MY ORANGE RIVER EXPERIENCE
MY ORANGE RIVER EXPERIENCE
MY ORANGE RIVER EXPERIENCE
written and rowed by Devon
On the morning of the 10th of March 2008, the Grade 7’s embarked on a long awaited trip to the Orange River. I was extremely excited and we eventually left school at 6.30am.
Our journey to the Orange River was loads of fun! We listened to music and chatted
to our friends. I couldn’t believe that I was on my way to the magnificent Orange River!
We stopped a few times to get refreshments and finally arrived at the border between South Africa and Namibia. Phew, it was hot!! We had our passports stamped and we were now officially in Namibia- a first time for me! There was a bridge that crossed over a river. And, what river was it? THE ORANGE RIVER! As we crossed the bridge I caught my first glimpse of the majestic river below.
We drove to our campsite where we met our guides. Base camp was absolutely great! There were beautifully mowed lawns for us to play touch-rugby on and it had all the necessities –showers, clean toilets and even mirrors! We had a magnificent view of the Orange River and it was like a “5 star Hotel”!
My heart raced with excitement when I saw the boats! They are called “Mohawks” and are made of fibre-glass. Each boat can take 2 people and my boat was blue. We were equipped with paddles, lifejackets and buckets. We were each given a bucket to put our clothes and personal belongings in. We shared a second bucket which we used to put our sleeping bags in. So, there were a total of 3 buckets per canoe. I saw that it was a bit of a “squash” for some people to fit everything in! I am proud to say that I used the same second-skin and pair of shorts for the entire journey. In any case, they were ’’washed’’ by the river when we went for a swim! We were given a cooler box to put our drinks and snacks in.
The guides were extremely professional. They explained the rules of the river and how to cope with dangers. Rory, Wula, Donovan, Richard, Dane, Vaughn, Mark and Brad had organised everything beforehand and I could see that they were experienced. They assured us that we would have the time of our lives - and we did! I enjoyed spending time with them as they were funny and they all had a great sense of humour. Donovan, Rory and Wula were my favourite guides!
The river was beautiful. It was full because of the recent floods they had had. On the river we could see the cliff-faces of the mountains. One of the mountains was called “The Witch’s Mountain”. The mountain really did look like a witch’s house! Above me was the gigantic blue sky.
For three days we rowed, a total distance of 68 kilometres. On the first day I rowed with Eduard. We had lots of laughs and were extremely tired after we had finally defeated the strong headwind. On the second day I rowed with Sevi and Darren. Sevi spoke non-stop for the entire journey and we enjoyed each other’s company. Darren and I had to row down “Sjambok”, the largest rapid. We managed not to tip but we went full speed into a humongous rock! The damage was a huge dent in the front of our boat! I was surprised by the power of the river. For the rest of the day, everyone was talking about our narrow escape! On the third and fourth day I rowed with Dylan and Kerri. We faced many difficult rapids but we did not capsize. Dylan and I teamed up with Mr Storey and Margo and we splashed everyone until they were sopping wet! Our greatest triumph was when we splashed Mr Wiles and Miss Micklewood! We paid the consequences and got wet in this battle too!
On one of the days we played a game called “see-saw”. This game had to be played on flat, calm water. A rower had to stand on either side of the canoe. I played against Kerri. It was extremely amusing and we were laughing so much that we couldn’t stand on the edge of the boat, even for a second!
The most hilarious activity on our camp was the River Golf. This was when two people, holding their paddles, were spun around 10 times by one of the guides. The aim was to see who could hit the bottle first with their paddle. Mr Storey was so dizzy that he ran straight into the bushes! The guides also struggled, so we had to show them how it should be done!
Our biggest problem was the rocks. Many of us got stuck on “invisible” rocks. One of our tricks on the river was to “slingshot” our fellow companions! This was when we paddled hard into the back end of their canoe which forced their canoe to turn around. They then had to struggle to avoid the rocks and position their canoe forward again. It was hilarious to see them get stuck on the rocks!
