River week

Another incredible week of adventure, still surrounded by wildlife everywhere we go, but hugely different environment and days from last week. The dominant feature has been the mighty Zambezi river.

We started with three days on the Chobe waterfront in Kasane. Back where it all began for Leanne, Matt, Doug and Alice in 1996! And where 18 people from our two families have now spent time. Kasane has changed a lot in 28  years, but it’s still a wild frontier town, with hippos and crocs cruising the river, the largest concentration of elephants anywhere in the world, and a camp full of baboons, monkeys, warthogs, bushbuck and lots of other wildlife happily coexisting with the humans.

Five days ago we crossed the Zambezi into Zambia at Kazangula, drove north until Matt found the unsignposted track near the radiomast that he remembers takes us down towards Mulemi village and Bovu Island. Only one wrong turn through the bush wasn’t too bad, given there’d been no vehicles on this cattle track for months. 

Arriving in the village and crossing to the island is a real kind of homecoming for us. With Brett welcoming us, lots of familiar faces, and a strong connection with the whole community through the support Pauline and Andrew, Pete and Miriam, the McGuinnesses and others have given over decades to support the school and church. We went to Church on Sunday where the priest was the son of the priest who married Pete and Miriam, they particularly acknowledged the support Pete and Miriam’s family continue to give them, and we all prayed for rain to break the drought. On Monday we visited the school that Brett has built over the years with support from many of us, and which now has 153 kids from the village learning up to Year 6, who would either be walking 4.8km each way to the nearest government school, or more likely growing up with no education or opportunities that come with it. The kids were awesome, 50 of them turning up to welcome us even though school had broken up for Xmas the Friday before. The teachers were in good spirits, and we came away with an updated plan for what they need next to get the extra classrooms built by Mcguinness boys completed and functional. The community is suffering from a drought year, with no crops harvested last year, and their eyes on the upcoming rains.

Living on the island for a few days was awesome, with very hot afternoons spent splashing around in the shallow rapids a short paddle up river, with a very wary eye open for crocs. We renamed Leni ‘Driftwood’ because she regularly got caught in the current and had to be rescued before she hit the deeper croc and hippo pools at the bottom of the rapids. And we had to have a Guardian of the Rapids to save the ball we were chucking around from the same fate. Hammocks strung high in the shady trees were the other saviour. 

YWe continued our run of wild weather, with a dramatic lightning and thunderstorm ripping most of the roof of the thatched hut shared by Doug, Emma, Fenn and Leni just as we arrived in it, then a dust storm shooting down the river on Day 3, the first Brett had ever seen on the river, which snapped a huge branch off one of the main trees in the central kitchen and bar area. 

Brett was in great form – his health inversely correlated to his partying means he’s more robust in his 60s than when we’ve known him through his 30s, 40s and 50s. He wouldn’t take any payment for our stay there, and generously made detailed plans to have Isy there next year (and also introduce her to all the kiwi pilots who fly in and out of Maun into the delta and bush camps).

We said our goodbyes and headed up the road to Livingstone a couple of adrenaline filled days ago.  Boy what a day yesterday! We planned to kick off with Leni and Matt taking microlight flights over the falls and surrounding bush. After they came back having seen not just the falls and general wildlife, but a group of closely guarded rhinos, we ended up sending up 4 more passengers. After breakfast, it was the much anticipated Bungee date for Emma and Fenn. The courage required to let go of the rail, hold out your arms and throw yourself off the Victoria Falls Bridge, 111m above the Zambezi river below is ridiculous, but they both conquered it with style! 6 of us then zip lined across the same gorge, then Louis decided he would Bungee as well. 

Huge day! We all went to the curio markets in the late afternoon. Doug, Louis and Emma went into the Falls National Park. Then to our old favorite Golden Leaf Indian Restaurant to celebrate last night.

A big week living on, in, and around this incredible River. Even here in ‘town’ we have a croc living under the footbridge on the path from the kids’ room to the campsite and bar, monkeys everywhere, and we keep running into elephants on the driveway.

Today we head along the Caprivi strip into Namibia to Ngepi Camp. Need to go, it’s 630am and 5 of us are doing a daily press up challenge- day 1 was 10, today is 180 and if I don’t get 100 done early in the morning I lose the will to live later in the day and might break my streak! And we have to drive 580 kim’s to go camp in Namibia.