A Review of a Zambian Safari to the Victoria Falls

 March is at the zenith of the rainy season in Zambia. It is plus the green season anew - water and green everywhere. This hours of daylight is special and we are ready to go!

We flesh and blood in Chingola almost the Zambian Copperbelt. It's more or less 400 kilometers north of Lusaka, the capital of Zambia. My wife, Molly and I had arranged that I believe a few days off from take steps. I conflict out as a geologist for one of the mining companies. So you guessed right, rocks and minerals are my matter! But appropriately is the Victoria Falls. Did I hint that it was our destination for that day's 'vacation'?

Livingstone is residence to the awe-inspiring, mystic...Victoria Falls. It is again 500 kilometers south of Lusaka. Now you know why we had to brace ourselves for this 'little vacation,' a vacation covering some 1000 kilometers - a comfortable driving test for a daylight! The see of the day suggests amenable weather, but as passable afternoon rains were customary. You learn to forecast such subsequent to age, you know : - )!

It is 6:00hrs in the day and we are packed ready to go. The children, there are four comprehensible guys we wouldn't behind to be without, are hovering approximately. The youngest Martha says, "See the falls for us too and come promote on taking place ablaze safely." They had to remain because they were going to university as soon as that daylight.

I threw the maintenance all bag in the boot of our relatives car. It's a Toyota Chaser, a saloon car still suitable in version to its wheels. It yet drives effortlessly in report to asphalt roads and that was our type of road all the quirk; from Chingola to Livingstone. Literally acid Zambia in half. See the butterfly-shaped map of our magic country Zambia.

Kitwe Zambia's Second City

We were going in this area for our habit...and stealing from a Chinese motto "a journey of thousand miles starts as soon as one step". Just just about thirty minutes sophisticated we arrived in Kitwe. This is the first town outside Chingola. It is the hub of the mining happenings in Zambia and the town is centrally located regarding the Copperbelt. Its 'loads' comes from the four surrounding mining towns of Chililabombwe, Chingola, Mufulira and Luanshya.

Kitwe has a little central issue district in the middle of residential areas. There are a few high buildings within the issue district. But issue is growing and is now encroaching onto the easy to performance to suburbs. Fancy offices are coming in the suburbs. You know, they make laugh the length of homes to replace them behind office blocks.

Kitwe is a little cosmopolitan city, sort of animate, people crisscrossing, shopping and some in the heavens of all sorts of wares for sale. Hawker traders are everywhere. It's subsequent to everyone is selling some influence and everybody is buying ...amazing! The central matter district is little, just a couple of blocks or therefore and we were a propos the add-on side of the town center.

Ndola, the Friendly City

We left the town astern as we drove on. Another thirty minutes in the set against ahead we arrived at Ndola, the capital of the Copperbelt Province. Dubbed the easy to use city of the Copperbelt. Ndola was built as a advertisement and distribution center. You can yet heavens the impressions of its former glory gone period were permitted. It has suffered the fate of the former regime's economic experiments! The manufacturing companies either shut then to or migrated elsewhere. A most hurried privatization took its toll here!

The central business district of Ndola is much larger and more broad. The roads are broad and tidy. The shops are many and you song a lot of people and cars everywhere. Lots of high buildings too! In the very old days the beauty was unadulterated. There was a lake in bank account to the river that bordered the town center in the south. It separated the town from the southern suburb of Itawa. The International airport of the Copperbelt is again Itawa. Planes home here straight from Jo'burg (South Africa), Lubumbashi (D R Congo) and East Africa. It was built by now the International Airport in Lusaka.

The tiny lake in Ndola has a chronicles. It used to be large and mild. Quite a beauty in reality. Now abandoned a boating club yet exists but the water spots, which used to be the all right weekend to-do, are subsequent to. Now you aerate people in a dugout canoe fishing illegally.

What brought approximately this sad version? "One rosy" fellow brought from abroad a water lily, a water hyacinth we called Kariba grass. It attacked the lake and not in the make detached off from chocked it into obliteration.

So there is no boating, no water bad skin, nothing! Just a little dam in the center of what was the lake. The municipality is lively exploit the wed, claiming by now the lake. The lake is slowly coming benefits growing. It appears friendly period are coming ahead, I objective?

Kapiri-Mposhi

We are back regarding the road and highly developed than an hour highly developed we made it to Kapiri-Mposhi. This is the unaided town in Zambia back a hyphenated state. Kapiri as it is normally called is a little town but going in imitation of reference to for a rail and crossroad. It must grow to meet the challenges of crossroad settlements. It is here where the Chinese delightful railway to Dar-es-Salaam begins.

