29 Nov 08, 7.48pm
The hour’s paddle from Rusboshut to Ouwerf Dam was easy.
We changed partners today and the relatively calm waters in the morning were a welcomed respite from 2 days ago when you could row for 10 minutes and yet remain in pretty much the same position. Some of us were happy to see the end of the water phase of this expedition. Not expecting of course, that the land phase would be much more punishing.
After wading through some marshland and dropping off the canoes in a clearing, we swopped our booties and wet-shoes for boots and trekkers, off-loaded all our gear from the boats, and made the hour’s hike to the campsite which was a little disused, dilapidated concrete building on the shores of Ouwerf dam.
Run-down or not, we were actually quite enthusiastic about having some form of shelter over our heads. And the thought of not having to pitch for the night and dismantle in the morning seemed like a wonderful idea. Only trouble is, there wasn’t enough space for all of us. Plus the building only had 3 walls. Meaning when it got chilly at night, our bodies were going to be pretty much exposed to wind and rain if it got in.
After a short discussion, Nagib and me decided that we would pitch our tent after all. Some of the girls also decided to join us because the prospect of having to battle the wind and cacophony of snoring windpipes from the boys seemed too much to bear. We left the others to construct a makeshift fourth wall with their Backpacks as well as patch the gaping, glassless windows with their groundsheets and set up our tents about 10 meters from the house.
All around us, besides the water of course, are Apple orchards. It is a pity that the season has just begun and the fruits are still small and un-ripe. Because otherwise, we would have had quite a feast. By this time, fresh rations are a premium and anything that does not come out of a can is welcomed. And being the urban kids that we are, picking apples off the vine is something of a novelty. In case you’re wondering, yes, we all plucked fruits off the trees when the instructors were not looking!
Seeing that the morning’s row was accomplished in a good time and we did not take too long to set-up camp, we had the rest of the day to relax and prepare ourselves for the long walks ahead. After playing some group games amidst the apple trees, we got down to doing up our Team Flag. Something that was supposed to represent our spirit and boost our morale when we saw it flapping in the wind.
And because all of us had to contribute to making this important symbol, the instructors decided that we would each use a different body part to leave our mark on the design. With water-colour paint of course. So when hands and feet were already taken, elbows and knees came next. With the unfortunate ones who were not quick enough to volunteer an ‘easy’ body part having to use their foreheads, noses and lips.
Painting the flag was however the easy part. Washing off the colours was a nightmare. You see Sonnica told us the paints were water-soluble. So we smeared the colours on with wild abandon. Only to discover that they were oil-based which explained why, after spending 20 minutes scrubbing with soap and water, nothing actually came off. My heart went out to Nagib who had red paint on his nose (chuckles!). So short of spending the rest of the trip looking like a troop of Red Indians with War Paint, out came the cooking oil.
They say memories are made of this!
