DATE: October 30, 2007
After much safari-ing and seeing smoke come out of our cameras, it was time to stock up on food and essentials to last us a month in Zimbabwe and cross the border. We weren't quite sure what to expect, having heard increasingly desperate accounts of the situation. There was a rather heated debate on whether or not we should bring extra food into the country, if it would result in our being mobbed, or if all would be ok and if so, how to disperse of it. I decided to pick up some extra food and "see what happens." Why not - if we were to be mobbed we'd be mobbed anyway. Thus it was with a rather solemn mood that we entered the country, although we were definitely excited for the first stop, the famed Victoria Falls.
Vic Falls
The highlight in Victoria Falls has to be rafting the Zambezi river, a grade 5 (the highest runnable grade). It is quite fun in that the river is deep, so even if the raft flips (which it did) you don't need to worry too much about hitting rocks - only the other rafters and their paddles (which is dangerous enough)! To be honest, I was more worried about hitting crocs. We passed by one right at the start of the trip, and he silently slipped into the water, instantly becoming totally undetectable. If only they blew bubbles. Naturally, I imagined him and his friends swimming alongside our raft for the rest of the excursion.
This was again on my mind when we began body boarding. Yes, that's right, body boarding down a raging river! I was handed a foam body board, the kind you see kids playing with on the beach, and tiny flippers. With this gear we jumped into the frothy, croc-infested (ok, they avoid the rapids but still) water and proceeded to go through rapids (including a class five portion) with nothing but the board and a lifejacket to keep us afloat. Now I know what my laundry feels like! It was absolutely ridiculous, which I think is and will be the theme of this entire trip. The waves seemed 10 times bigger when I was at their level. It was like going on a slip and slide over mountains, where you hang on for dear life to this laughable little board that could be ripped out of your hands at any second, sending you under water for an unknown amount of time only to pop out like a cork further downstream. Actually, it was the most fun I've had in a very long time.
Other activities included a horse safari where we walked quite close to water buffalo while our guide explained to us how they are one of the most dangerous animals to encounter (okayyyy, can we move right along then?), bungee jumping off the bridge between Zimbabwe and Zambia, a three hour "sunset" (read: booze) cruise, and a very hippie-esque, touristy drum circle dinner night. Needless to say, while I had a lot of fun, I was glad to get out of the bubble that is Vic Falls and move to the real interior.
Bungee Jumping - photo taken by Sam
On a horse safari, near water buffalo - photo taken by Andrew
Me with the lads on the sunset cruise - photo taken by Duane
The next stop was Matopos, a national park in Zimbabwe, where we did some exploratory climbing. I assited David in creating a new mixed route called 'Fart with Confidence.' I'll let you use your imagination on how we came up with the name. This was my first experience with new routing; David, from Cornwall, drilled in the bolts and did the first ascent. I somehow did the second ascent. Now our names will go down in flaming glory for ever as creating the very best climb at Matopos. ;)
Working the second ascent of "Fart With Confidence" - photo taken by Duane
David naming our route
The park was interesting in that you could tell that it was at one time a very luxurious place to stay. Today it has the feel of a ghost town, or better said 'ghost resort.' There is a stagnant puddle in what used to be a decent-sized pool, empty halls with broken windows, empty cabins, and only infrequent electricity. We pitched our tents among the empty cabins and used the good-sized fire pit to cook up our usual meal in Zimbabwe, a bland-tasting bean-and-lentil-based stew. Hey, at least we are eating, I'm not complaining! (and never will again).
Squeezing up a crack - photo taken by Duane
Local huts