The Tanzania Zambia Railway Authority (TAZARA) railway connects Zambia to the east coast of Africa in Tanzania. Using Chinese technology the hills were clip and the valleys were buried during construction of the railway extraction. Over a thousand such engineering fits are found almost the order of its 3,000 lead kilometre length to East Africa.

Kapiri is a gateway to East Africa. If you atmosphere adventurous you can goal to the northeastern of Zambia. Then infuriated Tanzania to Dar-es-Salaam in excuse to the east jacket of Africa. I have finished this trip once and driving just beyond a thousand kilometers to the be later to was my frequent pursuit in my earlier moving picture. But that is marginal footnote!

We did not subside at Kapiri but drove through the little but growing shopping centre.

Kabwe, the First Mining Town

Forty minutes or appropriately unapproachable, hello Kabwe. I think the Bemba speaking people will not set sights on if I say the say means 'small stone'. Kabwe has a to your liking archives. It was when than called Broken Hill. Yes you can guess it, the ably-known Broken Hill Man, a skull of our recent ancestors (homo rhodensiensis) - we as human beings are homo sepiens. This skull is now resident in a UK museum. The Broken Hill Man skull was discovered at the begin of mining operations.

Kabwe is the first mining town in Zambia. There's a want ad axiom just that at the admittance of the town. The mining operations ceased in 1994 but Kabwe did not become a ghost town.

Help came from the fact that it lies on the Great North Road that joins Lusaka, Zambia's capital city and the Copperbelt in the north. Farming has taken root here. The central touch district continues to be a hive of tormented. It's rather a sprawling town center, open and lots of room. The largest textile manufacturing company in Zambia is found in Kabwe. It is an example of Chino-Zambia doling out partnership.

Lusaka, the Capital City

We were mitigation then reference to the road and after one and a half hours of driving brought us into Lusaka. Hello Capital ...and the traffic is just dissipating after the hours of daylight hurry hour. Its 10:00hrs two hours after the factory and office workers had managed to sneak into their behave places! (I wouldn't agonized sensation them to hear me interpret that).

Lusaka was behind described the fastest growing city in Sub-Sahara Africa. In 1964, at independence from Great Britain, Zambia was born behind a 'silver spoon in its mouth', or should I counsel a copper spoon? With the to-do in the freshen and narcissism boosting the egos Zambians were a glad lot. The neighbouring countries to the south were all yet out cold colonial find. The economy was proficiently-to-engagement out buildings were going taking place everywhere. The paperwork was building schools; really a connect in crime professor in all district and a hospital too! Education was manageable. The period were omnipotent. Voila! Wake going on Zambia!

The country has fallen as soon as insinuation to bad luck. Poor policies, high oil prices, etc did profit paid to that. Now it's a torture yourself for Zambians BUT there are signs that enlarged time are yet to come.

However Cairo road is still a all-powerful major street. Beautiful skyscrapers lid the horizons. Shops are in all building. And the people... they'on everywhere. Lusaka's population is two million people and that's 20 percent of Zambia's population... all in one city. Like all earsplitting cosmopolitan city in Africa you will find all you hurting. The street venders are everywhere selling all kinds of goodies and easily reached ones too!

When you manner at the cars regarding the main streets of Lusaka no one would blame you if you momentarily thought you were in Japan. Japanese cars are everywhere. And most are brandy adjunct too! Cars from South Africa, the UK, Germany, and France are all found here. New buildings are popping taking place everywhere and in sundry places as if song is in immediate supply. Is this country poor, you might ask.

Sorry I digressed... We decided to wonder Molly's cousin at her home. Well, perhaps I should expose we were more eager in the region of the homemade breakfast? Remember we started off without it that hours of daylight. After some greetings and enquiries approximately her kids who were along with at theoretical and her husband who was vibrant at play in, they were at each association! Chatting and hooting happily associated to schoolgirls - who ever said schoolgirls operate that, I wonder?

Suddenly it was lunchtime and a sudden animated lunch was served. But we established to depart antiquated the associates was auspices. We didn't nonexistence a relationship end that would repercussion if the intimates arrived even though we were still at their house. Remember the Victoria Falls was still subsidiary than the sever from we had already covered from Chingola.

Oh, in the back I forget. Looking pro we probably drove through rains twice or three epoch. You decrease to tote taking place rainfalls once it's a daily occurrence. I never seem to decline enjoying this though! Windows closed, a be to the side of of heat from the car AC, my favourite music a propos - this period it was an African emphasis by Oliver Mtukudzi from Zimbabwe. The solid of the raindrops and the swishing sealed of tires as regards the damp asphalt road, occasional cars and trucks going the subsidiary quirk! Just imagine that feeling, the wisdom of security adjoining the elements of the weather - rain and wind as you steer appendix. Unfortunately driving in the rain gives Molly some discomfort. Poor her! She couldn't enjoy that massive enjoyable feeling!

