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    Little Cloud
    Richard and his wife Leigh went on a multi-day canoeing safari down the Zambezi River for their honeymoon with their guide Tim. They encountered several rapids of varying intensity and wildlife including hippos and rhinos. During a hippo count, one large hippo suddenly charged at their canoe, causing Tim to yell at them to paddle frantically to escape. They had close encounters with wildlife but also enjoyed gourmet meals at their campsites each night and relaxing views of Victoria Falls.

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    Richard and his wife Leigh went on a multi-day canoeing safari down the Zambezi River for their honeymoon with their guide Tim. They encountered several rapids of varying intensity and wildlife including hippos and rhinos. During a hippo count, one large hippo suddenly charged at their canoe, causing Tim to yell at them to paddle frantically to escape. They had close encounters with wildlife but also enjoyed gourmet meals at their campsites each night and relaxing views of Victoria Falls.

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    Richard and his wife Leigh went on a multi-day canoeing safari down the Zambezi River for their honeymoon with their guide Tim. They encountered several rapids of varying intensity and wildlife including hippos and rhinos. During a hippo count, one large hippo suddenly charged at their canoe, causing Tim to yell at them to paddle frantically to escape. They had close encounters with wildlife but also enjoyed gourmet meals at their campsites each night and relaxing views of Victoria Falls.

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    © All Rights Reserved
    Download as PDF, TXT or read online from Scribd
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    31 views4 pages

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    Little Cloud
    Richard and his wife Leigh went on a multi-day canoeing safari down the Zambezi River for their honeymoon with their guide Tim. They encountered several rapids of varying intensity and wildlife including hippos and rhinos. During a hippo count, one large hippo suddenly charged at their canoe, causing Tim to yell at them to paddle frantically to escape. They had close encounters with wildlife but also enjoyed gourmet meals at their campsites each night and relaxing views of Victoria Falls.

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    of 4

    When the hippos roar, start paddling!

    Richard Jackson and his wife spent their honeymoon going down the
    Zambezi river in a canoe. “They say this is a good test of a
    relationship,’ said ‘Tim as he handed me the paddle. I wasn’t sure that
    such a tough challenge was what was needed on a honeymoon, but it
    was too late to go back. My wife, Leigh, and I were standing with our
    guide, Tim Came, on the banks of the Zambezi near the
    Zambia/Botswana border. This was to be the highlight of our
    honeymoon: a safari downriver, ending at the point where David
    Livingstone first ‘saw the Victoria Falls.
    1.
    Neither of us had any canoeing experience. Tentatively we set off
    downstream, paddling with more enthusiasm than expertise. Soon we
    heard the first distant rumblings of what seemed like thunder. ‘Is that
    Victoria Falls?’ we inquired nalvely. No,’ said Tim dismissively.
    ‘That's our first rapid.’ Easy, we thought. Wrong!
    2.
    The canoe plotted a crazed path as we careered from side to side, our
    best efforts seeming only to add to our plight. This was the first of
    many rapids, all relatively minor, all enjoyably challenging for tourists
    like us.
    3.
    ‘The overnight stops would mean mooring at a deserted island in the
    middle of the river, where Tim's willing support team would be
    waiting, having erected a camp and got the water warm for our bucket
    showers. As the ice slowly melted in the drinks, restaurant-quality
    food would appear from a cooker using hot coals. Then people would
    begin to relax, and the day's stories would take on epic proportions.
    4.
    One morning, Tim decided to count the number of hippos we
    saw, in an attempt to gauge the population in this part of the
    river. Most of the wildlife keeps a cautious distance, and we
    were assured that, safe in our canoe, any potential threats
    would be more scared of us than we were of them ~ but we had
    been warned to give these river giants a wide berth. They'd
    normally stay in midstream, watching us with some suspicion,
    and greeting our departure with a cacophony of grunts.
    5.
    ‘Tim yelled ‘Paddle!’ and over the next 100 metres an Olympic
    runner would have struggled to keep up with us. The hippo
    gave up the chase, and although Tim said he was just a
    youngster showing off, our opinion was that he had
    honeymooners on the menu. That would certainly be the way
    we told the story by the time we got home.
    6.
    At some times of the year, you can even enjoy a natural jacuzzi
    in one of the rock pools beside the falls. The travel brochures
    say it’s the world’s most exclusive picnic spot. It’s certainly
    the ideal place to wind down after a near miss with a hippo.
    A. Luckily we could make our mistakes in privacy as, apart
    from Tim and another couple, for two days we were alone. Our
    only other company was the array of bird and animal life. The
    paddling was fairly gentle, and when we got tired, Tim would
    lead us to the shore and open a cool-box containing a picnic
    lunch.
    B. If that was the scariest moment, the most romantic was
    undoubtedly our final night's campsite. Livingstone Island is
    perched literally on top of Victoria Falls. The safari company
    we were with have exclusive access to it: it’s just you, a sheer
    drop of a few hundred metres and the continual roar as millions
    of litres of water pour over the edge.
    C. There was plenty of passing traffic to observe on land as
    well - giraffes, hippos, elephants and warthogs, while eagles
    soared overhead. We even spotted two rare white rhinos. We
    paddled closer to get a better look.
    D. We had a four-metre aluminium canoe to ourselves. It was
    a small craft for such a mighty river, but quite big enough to
    house the odd domestic dispute. Couples had, it seemed, ended
    similar trips arguing rather than paddling. But it wasn’t just
    newly-weds at risk. Tim assured us that a group of comedians
    from North America had failed to see the funny side too.
    E. But number 150 had other ideas. As we hugged the bank he
    dropped under the water. We expected him to resurface in the
    same spot, as the others had done. Instead, there was a sudden
    roar and he emerged lunging towards the canoe.
    F. Over the next hour or so the noise grew to terrifying
    dimensions. By the time we edged around the bend to confront
    it, we were convinced we would be faced with mountains of
    white water. Instead, despite all the sound and fury, the
    Zambezi seemed only slightly ruffled by a line of small rocks.
    G. When we'd all heard enough, we slept under canvas, right
    next to the river bank. Fortunately, we picked a time of year
    largely free of mosquitoes, so our nets and various lotions
    remained unused. The sounds of unseen animals were our
    nightly lullaby.S

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