It's the weekend and a lie in would be in order if we hadn't booked for the white water rafting and a 7.30 meet up at the post office.
Everybody I have spoken to have all said the same thing, that this is an awesome activity and one definitely not to be missed although it is exhausting, involves an treacherous walk and you will get wet. Well they weren't kidding. The journey to the launch site took about ½ an hour and before you can commence your journey you have a safety talk and then start your descent down the gorge. It has to be said that this was one of the most difficult descent I have ever taken, where a series of sticks have been laid out to help you down, although I found this to be more of hindrance. By about half way down I was knackered and my legs felt that were going to give way and I was lucky not to have fallen on several occasions. It must be my age.
We had 6 in our boat, 4 women me and the captain and apart from the captain very little experience. As we set off for the first rapid, me and a French girl (who spoke very little English which would be OK normally but no in the heat of battle with the rapids) both situated at the front came straight off and bounced around in the water, which was surprisingly warm and good fun but also a warning of what was to come. After I was collected we resumed our journey and were able to enjoy some of the most breath taking views I have ever had the pleasure to witness. For those of you that have seen Jurassic Park you will get the picture, and for those of you that haven't just ask someone who has. It was at this point that I was shouted at by one of my team mates for admiring the scenery and not rowing, which made everybody laugh.
The next 2 and 1/2 hours proved to be exhausting, thrilling and amazing fun as we hurtled from rapid to rapid with various members of the boat being thrown out at regular intervals. The captain would give us a commentary on the up and coming rapids and it was Terminator 2 that did it for us, where an 8 feet wall of water just flipped over the entire raft and caused mayhem in the ranks with bodies floating all over the river and being bashed about by the rapids. Great fun but also very scary. I do believe we were had the most fall-ins of the day which I am sure had something to do with the competence of our crew.
There was also the obligatory rock jump and as most of crew wanted to join in the peer pressure from the girls was awful, especially as most chose to jump from the high rock. So after the normal palpations (Sally think of the Pyrenees before we set off for the canyoning) I leapt from a good height. It was also in fact good fun.
On a latter part of the river we were allowed to swim/float down which was great fun and very relaxing until 2 of the crew drifted to the side and our boat went to collect them and I was left floating off towards the next rapids. I was quite relaxed until I saw all the other swimmers being collected by their various boats and the skipper of one of these waving frantically at a support canoe to collect me. By the time he reached me I was already in the next set of rapids and being bashed about and with him shouting at me to hold on to the front of his canoe, which is bloody hard to do when you are being buffeted about by the waves and stopping your face from hitting the front of the canoe, managed to get through these rapids before the calm waters returned.
2 and ½ half hours later we finished. The crew were exhausted and those that have only been here for a week got very sunburnt, but with so any nurses out here doing VO work there would be plenty of ointments to soothe burnt limbs and strained muscles. I myself was exhausted and felt muscle strains in almost all of my body but especially my legs.
I can only say that this is definitely an excursion for the more adventurous, who would love it, and you could only get away with this level of intensity and thrill seeking on this activity over here. As I have said many times IT'S AFRICA.
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