biographical works.
And to see Goya´s works. Now that was brilliant. I recall Lesley, my art teacher talking so much about him when i was doing my art and design course in Gero. Goya was one of her favourites, particarly his dark period. And to see it all in it´s glory here in Spain, his home was just something. We spent FIVE hours looking at his exhibit!
And we found one by Rembrandt as well. I can`t remember what it was called and now i can´t wait to find out more about this particular painting. I´ll never forget the detail on this wonderful lady that was being served by her child assistant. The light on her face, the detail on her pearl earrings, the gold on her dress. Beautiful. It was then i wished i had the internet and could go research when i got home!
We also loved the Reubens. I last saw Reubens at Buckingham Palace (many moons ago - when i was 15!) and I was flabbagasted. And i was again. They are so HUGE!!! I love the art. We´ll go to the other famous art museums here as well. We especially want to see Picasso. That will be for another day. Greg has a few places in store before we go back to the art.
We loved the Goya exhibit so much we decided to go find his resting place, which we found in a twin church. We went into the first church and paid our respects. The place where he now lays had a ceiling decorated by him when he was alive, which apparently was one of his most magnificant works. Pity it wasn´t open to tourists!
On our travels today, and i´m not kidding. We travelled. By foot! We must have walked absolutely MILES all around Madrid. We saw the Palace. We saw the Madrid Cathedral AND went in there too! Nothing like going to church twice on Sundays!!!
In the end, we were HUNGRY so we went to this wonderful cafe, thanks to a guy that was handing out flyers to his restaurante outside the Prado. It was a buffet for 9 Euros and what amazing food. Anyone that comes to Madrid must go to Restaurante Diamantino! YUM! The empanada´s were to die for! (Tuna pie type quiche!) We drank Vina Veintina cold. Getting into the swing of things here that´s for sure.
About the language. I have to laugh at Greg. He´s so confident when it comes to speaking the local language. His understanding of Italian has come in handy. I just love the way he talks to the locals. If only i was as confident. I now understand why people are shy to ´practice´ a language other than their own. But i have learned one word which i have used. Gracias!
I wonder what the spanish word for hello is?
We´ve decided we want to learn a language. But what?
We´re planning our ´Eurail pass´trip at the moment...but we want to stay here for a while too. We want to see Leon, Segovia, Avila, Seville (where Easter is meant to be good! Barcelona, Toledo, Gibraltor...island of Majorca. Oh, all places we want to see....
Not sure what´s next. Where to go next, but i think it´s so liberating not to knów where we´ll be day to day, freeing in a way, and yet comforting when we´re in the same place for more than a day.
Again, we love where we are and want to stay. I wonder if that´s the way to go...leave when you still want to stay?
xxx
MADRID ESPANA!
24th March 2007
Regente
Day 23, 24, 25
We´re here in Madrid and at the moment we´re in an internet cafe close to our hotel. It´s noisy and smokey (everyone seems to smoke here!) and we´re here because our hotel´s internet isn´t working! Anyway, this is the closest we´ve got to internet since Johannesburg airport so here we go..
Where do i start?
The flight from Joburg was LONG! We left at 22.10 and arrived in Madrid at 7.30am tired, but excited! It was so weird landing here...from out of the window in the plane it looked like something out of a science fiction movie! The airport had stainless steel constructions everywhere. Very new. I wondered when it was built.
And as we disembarked we realised we were in the middle of the newest airport technology too! The sign system is fantastic! We were ushered in and just followed the signs to find our baggage which was easy. Much better than other airports where we´ve struggled.
After we collected baggage...we wondered what to do! So! It was too a McDonalds to have coffee and wonder! We didn´t have accomodation and we had our luggage tying us down. Backpacks are heavy! Especially when you have a big one at the front and a little one at the back! The reason why we didn´t have accomodation is because we delayed our trip in Africa so had to cancel and we couldn´t rebook because there was nothing available.
First. To a Bureau De Change. But where? We trundled around first and second floor to find a bank. None. All closed till 10am! What´s that all about? At an airport! We waited. We had time.
We used our telstra card to attempt to ring some hostels. All booked out!
