Arrive in Mongu

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We arrive in Mongu at about 11:00 PM. It is dark and quiet except for the crowing of a bird, maybe a rooster or a peacock. We drive up the side of a sandy hill to a small cement home. My husband’s relatives greet us warmly at the door; everyone claps hands and curtseys’. The home has a square living room and adjoining dining area. The floor is red cement. The walls are painted blue on the bottom half and cream on the top half. There are homemade doilies covering everything. So far everything looks typical for what I have seen in other Zambia homes. We are fed a fried chicken, green vegetable, and spaghetti noodle dinner. It is quite good and I am thankful for noodles rather than the standard nshima.

Every year in Mongu, provided they have enough rain, the Lozi people celebrate Koumbuka. It is an ancient ceremony celebrating the return of the King and other people living in the floodplain to higher ground. Every year the floodplain will flood in March or April. The people come to Mongu, which is situated on a hill looking out over the floodplain. They return in large dugouts painted with zebra stripes. Everyone wears traditional clothing and there is music and food. Because of this ceremony many Lozi’s will return home. A resulting lodging industry has sprung up to accommodate travelers. We were able to stay in a fairly nice lodge. It was a large room with a thatched roof and had clean bathrooms. Food could also be ordered for a price. One night we had a freshly killed chicken, green vegetables, and rice. The only complaint I really had about the lodges was the price. They all seemed to be about $60 and in my mind that was to expensive for what they were in reality. If it had been the U.S. the place would have been half the price.

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Comments

[robin]

guest houses Zambia
I paid a high price for a room in a guesthouse in Livingstone. It was nice but the breakfast was old food and ants crawled all over my plate. I ate it anyway, food is somewhat scarce in Zambia so I just kept flicking ants across the table. I was hungry all the time and buying some little treat at a market would usually go to the little kids on the street, so I should have been more grateful for the food I finally had at the guesthouse. They charged me more I'm sure because I'm white, so I should have had my Zambian friend get the room for us.

[kato]

Not the US!
One thing i have learnt to do is not to compare places in money terms, there is always a difference..... Wow you told the story like a movie.i was watching every sentence. Those lozis were nice to you, the bembas will feed you nshima not noodles! I am sure you will go back again..maybe this time it will be during kuomboka ceremony. Am not sure, did you celebrate kuomboka the last time you went?