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Published: April 29th 2009
Trying to describe Lusaka, Zambia's capital city is difficult. It is a city with a bit of and edge to it in terms of grime but definitely pleasant enough. The guidebooks were quite right that it isn't really designed for tourism which explains why few people stay there. With hardly any museums and a few shopping centers as the highlights, I made quick work of Lusaka.
Although I truly enjoyed the National Museum it seemed as if it was put together as a middle school project. Things were haphazardly strewn about presentation boards. Tacky Tape was used to hold the printed material at odd angles. All at once you are filled with sadness for the lack of funds available within the country to produce a museum worthy of Zambia's history, grateful for all of the historical museums available back home, and overly joyful to the point of tears that a small group of people care enough about their country to produce what they can from very little resources.
The museum was filled with lots of great information covering Zambia's tribal history to it's independence from Britain to it's four presidents. The museum was also building a new tribal living
exhibit that appears to have vast improved resources and it looks to be exciting (I could only see so much through the fenced in area). The museum also had a great musical section with the various instruments and a brief introduction into the history of witchcraft.
As I left the museum, I couldn't help but feel immensely proud of the workers at the museum. Completely underfunded and seemingly on their own, they did the best they could. In the process they created a highly informative history of their country for foreigners and locals to learn from. Although I would suggest to them that the blown off fingertip on display during the rebellions for independence was probably a bit much for the school kids to witness.
The city itself was rather charming. It reminded me of my mental imaginations of a 1950's American town. Over 1 million people live in the capital yet it is mainly comprised of 2 story buildings along a main street. Tons of mom and pop shops selling their various wares. It was so out of the ordinary that I couldn't manage to get a picture that captured the city itself.
Another 8 hour
Capitol Theater
Even in Livingstone they have Bond week!bus ride to Linvingstone, let me see a large portion of southeastern Zambia. Driving through the various towns is something that I always find enjoyable. You get this instant Polaroid of what the lives of the locals must be like. For the people in the towns between Lusaka and Livingstone, it seems to be a life spent waiting. I have noticed this throughout my travels so far. Have some fruits to sell, sit by the road and wait for the bus to stop. Quickly spring to action and push your goods through the bus windows or down the aisle if you are lucky enough to jump on board. Just as quickly as the commotion started, it stops with the driver honking his horn. You leave the bus quickly, the door closes behind you and the bus rolls on. You are left in some dust and fumes and begin to wait for the next bus. Such a hard life with bleak chances of success really speaks volumes about the human survival instinct.
Of course a job in the city can be equally as tough. Much like the 15 ladies outside of Monze selling bananas (I wonder if they compete against
each other or are they in collusion?), the bus companies hire lots of people to wander around the bus station in an attempt to push (literally) people to buy there tickets. Being an obvious foreigner made for a fun experience. I felt like the wounded gazelle in the open plains. The lions circled in around me. The touts slowly approached and began to roar with their companies routes and rates. The shouting intensified, the pack swarmed and we began to move as one mass. Like the wounded gazelle, I moved where ever the open space was. Some pushing and shoving broke out amongst the competitors for a spell but I finally managed to be shepherded towards the bus company I had wanted. It was an interesting experience that I will try to avoid next time. As I bought my ticket a day early, I had to walk through the process again the next day.
The long bus ride gave me the chance to meet some people. My seat neighbor David, was quick to strike up a conversation. He worked for a law firm and was quite proud that it was in one of the taller buildings (6th floor). David
was kind enough to point out the various cities and the major points of interest along the way. Never really considered a cement factory as a point of interest but it certainly was the basis of the town that we passed through. Randomly on the journey, David asked me to find him a job in the US. This really was odd due to my earlier encounter with Francis.
Francis is a truck driver throughout Southern Africa. After eying me for about an hour he eventually asked David to switch seats with him so we could talk. He told me he has heading back to his truck which was being inspected at Zimbabwe border. Quickly he began to inquire about truck driving in America. He asked me for truck companies and then wanted my e-mail so I could send him job information in America. Apparently I am much better connected in the job world than I realized.
