We left Assisi House at 8:30 Monday morning, July 7, with a wonderful vegetarian lunch packed special for us by Father Don & Frank, the chef: homemade veggie patties, chips, eggs, water, & fruit. After filling our bus with 300,000 kwacha of fuel for our long journey to Livingstone, we headed south to parts of Africa that almost none of us had seen, even our African friends on the trip.
Our travels took us mostly through sparsely populated areas broken up by small towns, one every 90 minutes or so. We passed through more than 6 safety checkpoints with no delays. Some of the more notable sights along the way were a seemingly out of control brush fire, an overturned tractor-trailer, and innumerable Zambians walking along the roadways in truly remote landscapes.
A local carrying thatch on her head.
Passing through a town.
The last two hours of our 8-hour trip were spent on roads that gave new meaning to the word “bumpy.” We were only able to move at about 20k/hr, swerving and slowing to avoid potholes that often crossed both lanes. Along this section of road there were many groups of 2-3 people digging dirt from the roadsides and filling the holes, hoping to receive small payments from passers-by. Leaning out of our bus, we handed out small kwacha bills in gratitude for these efforts to make our trip smoother.
Cheri blogging on the road.
At dusk, we arrived at Maramba River Lodge just outside of Livingstone. Jen was greeted with the news that most of the rooms she had made and confirmed reservations for had been rented to other guests, a practice opportunity she came through with flying colors. In fact, some of us ended up in “luxury tents” with outdoor showers. Not bad for what started as a double-booking nightmare! The day was complete with a trip into town for veggie pizza.
One of the chalets at the lodge.
Pizza dinner.
Tuesday began our big tourist day in southern Zambia. We met for breakfast on a scenic dining porch overlooking the Maramba River. Great food, great service, great company amidst the backdrop of beautiful scenery, including a number of Ultra-Lite planes overhead, viewing Victoria Falls in the early morning hours. We all opted for hot drinks as the temperature was in the mid-fifties, cold even for a Zambian winter morning.
The breakfast table.
Our guide picked us up at 8:30 a.m. to lead us on our tour of the magnificent Victoria Falls, one of the Seven Wonders of the World. We were each given a long, sturdy raincoat upon exiting the bus, the sign of things to come. The Falls are a mile wide and over 330 feet high! Half of the Falls are on the Zambia side of the border and the other half on the Zimbabwe side. We viewed the Falls on the Zambia side from many vantage points, several up close enough to be drenched by the back spray. In the distance we could see the bridge that spanned the Zambia/Zimbabwe border, which our guide, Colins, told us was a popular bungee jumping spot. A couple of us took immediately to the idea of giving it a try, and, true to form, a way was found to fit this into our itinerary. Unfortunately (or not, depending on whether you were the parent of a prospective jumper), the bungee concession was closed. Being out on the bridge, though, gave us the opportunity to step foot into Zimbabwe and to purchase a few souvenirs from some very sincere, persuasive salesmen. Colins delivered us back to the Lodge in time for a cold drink and a piece of leftover pizza before we were picked up for our lunch cruise on the Mighty Zambezi River.
A rainbow over the Falls.
Friday and Natasha.
A group shot after our Falls “shower.”
Standing with our Zimbabwean friends on their side of the border.
The African Princess was our vessel for a two-hour lunch cruise. Much to our surprise, we had the entire boat to ourselves! We meandered along the riverbanks slowly enough to site a number of hippos & crocodiles, both in the water and out. We were served an amazing vegetarian meal by any standards: curried vegetables with rice, pizza, tossed salad, potato salad, and rolls. The staff provided great service with impeccable style. What a day, and it was only half complete!
The tables were set beautifully.
We all enjoyed sitting and watching the incredible scenery.
Hippos.
From the Zambesi, we were picked up directly in a safari jeep to go to the Mosi-a-tunya Game Park, just around the corner. Although it is one of the smallest game parks in Zambia, we saw many animals: giraffes (including 3 babies), wart hogs, zebras, water buffaloes, impalas, and lots of baboons with their babies. The park’s lone rhino was taking a nap when we cruised by, but we were thrilled to make his acquaintance anyway. Tragically, his companion rhino, Molly, had been poached recently, an illegal practice that is still alive. Our guide reported that six more rhinos would be introduced to the park this fall. Our tour ended with a visit to the Crocodile Farm, where our guide went into the pen with dozens of crocs to wake up the King Croc – 15 feet in length with jaws that immediately inspired respect!
In the safari vehicle.
Zebra
Rhino
3 Baby giraffes.
Our guide in the pen with the King Croc.
We were delivered to the front door of the Lodge, where we re-grouped before making our way to a local restaurant called Rhapsody. There were many great vegetarian options at reasonable prices, and we enjoyed the opportunity to reflect together on the awe-inspiring day we had been treated to. We all agreed it was worth the epic bus ride.
Back on the bus at 9:00 the next morning to begin our long trip back to the north. We spent the night again at Assisi House, enjoying Father Don’s hospitality and comfort food for the road weary: macaroni & cheese, steamed broccoli, and fruit salad. The final leg of our journey back to Ndola began with a quick trip into Lusaka to check on our NGO papers. Cheri, Jen, and Theresa received the good news that our papers would be ready in a week. The culmination of two years of effort and tenacity. What an amazing accomplishment that those of us who are just visitors this time were honored to be present for.