ZAMBIA travel report (1): day 85 to 89
- Created on Thursday, 12 April 2007 13:00
- Written by Jan Eisenloeffel
Formerly Northern-Rhodesia, became the Republic of Zambia on October 24, 1964. The country is named after the Zambezi river. Zambia is a landlocked country in southern Africa, with a tropical climate and consists mostly of high plateau with some hills and mountains. At 752.614 sq km (and about 12 million people) it is the 39th-largest country of the world and slightly larger than the US state of Texas.
Zambia is drained by two major river basins: the Zambezi River basin, in the south; and the Congo River basin, in the north. The Zambezi falls 100m over the 1.6km wide Victoria Falls, subsequently filling Lake Kariba.
Once a middle-income country, Zambia began to slide into poverty in the 1970s when copper prices declined on world markets. The Zambian government is pursuing an economic diversification programme to reduce the economy's reliance on the copper industry. This initiative seeks to exploit other components of Zambia's rich resource base by promoting agriculture, tourism, gemstone mining, and hydro-power. The government has recently been granting licenses to international resource companies to prospect for minerals such as nickel and uranium. However, the country's rate of economic growth cannot support rapid population growth or the strain which HIV/AIDS related issues place on government resources. HIV/AIDS is the nation's greatest problem. HIV/AIDS will continue to impact Zambian economic, political, cultural, and social development for the foreseeable future.
TdA report, day 84-89
Lilongwe, Malawi - Lusaka, Zambia !!!ON THE ROAD TO RECOVERY!!!
Wednesday April 11, day 89, I'm enjoying a well deserved rest day after 5 days of cycling to cover this stretch of road between the two capital cities. We had to cover a distance of 717km and climb a total of 5000 vertical metres which made for hefty days. The really good news for me is that I am now fully recovered, and since yesterday feel full of energy and ready for the day to come. Leg, bum and lower back pains are gone, just normal tiredness at the end of the cycling day. Yesterday's results are witness to this. The last day's ride to Lusaka was only 104km. I found myself with the tandem team during the first long ascend right after the start at 6:30 a.m. We discussed tactics for the day and decided to skip lunch, and take our chances that Adrie and Chris would be taken by surprise having their leisurely brunch break. This worked, and specially after the brunch site at 60km we really pushed the pedals hard for the last 44km. We were the first to arrive at the finish in front of the Chainama Hotel/Camp where we are spending this rest day. The tandem decided to sprint for the first place, I followed and took a bike length on them. They came back, and we both rolled side by side over the finish where Duncan was lying on his belly to make sure he would see who was first. His judgement was the tandem won by a tire, disappointing for me, but so be it! I had a good ride and felt great after the 3:33hrs ride, that is at this point more important to me.
The countryside we rode through is, compared to the previous countries, very rural. The road winds through hilly country, is quite scenic, somewhat less wide but mostly of good quality. There are few cultivated fields along the road as they are mostly back a bit. Savannah- and elephant grass grows up to the asphalt and is kept at bay by human grass mowers. These are men who whip a stick with a wire or knife at the end back and forth, and keep the grass short for about 5 metres from the asphalt for kilometre after kilometre. It made me think of the Fall cross-country trail clearing we used to do in the 1970's in the Morin Heights area north of Montreal. We had the odd rain shower during the day, and a whopper of a thunder storm at dinner one evening, but this is to be expected in the rainy season.
The people remain just as nice, friendly and easy going as I wrote about Malawi. Most speak at least some English so conversations are possible. When you get off the pavement for a refreshment stop at a café and it is a bit bumpy, they apologize, completely unnecessary, for the bad condition of the road. I got on the bike after a stop, and while getting on and pushing the pedal down for speed, my back wheel slipped on the gravel and I fell over. Immediately people rushed to help and said "I'm sorry, I'm sorry", apologizing for the fact that I fell on their road.
It pays to be insistent when you want something here. I'll give a couple of examples. I was interested in having a hotel room for the two nights we are staying at the Chainama Hotel. The rate, we were told by the TdA organization, would be US$ 48 a night single or double occupancy. This time I had no one to share the room with. I explained at the front desk that I was alone, that we usually pay say US$ 15 to 25 per night depending on the facilities, and I was willing to pay the US$ 48 for two nights. I was asked to come to the office and met the manager. I asked how he was and his family, explained about our trip and the fundraising character, etc. After some humming and hawing he agreed to my proposal.