When we were on the Orange River we saw many animals and birds. We saw the Goliath heron, a fish eagle, water monitors, lizards, frogs, bright blue kingfishers and many other species. When the Goliath heron flew it looked like a small plane. No wonder it is called the “Goliath” heron!
Not only were the guides good at rowing, they could cook too! They made tasty food and presented it well. Each group had their own table to eat at. In the morning we had delicious banana bread, cereal, tea and rusks. For lunch we had gammon, fruit salad and hot dogs. For dinner we were served spaghetti bolognaise, hamburgers and boerewors rolls. For dessert we even had ice cream and hot chocolate! I never dreamed that we would eat so well!
The weather was the best for rowing. It was very hot during the day. I know this because my lips got burnt quite badly! I wore sunglasses because of the reflection of the sun from the water. On the first day we had a strong headwind, so we had to paddle really hard in order to reach our destination. This was quite tiring. The next few days were just perfect with no wind at all. At night, it got cold and I wore my beanie and snuggled deep into my sleeping bag.
I slept extremely well. At night I saw stars that I have never seen before. The sunsets were incredible! You can see the different constellations in the dark background. If you looked carefully at the night sky for about 20 minutes, we could see a shooting star. I was fortunate enough to witness four of these wonders! It looked stunning!
On one of the nights, I was bitten alive by a sand flea. It looked like I had chicken pox and it was rather itchy!
The scenery from the campsites was breathtaking! We had to do a Solitaire Journal entry on one of the days. We had to find a quiet spot to sit and write down what we could smell, see, touch and feel around us. I found it was rather amazing to just stop and listen, see, smell and feel the nature of the Orange River. I heard the running of water over the riverbed and the splashing of the water as it hits the rocks. It sounded smooth and calm. I heard the chattering of birds and the buzz of insects. The wind rustled the leaves in the trees.
I smelt the freshness of nature. It made me feel happy and healthy. I smelt the slight whiff of the food that was being made by the guides. I was starting to get hungry.
I saw the rocks, water and trees. Torches were being flickered and the stars were starting to appear. The moon was visible in the night sky.
I felt the smooth rocks and the millions of rough granules of sand between my fingers. The grass was wet with dew. I felt excited and happy to be there.
Besides rowing, we took part in many other activities. I was in Group 5, Mr Storey’s group. Alicky, Dominique, Margaret, Megan, Joe, Reon and James were in my group. We did a play called “Mystic River”. This was a documentary about how some people who visited the river mysteriously disappeared! We also made an advertisement for “Felix Unite”, the company that organised our river adventure. Carlos, the Manager, was impressed by our plays. We had loads of fun preparing for these plays!
On one of the days we climbed a mountain. From the top, we could see the largest rapid, “Sjambok”. Yes, the one that we dented the canoe on! The guides helped us to collect the most amazing rocks. At night, we threw them in the hot ashes of the fire and they exploded into a stunning bluish colour! It was one of the most beautiful sights I have ever seen!
The “toilets” at the campsites on the river were something to talk about! The guides would find a hidden spot and place the movable toilet there. Halfway to the toilet, you would reach a paddle. If the paddle was at 90°, the toilet was occupied. If the paddle was placed at 180°, the toilet was vacant. We had a good laugh every time somebody needed to go to the toilet. We would all announce that that person was on their way to….. ! Not so great or funny when it was my turn, though!!
We were extremely sad when it was time to pack up and go home. We thanked the guides who I will never forget. We jumped onto the bus for our long trip home. We were a little tired but we had a lot to talk about. We played games like “20 Questions”. In this game, you have to guess the name of a sportsman or sportswoman. You have to get the answer by asking questions. If you get the correct name within 20 questions, you win! We had a lot of laughs!
My Grade 7 Camp to the Orange River was the best experience I have ever had! I loved the scenery and the rowing. The guides were incredible and Felix Unite organised our trip extremely well. I had so much fun and I have learned many things that will stay with me forever. As a group, we got to know each other even better and we will all remember our last year of Primary School together as Grade 7’s on the Orange River.
I hope that, someday, I will be able to come back to the Orange River so that I can relive this exciting experience. I wouldn’t mind learning to be a guide!