After serving my term as US Job Consular, I arrived in Livingstone and went to see Victoria Falls. Due to the huge rainfalls during rainy season, much of the falls was enshrouded in mist. Except for a few parts here and there,
Big Cat
This has Christmas card written all over it. it was near impossible to see the falls. It did not prevent you from feeling and hearing the falls. The tribal translation for Victoria Falls comes out to be the "smoke that thunders" and this seemed rather appropriate. Approaching the falls from Livingstone allows you to see the rising mist towering above the trees 6 miles from the falls. When you enter the falls, you immediately hear the rush of the falls and as you get closer, the sound slowly starts to resemble the roar of a jet engine at take off. The noise is at once all encompassing and yet quickly relegates itself to simple background noise.
There is a footbridge that you can walk across that was absolutey drenched in the mist and rain produced from the crashing water. Walking across the bridge felt like what I imagine going through a car wash in a an open convertible. The spray hits you from all sides and goes through high and low cycles as the wind pulses. You are blinded by the white surrounding you. At the end of it all you are soaking wet, craving a towel and completely refreshed.
Due to the heavy rains, Livingstone
Island was shut down so I was not allowed to dangle my feet over the edge of the falls. I was also weary of crossing over to the Zimbabwe side as the visibility would be poor, cholera outbreaks, and a dictator that is struggling to remain in power as it seemed to put the risk/reward chart heavily in the risk column. This called for drastic measures, so I decided to take a microflight (think hanglider with an engine and two seats) over the falls. It was rather amazing to look directly down on the falls. The immensity and power of the falls was easy to grasp from both the ground and the air. The flight also took me over Mosi-otona National Park and I saw a pod of Hippos in the Zambezi, as well as some giraffes hiding in the trees. It was pretty amazing to see them from above.
Deciding to stay in Livingstone for 5 days, I had plenty of time to fill. On one such occassion Lynne, the lady who owned the place I was staying, invited me to go walk with Lions. Not really sure what she meant by "walking with lions", I tagged along. Apparently she really meant walking with Lions. The Mukini people had a little rehabilitation center in which they were helping Lions return to the wild. They were taking lions from South African National Parks and transplanting them back into Zambia. This meant that the lions were learning to hunt for food and survive in the wild. For the first hour I took a stroll with three little cubs. They were quite amused with themselves and the trees as the zigzagged back and forth along the path, over tree stumps and into bushes. After petting them a bit we moved on to two bigger Lions. It was amazing how lazy and calm they were. Got some nice photos of the experience and I managed not to scream like a little girl (my normal reaction to all animals that scare me).
The rest of my time was spent wandering around Livingstone which is basically a two road town. I slowed down to the pace of life in Zambia which I think is slow and laid back out of necessity. It is vital not to rush things here as you will only get yourself frustrated. Things move at a different pace. While trying to get my flights arranged at the travel agency, the airlines booking program went down. 30 minutes later it was up and running but the travel agency's computers crashed. Another 30 minutes after that, and the agent told me I should come back in two days to see if it is fixed. When I came back everything was working but it would take 30 minutes to get one of the tickets I needed as the airline company had to bring it (from where I wasn't sure). When I returned 45 minutes after that the agent told me that their printer was broken and I couldn't get the tickets that day. He asked that I come back the next day. The next day I finally got my tickets. The amazing thing is that no one got frustrated or upset. It's just the way things go.
Having run into my cab driver from my first day in town for three straight days and having the owner of the place I was staying at asking me if she could use my Lion photo for advertisement, I decided that I had stayed long enough and needed to get moving again.
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Tami
non-member comment
The Lion's Head
Holy crap, that lion's head is as big as your whole upper half. You are looking good, Mr. Hug!