Heather and I were talking about white water rafting (fingers crossed, I am about to sign up a very cool partner that offers white water kayaking just outside LA, which is how we got talking about it) and I was reminiscing about a brilliant 6-day canoeing trip I did a few years ago on the Orange River in South Africa. I have some pics which I will hunt for on my laptop at home but in the meantime I found these on a fellow paddler’s photolog: http://www.cherryflava.com/pics/2007/12/chillin-down-an.html?cid=98942848#comment-98942848. They took me on such a great trip down memory lane. In its final stretch before reaching the icy Atlantic, the Orange Rivers runs through the Richtersveld, a unique desert reserve that shows the signs of old volcanic mountains and the trails of Khoi -San people. The six days that you spend on the water is long enough to really chill out and get in tune with nature. Some days we were going down rapids (backwards on a few occasions until we got the hang of it) and other times just drifting along in the slower-running sections of the river. Most days we also managed to do some hiking – just pulled our hiking boots on and went off to exploreThe majestic Orange River is awesomely beautiful and the sunsets, stars and sunsets are some of the most beautiful I have ever experienced. At night we just pulled our canoes up onto the bank of the river and sat around a campfire until our sleeping bag called (always remembering to check it for snakes and scorpions first) – sleeping under the stars of the Southern Hemisphere was an absolute highlight. I was lucky enough to meet a very large Puff Adder on our last day (one of the most common and widespread of all poisonous snakes occurring throughout the savannah regions of Africa) – it was rather too close an encounter for me to really enjoy as I almost trod upon it whilst heading off to answer a call of Nature…The Puff seldom attempts to move away when disturbed (as is the normal habit of most other snakes) and thus presents a constant hazard to the unwary piddler. It did alert me to its presence however by giving a loud hiss and fortunately I heard it early enough to take evasive action, and then admired its beauty from a safe distance. Despite the Puff’s heavy build and deceptively sluggish appearance, it can strike with amazing rapidity from a coiled up position, so I wasn’t taking any chances, and still count my blessings that it was polite enough to ask me to give it some space.

If I do get the above-mentioned company signed up on our site, I am definitely up for trying out their white water kayaking tour, but somehow doubt that this time I will get to see one of our slithery friends up close and personal – probably better for all concerned.

Tags: campfire, canoeing, kayaking tour, paddling, puff adder, rapids, river, sleeping bag, snakes, white water rafting