Then it was off to the Tourist bureau at the airport. The lady looked cold and offered us an explanation. The place where she was situated had been bombed in December! And it hadn´t been rebuilt. It was our first taste of COLD! Out came our jackets!! She offered us accomodation for over the amount we were willing to pay. How about around a hundred Euros we said!
She finally found us a hotel. There was a big EYE convention on in Madrid. And a SHOE convention! Everything was booked. Like Cape Town. We thought we were missing the tourist season but it seems the ´business´season was on!
We found out the taxi was 30 Euros so we caught a bus! Cost us one Euro each. After the bus to the second stop we got to the Metro (Train station) and caught a train to our hotel, the Regente. Backpacks aboard. We met a couple from Columbia who offered us some directions and a card. His name was Daniel and hers Abigail and they were into 4life - a multimarketing scheme. We decided they must have been good seeing they were at a conference in Madrid. Still, not sure it´s our thing but we were grateful for their help anyway. That´s what we´ve found - people have been very forgiving of lost tourists! (Thank goodness).
By the time we got to our hotel we were totally exhausted but the rest of Madrid wasn´t. There were people everywhere. Until really late! We looked out at our window at 10pm and there were people still shopping, eating, busking. Walking the cobblestone streets.
So we joined them. For a late dinner. At McDonalds. Twice it a day! Our justificatiohn was that we´re trying to budget and the accomodation ate into that budget so McDonalds it was! Tapa´s later!
What an entrance to Europe. I cried as we walked these late streets. We were finally here. I´d waited a lifetime it felt to come here and it´s all i expected!
Just a note. We watched CNN the night we arrived to realise why our two beers in Zimbabwe cost us 25,000 ZAM! Inflation was at 2000% according to the news and Magabe´s government has just about forced the locals to starve. The only thing intact was their beautiful smiles and glowing teeth. When we questioned why on earth beers could be 25,000 ZAM the friendly Zimbabwean barman said, ¨You get 96% discount! All we could think was that the tourists paid an equivalent of US$4 for two beers and the locals paid that astronomical price. I hopè Magabe is overthrown.
Regente
Day 23, 24, 25
We´re here in Madrid and at the moment we´re in an internet cafe close to our hotel. It´s noisy and smokey (everyone seems to smoke here!) and we´re here because our hotel´s internet isn´t working! Anyway, this is the closest we´ve got to internet since Johannesburg airport so here we go..
Where do i start?
The flight from Joburg was LONG! We left at 22.10 and arrived in Madrid at 7.30am tired, but excited! It was so weird landing here...from out of the window in the plane it looked like something out of a science fiction movie! The airport had stainless steel constructions everywhere. Very new. I wondered when it was built.
And as we disembarked we realised we were in the middle of the newest airport technology too! The sign system is fantastic! We were ushered in and just followed the signs to find our baggage which was easy. Much better than other airports where we´ve struggled.
After we collected baggage...we wondered what to do! So! It was too a McDonalds to have coffee and wonder! We didn´t have accomodation and we had our luggage tying us down. Backpacks are heavy! Especially when you have a big one at the front and a little one at the back! The reason why we didn´t have accomodation is because we delayed our trip in Africa so had to cancel and we couldn´t rebook because there was nothing available.
First. To a Bureau De Change. But where? We trundled around first and second floor to find a bank. None. All closed till 10am! What´s that all about? At an airport! We waited. We had time.
We used our telstra card to attempt to ring some hostels. All booked out!
Then it was off to the Tourist bureau at the airport. The lady looked cold and offered us an explanation. The place where she was situated had been bombed in December! And it hadn´t been rebuilt. It was our first taste of COLD! Out came our jackets!! She offered us accomodation for over the amount we were willing to pay. How about around a hundred Euros we said!
She finally found us a hotel. There was a big EYE convention on in Madrid. And a SHOE convention! Everything was booked. Like Cape Town. We thought we were missing the tourist season but it seems the ´business´season was on!
