Zambia

We were so well looked after by Mr and Mrs Cho at the Korea Garden Lodge. 5.30am Mrs Cho drove us to Lilongwe bus station. Luckily it was just coming light. The bus station looked as rough as ever but this time with fires for people to sit around and lots of fish being sold from mats on the ground. The bus was the best we had seen in Malawi which was lucky as it was going for 14 hours to Lusaka. People and luggage in the aisle but we left at 6am with gospel music playing.no stops for the 100kms to the border, looks good but then everyone out and all the luggage and then the luggage wouldn't go back in. 2 hours to clear the border then to Chipata.

We got out at a modern shopping area and sat down to recover. ATM dispensed Zambia Kwacha so we had money. How to we get to South Luangwa game park?Taxi to bus station then minibus.

Minibus looked almost full so we bought tickets then waited 1.5hours while "doorman" found more passengers and squeezed them in. Usual problems when we set off. Stop for petrol, find the tyre is flat, drive around looking for air line, luggage falls off roof and out of the back door. Three hours after setting off we have done 100kms and reached Marula Lodge. 12 hours from lilongwe for 230kms. We were fed up.

We were greeted by Douglas who took us to the restaurant, gave us a drink, said they had rooms and tents and showed us the river in the moonlight. We were given a really nice room for the price of a tent. We were no longer fed up. While we had dinner and chatted to Mike and Jenny who ran the place we were visited by elephants and hippos. Amazing. After dark we always had to wait for one of the staff to take us to or from our rooms to make sure we didnt get killed by the wildlife.

Five wonderful days followed. Sit by the riverbank watching hippos, elephants, crocodiles and birds. Swim in the pool, chat to the other guests including Jenny, Ben and Andrew from Melbourne. No one wanted to know the aussie election result.

6am one morning we went on a walking safari with a guide and an armed ranger. Crocodiles, birds, hippos, impala,zebra etc.So nice. We also had three driving safaris where we saw loads of animals including lions either sleeping or eating zebra leg,wilderbeest, lots of warthogs, cobra, mongoose, a leopard in the darkness walking through trees and eventually a leopard right next to the track. So many animals in such a beautiful place.

We went with Jenny to the little Mfuwe airport for the ATM. Dave got money and the machine ate Youngmis card. Edna at the airport said we should be OK for standby tickets to Lusaka next day and the bank would be open for Youngmi to get her card back. Both were right. On the drive back to the lodge we saw lots of little villages made of grass and mud huts, just like the pictures we had seen. We also saw ladies who had dug a hole in the dry river bed to reach water in which they were doing their laundry.

Marula Lodge and the South Luangwa game park were wonderful.

South Luangwa,Zambia

Good one hour flight on 29 seat plane to Lusaka. Wait four hours at Lusaka airport for possible standby flight to Livingstone but it gets full and at 4pm taxi to Flintstones backpackers in centre. Cheap beer at backpackers but otherwise no good. Lusaka a dump except for big modern shopping centres. Bus station full of characters and we book tickets for next day with Shalom bus co which is said to be OK. Before bus ride walk around Lusaka which is hot, dusty, full of rubbish then take refuge in a shopping centre.
Bus ride is better than any in Africa so far and gets us to Livingstone about 9pm. Taxi to Jollyboys backpackers. Friendly, relaxed place.

Victoria Falls

Look around town and sit by the pool. Everyday for weeks has been hot and sunny and so it continues. Check out Fawlty Towers back packers but not so relaxed.

Day trip to Victoria Falls. Walk around view points and see three big falls plunging into the gorge. In the wet season the falls are 1.7kms wide but in the dry we could walk part way across the top of the falls. Visited the Royal Livingstone Hotel, Very fancy with Zebras and impalas in the grounds and a beautiful swimming pool in parkland leading to the Zambezi river. Said to be $700 ppn. After a beer back to the falls and the long descent through palm trees to the boiling pot. on the top walk past a giant baboon which a few minutes later attacks a lady and rips apart her back pack looking for food.

Next day in Livingstone visit rail, jewish and Livingstone museums and go for a beer at the golf club, The story of Edward prince of wales staying there in 1927 was a good read. Dinner at Olgas with Klaus and Kristen who we met at the falls.

Book the intercape bus from Livingstone to Windhoek for next day. 1500kms, 20 hours and $65. Sounds too good to be true but it was true. Intercape bus is very smart. The conductor says a prayer and off we go at exactly 12 noon Sunday. Takes a while to get through the hot Zambia Namibia border then on we go along the Caprivi strip. A selection of christian films for entertainment including family time. About every four hours an old guy Angus appears on the screen riding a horse, carrying his grandson and encouraging us to praise the lord. By the end of the journey we felt like Angus was an old friend. The feature film of an australian guy suing the devil was heaving going.