The groom was attired in what can only be described as a blue boiler suit, bearing a close resemblance to Tom Cruise in Top Gun….Christmas Eve 2006 will go down as one of the most surreal we have ever spent. Joining a group trip, we left Windhoek in the early morning and arrived 700k later in Ghanzi, Botswana, to be told our campsite was the location of a wedding reception. The groom, looking like a rabbit in the headlights, extended an invitation to join in some booty shaking dancing, Botswanan stylie and the guests delighted in showing us some local moves – the chicken, the antelope and snake to name but a few. We responded in kind by dredging up long forgotten do-si-do and other strange folk dancing manoeuvres best resigned to the cupboard. Needless to say, we did not destroy the myth that white folk can’t dance. The Botswanans know how to party. Our campsite turned into a car park and it was one of the worse nights of Charlie’s (our guide) life.
There were too many highlights in the 8 day trip to mention all. The mukoru (canoe made from a tree trunk) trip through the Okavango Delta, an elephant charging our truck in Muhangu - or perhaps he was only joking – hippos playing in Chobe national park, traditional dancing in the Caprivi strip all experienced on the way to Livingstone, Zambia and the great ‘Cloud that Thunders’ otherwise known as the mighty Victoria Falls.
On a serious note, it was fascinating to hear the other side of the Zimbabwean story, according to our fabulous Charlie. Being from there, he had a unique insight denied to us outsiders and unknowingly, he had convinced us that it would be ok (as in, the right thing to do) to cross over the bridge into Zimbabwe, despite the political situation. It was sad to see that compared to my (Viv’s) last visit 9 years previously; the Zim side of Vic Falls was so quiet. The markets were full of beautiful carvings and souvenirs but there was a distinct lack of tourists. The Zimbabweans we met were charming, friendly and welcoming.
New Year’s Eve in Livingstone was mad. The trick to lighting fireworks was apparently to see how close you can get to them after letting them off and to always point them into where the most number of people are standing. So 2007 really did start with a bang!
Special hellos to Charlie, Troy & Angela, Gerhard & Angela, Martha, Tilley, Marcus, Andrew, Judith & Ben.
New Year’s Eve in Livingstone was mad. The trick to lighting fireworks was apparently to see how close you can get to them after letting them off and to always point them into where the most number of people are standing. So 2007 really did start with a bang!
Special hellos to Charlie, Troy & Angela, Gerhard & Angela, Martha, Tilley, Marcus, Andrew, Judith & Ben.
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