Blogs from Lusaka, Zambia, Africa
May 20th 2012
We are almost ready. The second Zambia group from OLP is about to leave for Africa.We have one fundraiser left, this weekend, a commissioning mass over Memorial Day weekend and a packing day, then off we go. The actual trip dates are June 1 to June 23, 2012. There are 10 of us going: Monica, Mary, Ian, Denis, Sean, Evan, Caitie, Allison, J.P., and Andy. Sandy can’t go on the trip after all, but she is still helping make advance arrangements for when we get there. Fr. Patrick has e-mailed us and told us that we will spend the first few days in Lusaka and a good deal of the time we will be at St. Theresa Mission in Ibenga. The original plan for starting the school at Kapiri Mposhi is still tied up with negotiations ... read more
April 13th 2012
This is the story of my first true travel adventure, and quite possibly my favourite so far! July 2007, I was a fresh faced 16 year old, who had never been away without his parents, facing the prospect of spending three weeks in a place with more things that could kill you than in all gun lockers in America as my mother put it. I remember having the most incredible mix of feelings just before I got on the bus from my school to the airport. Feelings which I could never describe until I rewatched the film Armageddon. Was I 98% excited and 2% scared or even the other way round?. I believe it was the former. However it is this amazing cocktail of feelings that I believe gives us that buzz and urge for travel. ... read more
February 4th 2012
Dearfriends, This is longer version of my email that I sent you previously. I took my laptop this time ans therefore I will be sending more comprehensive emailsJ Zambia, 25.january 2012 So I found my way to the community of Salesians sisters here in northern Zambian town, Kasama. I will week by week introduce this community to you, my friends, through my eyes, which are of course influenced by my previous experiences in Asia. However,I promise to be as impartial as possibleJ The journey to Lusaka wasn’t the easiest one I’ve made. It took me whole 2 days from London. After a couple of hours in Dubai, and then many hours on the plane with 2 hours delay, I finally arrived in Johannesburg in South Africa. Here I watched beautiful storm passed by and amazing ... read more
January 25th 2012
(Or All Aboard the Tazara Train - Dar to Kapiri Mposhi . . . Not Exactly . . .) 2012-Jan-24 5:02 PM - Survived the Ordeal (Part 1) Fast forward folks to the end of this leg of our African safari; its Tuesday afternoon when it should have been Sunday night (your first clue that things did not quite go 'according to plan'). After countless trials and tribs, a bit of a leg up from sweet German Tobi and stoic Kenyan Kevin and a huge exercise in patience and trusting in fate, I am now happily rested, showered, have enjoyed a 'real toilet' (sorry to be so graphic but it's the little things that mean so much), taken a walk around downtown Lusaka (during which we secured our bus tickets to Livingstone tomorrow), indulged in a ... read more
January 13th 2012
We have never imagined coming so close to wildlife and being involved in it. It is pretty unreal to be woken of jumping and granting hippos, laughing hyenas or/and growling lions few meters away from our tiny tent. It happens that you sometimes don’t get any privacy in the bathroom since an old male elephant is putting curiously his long trunk through the small bathroom’s window and you’ll be happy that you are sitting on the toilet at this moment, and you’ll be stuck there for a while. But you understand that it is best decision to give the way to Mr. Elephant because he doesn’t think twice of doing the same for you. It is then you realized that you are quite vulnerable and helpless in this environment. A true wildlife experience is when you ... read more
January 5th 2012
Breaking down whilst on a self drive safari is something that nightmares are made of. Even more so when there is no phone reception and 8km from the closest road where help may pass by. This is how the second afternoon on our safari through Kafue National Park panned out and turned out to be one of the most nervous but at the same time funniest (at the beginning of break down) trips we have had. Hiring a car and doing a self drive is something we have been looking forward to with our friends visiting for two weeks. All excited, organized and ready to go and thinking nothing can go wrong on this safari but things started to go bad from the point of our hire car turning up in the morning with a missing ... read more
August 20th 2011
Dear All Greetings from Zambia – country number 66, and counting...! Right now in the capital Lusaka, the final destination for my Southern African trip 2011, though not quite finished travelling yet. As usual, the last few days of my trip have just been amazing, and it really just seems to keep getting better – I may even go so far as to say that Thursday was just my best day yet! Last I wrote I was on the Zimbabwean side of the Victoria Falls, having been suitably impressed, and drenched, by the largest cataract in the world, at least in terms of length. The Vic Falls runs for nearly 2km, and dramatically drops into a vertiginous chasm, and runs off through a 100m deep gorge for several kilometers further. On Wednesday I packed my bags ... read more
February 7th 2011
A 5 hour bus trip later I landed myself in Lusaka. Upon arrival I was once again bombarded with guys wanting to know where I was going or if I wanted a taxi - the problem is that every person asks thinking that somehow my answer will be different. I got my bag and just started walking as confidently as I could as if I knew where I was going (I didn't). Turns out I did go the right way, and only took the wrong turn once before ending up at the backpackers. It has a completely different vibe arriving at a backpackers alone. I'm sure I will get used to it but the initial arrival I was quite shy. I went on a walk by myself. I asked where then main shops are - there ... read more
January 30th 2011
20:39 This morning i arrived at Lusaka at 11 o’clock and then got a bus to Livingstone at 12:30. There’s so much to do here. Already I was tempted just on the drive through town but mainly I want to concentrate on Victoria Falls Waterfall and Livingstone. The city Livingstone was named after David Livingstone as he was founder of Victoria Falls. He also had something to do with African Slavery but if you want to find out more I suggest you research him! He was very famous. Tomorrow I’m going to pause my research and have a fun!!! I’m going Bungee Jumping in the morning and in the afternoon Canoeing! I’m bungee jumping of the Zambezi Bridge, which is one of the highest bridges in the world. When I go canoeing I’m taking a route ... read more
December 25th 2010
Dag iedereen !!!! Een zalig kerstfeest voor jullie allemaal ! Ik heb gehoord dat het een zeer witte kerst is daar in ons kleine landje ;-) Wel ... hier is het een rode kerst ... rood van de warmte van de zon en van de liefde onder de mensen en dan vooral de kinderen. Gisteren hebben we kerstavond gevierd in het weeshuis en het was ... moeilijk onder woorden te brengen ... zoiets moet je zien.... onbeschrijfelijk en ontroerend ! Al die kleine lieve gezichtjes met grote oogjes van verbazing omdat ze ( sommigen voor het eerst in hun leven) een cadeautje krijgen! Ze hebben liedjes voor ons gezongen , we hebben samen liedjes gezongen , wat buiten gespeeld ... kortom , het was een hele ervaring , voor mij maar voor hun nog meer had ... read more
