By the time we landed the guys fishing had already landed and partially cleared out bottles from the boats... the boys were still clearing more cans and bottles from the floor of the boats.
Lunch consisted of eggs, bread, pork chops and sausages. All localy produced and cooked by one of the guys running the hut over a simple bbq type affair. Just the thing to help soak up a mornings alcohol, which given the circumstances wasn't such a bad thing. Fantastic weather, beautiful surroundings, and the prospect of being some where safe very shortly, still no matter how we felt I don't think we got really complacent - there was still the possibility of being found - unlikely but possible.
Here's Booty, who drove me up, having a quiet game of draughts, trying to ignore the drunken raucousness - and doing it very well. Don't think he won though.
Andy having his first beer of the day. He works as a hunter and a guide all over northern Zimbabwe and had the mickey taken out of him constantly for being the youngest. Its seems to be a rite of passage in southern Africa.
As the youngest - by far the quickest and fittest he was constantly on the end of a barrage of jokes as well as the one who was made to do all the hard work - lifting carrying, mucking out - it seemed endless in having to look after the old drunkards. Obviously was used to it, and took it all very well - didn't rise (which I probably would have done - never one for regiment) and even managed to get his own back now and again.
I do like this portrait of Mike. Completely natural and unfazed by what's going on around him. Here as much as anywhere else. As I said before he really is one member of the 'salt of the earth' gang. Despite in-ordinate odds still puts himself out there to stand up for those who can't - believes in justice and is not afraid to be counted.
An unsung hero and in reality far more powerful and influential than anyone would believe. And without him we wouldn't have been sitting there ready to cross the border.
Nick - genial cool, calm and unruffled. Watching on as lunch became an increasingly strange affair.
At one point it got quite disgusting with a some kaffa jokes coming out and the physical abuse of one of the huts staff who was cooking lunch. Stuart had gone off to see how Jim was getting on. I think very much of the same opinion, given the week we'd had, it would be more pleasant sitting in Zambia alone rather than in the company of drunk farmers - we needed to leave and soon. I have to point out that it wasn't any of the guys who brought us up - they were just as appalled as we were and definatley made an attempt to curb it. Thankfully this was broken up by news of our boat.
When we got off it Andy hadn't left it like this. Not sure what happened whether the rope was too tight and the river level changed slightly or the plug had come out - or not been put in.
Well and truly sunk. Just the task of re-floating it. Justly, I think this time, he did get a fair amount of stick.
Straight in action - despite the crocodile infested water Andy dives to have a look at the plug.
And comes up with the battery.
After a lot of bailing with everything to hand a rope was rigged up to help lift the back end to help drain the stern. We were supposed to be using this boat to take us across - not now.
Stuart had managed to get through to Secret Squirel Jim and he had arranged for a lodge just down the river to take us in - with out questions - like where we had come from. Well of course if asked we had that covered - we have were lost, passports got swept away in the river, didn't quite know where we were as we got separated from our group and merely needed a bed for the night before heading to Lusaka in the morning. The fact that we had all our other luggage never really entered our heads!
Knowing that every thing was going to plan - though Jim wouldn't be there to meet us we decided to make the crossing as it had been a long day and we chomping to get under way again.
So under a half moon (top left of the picture) we loaded all the bags into two boats and headed down stream again looking for the right jetty to land on.
I really love this photo - so it has been touched up a little - but it means so much and constantly reminds me of the great people there and also the emotions from fear, paranoia, exhilaration and relief that I went though.
We spotted the pier where Stuart and I passed over the bags with huge relief as we were dropped off first.
Just as we were landing Nicks boat seemed to loose power and started to drift off down river - lost and following the flow quickly back to Zimbabwe. First things first Stuart dashed up the bank to find reception and to check that we were actually at the right place. True to what we had been told, he came back having seen the woman on reception, who didn't ask any questions as to our identity or whereabouts but called someone to help with the bags. Guess she must have been though this before. Mike who was staying put just in case it was the wrong place - headed off to see where Nick had got to.
