To get away from the touristy main strip of Livingstone, we headed to Bovu, a small island in the middle of the Zambezi River, to a rustic camp called Jungle Junction.

We arrived by mokoro, a dugout canoe carved from the trunk of a single baobab tree. It was surprisingly stable, powered by a boatman in the back with a long stick/paddle. It felt very serene and calm. The sun was low in the sky, and the only sounds were the chirping of insects and the gentle lapping of the water against the canoe.

Jungle Junction is a camp, with reed huts and campsites, set up by 2 Scottish expat hippies. All of the buildings are made from native materials. No electricity, kerosene lamps, outdoor showers. It had all the hallmarks of a great place to do nothing - a library hut, a bar hut, a dining hut, and several places to lie down. Even when it rained the entire day, it was a relaxing and tranquil place to unwind.

There were also a few excursions from the camp, including a tour of the local village. We were taken by George to his village of Lizazi, which had 128 people in 10 families. Completely dependent on subsistance farming, we saw rows of corn, sorgum, a few goats, and a few chickens. Round thatched huts served as sleeping quarters, while the “kitchen” was a open walled thatched hut. Meals were cooked on charcoal or wood fires.

The visit was refreshingly low key - there was nothing to buy, nobody to pay. We were given advice to visit them “just as you would visit a friend”, and not hand out toys or food to children. Kids didn’t expect anything either, which was also a welcome relief after being trailed with “Hello, money!” and “Jambo! Chocolate?” in Tanzania .

Most of the village was empty when we visited at 9 in the morning, with the kids in school, and the adults working in the field. It made me feel quite the slacker to be going on my fourth month of vacation…:)