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Published: December 2nd 2006
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The houseboat
Luxury (kind of!) Transiting through Malawi on the way to Zambia, we made a stop at the capital Lilongwe then went on to the border post. Once in Zambia, we drove a couple of hours to Mama Rula's campsite. Rain clouds threatened the whole way and finally unleashed themselves right over our camping ground. Fortunately, the campsite owner was kind enough to let most people stay in the T.V room and we bagged the top of the truck. A good nights sleep was had before yet another early morning start in order to reach the houseboat, which was to be the highlight of our time in Zambia.
The houseboat was akin to a large paddle steamer only without the paddle. Something you could imagine cruising down the Zambezi during Colonial times. We weren't on the Zambezi however, Lake Kariba was our host for the 2 night, 3 day cruise.
Once we had piled on and bagged our extremely cosy 3 birth cabin, we discovered the vessel had a jacuzzi, sun deck, fishing rods, a self service bar and a retractable lower deck roof.
As the boat manouevered out into deeper water, we were served a light lunch. After, we took to the sundeck to
Nakuru
A stunning sunset catch some much needed rays and waited until we were in 'safe enough' waters for swimming. Apparently the Crocs don't really venture out into the middle of the lake. We were too pussy but some of the braver amongst us launched themselves off the top deck into the 'jaws of death'. That evening our anchorage was a small island in the middle of the lake. Having free reign of the bar naturally meant that mayhem ensued. After Cam's ridiculous leap of faith into Lake Kariba from the highest point of the boat 'The Launch' became his signature tune and he played it on repeat pretty much the entire night. Think the Crocs must have thought we were mad - we could occasionally see them eyeballing us from the waters edge when our spotlight crossed their paths.
The entire night was what we believed to be the definition of carnage (don't give 2 aussie wasters a box of wine aka Goon to consume on a boat!) It seemed a wise idea to sleep under the Milky Way that night and once Drew's nakedness and Cam's incessant house music had come to a halt, about half an hours sleep was had before
A evening drink at the bar
L-R: Sarah, Ebony, Candy, Jo S and Taryn the heavens opened and a quick retreat to the cabin was necessary leaving the matresses to take the assault.
For once it was a pleasure to lie in the following morning, getting up at our leisure to do a spot of fishing. The afternoon saw us take the tender for a ride across the lake to a Crocodile farm. The farm itself houses 64,000 Crocs, most of which live to the age of 3 before they are killed for their skins. Some of the carcasses are fed to the breeding Crocs in the nearby pool. We took a jeep into the area at feeding time and saw some unbelievable monsters munching on their own kind. The whole thing was reminiscent of Jurassic Park!
The farm - aside from the moral issues, of which it's difficult to form an opinion, brings a lot of employment and revenue to the area and is totally self-sufficient. The breeding Crocs are brought in from areas where they cause a nuisance, and there exists only around 1500 of these. In effect, Zambia's ecosystem is not affected by the farming.
If we had previously thought last nights events were ridiculous, tonight went off the scale. After
Cam and Drew
The goon starts to take effect! a subdued start to the evening, the Goon, Vodka, Eagle lager (Si, its rank) Potency, Jamesons, and all manner of other alcoholic bevvies, livened up the night to the pont of extreme nudity! If we didn't know the guys on the truck before, we certainly do now! Note to the houseboat owners - NEVER, leave your bar unattended!
What else can we say?... Perhaps a couple of censored happenings might be Ebony getting thrown fully clothed into the jacuzzi and Brad having a conversation without realising his trousers were around his ankles. Another half hearted attempt to sleep under the stars was made, until more rain dampened the aim, and so bodies were found the next morning strewn across various corners of the boat!
Oh dear! The next day no-one was quite so friendly! Cam's eyes were like road maps, it was short tempers galore! Back on the truck, Brad threw up out of the window and made one of the dodgers sick into a bag too! (Note on message board to explain the dodgers!)
We had what felt like a 187 mile drive to Zimbabwe that day, finally arriving at Vic Falls around 7pm.
See Ya Later Alligators!
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