Hard to believe that anything could top yesterday, but today ... our last day in Africa ... was indeed even better. Was it the helicopter glide above Vic Falls? The open-sided riverside spa tent? The Zulu warriors dancing just for us? Or maybe the witch doctor who sold me a love potion? Taken all together, I can honestly say I have never had a day quite like it.
After five days of mad sightseeing and breakfast-to-bedtime programming, this was our day of freedom, rest and relaxation. In the morning we each had a choice of a handful of special activities. I was tempted by the swimming in a pool cut into the rock just at the edge of the falls, but the helicopter ride won hands down. Once the five of us and the pilot had taken to the air, we cruised down the Zambezi and then flew lazy circles over the falls. It is only from here that I got a true appreciation of this wonder of the natural world. Understood how the river widens into a marshy delta, only to cascade over a chasm into a slash cut deep in the earth. And then how that gash churns with water until, its force partially dissipated, it finds a fissure in the rock to continue its way across the continent. I had a small understanding of the majesty of this natural miracle when standing atop it, but that was nothing to the awe with which I held it once I saw its drama from this lofty height.Quite overcome by the excitement of the morning, we sloped back to the Royal Livingstone for our spa treatments. I wasn't expecting excitement, but my heart skipped several more beats when we were directed down a river path to a series of square, white tents. No basement rooms and new age music here. Instead it's crisp white canvas and a view of the Zambezi. Hillary and I had booked in together. Our attendants welcomed us and closed the tent flaps temporarily as we disrobed and clambered on to our tables. Then it was flaps up again, so we could lie there in bliss
as a 90-minute massage was augmented by the magnificent view of the river, the only sounds being the occasional chatter of monkeys and grunting of hippos.Pummeled into complete relaxation, I think we each drifted off a bit by the pool before changing for our late afternoon boat ride. Leaving from our hotel's own dock, the boat resembled nothing so much as the flat-bottomed pontoons that filled childhood holidays at the Lake of the Ozarks. Except here they could cruise along next to elephants and alligators, and an engine failure could see us swept over the world's widest falls. The boat also featured a very large cooler of beer, and a bench for four on the roof. And thus I settled in with three colleagues to watch the world go by, drink in a magnificent sunset and get slowly and delightfully buzzed.
After a stop back in the room to switch into posh frocks and a bit of makeup, it was time for the final night's extravaganza. I almost didn't make it when I disregarded warnings about zebras and got too close to a pair outside our room while trying to take some photos. Irritation at my flash bulb saw one wheeling around in an instant to buck with fervour; luckily I scrambled away just in time. Relieved, I climbed on the waiting bus and wondered what was ahead.
We drove just 15 minutes or so into the wilderness that was part of the hotel property, pulling up in front of a large, oval, thatch enclosure. From its gateway surged a troop of Zulu warriors. Tall men, in magnificent shape, black as the night sky, waving lethal looking spears and shields while wrapped in little more than the odd animal skin. I think the girls on the trip found this bit to be quite exceptional. Their frantic dancing welcomed us into the enclosure, which was set up like a craft fair in a local market. There were artisans, cooks and craftsmen all showing off their wares. In one corner was a witch doctor. I'm sure there's a more politically correct word these days but, trust me, that's what he was. He showed off all the herbal remedies to be found in the bush and, in his bag of tricks, was a mixture of herbs which when smoked was supposed to make the one you loved dream of you with uncontrolled passion. The doctor hadn't been planning to sell any of his goods, but I managed to talk him into exchanging a bit of silver for his romantic spell. (He might have looked the part, but the medicine man's herbs, once deployed back in London, did absolutely nothing to change the behaviour of their intended victim.)Eventually we settled down to a generous communal barbecue, and after that got back up to join a communal drumming lesson. Hillary, who's always fantasised about being a drummer, wasn't sure whether she was having more fun banging on her bongo or ogling the blonde, long-haired, off-the-beaten-track kind of guy who was running the session. Sadly for Hillary he didn't follow us as we left the enclosure and went back to the hotel, where a large tent had been set up for a band and an open bar. There were many tears and much wild revelry as we all prepared to part after six days of constant togetherness. (Typical. Once back to the light of the real world, even though I still work with most of these people, I've done little more than exchange the odd hello in a hallway.) We danced until the band went home. Until the sound system was forcibly shut down. Then, evicted, went back to the hotel bar where we sipped gin & tonics into the wee hours, watching the Zambezi slip by beneath a waning moon.
I suspect I will never have a holiday like this again. It was lavish, luxurious, exotic ... and a hell of a lot of fun. I now understand incentive travel in a way I never have before. As I leave Africa, my heart and soul belongs to the employer who rewarded me for my hard work and allowed me this magnificent experience. I'd like to think that my renewed morale and continued loyalty is a fine return on investment for their costs.
Beyond that, it's the magic of Africa that will now live in my soul. A continent I was never that keen to explore. A place haunted by strife, famine and bad news. And yet the reality I saw was of a magnificent place, filled with sweeping landscapes, majestic wildlife and some of the kindest, most welcoming people I have ever met. I am so thankful I won this trip because without it, I might never have gone to Africa under my own steam. Now? I can't wait to go back.
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