THE LURE OF ZAMBIAN WATERS

BAINES OF MY LIFE

THE OLD ADAGE OF “IT’S A TOUGH JOB, BUT SOMEONE HAS TO DO IT,” IS THE JUSTIFICATION BRAD CARTWRIGHT HAS FOR EARNING A CRUST BY TRAVELLING AROUND, BEING FILMED FISHING. AND THERE’S ANOTHER TOO: “HAPPY WIFE, HAPPY LIFE!”

Once a year we drag our wives, kicking and screaming from the comfort of their homes, on a film shoot to an exotic and luxurious destination like Seychelles or the islands of Mozambique. Bear in mind that we are forced to film ourselves fishing for a living, so when we make these magnanimous concessions to our patient and understanding better halves, the warm glow of generosity seeping through our souls is a tangible thing.

The rest of the year we travel as an allmale crew, and more often than not, the only home comfort we have is the warm glow of single malt after a hard day’s work.

It seems we agree on one thing though, and it’s that we all love the lower Zambezi. It’s been a number of years since we featured Baines River Camp in our television show, and being one of the most luxurious properties available on the entire length of the Zambezi, when they invited us back we knew we couldn’t leave our significant others out of the loop without risking the chilliest of cold shoulders!

So it was that we hopped an early morning Airlink flight to Lusaka and, after a comfortable road transfer, were happily cruising down the river, cold beverage in hand, before the sun hit its zenith.

At over 2500 kilometres, the Zambezi is the fourth longest river in Africa and is in fact the longest east flowing waterway on the continent. MAIN IMAGE: Nothing beats a sunset in the African bush! RIGHT HAND PAGE, FROM TOP: Two boats – one for spectators (the wifely support team) and another for participants – like Brad Cartwright. Orreochromis mossambicus – or the Tilapia provided hours of fun. Sightings of buffalo are common at Baines.

Over the years we’ve been fortunate enough to traverse almost its entire length. I, for one, have never tired of it. However, the section between the Kariba Dam wall and the headwaters of Cahora Bassa Dam, the border between Zimbabwe and Zambia, generally known as the lower Zambezi, is probably one of my favourite places on earth.

With the Mana Pools Reserve on the Zimbabwean side and the Lower Zambezi National Park on the opposite bank, you could easily be forgiven for thinking you were in a little piece of paradise with spectacular sunsets..

There are definitely serpents around though. The last time we visited Baines an African rock python – the biggest snake any of us had ever seen – slithered nonchalantly through the camp on his way to the river.

The elephants here are habituated to humans and, without the threat of being hunted, will casually wander into camp for a drink of water from the swimming pool, or to munch a few juicy pods off the trees within spitting distance of your deck chair.

Large herds of buffalo inhabit the islands in the river and the ever present hippo pods splash and grunt contentedly in their watery playground. Crocodiles bask on the sand banks, lulled by the plaintive cries of the fish eagles from their lofty perches.

This area has the largest concentration of leopard on the planet and on an evening game drive it’s almost inevitable to spot one or two of these magnificent cats.

Two big male lions appeared while we were having lunch on the river bank but were (fortunately!) clearly not hungry. They settled in for a siesta in the heat of the day rather than chasing us from our shady spot.

This year, although the water level is low due to a severe drought, the lower Zambezi has recorded a bumper fishing season, with a number of tiger fish over 20 pounds (10 kg) being hooked. I was fishing with Scott Brown who helped build Baines River Camp 12 years ago and is still part of the management.

We decided to catch and release as many fish as we could, using a host of different methods. What a blast! Seldom does a plan like this come together so well, and we managed to release six tigers over 10 pounds (the largest being 14 pounds). These and others landed on spinners, strip baits (on circle hooks allowing a clean release), bucktail jigs, poppers and stick baits.

We also spent many happy hours chasing the tilapia (bream) species in the smaller pools on the edge of the river on light tackle, using flies, spinners and worms. A cheeky small croc even tried to steal a fine red breast bream off my fly, a little too close to my feet for comfort. Luckily its mother wasn’t around ...

