Rollin' on the Zambezi River

We arrived at Royal Chundu after dark - The place was lit with lanterns giving a warm glow to the night. Our beautiful smiling hosts made us feel right at home, between the iced Rooibos tea with neck and shoulder rubs by the staff, we were putty in their hands! 

Once we took at look at our villas, we made our way to a huge table set just for us under the stars by the Zambezi river. (As with Tintswalo, our group occupied the entire lodge.) A delicious welcome dinner was served to us under the trees and overlooking the dark river. One thing I observed during this amazing adventure was wherever we ate, the portions were 'just right' - filling and satisfying. The meals were made of locally sourced produce, meat, eggs, very fresh and delicious. 

Here are some evening photos...

 The table was set with colorful Kitenge fabrics from the nearby village - warm and soft blankets were draped over the chairs for the very chilly evenings. Such a lovely setting.

Our villa was beautiful and comfortable. There are beautiful fabrics everywhere! We had a deck facing the Zambezi with floor to ceiling windows/doors that folded open. Such a serene and beautiful view. We were asked what time we would like coffee delivered to the room - (7:00am for us!) 

Promptly at 7:00am,  the little side door (shown below) is opened and a tray with our coffee and biscuits is placed inside - then the warrior bell is rung, making a clangy-cow bell like noise. We open the cupboard and Voilà- coffee is served! I later found out the door bell warrior is made by 'Mabi' - a gentleman who lost the ability to use his legs due to polio at a young age. He hand carves the figures and adds beads to his creations, and happily they are available in the gift store. A few of us just had to have one! The rug at the door is made by local women using scraps of fabric - nothing goes to waste here.

Our deck and view....

John chillin'

We took a boat ride up the river to meet up with the rest of the group who had done a rafting excursion with guides.. we set sail on our flat top boat and docked near a semi steep incline. The crew (who were awesome) took a kitchen step-stool, stuck it in the mud submerged in the water between the boat and the shore and helped us off which was no easy feat. John had two big guys on either side practically carrying him up the incline. 

We walked on a path through trees and came upon a huge table set up for us all for a picnic lunch by the river! It was so pretty, cool in the shade with the occasional baboon hollering in the distance. Lunch was prepared barbeque style with steak, chicken and Bream - a delicious fish that resembles tilapia (I skipped that cause they were whole and I can't eat something that's staring at me👁).

After our lunch, we got back into our boats/rafts and headed back to the lodge. It was so relaxing to be out there! The pace at Royal Chundu was slower, making it the perfect destination to unwind after our previously full itinerary. 

A few of our traveling companions were 'under the weather' and the lodge went all-out to make sure they were comfortable and well-fed. One item of comfort was their 'Masala Tea' - brewed hot and spicy with delicious and healthy Rooibos tea as the base. I asked for some at dinner one evening, and I loved it! This mixture has anti-oxidant healing properties.  (I'll include the recipe in a future posting (stay tuned!) 

The gorgeous Zambezi river during the golden hour on a sunset cruise..

Out on the river again - our big boat gliding along, wind in our hair, drinks and hors d'oeuvres set out on tables covered with brightly-covered Kitenge Fabrics.  Evan set his sights on catching a fish, and there was plenty of room for he and others to try their hands at it. He was the steadfast fisherman of the bunch and caught a decent-sized fish, (which was sent back to the river to enjoy it's life...)

The sunset came fairly quickly, and before we knew it, the sky deepened and changed giving us a beautiful view! Another amazing day in Africa!

To see a little more about the workings of Royal Chundu check out this video!