Blogs from Zambia, Africa - page 89

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, ... read more

My husband’s paternal village is in the Western Province of Zambia. It is a small village of thatched huts and subsistence farmers. However, many of his relatives have migrated to the provincial capital, Mongu. This is a small town on the Angolan border. We have only been in Lusaka a few days but decide to make the drive out before Christmas. This is my first time in Africa, in Zambia. Everything is different and overwhelming. As we head out we have been told that the road is “good” and that we should arrive within five to six hours. There is a storm coming though and we are heading straight for it. The sky is black and ominous and there are streams of people on either side of the road. Some are carrying bundles on their heads, ... read more

Three days ago, the President of Zambia, Levy Mwanawasa declared that the country is officially in the midst of a national disaster due to the severe hunger problem. Reports are stating that almost 2 million Zambians (out of a total of 11.5 million) are going to be short of food this year and the main culprit behind the hunger situation was drought. Being the good little global citizens that you are, many of you have been sending me emails asking me questions about what it is like on the ground during this “disaster” situation so I thought I would share a few things as seen though my eyes. Choma The most easily seen evidence of the disaster situation in my town of Choma is that I have now been without proper water systems for over 4 ... read more

Zambia is not really set up for budget travellers. Distances are long and 'value' accommodation is sparse. Apparently some of the best game parks in Africa are here but you need your own transport and a willingness to brave endless dirt roads to get to them. At the moment not even that is possible because the country is in the throes of a major fuel crisis. The only refinery in the country was closed for maintenance some time ago and has yet to reopen. Some petrol stations we asked in had been dry for two months and only black market supplies are keeping a few things moving. We, very fortunately, arranged a lift with a car toting couple, from Lilongwe (Malawi) to Livingstone, in the very south of Zambia. We filled up the car and a ... read more

Sorry...another transportation story. We've just crossed the Zambian border and switched to a smaller bus bound for Mfuwe and South Luangwa National Park. After three and a half hours of sitting at th terminal, the bus is finally packed solid. Time to get gas. (Who could have predicted we'd need it?) A guy runs off with a huge jerry can. We wait. A long time. It's hot. It's crowded. Finally, we are rumbing along the 120km washboard dirt road that will take us to South Luangwa. Though the road is terrible, the driver is worse. The passengers are pissed. A lot of people are yelling. We are just confused. But still, everything feels pretty normal. But then, heading down a hill into a little ravine, we see three bikes lying eerily across the middle of the ... read more