Sundowners on the sandbanks are a tradition in this neck of the woods and it’s hard to think of a more pleasant way to end the day than by sipping a cold G&T against the backdrop of the gurgling river and the plethora of game and birdlife preparing for night.

The food at Baines River Camp is a special treat, offered by chefs who clearly take much pride in their work. A nightcap round a hardwood fire, good night’s sleep in an air-conditioned chalet on a bed made up with percale linen, and sweet dreams of monster fish rounds out another idyllic day at this very special place.

Now that we’ve spoilt our wives beyond all recognition, I’m just wondering what on earth we’re going to come up with which can top Baines!

www.tops atsp ar.co.z a Top: Wading elephants negotiating the Zambezi shallows. Left: A cuddle during sundowners. Below: Who says you have to rough it in the African bush? A cheese platter and blueberry studded G&T seems perfectly civilized.

STRUGGLES, MUSIC, PERSONAL AND FICTIONAL

SONIC THE HEDGEHOG

top pick

After the successful transition of the Marvel comic franchise characters from newsprint to the movie screen, is it any wonder that a SEGA game involving a blue extra-terrestrial hedgehog would make the same move?

The story goes that Tom Wachowski (played by James Marsden of 27 Dresses and Cyclops in X-Men fame) is a small town Sherriff in rural Montana who finds this weird blue critter in his shed – and decides to help him out. Sonic is a superfast hedgehog capable of running at incredible speeds but who is under threat after causing an accidental outage of the national power grid. Not only are the government after him but so is the villainous scientist Doctor Robotnik, played with typical overthe-top nuttiness by Jim Carrey. He wants to use Sonic’s power to dominate the globe!

EVERYTHING ELSE HAS GONE WRONG BOMBAY BICYCLE CLUB

LIKE A BOSS

Two female friends (comedian Tiffany Haddish and Rose Byrne) with very different ideals decide to start a beauty company together. One is more practical, while the other wants to earn her fortune and live a lavish lifestyle.

But they are soon in deep trouble, an ocean of debt which an angel investor (Salma Hayek) offers to make disappear. The movie poster promises: “The world of beauty is about to get ugly” – and it does!

A buyout offer begins to test their friendship. Suddenly, all of the differences that made them a perfect match put them at war, both professionally and personally. But when their “angel” steals their ideas they band together to exact revenge – with hilarious lines and great comedy along the way.

LES MISERABLES

The winner of the Palme d’Or Jury Prize at the Cannes Film Festival in 2019 this movie is based on the 2005 riots in Paris.

Stéphane (Damien Bonnard) has recently joined the Anti-Crime unit in Montfermeil, in the suburbs of Paris, France, where, Victor Hugo set his famed novel Les Miserables. Alongside his new colleagues Chris (Alexis Manenti) and Gwada (Djebril Zonga) – both experienced members of the team – he quickly discovers tensions running high between local gangs.

When the trio finds themselves overrun during the course of an arrest, a drone captures the encounter, threatening to expose the reality of everyday life. Inspired by the 2005 Paris riots, and Ladj Ly’s short film of the same name, Les Miserables is a provocative insight into the tensions between neighbourhood residents and police.

From a British band which shocked the music world by splitting up in 2016 at the height of their fame, comes a new album.

The band members sold their instruments and packed it all in. Frontman Jack Steadman went all jazz while bassist Ed Nash joined Toothless, along with drummer Suren de Saram while guitarist Jamie MacColl did a degree in War Studies at King’s College in London as well as a Masters in Philosophy at Cambridge.

“This is an album for anyone who’s ever turned to music in a time of crisis, whether personal or political. It’s about the solace one can get from listening to music or playing music when everything else has gone wrong. It’s about finding kernels of hope and renewal in dire situations.” Bombay Bicycle Club’s new album Everything Else Has Gone Wrong hits stores this month. It’s the eagerly anticipated follow-up to the British band’s acclaimed Number One charting, Mercury Music Prize nominated fourth album, So Long, See You Tomorrow released back in 2014.