We found out the taxi was 30 Euros so we caught a bus! Cost us one Euro each. After the bus to the second stop we got to the Metro (Train station) and caught a train to our hotel, the Regente. Backpacks aboard. We met a couple from Columbia who offered us some directions and a card. His name was Daniel and hers Abigail and they were into 4life - a multimarketing scheme. We decided they must have been good seeing they were at a conference in Madrid. Still, not sure it´s our thing but we were grateful for their help anyway. That´s what we´ve found - people have been very forgiving of lost tourists! (Thank goodness).
By the time we got to our hotel we were totally exhausted but the rest of Madrid wasn´t. There were people everywhere. Until really late! We looked out at our window at 10pm and there were people still shopping, eating, busking. Walking the cobblestone streets.
So we joined them. For a late dinner. At McDonalds. Twice it a day! Our justificatiohn was that we´re trying to budget and the accomodation ate into that budget so McDonalds it was! Tapa´s later!
What an entrance to Europe. I cried as we walked these late streets. We were finally here. I´d waited a lifetime it felt to come here and it´s all i expected!
Just a note. We watched CNN the night we arrived to realise why our two beers in Zimbabwe cost us 25,000 ZAM! Inflation was at 2000% according to the news and Magabe´s government has just about forced the locals to starve. The only thing intact was their beautiful smiles and glowing teeth. When we questioned why on earth beers could be 25,000 ZAM the friendly Zimbabwean barman said, ¨You get 96% discount! All we could think was that the tourists paid an equivalent of US$4 for two beers and the locals paid that astronomical price. I hopè Magabe is overthrown.
PADDLING DOWN THE ZAMBEZI!!!
22nd & 23rd March 2007
Zimbabwe - Victoria Falls
Kingdom Hotel
When we arrived at Victora Falls we were met by our tour guides who had a big sign up for us with our names on! They had tours ready for us to try out as soon as they met us!! So at the airport, different tours spinning around in our heads we searched the Adventure brochures to see what we´d do.
We got so overwhelmed we thought we´d book when we got to the hotel.
They´d know what to do. We thought.
We booked tours we didn´t know much about! Firsly we were going to do a helicopter ride over Victoria Falls but couldn´t fit it it. And what a choice that was. A good one. The ´helicopter´was a ultra light plane. Hmm...when i saw one of those at the airport later i was so glad we couldn`t arrange that one.
A canoe ride was another one that looked good. There was a picture of a guide at the back of the canoe with two people sitting at the front. The guide paddled. It looked beautiful and relaxing. Canoeing down the Zambezi River.
We booked that, as well as a moonlight cruise later in the night.
We awoke early to go canoeing. The hotel organised a packed breakfast and we waited out the front of the hotel for our lift. A landrover, with outside seats took us to a location in the main centre. We picked up two English guys, 2 young german couples and an American. We also picked up our raft like canoes. Were they really canoes? Off we went, to top of the Zambezi river.
As we were travelling along the guide was asking if we´d canoed before! I didn´t put up my hand because about the only canoeing i´d ever done was with Robyn in her little canoe at the Abrolhos. And that was mild. She had a little paddle and i sat there. No! I´d never canoed. Why´d he want to know that!
Greg was confident. I was confident in Greg. He´d rowed before. He´d know what he was doing. But anyway, why´d he have to know? Afterall, we were to have a guide that paddled us both. The guy was taking the micky. As we knew most of these tourists guides were inclined to do!
We got to the spot. The guide now introduced himself as ´Ïnnocent´. His driver was called ´Titanic´. The names were appropriate, we were later to learn!
Innocent gave us safety instructions on how to get away from crocodiles and Hippos. The two most dangerous animals in the water. Especially the hippos who are the biggest killers in Africa today. Why was he telling us all this? He said if our boat gets overturned to swim like mad to the sure as a hippo will charge the biggest thing, the boat and not the person. If a crocodile is about to get us, paddle like mad.
I was to find out i was meant to listen very, very carefully because we were going to be canoeing ourselves. Two in a boat. Just Greg and I. The strongest and most coordinated (Greg) at the back.
The guide jumped in with the American. The two english guys were together and the two german couples went in together. We were all pretty much amateurs!
Before we knew it. We were in our canoes and padding down the Zambezi!
