Wednesday 10 August 2011

Liquid and solid contributions

We had a gentle start just floating down the river between the most magnificent mountains rearing up on each side. What was so breathtaking were the changing colours through the multiple layers of rock from lava black through the reds and pinks of sandstone.


As we were in the desert, the foliage was restricted to cacti which managed to even cling precariously to the small ledge and grow.


Now to the basics like what to do if you needed to go to the toilet whilst on the boat. As it was described to us:
Only liquid contributions were acceptable during the day and these all had to be delivered straight into the river. So if we were on a break on shore, boys went one direction and girls another. The boys had it easy but for the girls it was a case of squatting over the river and getting on with it. A bit alarming to be ankle deep in water, clothes clutched to keep them dry, listening for approaching boats, boys and in mid flow realising that you have disturbed a family of tadpoles who are now swimming in your liquid contribution.

If on the boat, you had to signal the boatman by raising one arm in the air and crossing the other over your body to place you hand in the armpit of the raised arm. The boat would then slow down and you would need to make you way to the back of the boat. So whilst all the rafters looked the other way, you did your business into a hole at the back of the boat. Boys once more had it easy but for the girls you had to cling onto 2 handholds and lower yourself over the hole. Needless to say, no one over the age of 18 needed to 'go' whilst we were on the boat.

Now to solid contributions, once we had set up camp for the night a portable latrine system was put in place. At a strategic fork in the trail a blue cushion was placed, so if you were using the toilet you would take it with you and this was the signal that the toilet was in use.


The upside was that there was a view of the river and passing boats but it was only about a foot and a half high so you were never to far from the deposits that had already been made.


The morning we broke camp, they just screwed the lid on and took it back on the boat for disposal downstream.



- posted by the Krige family

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