Day Eight. White Water Rafting and Celebration Cruise

After waking up wearing bathing suits underneath our clothing which was about to be soaked we sat for a briefing about what White Water Rafting was going to be like. It was a mixture of people from our group along with other people staying at the lodge, nervous and excited at the same time we hopped into a truck for a 45 minute drive to the gorge. Due to high waters there were only six rapids we were allowed to do, with a mixture of level three up to level six rapids.
When we finally reached the site we all put on our life vests, helmets, and we grabbed our paddles.

difficult than the actual rafting. A few people took some major falls and slips but everyone ended up ok although it did take us about 45 minutes to maneuver down this cliff side we finally made it!

Our river guide's name was Stuart and after being one of the first ones down the hill I located Stuart and hopped in our bright yellow rafting boat and waited for the rest of the group. After everyone piled in he made sure we knew what to do when he yelled commands at us like "Down!" meant to crouch while holding onto the rope around the boat along with our paddles. Or "right back, left forward!" so depending on what side we were on we would either paddle backwards or forwards. He then asked for to strong and aggressive people to paddle at the front which was the hardest position. Paulo being the only male volunteered, but with no one else volunteering, I realized I should probably step up and take the position up front. I was already tired during our trial run! We want the opposite way down the river for a trail run, practicing paddling as a crew, and then we all jumped out into the river, which we were told had crocodiles in it, but assured we were mostly safe. I think the Crocs avoided the rapids much more than we did :)
The first rapid was called the washing machine, which at first didn't seem intimidating at all until a giant wave came rushing towards our boat nearly flipping us but definitely filling my noise and mouth with water. It was that moment where I was reminded of why I truly dislike sailing, the uncertainty of flipping and having a giant boat fall on top of you (it's a realistic fear I think). After the first rapid we drifted towards the other side of the gorge..that is right I touched Zambia! We paddled hard to through the next few rapids, completely flipped in one of them, and worked as a team pulling each other back in and making sure we all had our paddles. Stuart would some times call out our team chant to get us psyched for the next rapid, "Do you like it?!....No! Do you like it?! No....Well? ...We love it baby!!" haha it was a great chant. There were moments where it was safe for us to just hop out of the raft while still holding onto the line and take a dip, but even that was still a thrill with your legs being pulled under the boat and upcoming waves getting ready to battle for your attention. It was definitely thrilling.

We finally reached the end, and after being completely and utterly exhausted we were told we had to basically climb a mountain up to the time. I could have collapsed right there, but when I saw one man carrying the raft by himself up this mountain in 100 degree weather, I realized I should probably suck it up and make my journey to the top. There were moments where I could have sworn I was going to faint and fall of this mountain but I didn't thankfully. At the top we had a celebration meal and drinks waiting for us but I felt so hot and tired from hiking it took me awhile to warm up to the idea of eating.

After making it back to our lodge I automatically hopped in the shower and laid down for a nap. I woke up and realized I needed cash to pay for our team t-shirt so I got to walk with Moyo and his friend to the ATM in town to get money. It was about a twenty minute walk and I had the opportunity to listen to Moyo speak Dbele with his friend. I have such a fond appreciation for languages and I am putting it on my life goals to learn as many languages as I can. Top of my list right now is Shona, Tswana, Xhosa, and Afrikaans. After getting money, Moyo walked me to another lodge where I met his cousin Ivan and one of his friends who ended up driving me back to my lodge with Moyo.

After getting cleaned up I met up with everyone from my group and we headed to the Zambezi river to partake in a beautiful sunset cruise. It was so great to engage in the conversations that I did with people on my group who I had waited until the last minute to truly bond with. We all watched the sky being painted red, birds flocking to their homes, and a hippo lounging in the water. The boat was only big enough for our group which was so nice because it gave us the chance in such an intimate setting to enjoy each others company. We were served Samosas and a few other appetizers and everyone had their choice of drinks on the trip. After arriving back from our cruise my friends Wes and Henry and I decided to go to another back packers in town that had a bar called the Broken Shoelace. There was such an eclectic group of people there, all gathered to watch a soccer game on t.v. Afterwards we walked to a casino in the largest hotel in Victoria Falls. We were just going to look which was great because in no way was I willing to partake in betting my money away.

The next day I went back to the market and traded the rest of my things that I didn't want to carry back for a few lovely tourist items. I was so sad to be leaving Moyo and Theunis who truly helped make the trip what it was but every great thing has to come to an end, in order to make room for another great adventure :) The trip was amazing and I will never forget all of the incredible and amazing sights that I saw, people that I met, or times that I laughed. Never.