I made the acquaintance of Randy Rapala on my first day on board the Shayamanzi houseboat as we set sail around uPhongolo Dam, in northern KwaZulu-Natal. He had been described as smooth and sexy - a favourite with the ladies.
So romantic was the setting that it was easy to fantasise that Randy was a real flesh and blood man rather than the name of an exotic cocktail*.
Another indication of how easy it was to indulge in flights of fantasy came on our last morning as we sailed up the western arm of the lake. I imagined we were sailing up some remote African river.
Although it was early, a heat haze already hung in the air. The trees stood sand-blasted and parched from the drought gripping that part of the country, while animals nibbling on the short green grass at the water's edge fed the notion that we could be on the fringes of the Sahel... and I was a Victorian explorer travelling in luxury.
The drought meant that even the elephants and rhinos - all a peculiar red colour from spraying mud over themselves - had been driven to browse at the dam's edge.
Water was being released from the dam to the subsistence farms on the Makhatini flats. That accounted for the green grass where the waters had receded. Water birds lined up as though on parade or flew lazily. Every so often there was a plop as a fish leapt out of the water.
Should such scenes be watched from my spacious cabin or from the lounge dining area upstairs? I was constantly running up and down stairs, exercising my options.
We all padded barefoot around the boat, relishing the feel of the glossy woodwork on our soles.
We lolled on couches gazing out of the picture windows, propped ourselves up at the bar or reclined either at the front or the rear end of the houseboat, seeking the breeze in the more than 40-degree heat. Every so often we slipped into the jacuzzi.
Chef Mike Phiri ensured that we all ate far too much, and the crew were alert to our every need.
The cabins are spacious, with enormous beds and it is great to lie on one propped up on a pillow, watching the world sail by.
Tiger fishing is a big attraction on the lake and some chose to do so from one of the small boats which the Shayamanzi tows in her wake.
As fighting a fish on a line is not my idea of fun, I opted to go for a sunset spin along the shoreline beneath the Ubombo mountains, on the dam's eastern side. We even crossed into Swaziland.
We returned as the moon rose above the mountains, casting a golden glow rather than a silver light - which came later.
Each night we moored at a different point along the shore, and the lap of water against the hull was our lullaby. Those on longer cruises can, if the wind is favourable, sail through the gorge.
Guests have the option of sleeping the night before or after the cruise at Shayamoya Tiger Fishing and Game Lodge, perched high on a hill overlooking the dam.
The chalets have either a view of the dam or towards the setting sun, which accounts for some spectacular sunsets. There is an attractive indigenous garden with a wide variety of succulents. A corner of this is a friendship garden that hosts plants given by friends to the owner of both Shayamoya and the houseboats, Brian Blevin, on his 70th birthday.
Then there's Nandi, a spotted eagle owl rehabilitated by Crow and released here along with three other owls. When their cage doors opened, the others flew off to freedom, but Nandi still hangs around the lodge, doing her own hunting.
Still, she cannot resist human company and loves to perch on a comfortable-looking head - where she proceeds to scratch around gently in the owner's hair. Sadly, Nandi did not grace us with her presence when I was there.
* A Randy Rapala is made from cherry juice, coconut liqueur, coconut cream and lemonade. It's served over crushed ice with a maraschino cherry.
