Zambia

1^st - 8^th August

We only spent one week in total in Zambia. Not much time to get a real handle on the country. However we intend to revisit the North of Zambia from Tanzania. There are a number of large fresh water lakes in the area which we are keen to see.

By the time we got into Zambia we were starting to be come completely overwhelmed by the project we had undertaken - driving in our old Landy all the way through Africa. It started to appear completely daunting and almost unattainable. This feeling was exacerbated by the fact that 6 weeks on the road had started to turn us into zombies. The intellect slows down, the eyes go slightly blank and everything just moves slower.

Fortunately - in this time of need - fate put a Belgium couple, Guy and Marleen, in our path. They had spent 2 years coming down Africa on a motorbike and were now driving up in a new Toyota Hilux. It was great to be able to sit down with them and talk about their journey, the places they went to, the route they took, etc. With this chance meeting the whole trip became bright and exciting again. We could once more see the big picture, as opposed to getting mired in the day to day details of trying to find a place to stay, something to eat, etc, etc.

All this happened in Livingstone, the Zambian side of the Victoria Falls. We also met three construction engineers who were on their way to a 5 year long project in the "Democratic" Republic of Congo. The three of them had obviously worked together for a long time and it was amusing watching them on their nightly drinking sprees. The one bloke - Frank - was particularly interesting. He was in his late 60's and looked like a large gnome. One night after his two drinking buddies had gracefully retired, he regaled us with stories of his life. He had grown up as an orphan in what was then Salisbury - Rhodesia. The Fathers at the Catholic mission brought him up. He was full of stories of drinking beer with the brothers at a tender age, running away from school during the holidays because all the other scholars had gone to their respective homes and other mischievous boyhood pranks. A real Denis the Menace. Listening to his stories one got a a glimpse into a more innocent and forgotten age.

After 4 days in Livingstone - during which Rob finally recovered from the vicious case of food poisoning - we headed off for Lusaka. We were traveling in convoy with Guy and Marleen. A night spent in a campsite (which a zebra partial to galloping through the campsite at night) outside Lusaka was pretty much all we saw of the city. We then headed to the Zambezi valley to attempt to find an unmanned road into the Lower Zambezi National Park. In a comedy of mixed messages and confusion we lost Guy and Marleen. It started approaching evening time and we couldn't find anywhere in the village of Luangwa to stay. We eventually found a small 4x4 track and after driving along for a few kilometres we made camp.

The next morning we decided to press on along this road that was progressively getting more adventurous. Nyathi was now in constant low range 4-wheel drive. She managed to get up and down a couple of inclines that we really didn't think she had the capability to. It was a good faith restoring exersize. One of the local villagers walking on the road assured us that there was a lodge at the end. After 14km of walking pace driving we arrived at the lodge that was normally only accessed by boat up the river. We met a South African couple here - Craig and Alex - in a vehicle a similar vintage to Nyathi, also touring through Africa. We met them again a week later in Malawi.

The lodge we had arrived at was still under construction by very relaxing and layed back. There were hippo and crocs in the river, the elephants came through the camp at night to drink and the haunting cry of the Fish Eagle woke us up every morning. It was a thoroughly African experience. It was here that we made our first loaf of bread on the fire. A skill that Guy and Marleen had taught us. It made us feel like real pioneers.

After two days staying at Dangerous Dave's lodge we braved the road again back to the real world. Dangerous Dave is the nickname the local expats had given to the lodge manager - a white bloke from Capetown. Apparently his behavior, stories and general demeanor leave one imagining an interesting and colourful past.

Back in Luangwa village we bumped into Guy and Marleen again. They had found a spot to stay in the village and a Zimbabwean couple had been showing them around the area. They were staying on for a few more days before heading to South Luangwa National Park. We had decided to head straight for Malawi - easier said than done. About 150km from the border the Great Eastern Highway degenerated into a narrow severely potholed road, congested with trucks, bicycles (with immense loads of various goods), people, goats, pigs and the occasional overland truck. Fortunately we made it through alive and well, in anticipation of the delights Malawi had to offer.