Living it up in Livingstone

“I do not remember a morning in Africa, when I woke up and was not happy.” Earnest Hemingway

After some serious time on the road it has been fantastic to relax and take a little holiday within a holiday for a couple weeks in Livingston. We got into the swing of things pretty soon after our arrival, we met all the kayakers hanging about the place, some of whom had also been up at the Nile in Uganda and had now flown down to the Zambezi (the standard African kayaking package). We managed to get our hands on some gear and we were on the water on our second day here! For our first day we opted for the “easier” second half of the rapids in an effort to get into things gently but we were only fooling ourselves..... there is nothing gentle about any part of the Zambezi! The waves are huge, the holes are retentive and the lines are far tighter than the Nile! We spent a good deal of our first day upside-down but it was great fun none-the less! Bobbing down the mighty Zambezi gorge also provides for some amazing scenery and even a little wildlife with the occasional croc head making an appearance. If you are not completely knackered from fighting for the right to breath all day then the walk out the gorge at the end will ensure that you get a good night’s sleep.

For our next adventure, we chose to do a multi-day trip. We were offered a brilliant deal by the rafting company in order to fill the spaces on the planned trip. Our first day involved a full day on the boats. Julia opted to hop in the raft for most of it so that she could just enjoy the day without having to fear for her life the whole way down. In the late afternoon we pulled up onto a beach and set up camp for the night. The guides provided an astonishingly good meal after which we sat round the fire and marvelled at the incredible experience of camping aside the Zambezi with the steep gorge walls pointing up to a beautiful African night’s sky.

Day two was a little flatter and the gorge started to open out a bit. We let the slight current do most of the work as we snaked our way down the river at a gentle pace all morning before having lunch next to the thundering Moemba Falls. The hike out the gorge was not quite as gruelling as the guides had warned but still made us feel as though we deserved the iced cold drinks waiting for us at the top.

The next few days involved quite a bit of lounging round the pool at the ever popular Jollyboys Backpackers. We visited a Local Pre-school in a village near Livingstone where some amazing people are doing great work. The school is predominantly funded by a bicycle tour operation set up by a Zambian with incredible vision. “Cliff the Cowboy” as he is known (because of the big hat he sports), realised the need for a school within his community and didn’t let the absence of government funding stand in his way. He takes tourists on “safari” cycle tours around Livingston and ploughs the profits into this amazing community project. We took some footage of the project and put together a little video to try and help them get some extra funding from whoever may realise just what a worthwhile cause it is!

A highlight of our time in Livingston was an afternoon spent at the Royal Livingston Hotel mixing it up with the other half of the tourists here to see Victoria Falls. We enjoyed the most amazing spread of cakes and treats for high tea, sitting on the colonial style patio in high back lounge chairs. We then took a short walk through the beautiful gardens, along the water’s edge and ended it all off with sundowners. The orange glow over the river dispersed by the spray from the falls made for one of the most amazing sights of my time in Africa.

After almost two weeks in Livingston we were both feeling restless and getting ready to get back on the road. The bike is starting to feel the effects of the last 6 months on the road and needed a few things done. A small crack in the frame needed welding, a few spokes in the rear wheel had broken and the rear tyre was finally due for replacement. One cannot put a time frame on getting these seemingly small jobs done and it all took quite a bit longer than expected and a fair amount of negotiation.

Finally, after we thought we had the bike back into good running condition, we loaded it up and set off down the road.... 300m down the road before the rear shock let us know that it too, had had enough and didn’t fancy absorbing the bounces inflicted by two people and ALL their luggage anymore! We just happened to break down outside Faulty Towers, the other backpacker’s jaunt in Livingston, so we checked in here after what will definitely be the shortest day’s riding. I managed to find a bike mechanic who assured me it will be fixed by mid morning tomorrow so if, by some miracle, he sticks to his word we should be in Botswana tomorrow. Exactly where in Botswana... I do not know but adventure always lies within the Unknown.