(Photographer unknown)
If you had to bet on a god, would you rather bet on one with the body of a crocodile or one with a snake's body and the head of a fish?
Whitewater rafting on the Zambezi River put us in the position of having to play "Wheel of Fortune" with two deities. We were rafting with Sobek, a company named after the Egyptian crocodile god. On the other hand, we had to try to appease Nyaminyami, the river god of the Zambezi. According to the spiritual lore of the Batoka, inhabitants of the Zambezi Valley for hundreds of years, he is a benevolent god, with the exception of his fierce, dagger-like teeth. Their real-world equivalent took the form of some rocks along this rapid-strewn river.
This was to be our introduction to the Zimbabwean town of Victoria Falls: a day-long rafting trip starting from the foot of the falls, proceeding 25 km down the river, through 20 or so rapids, most of them Class III, IV and V.
Then - if we had anything left - we could spend the rest of our week pursuing more genteel activities like canoeing, bungee-jumping, micro-lighting and horseback riding.
I had rafted in whitewater before this, on B.C.'s Thompson, Fraser and Kicking Horse Rivers. None of those trips prepared me for the Zambezi, though. During our safety talk, I was more apprehensive than I had been on any previous trip. I don't know if I felt more apprehensive about the fact that this river was home to crocodiles or the thought I might break a leg on a rock and have to be hospitalized in primitive conditions. I was not alone; no one else in the group seemed really enthusiastic, either, for what was supposed to be a fun excursion. We were paying US$95 for this, so we were supposed to have fun, right?
I
tried to inject some humor before heading down to the rafts. As we left the
marshalling area, we heard some drums beating over by a souvenir shop. Only
half-joking, I remarked to someone about the "drums of doom at dawn."
She
didn't think it was all that funny, either.
We began our trip just below the roaring cataract of Mosi oa Tunya, or, The Smoke that Thunders, the Batokan name for Victoria Falls. After practising some of the basic maneuvers we would have to perform on the trip and uttering a prayer to Nyaminyami, (a Zambezi rafting tradition) we set off down the Zambezi.
I
hoped a prayer would be enough; we didn't have time to sacrifice a goat or even
a mosquito.
We had some "swimmers" - rafting lingo for clients who fall in - in the first few rapids, but I managed to stay in the raft until after lunch. Unfortunately, I chose to fall out in rapid number 11, a class V monster nicknamed "Overland Truck Eater." It featured some nasty boils and whirlpools.
When
I first rocketed overboard, I stayed calm and pointed my feet downstream, just
like they always tell us in any pre-trip safety talk. When I did not seem to be
getting any closer to the surface though, I decided the heck with the downstream
orientation; I needed my feet to get me to the surface.
Just as I broke the surface and started to gulp in some air, the river yanked me back down underwater. Full of water and now very frightened, I struggled to regain the surface. The thought, "Is this how it ends?" did cross my mind briefly.
However,
I broke the surface, praying I would not be sucked under again. Nyaminyami
answered my prayers. As I dragged myself up onto shore, I saw the kayaker who
was videotaping our trip. The first thing I said was, "Did you get that on
tape?" His affirmative answer boosted my spirits. I would hate to go
through something like that without being able to show people evidence of my
"death-defying" exploits.
I made it through the rest of the trip without incident - unless you count the fact that my little swim may have given me a bad case of "Delhi belly."
I'll never really know if swallowing the river water or drinking a glass of milk at the Vic Falls Wimpy's the previous night caused me to experience the worst combination of vomiting, dysentery and dehydration I have ever experienced. When you're that sick, it really doesn't matter what caused it - you lay there and moan like a hippo in heat, regardless. Suffice to say if I'm ever back in Vic Falls again, I don't plan to fall into the Zambezi River OR drink the milk at Wimpy's again.
I
did manage to go horseback riding the next morning before I started splitting
all my time between my tent and the washroom; but I had to cancel plans to go
canoeing the day after.
I did make it to the sundown cruise our final night in Vic Falls, though. I saw some of the crocs I never did see while rafting - Thank Nyaminyami! (or is it Sobek?) - so I guess I didn't have to worry about finding a goat, after all. The gods treated us to an inspiring sunset on the calm upper river, as well.
As
the sun's final rays blazed across the still waters before melting into the
shadows, I gave silent thanks to all the
Spirits of the Universe for allowing me the privilege of my African experiences.
Conservation Corner
Want to save endangered species found in Zimbabwe? Visit these sites:
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Travel Tips
Some links to help you book a whitewater trip on the Zambezi:
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Continue on safari with us ...
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Gorilla Trek: Into the Rainforests of the Congo |
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Lions & Cheetahs & Rhinos, Oh My! |
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Challenging Nyamanyami: Up and Down the Zambezi by Raft and Houseboat |