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Published: December 26th 2007
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Six hours on the road and we arrive at Lilongwe - the capital of Malawi - for lunch. It had a Nando’s!
More cultivation and larger villages with cone hut shaped thatched roofs as we’ve headed across Malawi and as we enter Chipata at the Zambian border we’re struck by how affluent it looks; relatively modern bungalows, planted borders along the roadside and public spaces in the town. Village houses whilst still made of wood with mud have tree trunks supporting the eaves and making a verandah - look quite colonial. Campsite just south of Chipata (Mama Rula’s) has a nice bar and we have a great meal courtesy of Matt who bought himself some steak and shared it with us. What a star!
The next day is another early start to Lusaka - capital of Zambia - and the vegetation changes to more open bush land with lots of black pigs running around. The affluence goes and rural homes seem quite rundown and when we stop for lunch, children approach begging for food. They’re beautiful people but seem to have less opportunities outside the towns. Trading for souvenirs is common (as in Malawi); quite a few on the truck
get paintings, wood carvings, jewellery etc in exchange for T shirts, batteries, shoes and torches.
Lusaka is a modern city with a great shopping centre and again very affluent. Lots of South African investment and white people relocated from Zimbabwe.
The next day we start early again (3 days in a row getting up at 4-30am! - clearly not a holiday) and make it to Livingstone on the Zambia/Zimbabwe border by lunchtime. Or at least we almost make it Livingstone the truck runs out of fuel just before (500metres) we hit town!
So we all walk in.
We stock up on food and water as there may not be much available in Zimbabwe due to the economic crisis in the country.
Zambezi Waterfront hotel and camping ground is beautiful - right on the river and with lovely gardens - or should that be mud baths! Torrential rain turns the site into a quagmire. We are literally paddling as we find somewhere to put up the tent. But joy of joys it has wireless internet so at last we are able to upload all the blogs and photo’s - over a few cold beers!
Most of the
truck go on a booze cruise and return very pissed, while we have a lovely dinner with Linley and Penny (Kiwi’s) and pray for a dry night!
Victoria Falls the next morning across the bridge over the Zambezi in “no man’s land” between the two borders.
Vic Falls is quite a decent town with lots of craft and curio shops, a Wimpy, café’s and restaurants and masses of outlets selling adventure trips - bungee, white water rafting, helicopter & micro light flights, walking with lions etc. Some of the more modern shopping malls look like those in Arizona. Also, lots of people trying to trade especially for food. The official exchange rate is 30,000 Zim $ to 1 US$. We got offered 1.2 million Zim $ to a US$!! Most restaurants will only take US$ and if you pay in Zim dollars will charge 2 - 4 million Zim to the US $. The Kiwi girls cashed $200 and needed a rucksack to carry it in!
Walked along the edge of the gorge opposite the Falls - spectacular! Local names are Mosi ao Tunya - the smoke that thunders - and Chinotimba. Took loads of photo’s. People
on the other side were walking right along the edge of the falls on little islands. We decided to walk back without taking photo’s - just to enjoy the view, but then the spray blew inland, we got absolutely drenched and the most amazing rainbows were formed. Loads more pics!! And we dried out in the heat by the time we got back to town.
Had lovely dinners at a local restaurant - Mama Africa Eating House. Ostrich stew, Huku Nedovi - chicken cooked in peanut butter, sadza (like ugali but more moist ), and beautiful bream from Lake Kariba. Great atmosphere and a waiter with a beautiful smile - Zachariah.
Next morning we went for a micro light flight over the Falls. Amazing experience - felt at times like you were suspended in mid air with no movement. A great way to see them as you get in quite low - saw groups of hippos and a lone elephant on one of the islands. Unfortunately they wouldn’t let you take a camera so no aerial pics although a Canadian girl Sue, has promised to send us some.
Spent the rest of the time relaxing, catching up
with washing and sitting in Hunters Bar drinking ice cold beer and avoiding the rainstorms! Amazing how there was no shortage of beers - Lions- here given the other shortages of everything else in the shops!!! We were going to go rafting but decided starting on a grade 5 may not be the best idea - especially as we saw how many injuries were sustained!!
The final afternoon was spent with the Kiwi girls at the Victoria Falls Hotel, a beautiful 5* place; they’d treated themselves to celebrate 30th birthdays for 3 of them. Had afternoon tea - lovely sandwiches and cakes - and then C took up their offer of a bath!! (taken with a glass of red wine!). Soooo lovely after 4 weeks on the road.
The Hotel is very colonial in style and elegant - with loads of history. Has awesome views over the gorge, fab gardens with purple water lilies & birds of paradise plants. The entrance area has loads of monkeys ( with little ones) eating the green mangos that the parents shake off the trees and wharthogs with their young.
This is the end of the overland trip for many on
our truck - most are heading back home for Christmas or on to the next destination of an adventure. 9 of us are carrying on to Jo’burg so we changed truck ( we now have the yellow giant) and tents and met up with a new team - Toni (trip leader from NZ), Gift (cook) and Dumi (driver) and new travellers.
The adventure starts again tomorrow - to Botswana.
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