The other example is at breakfast this morning, which is included in the price of the room. Besides coffee and tea there was bread and jam, but also glass bowls and spoons. I asked what they were for, and was told for the cornflakes they had run out of. I proposed that in that case they could substitute this for a fried egg which was also being served at extra cost. However, eggs were too expensive! I insisted they get cornflakes in the store around the corner. Within a minute I had a bowl of flakes with milk, and lo and behold, a large bowl filled to the rim with cornflakes appeared on the buffet table. As during breakfast I observed the staff spoon copious quantities of cornflakes in bowls for their own use, I presume they wanted to keep the flakes for themselves!
While I am writing this report, I am waiting for the delicious Spanish omelette they make here for lunch. After the order was placed, the boy came back and said 'the eggs are finished", whereupon I suggested they get some, and just now my delicious omelette is served.
The next three days we will cover 500km from Lusaka to Victoria Falls, where we will have two rest days to see the sights.
Once a middle-income country, Zambia began to slide into poverty in the 1970s when copper prices declined on world markets. The Zambian government is pursuing an economic diversification programme to reduce the economy's reliance on the copper industry. This initiative seeks to exploit other components of Zambia's rich resource base by promoting agriculture, tourism, gemstone mining, and hydro-power. The government has recently been granting licenses to international resource companies to prospect for minerals such as nickel and uranium. However, the country's rate of economic growth cannot support rapid population growth or the strain which HIV/AIDS related issues place on government resources. HIV/AIDS is the nation's greatest problem. HIV/AIDS will continue to impact Zambian economic, political, cultural, and social development for the foreseeable future.
TdA report, day 84-89
Lilongwe, Malawi - Lusaka, Zambia !!!ON THE ROAD TO RECOVERY!!!
Wednesday April 11, day 89, I'm enjoying a well deserved rest day after 5 days of cycling to cover this stretch of road between the two capital cities. We had to cover a distance of 717km and climb a total of 5000 vertical metres which made for hefty days. The really good news for me is that I am now fully recovered, and since yesterday feel full of energy and ready for the day to come. Leg, bum and lower back pains are gone, just normal tiredness at the end of the cycling day. Yesterday's results are witness to this. The last day's ride to Lusaka was only 104km. I found myself with the tandem team during the first long ascend right after the start at 6:30 a.m. We discussed tactics for the day and decided to skip lunch, and take our chances that Adrie and Chris would be taken by surprise having their leisurely brunch break. This worked, and specially after the brunch site at 60km we really pushed the pedals hard for the last 44km. We were the first to arrive at the finish in front of the Chainama Hotel/Camp where we are spending this rest day. The tandem decided to sprint for the first place, I followed and took a bike length on them. They came back, and we both rolled side by side over the finish where Duncan was lying on his belly to make sure he would see who was first. His judgement was the tandem won by a tire, disappointing for me, but so be it! I had a good ride and felt great after the 3:33hrs ride, that is at this point more important to me.
It pays to be insistent when you want something here. I'll give a couple of examples. I was interested in having a hotel room for the two nights we are staying at the Chainama Hotel. The rate, we were told by the TdA organization, would be US$ 48 a night single or double occupancy. This time I had no one to share the room with. I explained at the front desk that I was alone, that we usually pay say US$ 15 to 25 per night depending on the facilities, and I was willing to pay the US$ 48 for two nights. I was asked to come to the office and met the manager. I asked how he was and his family, explained about our trip and the fundraising character, etc. After some humming and hawing he agreed to my proposal.
While I am writing this report, I am waiting for the delicious Spanish omelette they make here for lunch. After the order was placed, the boy came back and said 'the eggs are finished", whereupon I suggested they get some, and just now my delicious omelette is served.
The next three days we will cover 500km from Lusaka to Victoria Falls, where we will have two rest days to see the sights.