The first wild thing was the crocodile pop up his head near to the shore, near us. Innocent screamed at us, ¨paddle!¨We paddled all right. Our hearts were beating like mad. Before we even knew what we were doing we were literally paddling over the crocodile. The thought of it´s jaws were actually quite frightening and it´s only after (now) we realise how dangerous it was. These creatures were wild. And we were game.
There was no time to complain. No time to pull out. No time to realise we didn´t want to do this. We had to get down the river, the landrover had gone and it was going to be picking us up in three hours time, with lunch. (If that was required)
As we were about to approach white water, the two german girls asked, or should i say, yelled at Innocent, the guide to go to shore. No, he couldn´t. We had to go through the rapids, no time to talk, no time to go to shore.
Through the rapids we went! It was exhilerating. But it felt dangerous.
There were quiet hippos that weren´t causing any trouble as we paddled along.
The girls wanted out. They said they were on the wrong tour. We were all on the wrong tour. Well, all, except the American! The two English guys didn´t know where they were meant to be and didn´t care, they were having fun. In fact, Carl, was a crazy man. He was profoundly deaf but had an implant but we´re sure he had selective hearing as well.
He didn´t listen to a damn thing Innocent was saying, even after his friend had told him in sign language the instructions and i was sure he was going to get us into trouble because he was deviating and it almsot felt like he wanted to encourage the hippos we were passing. (He was thumping the boat when we were told not to as it encourages the hippos to react).
We knew we were definately on the wrong tour. This was definately not mild cruising with a guide in a quite stretch of the river.
This was the real thing.
Innocent calmed the girls down as we parked regularly at the shores of the river. I´m not sure why i wasn´t worried, at this point. I think maybe i didn´t realise the danger. I´m just not sure.
I was concentrating on paddling. My back was starting to hurt. My arms were ok, it was just my back. But Greg was at the back doing the steering and most of the work. I still had to paddle to keep up and really, we were both, and all, paddling like mad!
We approach a quiet stretch of water. Innocent told us to stop and go to shore. He was heading us, and Titanic was trailing us. We were all meant to be in single file. When he yelled intructions it was only once and we had to listen except Carl - he had to be told a million times and eventually prodded by his mate to just STOP! And he wouldn´t single file. Honestly, you always seemt to get one person, a pain in the neck person who just wants to be an attention seeker. You´d think, being deaf, he´d be doubly cautious, but no. He really made it hard for Innocent and we were all feeling it.
We got to shore. Innocent said there was a hippo in the water. No one could see him. A few questioned him. He had to prove his leadership by saying he knew there was a hippo and that stretch of water was dangerous. Not to Carl. He wasn´t worried, he wanted to pass.
We wanted to listen to Innocent. Carl moved to go across. Innocent said NO. He got out of the canoe to check where the hippo was. He was an angry hippo, no girlfriend, and injured Innocent said. (How does a guide know these things).
He decided he´d take the terrified German girls in his canoe. And the American was to go over with Titanic. He said the hippo would go under the water for five minutes and then he´d take everyone accross and then come back for the rest of us.
He loaded everyone up and off he went.
The hippo went under and when it came up the most incredible site befell us. He came RIGHT OUT OF THE WATER IN FRONT OF OUR VERY EYES AND STARTED CHARGING TOWARD US! Hw was huge. I don´t think Greg nor i will forget that image of this huge hippo. A bull hippo. They´re so big! Inncoent and the others got through, the hippo was coming towards us. It was still about 20 metres away but it felt very close. He went under.
I was then afraid.
How were we going to be the second lot through?
Innocent and Titanic came back walking through the forest. The girls stayed up the river with the canoes.
Innocent made the decision that we should all walk back to where the others were with our canoes. We all agreed. Except Carl. He wanted to brave it and go throught while the hippo was under. Innocent said have you ever paddled like mad in a canoe? Carl said yes. He wanted to go. That´s what he paid for! To have an adventure.
Titanic took us to where the others were and we hoisted up the canoes. Innocent headed off with Carl. We thought they´d be history and we all waited for them to cross as we´d arrived to the spot where the girls were long before the mad Carl and the poor guide came through. We guiltily got my cameras out, wondering what we´d capture. That´s how worried we all were.
