'Avoid Morning Sex'

I realise the post title sounds very 'Popbitch', but it's a sign we've seen several times over the past few days. I didn't think too hard about what it might be for, assuming it was taking some African tradition or superstition and using it to somehow combat the threat of AIDS. It's darned sight simpler than that, though. An American guy I met at the school explained. Apparently, it's literally encouraging people not to stay in bed all morning. They have a big problem here with, not to put to fine a point on it, laziness. By encouraging people not to have sex in the morning, they're hoping more people will be out of bed before lunchtime and doing something productive (it would be churlish of me to say, 'like sitting by the road, staring into space, perhaps?'). In this way, I guess they hope to kick-start their economy. Best of luck with that one.

We're off rafting in half an hour. They were showing videos of it in the bar last night and, if I may wax American for a second, it looks in-sane! Like, totally awesome, dude!' Seriously, it might be something to do with the water levels at the various times of year, but it makes the Zambeze at Vic Falls look positively tame by comparison. Most of the boats were flipped multiple times, and a few got caught in rips where they were spun until they overturned. What's more, Rob – who has a very small streak of insanity, I think – is going to do it, and is talking about giving the guide a bit of extra cash to go super-bonkers and take some of us down the grade VI rather than portage round it. We shall see. I am very excited indeed. Still a big kid, really, when it comes down to it.