ZAMBIA travel report (2): day 90 to 95
- Created on Tuesday, 17 April 2007 13:02
- Written by Jan Eisenloeffel
LUSAKA TO LIVINGSTONE!!!!AND A DAY VICTORY!!!!
Three days riding of close to 500km and a day victory for me on the first day out Lusaka, covers in a few words the ride from Lusaka to Livingstone. The road goes through the same pleasant rolling terrain as the previous days and is generally of good quality. The weather remains good, the people along the road are friendly as ever. We camp at bush camps alongside the road, I sleep a lot, and feel rested and good when I wake up at 5:00 am. to get ready for the 6:30 starts.
The first evening our bush camp is ay the "Village Inn", as a small sign just off the main road says. There are some neat looking buildings around which we pitch our tents. A group of young men sit in a circle close to the "Inn" drinking fermented corn milk. They tell me that the area is called "Holland", because everything we see was set up by a Dutchman a number of years ago.
The problem is that he has left, and gradually buildings and facilities are deteriorating. For example, there is a single cylinder diesel motor that has not run for "10 years". They say that used to drive the still existing pump with which they could fill the still existing water tower, and the 10 or so farms all had running water! They do not know how to repair it! They now get the water manually from a pump, which pulls up the well water via a rope with knots and rings that runs through a plastic pipe system. That is if it works, because the system breaks down so often. It takes a lot of effort to fill a bucket as I found out when washing myself. They asked me outright to stay, saying they needed men like me around there. Meaning of course to fix things for them while they get drunk drinking their fermented milk!
The first morning in Livingstone, we stay at the Livingstone Safari Lodge, I spend at the Victoria Falls which is truly a magnificent sight. In the evening I watch the sunset over the Zambesi from a unique vantage point at the Royal Livingstone Hotel, and afterwards have dinner too at this beautiful place.
The Livingstone Safari Lodge was built in the last eight years by Tjisse Kamstra from Friesland, Netherlands, to a truly fine place. He has constructed 11 chalets so far, and is busy on number 12, the last one. That evening George, with whom I share a chalet as we are both a bit "tent tired", in the darkness strays of the paths and fall into a 3m deep pit at this construction site. Others hear him moaning in pain and shock, manage to retrieve him from the pit, and bring him to our chalet. His back is hurting very badly; he is given an injection to relax the muscles and diminish the pain.
As far as I can judge he had a good night's sleep. The next day is spent on getting a doctor in, making spinal x-rays to check for damage. An orthopaedic specialist, at the end of the day, ays the injury is muscular rather than skeletal which is really good news.
George stays overnight for observation at the doctor's clinic, and is able to return to the Lodge the next morning to recuperate. The plan is that he will rejoin us in Windhoek for the cycle to Cape Town!
Day 95 (April 17), is our last day in Zambia. On the way to the Kazangula Ferry crossing of the Zambesi to Botswana, we ride a time trial. The big surprise of this event is that Eva (a Dutch girl) comes
in THIRD, after Chris and Adrie, beating all the other male and female riders! Then, 10km to the Kazangula Ferry, border formalities and the 15km ride towards Kasane, where we set up camp at the Thebe Safari Camp.
The first evening our bush camp is ay the "Village Inn", as a small sign just off the main road says. There are some neat looking buildings around which we pitch our tents. A group of young men sit in a circle close to the "Inn" drinking fermented corn milk. They tell me that the area is called "Holland", because everything we see was set up by a Dutchman a number of years ago.
George stays overnight for observation at the doctor's clinic, and is able to return to the Lodge the next morning to recuperate. The plan is that he will rejoin us in Windhoek for the cycle to Cape Town!
Day 95 (April 17), is our last day in Zambia. On the way to the Kazangula Ferry crossing of the Zambesi to Botswana, we ride a time trial. The big surprise of this event is that Eva (a Dutch girl) comes
in THIRD, after Chris and Adrie, beating all the other male and female riders! Then, 10km to the Kazangula Ferry, border formalities and the 15km ride towards Kasane, where we set up camp at the Thebe Safari Camp.From here we will ride first south to Nata and then west to Maun in the next 5 days. This section is dubbed "elephant highway" as it is not uncommon to see herds of elephants by the roadside or crossing the road.
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