The angry hippo went under the water and Innocent and Carl made the mad dash. And made it.
And that´s not the end of the story.
As we were canoeing along Greg and i got literally stuck on a rock in the middle of the river. High and dry. Titanic had to push us off with his canoe!
That didn´t seem half as worrying (although potentially it could have been and after the croc and the hippo we should have been worried but we did have faith at this stage in Titanic!).
I tell ya..........
We felt like the situation in Zimbabwe (the corrupt political situation) was nothing on canoeing down the Zambezi!
We bought the shirt, ¨canoe or die´ in the end.
And realised there couldn´t literally be a truer statement!!!!
The moonlight cruise after that was rather blissful! Seeing hippos that knew the boat we were in were so much bigger than them was quite comforting!
Zimbabwe - Victoria Falls
Kingdom Hotel
When we arrived at Victora Falls we were met by our tour guides who had a big sign up for us with our names on! They had tours ready for us to try out as soon as they met us!! So at the airport, different tours spinning around in our heads we searched the Adventure brochures to see what we´d do.
We got so overwhelmed we thought we´d book when we got to the hotel.
They´d know what to do. We thought.
We booked tours we didn´t know much about! Firsly we were going to do a helicopter ride over Victoria Falls but couldn´t fit it it. And what a choice that was. A good one. The ´helicopter´was a ultra light plane. Hmm...when i saw one of those at the airport later i was so glad we couldn`t arrange that one.
A canoe ride was another one that looked good. There was a picture of a guide at the back of the canoe with two people sitting at the front. The guide paddled. It looked beautiful and relaxing. Canoeing down the Zambezi River.
We booked that, as well as a moonlight cruise later in the night.
We awoke early to go canoeing. The hotel organised a packed breakfast and we waited out the front of the hotel for our lift. A landrover, with outside seats took us to a location in the main centre. We picked up two English guys, 2 young german couples and an American. We also picked up our raft like canoes. Were they really canoes? Off we went, to top of the Zambezi river.
As we were travelling along the guide was asking if we´d canoed before! I didn´t put up my hand because about the only canoeing i´d ever done was with Robyn in her little canoe at the Abrolhos. And that was mild. She had a little paddle and i sat there. No! I´d never canoed. Why´d he want to know that!
Greg was confident. I was confident in Greg. He´d rowed before. He´d know what he was doing. But anyway, why´d he have to know? Afterall, we were to have a guide that paddled us both. The guy was taking the micky. As we knew most of these tourists guides were inclined to do!
We got to the spot. The guide now introduced himself as ´Ïnnocent´. His driver was called ´Titanic´. The names were appropriate, we were later to learn!
Innocent gave us safety instructions on how to get away from crocodiles and Hippos. The two most dangerous animals in the water. Especially the hippos who are the biggest killers in Africa today. Why was he telling us all this? He said if our boat gets overturned to swim like mad to the sure as a hippo will charge the biggest thing, the boat and not the person. If a crocodile is about to get us, paddle like mad.
I was to find out i was meant to listen very, very carefully because we were going to be canoeing ourselves. Two in a boat. Just Greg and I. The strongest and most coordinated (Greg) at the back.
The guide jumped in with the American. The two english guys were together and the two german couples went in together. We were all pretty much amateurs!
Before we knew it. We were in our canoes and padding down the Zambezi!
The first wild thing was the crocodile pop up his head near to the shore, near us. Innocent screamed at us, ¨paddle!¨We paddled all right. Our hearts were beating like mad. Before we even knew what we were doing we were literally paddling over the crocodile. The thought of it´s jaws were actually quite frightening and it´s only after (now) we realise how dangerous it was. These creatures were wild. And we were game.
There was no time to complain. No time to pull out. No time to realise we didn´t want to do this. We had to get down the river, the landrover had gone and it was going to be picking us up in three hours time, with lunch. (If that was required)
As we were about to approach white water, the two german girls asked, or should i say, yelled at Innocent, the guide to go to shore. No, he couldn´t. We had to go through the rapids, no time to talk, no time to go to shore.
Through the rapids we went! It was exhilerating. But it felt dangerous.
