Today, I joined a group of people to white-water raft down the Zambezi river. The southern Zambian section of this mighty river is known for its punishing rapids. To get to the entry point on the river, we descended down a steep gorge on a 45 minute hike. I’m not big on adrenaline sports but the idea of being tossed down the Zambezi seemed curiously attractive. After being told to put on my helmet and life preserver while the guide explained the “hold harmless” insurance waiver, I was a shivering nervous wreck. We slipped into the water and hit the fray head-on. Each specific rapid had a name: The Terminator, Washing Machine, Toilet Bowl, Hell’s Gate, etc. Then we arrived at four successive rapids called the Three Ugly Sisters and the Mother. The first Sister rag-dolled me into the river, face first. The whole raft flipped and everybody was swimming. Everyone was able to climb back onto the raft with the exception of me and some poor Irish chick. I found myself stuck under the raft and eventually popped up to the surface. Gasping for air, another monster wave hammered me from my blind side and I was pulled under again. Flailed helplessly thru the 2nd and 3rd Sisters and then The Mother welcomed me with another face slapper. By the time I emerged from this white water, I was downriver at least 50 yards from our boat. The Irish girl was nearby and bleached white with fear. The current was too strong to swim back to the raft so some kayaker came to my rescue and pulled me like a tugboat back to the raft.
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