It really did seem like if the most innocuous thing could go wrong it would. Finally Mike returned with Nick having done a mid-river boat to boat transfer. The engine had run out of petrol and the guys driving it could find the reserve tank switch. By the time he was rescued Nick had floated half way back to the camp. Now we were all firmly on safe soil yet again we thanked our saviors for all their help, we wished them good luck in the fight to free Zimbabwe from Mugabe.
From the pontoon we headed straight up to reception, got our keys, as promised with no questions asked, dropped our bags off the relief coming over in waves. Having done that and making a few calls to say we were finally safe the only way to celebrate which in itself is a glorious setting was to have a large gin & tonic over looking the Zambezi as the sun set.
Followed by another one.. and some more chilling - not having to worry who was looking or following or listening or....
Then the exhaustion hit and we all became very silent. Time for a shower back at the room to remove all the grim and sweat from the days travel - and a 40 winks while waiting for dinner to start.
Lovely rooms, very basic but perfect in every detail - clean, tidy, and with a bed!!
Even after the snooze - still feeling absolutely knackered we ventured back down to the restaurant for dinner. Only to watch our Secret Squirrels via boat a mere 4 hours behind us. They had to leave their vehicles a few miles down river as the chain ferry to cross a tribuatary broken down. No matter it was really good to see friendly faces.
At dinner we met our secret squirrels - Jim the leader, Paul who knew right people in the right places and Johno who was very quiet - had local knowledge - being Zimbabwean. I was very quiet despite their best efforts to gee me up. The joke I made about next time calling the SBS didn't go down well either!! I'm sure I made it through to a night cap and after that off to bed - not forgetting the final final night cap on Stuarts balcony convienently situated next to mine.
The next morning completely revitalised I was the first one up - with bags packed and rearing to go for the drive to Livingstone about 7 hours or so in total.
As the pickups were down river we took the lodge's shuttle boat to the crossing point and started to load up.
I can see the usefulness of double cabs but they are really uncomfortable if you have to spend more than about 5 minutes in them. Stuck in the back we headed off. In the first few miles we came right up to a border crossing with Zimbabwe and Jim thankfully (and following the sat nav) made sure we turned the right way. From there for the next 10 miles or so we passed countless flatbeds loaded with mining machinery that was heading north. Big big stuff worth millions. That though would be a completely different story.
Because of the investment that was being made into the mines the roads, unlike Zim, were very good and going up to Lusaka progress was quick. Slowly the roads started to deteriate with pot holes becoming more and more frequent. I'm sure I must have been groaning about the discomfort being endured in the back as Jim offered to swap - which meant I would be driving.
I did get us there - not without the odd (planned) excursion onto the dirt at the side of the road and emergency braking and swerve for hidden caverns - when does a pot hole not be a pot hole any more? It was a fun drive none the less and the sat nav was excellent given where we were - even showing the river beds we crossed. The most disconcerting thing was the crack in the wind screen. I can see why they're not allowed - your depth perception goes so each eye has to focus differently. Must be easier if you only have one eye!
About 12 miles outside Livingstone as we headed over the last range of hills we saw the huge plumes of mist hanging over the falls. Absolutely stunning - they must have been a good couple of hundred meters high.
One of the things that Nick and I have wanted to do all along was to see some real wildlife on the way, girafe's, zebras and the like. Sadly it wasn't to be no matter how we planned the route out. So it was a bit disappointing but we were safe. Driving through Livingstone it was like any small town at closing time with residents rushing to do last minute shopping before they closed as the sunset. We turned into the hotel and almost ran into a giraffe and zebra as they casually meandered across the road. Getting over the oh my god factor - it still wasn't herds magestically sweeping through the savannah - but hey - we weren't paying for it either. The sun was quickly decending over the horizon as we came up to the hotel entrance (The Royal Livingstone) - convienently built so you looked through a colonial setting, across the manicured lawns to the river sweeping past on the way to the falls..... Out of that car so quickly, grabbed the camera, shouted that I'd be back for the bags so - all but sprinted down to watch another spectacular sunset.