There were quiet hippos that weren´t causing any trouble as we paddled along.
The girls wanted out. They said they were on the wrong tour. We were all on the wrong tour. Well, all, except the American! The two English guys didn´t know where they were meant to be and didn´t care, they were having fun. In fact, Carl, was a crazy man. He was profoundly deaf but had an implant but we´re sure he had selective hearing as well.
He didn´t listen to a damn thing Innocent was saying, even after his friend had told him in sign language the instructions and i was sure he was going to get us into trouble because he was deviating and it almsot felt like he wanted to encourage the hippos we were passing. (He was thumping the boat when we were told not to as it encourages the hippos to react).
We knew we were definately on the wrong tour. This was definately not mild cruising with a guide in a quite stretch of the river.
This was the real thing.
Innocent calmed the girls down as we parked regularly at the shores of the river. I´m not sure why i wasn´t worried, at this point. I think maybe i didn´t realise the danger. I´m just not sure.
I was concentrating on paddling. My back was starting to hurt. My arms were ok, it was just my back. But Greg was at the back doing the steering and most of the work. I still had to paddle to keep up and really, we were both, and all, paddling like mad!
We approach a quiet stretch of water. Innocent told us to stop and go to shore. He was heading us, and Titanic was trailing us. We were all meant to be in single file. When he yelled intructions it was only once and we had to listen except Carl - he had to be told a million times and eventually prodded by his mate to just STOP! And he wouldn´t single file. Honestly, you always seemt to get one person, a pain in the neck person who just wants to be an attention seeker. You´d think, being deaf, he´d be doubly cautious, but no. He really made it hard for Innocent and we were all feeling it.
We got to shore. Innocent said there was a hippo in the water. No one could see him. A few questioned him. He had to prove his leadership by saying he knew there was a hippo and that stretch of water was dangerous. Not to Carl. He wasn´t worried, he wanted to pass.
We wanted to listen to Innocent. Carl moved to go across. Innocent said NO. He got out of the canoe to check where the hippo was. He was an angry hippo, no girlfriend, and injured Innocent said. (How does a guide know these things).
He decided he´d take the terrified German girls in his canoe. And the American was to go over with Titanic. He said the hippo would go under the water for five minutes and then he´d take everyone accross and then come back for the rest of us.
He loaded everyone up and off he went.
The hippo went under and when it came up the most incredible site befell us. He came RIGHT OUT OF THE WATER IN FRONT OF OUR VERY EYES AND STARTED CHARGING TOWARD US! Hw was huge. I don´t think Greg nor i will forget that image of this huge hippo. A bull hippo. They´re so big! Inncoent and the others got through, the hippo was coming towards us. It was still about 20 metres away but it felt very close. He went under.
I was then afraid.
How were we going to be the second lot through?
Innocent and Titanic came back walking through the forest. The girls stayed up the river with the canoes.
Innocent made the decision that we should all walk back to where the others were with our canoes. We all agreed. Except Carl. He wanted to brave it and go throught while the hippo was under. Innocent said have you ever paddled like mad in a canoe? Carl said yes. He wanted to go. That´s what he paid for! To have an adventure.
Titanic took us to where the others were and we hoisted up the canoes. Innocent headed off with Carl. We thought they´d be history and we all waited for them to cross as we´d arrived to the spot where the girls were long before the mad Carl and the poor guide came through. We guiltily got my cameras out, wondering what we´d capture. That´s how worried we all were.
The angry hippo went under the water and Innocent and Carl made the mad dash. And made it.
And that´s not the end of the story.
As we were canoeing along Greg and i got literally stuck on a rock in the middle of the river. High and dry. Titanic had to push us off with his canoe!
That didn´t seem half as worrying (although potentially it could have been and after the croc and the hippo we should have been worried but we did have faith at this stage in Titanic!).
I tell ya..........
We felt like the situation in Zimbabwe (the corrupt political situation) was nothing on canoeing down the Zambezi!
We bought the shirt, ¨canoe or die´ in the end.
And realised there couldn´t literally be a truer statement!!!!
The moonlight cruise after that was rather blissful! Seeing hippos that knew the boat we were in were so much bigger than them was quite comforting!
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