On the Zambesi, August 1

Today was characterized by wind, and lots of it. While yesterday had been relatively quiet, today made up for it. We have had wind on most of the days, always in our faces, and often quite strong. But this morning took the cake, with winds of over forty, and gusts probably up to sixty. With the river being as wide as it sometimes is (at times over three kms) there were waves to contend with. I got wet and my stuff got wet from the spill coming over the bow of the canoe. And in spite of the current being about seven km/hr with us, having the wind against us meant that at times we were working hard and getting almost nowhere. I was a wet, miserable, and just plain grumpy.

We had had a short breakfast at the Ranger Station, then took off, and paddled over seventeen km before stopping for a short break. Then back in the canoe, paddled again for over ten km, and stopped for lunch and a siesta.

About three, we took off again, and paddled until almost dark. Total of over forty-seven km today.

One very pretty area is a bunch of cliffs called the red cliffs, named, as you would expect, for the colour of the rock face.

We also passed through another area which is called a gorge, but is nothing like the gorges we have at home. It is narrow, but the hills on the sides are not steep or rocky, and the water is faster, but not bad.

Right now, I am sitting on a mattress pad at the side of my wet tent and being glad we have stopped for the night.


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