If someone had told me a few months ago that I’d go on a
camping trip to Botswana and Zimbabwe, I would have laughed in their face. My
only prior experience camping was during elementary school when I went to a
Girl Scout retreat for a few days. But, study abroad is all about adventure and
getting out of my comfort zone, so I bought a sleeping bag, a flashlight, and
bug spray to prepare myself for life in the African bush.
My journey began in the middle of the night with a red-eye
flight from Cape Town to Johannesburg. From Joburg, my friends and I boarded a
bus that would guide us through Botswana and Zimbabwe. After many hours of
driving, we finally arrived at our first campsite. Surprise! They had Wi-Fi.
So, after a quick text to my mom to let her know I had safely arrived in
Botswana, I started my 10 days of living off the grid without disruptions from
the outside world.
Our first major stop was in a remote area of Botswana called
the Okavango Delta. Before boarding a mokoro (a mix between a canoe and a
paddle board) to get to the Delta, we were greeted with the tremendous gift of
seeing a herd of elephants, including a baby! It was so unexpected and special
to see the animals up close and personal.
Once we were settled in at the campsite, we were offered an
opportunity to learn how to steer the mokoro ourselves. I hesitated because,
although I love water activities, I am not the most coordinated person and I
feared that I would fall in the Delta. I decided I should take my chances and
attempt to learn this new skill. Guess what?
I fell in the Delta.
I had successfully rowed out from shore and was in the
middle of the Delta with my guide, Stuart (affectionately known as Delta Stu).
He was attempting to show me how to turn the mokoro as we were both on the same
side of the canoe. Before we knew it, the mokoro began to wobble and as my luck
would have it, I tumbled into the water and poor Delta Stu fell in with me.
Of course I was extremely apologetic and embarrassed.
Instead of sailing back to shore, he suggested we should wade through the water
and go dry off. Luckily, it was a sunny day and he was very sympathetic about
my clumsiness. The rest of our day at the Delta included a campfire and bush
walks, in which we saw zebras and hippos. Soon thereafter it was time to leave
the Delta and continue on our tour across the country.
From top left going clockwise: 1. The Delta at sunset 2. One of many zebras that live in the Delta 3. A hungry, hungry hippo 4. Baby elephant! (Click photo to enlarge.)
The next stop was Chobe National Park where my friends and I
went on our first game drive. It was an incredible experience in which we saw
exotic African birds, giraffes, elephants, hippos, and warthogs (AKA Pumba from
The Lion King). We concluded our
outing with a river cruise down the Chobe River, where we viewed more animals
and watched the sunset. (Rest assured that I didn’t fall in the water this
time.)
From far left going clockwise: 1. Posing with a giraffe in Chobe 2. Close up of my new giraffe friend! 3. A lilac breasted roller - one of the most gorgeous birds I've ever seen! (Click photo to enlarge.)
Next, we left Botswana en route to Victoria Falls in
Zimbabwe. One of the seven natural wonder of the world, Vic Falls is a magnificently
huge waterfall that is breathtaking to view. I was especially looking forward
to our time in Vic Falls since it included the #1 thing I had been wanting to
do since I knew I was going to Africa: bungee jump.
I altered my plan a bit and decided to expand my adrenaline
rush by signing up to zip line, bungee jump, and go on a bridge swing. The
swing is similar to a bungee, but it is right side up instead of upside down. After
I successfully zip lined, I went to go get harnessed for the bungee. Even
though I was over 300 feet in the air, I wasn’t scared at all.
That is, until I jumped.
Brace yourself for the video of my bungee jump!
Three seconds of free fall doesn’t sound like much, but when
someone yells “5, 4, 3, 2, 1… BUNGEE,” time seems to freeze. The instant I
jumped I thought to myself, “What have I just done?!” Yet, there was no turning
back at that point so I tried my hardest to enjoy the fall over Vic Falls. Once
the initial jump was over I thought I would feel better, but that wasn’t the
case. All of the blood started rushing to my head and I was worried that
everyone had forgotten about me! Obviously that was not the case and a man was
repelling down to come rescue retrieve me.
I barely had any time to bask in the adrenaline rush of it
all because I ran directly back up the bridge to get strapped in the harness
for the bridge swing. This excursion also included a free fall, so I began to
get a bit nervous. Overall, the experience was much more enjoyable since I
could actually take in the gorgeous view without balancing on my head.
Even though it was incredibly scary, I don't regret it at
all and I’m even planning to bungee jump again in South Africa before I leave
with a free fall that is twice as long. Let’s hope I survive that one, too!
As if bungee jumping wasn’t enough of an adrenaline rush,
the next day I went white water rafting down the Zambezi River. Ironically
enough, my guide for this excursion was also named Stuart! After many mouthfuls
of water, losing a contact, and falling into the river three times, I can honestly
say that was the most frightening thing I have ever done. The river takes pity
on no one and constantly caused people to be flipped out of their rafts. We
went through 19 rapids, ranging from Classes 1 through 5. (Class 7 is the most
extreme.)
No matter how skilled of a swimmer you are, the instant your
raft capsizes the current sucks you up and your heart begins to race. The scariest moment was on Rapid #7, in which
every single person in my raft flipped out. I tried to see under water, but my
vision was cloudy and my helmet began to slip down and cover my eyes. I then
got stuck under a raft, where I was able to come up for air for a split second.
Then, someone attempted to flip that raft right side up and I became trapped
again. Thankfully, I ended up next to a friend who was on my raft and she
showed me a rope I could grab on to. A few seconds later, another raft pulled
us out of the water, much to my lungs’ satisfaction. I was still terrified and
the friend who showed me the rope later told me she could see the pure fear in
my eyes. Yet, that wasn’t even the halfway point, so we continued down the
river and into the heart of the rapids. After a few hours of rafting, we
finally stepped foot on land. My legs felt like Jell-O at this point and I could
feel all of the water from the Zambezi sloshing around my stomach. Although I
am glad I got to experience the waves of the river, I can confidently say I do
not plan to white water raft again in the near future.
Miraculously, we all survived white water rafting! (Click photo to enlarge. Photo Credit to videographer Simon Watson)
After a truly exhausting final day in Vic Falls, we boarded
the bus again and continued travelling throughout Zimbabwe until we crossed the
border back into South Africa. During those 10 days, time seemed to move slowly
as we enjoyed each other’s company and the simple joys of camping. Yet, in retrospect,
time flew by and I can’t believe I finally had the chance to encounter the
animals, as well as bungee jump. It was an extraordinary trip and this post
only begins to capture everything I experienced while I travelled throughout
those countries.
Four loads of laundry later and a few good nights sleep in a
bed (a luxury I now sincerely appreciate), I’m back in Cape Town working on the
“study” portion of study abroad. Needless to say, I am truly one happy camper.