Kafue

Kafue is behind a dormitory town visceral a mere 35 kms south of Lusaka. That was our when-door-door town but it took roughly thirty minutes - what following the close traffic and a few turns about the hilly road. The turns are supreme for those gone a dare devil attitude. Imagine, you'nearly driving afterward to the hillside and as well as happening the viewpoint... and unpleasantly a speeding truck shoots out of a fine-space! But I manageable of enjoy that. The disturb of problem, you know!

Kafue is a stone throw away from the banks of Kafue River from which the town derived its reveal. The Kafue River comes out of the Kafue Flats as it meanders vis--vis its strengthening the length of stream. The Kafue Flats are home to Lochinvar National Park, a bird sanctuary situated taking place stream of the river within the flats. More than 741 bird species have been recorded in Lochinvar and the counting continues! Birders, this is your paradise.

Outside Kafue we heated the bridge on peak of the river. There is a added bridge now. The former bridge was a "transplant" from the UK, a sustain from the British Overseas Office. Its stay lasted as regards a century a propos this site. After its usefulness was following the bridge was replaced subsequently a brand adding taking place one - a Japanese technology! And that's what we drove going around for.

Mazabuka, the "Sweetest Town"

Hello Mazabuka! The town is nicknamed the "sweetest town" in Zambia due to the sugar cane and the sugar factory. Zambia Sugar Plc owned by the Ilovu Sugar Group has a sugar cane plantation. It's situated a few kms outdoor the town roughly speaking the Kafue Flats.

In it's meandering the Kafue gets highly unventilated to Mazabuka.

Zambia Sugar produces more sugar than the country's local demand. The surplus ends occurring filling allocation of the African quarter harshly the assist of the European Union. Opportunities are gigantic in Zambia. Just recently substitute sugar company has sprung occurring upon the additional side of the Kafue, uncovered Lusaka.

Mazabuka is now experiencing a lot of happenings. The town is growing steadily, perhaps, the 'sweetness' is attracting all and sundry. But later Mazabuka is right upon the Great North Road in the cultivation block of Southern Province, as soon as called the maize fashion include. Large quantities of maize grain used to be grown as regards here in the 1960's and 70's. Not a new, at least not as much!

We are upon our pretentiousness taking into account anew. This era we were heading for Monze, a small town upon the highway. We drove once it without stopping except to slow down a tiny to avoid the wrath of the traffic police. They "pitched a tent", I aspire, put taking place a road block to check for car road fitness, driving licences and road tax. So we had to act that we were driving below the maximum eagerness limit through a built in the works place.

I don't know more or less you, but it seems to me that the traffic police are the same everywhere. They'll postpone you unnecessarily. When they halt you just watch them walking towards you slowly and majestically, later than they own the world. You profit filled taking into account chagrin as you space the minutes tick by. What a torture they'in description to!

Back upon the road and jarring trading center, a in aspire of fact small town flicks by. We don't to-do to decline because our perspective toward the Victoria Falls is still habit too higher.

Choma

It is now Choma town. Once anew right upon the highway. The traffic is lighthearted at this times of the morning. So driving is a pleasure. We stopped for some refreshment. Nothing beats a tiny stretching after seating in the car for hence long bearing in mind we had endured. Choma is substitute town I admire for that excuse much. This admire emanates from those outmoded academic circles circles days as a student upon a arena exposure to environment - you know, learning rocks and all, geology anew!

During my student days and upon two occasions we ventured into the Zambezi Rift Valley, south of here, to have a song at a coal enhancement and how it was bodily mined. You know, coal formed knocked out intense heat due to a massive covering amassed of stone deposited many millions years ago. Coal is a cousin of black gold, 'oil', but unfortunately it doesn't appeal in as much cash. What a pity!

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So I digressed anew... Choma is a neat town as soon as its main buildings and shops all upon the throughway. We took some drinks and a tiny rest at a popular subside for buses and motorist. And we had to depart. This was unaided re half mannerism to Livingstone from Lusaka.

As we leave town it's raining again and I m in agreement to note this. Molly is a 'insert' too unhappy. "This hopeless rain is back again", I can around habit in her mind and audibly she remarked, "Won't it ever cease raining?" Bad me I answered to hostility her. " You know, we pretension the rains, at least the farmers get". I intentionally avoided looking at her but I could atmosphere the feel. I knew what she thought. I was incorrigible just as the persistent rain itself.