Quest Africa

Completely disorientated, i perched myself up against the rock face of the tunnel. I can't remember if it was the splash of water, shining of headlamps or chuckles from the miners that woke me up, but the combination of the three was surprisingly comforting. I was still alive, i had just fainted, the fourth guy to do so in the last two hours… i looked around at the faces grinning warmly at me. I was still disorientated, the sweat in my gumboots had risen past my ankles again and was cascading down my face, i felt drained…how did i end up here?… three weeks ago i was in Malilangwe darting and relocating a female elephant and her calf, two weeks ago in Matopus, three days in to a five day adventure race and only last week i was in hospital after being bitten by a black mamba. They were the three most exhilarating, physically demanding and scariest experiences i had ever had…until today. 275 meters underground in the Farvic Gold mine in Zimbabwe, 45 degrees Celsius, pitch black, drenched in sweat, claustrophobic and completely disorientated. Odis helped me to my feet and handed me his water bottle. I don't know how he does it, 19 years old, working two 8 hour shifts six days a week. He was born in a small village in Limpopo, South Africa, and came to Farvic when he was only 17, looking for work. He was barely even sweating, he had been lashing for four hours non stop and still had the same white goofy grin on his dark face, they all did. "lucky you didn't fall there" he said, in his Shona accent, pointing to nothingness. I knew what he meant, i had seen it on the climb down. The Pit, the black hole, the last two levels of the mine. They had been flooded after the pump broke sometime last year and now it's a dormant death trap. Its a miracle it hasn't claimed any lives yet, the mine consist of 11 levels and the only way in and out is a double lane ladder that sits at nothing short of an 80 degree angle which takes roughly 25minutes down and 28minutes to get up. No elevator, No lights, No support, only an overall, gumboots, gloves and a headlamp…coming down is the worst, knowing that one slip or misplacement of a foot will send you 275meters to your death. As if thats not bad enough a 3 ton trolly passes by half a meter from you at 7km/h, heavy enough to shatter any limbs that get in its way… Then of course at the very bottom…The Pit…an absence of life, a noisy silence like something out of a horror movie. So yes…"lucky i didn't fall down there"