 |
|
Paddling down the Zambezi |
Kariba, Zimbabwe
A canoe trip down the lower Zambezi River is a little like eating pizza in the living room, only you're paddling down a murky river in Africa and you are the pizza. Large, ferocious animals in and around the river firmly believe it is their living room and you would make a tasty snack.
Paddling down the Zambezi, which frames the border between Zimbabwe and Zambia in southern Africa, is not the sort of thing you'd do alone unless you had large portions of your brain missing. Going with a tour company only requires the absence of minor brain portions. I signed on with a low-end tour company called Buffalo Safaris. Still, it cost $360 for a four-day trip and they made me sign a waiver that basically stated they could keep the money even if I was entirely or partially eaten by one of the ferocious animals.
I was joined by a Dutch couple, a German couple, and a Kiwi/English couple; and I can assure you we were all missing portions of our brain tissue. I got to paddle in the lead canoe with the Zimbabwean guide, John Mousaka (yes, he is well aware that his name is a Greek dish), while the others followed behind, two per canoe.
As a front man in the boat, my job was simply to paddle. The rear person is responsible for the direction of the canoe. John was a fine canoer but he didn't provide much in the way of paddling instruction for the other canoers. The Kiwi/Brit team had some canoe experience but it was the first time for the Germans and the Dutch, who quickly fell behind with their erratic, zigzag addling style.
Where are you going?
What do you want to do?