The band will support the album’s release with a series of tour dates in the UK, ending a lengthy period of silence with live shows and new music.

MANIC HALSEY

Manic is the upcoming third studio album by American singer Halsey. Scheduled for release in January, it follows the maiden Badlands from 2015 and 2017’s release, hopeless fountain kingdom. During a questionand-answer session in August last year, the artist stated that the album is “less dystopian fantasy world” and that it reflects her current worldview. She’s reported to have said in an interview with Rolling Stone magazine that Manic’s musical genre can’t be pigeonholed because it is “hip-hop, rock, country ... everything! Because it’s so manic. It’s soooooo manic. It’s literally just, like, whatever I felt like making; there was no reason I couldn’t make it.” Fans watched a stream of Halsey painting the artwork for the album’s cover. The visualizer for “Graveyard”, is a time lapse clip of Halsey creating the painting. Other singles include “Without Me” and “Clementine”.

Halsey continues to push creative boundaries, expanding her influence and impact beyond music.

DISCLAIMER: All books featured here are supplied by Penquin Random House South Africa

WALLS LOUIS TOMLINSON

Louis Tomlinson is the final member of One Direction to release a solo album. Former bandmates Harry Styles, Zayn and Liam Payne have all had their solo projects snapped up by fans of the former band. Tomlinson’s debut single was released years ago: Just Hold On charted in 2016 while his other single, “Two Of Us” won him the Teen Choice: Male Artist of the Year award in 2019. It was dedicated to his late mother who died in 2016. “I’m really relieved to finally be here,” he said in an interview with Stellar magazine. “Thank you very much everyone for your patience.”

The album is filled with obvious pain – and joy – since he also lost his sister, Félicité, in September 2019 while his son was born in 2016, the same year his mum died. Tomlinson said he wanted to keep it real, super-honest and authentic with the songs being true to who he is. “With One Direction the music had to fit the concept and be relatable to four or five guys in the band.”

In making the album, Tomlinson stated he had spent “so long on this album” as he “couldn’t help but crave a hit single after a career of straight down the middle pop”. OLIVE, AGAIN ELIZABETH STROUT

Olive, Again follows the blunt, contradictory yet deeply loveable Olive Kitteridge as she grows older, navigating the second half of her life as she comes to terms with the changes – sometimes welcome, sometimes not – in her own existence and in those around her. Olive adjusts to her new life with her second husband, challenges her estranged son and his family to accept him, experiences loss and loneliness, witnesses the triumphs and heartbreaks of her friends and neighbours in the small coastal town of Crosby, Maine – and, finally, opens herself to new lessons about life.

THE GRID NICK COOK

Every day the President of the United States receives threats against his life. Every day his security tells him they’re crackpots, nothing to worry about. Today is different. Today he doesn’t believe them. Because he’s been dreaming of his own violent death, over and over. It feels so real. Like someone is inside his head.

The President’s medical advisor, Josh Cain, a military psychologist with his own complications, is summoned to a church tower near the White House to talk down yet another suicidal exMarine. Today is different. Today the veteran asked for him by name, tells him of a plot against the President – seconds before a sniper’s bullet takes him out. Battles used to be fought man to man, then machine to machine, then in cyberspace. The Grid is a thrilling mix of Homeland and Inception which takes us to the edge of a new kind of battlefield: the human brain …

THREE LITTLE TRUTHS EITHNE SHORTALL

On the idyllic Pine Road, three women are looking for a fresh start ... Martha was a force of nature, but since moving to Dublin under mysterious circumstances, she can’t seem to find her footing. Robin was the “it” girl in school. Now she’s back at her parents’ with her four-year-old, vowing that her ex is out of the picture for good. Edie has the perfect life, but she longs for a baby, the acceptance of her neighbours, and to find out why her dream husband is avoiding their dream future. The friendships of these women will change their lives forever, revealing the secrets, rivalries and scandals that hide behind every door ...