Living in the Western Cape most of my life, The Vaal River, or for that matter The Orange River or The Great Zambezi River,
English: 2 locals in a canoe in the Zambezi river (Photo credit: Wikipedia)
were mere lines on a World Atlas, except for the once or twice that I have taken to drive from Cape Town to Johannesburg, and then one has to cross both The Vaal River and The Orange River.
Orange river night camp (Photo credit: Hans Heijnen)
I also had the good fortune to go to Vic Falls twice over the past few years, once landing in Livingstone, Zambia, and once in Vic Falls town, Zimbabwe.
Victoria Falls (Photo credit: tonymz)
The mighty Zambezi, falling over a rock cliff that sends mist up sky-high, is rightly one of The Seven Wonders of the World.
Now I live within a stone’s throw of the placid Vaal River, and we spend many a weekend afternoon at the river cottage that belongs to the company, our dogs frolicking in the water and still trying to dig up crabs, like they did in Tanzania! We tan, read or simply sit, drinking in the peaceful quiet of nature, pierced by the cry of a Fish Eagle every now and then.
Two weeks ago, we acquired another stray dog, found in the farmland around our house, almost shot dead on sight. Lucky dog then found his way to our house of strays and injured animals. Drank water for days on end, got bathed and sores treated, and then had his first jump aboard the pick-up, ready for a frolic in the river with the other dogs. Click on the photos to enlarge – he is the black Labrador look-alike! Looks peaceful, doesn’t it?
Apparently the river comes down in flood every couple of years, and all dwellers on it’s banks get fair warning and have to vacate. The resultant damage accepted with total resignation by all, and once repaired, they live happily until the next flood!
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suletta 
You have quite a crew. The places you go are childhood dream places for me and the Vaal does look peaceful. I’ve been through floods in Thailand and I’m glad someone can take them as they come.