17 November 2018 – Siavonga

We are in Eagles Rest Camp, Siavonga at Lake Kariba in Zambia for about an hour. Today was a relatively short ride but again full of impressions. Last night we slept in Malango Camp, about 25 km east of Lusaka. The camp site was fine but a few kilometers away, in the night, a concert was given so at 3 o’clock we were awake in our tent. At half past five they were tired and we could still sleep here.

In Lusaka we did some shopping for the next few days and also bought a kettle. So far we boiled water on our gas cylinder but this takes a very long time and there is almost everywhere power so why not.

Lusaka is like every capital. Busy, busy and busy again. It took a long time before we passed it and there were also the road blocks by the police. You get used to it, and we can almost always drive on. After Lusaka the road was very busy until the junction to Livingstone. We took the road to Chirundu (Zimbabwe) and it is clearly less used. Along the way we saw a lot of stranded lorries that sometimes were in very dangerous places indicated with large branches of wood on the road. One blocked the whole way but fortunately there is limited traffic. The road was very crooked, steep and not foreseen of lining. It requires a lot of concentration of the driver but the car should be good too. Now, the Land Cruiser seems indestructible, but  road holding is not the strongest point, especially in the curves when there are some ridges in the ground. Then you feel the whole car going sideways and the speed should be reduced right away.

Just before Chirundu we drove off towards Siavonga. That road was fine for about 60 km and then for 8 km a virtually impassable track. Eagles Rest Camp is our campsite and it is located at Lake Kariba. That is a reservoir in the Zambezi River which provides the power supply in the whole area. The English still left this as a present. We are thinking of staying here for a few days, provided the hippo’s do not eat us.

Africa is starting to really grab me now I have to say. There are irritations every day like 20 cm lizards in the toilet to black ants that now bite me. or road blocks not to mention the many times that one tries to get extra money like this morning at a gas station. And then all the trucks in the middle of the road, the potholes and suddenly a toll road where you do not have to pay. And also Lisa and I have to get used to each other again. After all, we have been with children for almost 27 years and are suddenly together again….

But when you learn how to handle it. Go with the flow….