Rafting in the Zambezi!!

We. Are. Exhausted. This was an epic day to say the least! We had heard that the Zambezi river, which runs in the Batoka gorge between Zambia and Zimbabwe, is one of the best/wildest places in the world to white water raft. Because the water is low at this time of year, we could only do rapids 10 through 25 (which, as it turned out, was 14 too many for Nicole). Although the water is "low", we were assured that the Zambezi is NEVER tame, so we were both excited and a little nervous for our trip down the river.

Our day started bright and early at 8am, when we were picked up and taken to another hotel. Here we met up with our fellow rafters, and were briefed on how the day would go. We grabbed our gear, piled in a giant doorless transport truck with seats, and drove half an hour to the edge of the gorge. We had been warned that the walk into the gorge down to the river would potentially be the hardest part of the day - this was not an understatement. Armed with only flip flops, and carrying paddles, helmets and life jackets, we descended Kili-style (down rocky/steep/slippery terrain). One wipe out (Julia), and some cuts and bruises (Julia and Nicole) later, we saw the joyous sight of our rafts. Obviously Allison arrived down the gorge first, completely unscathed, as she waited for her battered companions and the 25 other rafters.

We hopped in our raft with 3 others from France, and our trusty guide Steve (who we had told earlier that we wanted to "go for a spin" - translation: flip the raft Steve!!). Noteable fact: flipping is not allowed on most rivers. If Nicole had known this, she would have foregone this activity. Nonetheless, we got our day started on rapid 10. We started slow, admiring the beautiful scenery, and building up our rafting confidence. This confidence was immediately shattered by rapid 11; aka the Overland Truck Eater, which rates a measly 2 out of 5 on the rapid intensity scale. Somehow, the way we hit this rapid ejected all of our rafters (minus Allison. Obviously). Nicole spent a moment under the boat, and Julia was lucky enough to grab onto the boat's rope. Nicole asked Steve if we could back-paddle to the beginning and let her off the bloody raft - unfortunately this was not an option. From this point on, Steve and Nicole were very close (literally and figureatively. She owes him a beer on Saturday). Slightly shaken, we hauled everyone back into the boat, and headed for rapids 13 through 25.

We managed the next few rapids with relative ease, until Steve informed us that we were approaching "The Terminators" - rapids 16a and 16b (both rated a 4). 16a went smoothly - 16b was another story. We entered the rapid, and the nose of our raft went STRAIGHT UP in the air, flipping completely, ejecting everyone and everything from the boat. Even Steve didn't stand a chance. Allison and Julia ended up under the boat, and emerged only to be thrown THROUGH the rapids until the safety kayaker reached them (a good thirty feet downstream of the raft). Note: this is called being a "long swimmer" - one that is too far from the boat to have a chance at getting back in. We clung to James, our safety kayaker, and floated down the river laughing hysterically at what had just happened. He informed us "you guys flipped PROPER" - translation: that was a GIANT flip. Meanwhile, Nicole had been tossed in the opposite direction, riding the rapids solo whilst chasing Steve and the raft. Much less traumatic than being under the boat. Once everyone and all of our paddles had been collected, we regrouped. Note: we were the first boat to flip, and the ONLY boat to have a flip of this magnitude. Well done Steve! Never fear, we have video evidence of this momentous occasion (our flip replays FOUR TIMES in slow motion).

Rapids 17 through 25 were tame by comparison, though Nicole somehow managed to get tossed from the raft for the third time. Mastering it by this point, Steve basically had her back in the raft by the time her feet hit the water. Nicole's day was starting to look up! We pulled up to shore, wet and exhausted, and prepared to hike out of the gorge. We were greeted with beer, coke and water at the top, and we chatted with fellow rafters and the crew about the craziness we had all just experienced. Even those who had rafted before agreed that the Zambezi is in a league of its own. We piled into the truck and headed back for some lunch and watched the video of the day's highlights. Please note: our flip got the biggest reaction (as well it should). We arrived back at Jollyboys exhausted, but with plans to party with the rafting crew on Saturday night. Tonight will be another early night as we have another massive day of activities lined up for tomorrow - stay tuned!!