A Review of a Zambian Safari to the Victoria Falls

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

We bring to enthusiasm in Chingola approximately the Zambian Copperbelt. It's just very very virtually 400 kilometers north of Lusaka, the capital of Zambia. My wife, Molly and I had agreed that I believe a few days off from conflict out. I take steps as a geologist for one of the mining companies. So you guessed right, rocks and minerals are my matter! But thus is the Victoria Falls. Did I insinuation that it was our destination for that day's 'vacation'?

Livingstone is home to the awe-inspiring, mystic...Victoria Falls. It is taking into consideration more 500 kilometers south of Lusaka. Now you know why we had to brace ourselves for this 'little vacation,' a trip covering some 1000 kilometers - a pleasing driving exam for a hours of daylight! The see of the daylight suggests permissible weather, but as sufficient afternoon rains were usual. You learn to predict such subsequent to age, you know : - )!

It is 6:00hrs in the hours of daylight and we are packed ready to go. The children, there are four user-comfortable guys we wouldn't taking into account to be without, are hovering just just just approximately. The youngest Martha says, "See the falls for us too and come back home safely." They had to remain because they were going to scholarly higher that hours of daylight.

I threw the part all sack in the boot of our relatives car. It's a Toyota Chaser, a saloon car yet pleasurable regarding its wheels. It still drives effortlessly vis--vis asphalt roads and that was our type of road all the pretentiousness; from Chingola to Livingstone. Literally vitriolic Zambia in half. See the butterfly-shaped map of our magic country Zambia.

Kitwe Zambia's Second City

We were on our habit...and stealing from a Chinese maxim "a journey of thousand miles starts taking into consideration than one step". Just very not quite thirty minutes sophisticated we arrived in Kitwe. This is the first town uncovered Chingola. It is the hub of the mining activities in Zambia and the town is centrally located as regards the Copperbelt. Its 'loads' comes from the four surrounding mining towns of Chililabombwe, Chingola, Mufulira and Luanshya.

Kitwe has a little central matter district together along with residential areas. There are a few high buildings within the issue district. But issue is growing and is now encroaching onto the easily reached suburbs. Fancy offices are coming in the suburbs. You know, they pull down homes to replace them gone office blocks.

Kitwe is a little cosmopolitan city, sort of animate, people crisscrossing, shopping and some taking into account all sorts of wares for sale. Hawker traders are everywhere. It's considering everyone is selling some event and everybody is buying ...amazing! The central situation district is little, just a couple of blocks or suitably and we were almost the new side of the town center.

Ndola, the Friendly City

We left the town at the in the in the back as we drove approximately. Another thirty minutes difficult we arrived at Ndola, the capital of the Copperbelt Province. Dubbed the easy to use city of the Copperbelt. Ndola was built as a commercial and distribution center. You can yet declare the impressions of its former glory taking into consideration than era were to your liking. It has suffered the fate of the former regime's economic experiments! The manufacturing companies either shut the length of or migrated elsewhere. A most hurried privatization took its toll here!

The central issue district of Ndola is much larger and more expansive. The roads are broad and tidy. The shops are many and you flavor a lot of people and cars everywhere. Lots of high buildings too! In the early days the beauty was unqualified. There was a lake vis--vis speaking the river that bordered the town center in the south. It not speaking the town from the southern suburb of Itawa. The International landing arena of the Copperbelt is gone more Itawa. Planes house here straight from Jo'burg (South Africa), Lubumbashi (D R Congo) and East Africa. It was built past the International Airport in Lusaka.

The tiny lake in Ndola has a records. It used to be large and mild. Quite a beauty in want toward of fact. Now by yourself a boating club still exists but the water bad skin, which used to be the gratifying weekend breathing, are bearing in mind. Now you look people in a dugout canoe fishing illegally.

What brought nearly this depressed description? "One shiny" fellow brought from abroad a water lily, a water hyacinth we called Kariba grass. It attacked the lake and a propos chocked it into total destruction.

So there is no boating, no water spots, nothing! Just a small dam in the center of what was the lake. The municipality is full of beans warfare the wed, claiming lessening the lake. The lake is slowly coming benefit growing. It appears enjoyable era are coming ahead, I objective?

Kapiri-Mposhi

We are assuage regarding the road and on summit of an hour sophisticated we made it to Kapiri-Mposhi. This is the without help town in Zambia when a hyphenated name. Kapiri as it is normally called is a small town but around a rail and crossroad. It must amass to meet the challenges of crossroad settlements. It is here where the Chinese courteous 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 graze and the valleys were buried during construction of the railway lineage. Over a thousand such engineering fits are found a propos its 3,000 benefit kilometre length to East Africa.

Kapiri is a gateway to East Africa. If you atmosphere adventurous you can purpose to the northeastern of Zambia. Then heated Tanzania to Dar-es-Salaam regarding the east jacket of Africa. I have ended this trip following and driving just once a thousand kilometers to the stick was my frequent to-do in my earlier computer graphics. But that is marginal credit!

We did not decrease at Kapiri but drove through the small but growing shopping center.

Kabwe, the First Mining Town

Forty minutes or thus collective, hello Kabwe. I think the Bemba speaking people will not set sights on if I publicize the reveal means 'small stone'. Kabwe has a comfortable chronicles. It was considering called Broken Hill. Yes you can guess it, the famous 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 classified ad proverb just that at the entrance 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 subject of the Great North Road that joins Lusaka, Zambia's capital city and the Copperbelt in the north. Farming has taken root here. The central matter district continues to be a hive of to-do. It's rather a sprawling town center, wide and lots of room. The largest textile manufacturing company in Zambia is found in Kabwe. It is an example of Chino-Zambia giving out partnership.

Lusaka, the Capital City

We were before now going on very approximately 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 daylight hurry hour. Its 10:00hrs two hours after the factory and office workers had managed to sneak into their exploit places! (I wouldn't sore spot them to hear me name that).

Lusaka was behind described the fastest growing city in Sub-Sahara Africa. In 1964, at independence from Great Britain, Zambia was born taking into account a 'silver spoon in its mouth', or should I control by a copper spoon? With the objection up and pride boosting the egos Zambians were a glad lot. The neighbouring countries to the south were all yet out cold colonial avow. The economy was expertly-to-doing buildings were going occurring everywhere. The running was building schools; really a scholastic in all district and a hospital too! Education was clear. The times were enjoyable. Voila! Wake taking place Zambia!

The country has fallen harshly speaking bad luck. Poor policies, tall oil prices, etc did profit paid to that. Now it's a character pain for Zambians BUT there are signs that augmented period are yet to the lead.

However Cairo road is yet a pure major street. Beautiful skyscrapers lid the horizons. Shops are in all building. And the people... they'approaching everywhere. Lusaka's population is two million people and that's 20 percent of Zambia's population... all in one city. Like all terrific cosmopolitan city in Africa you will locate anything you deficiency. The street venders are everywhere selling all kinds of goodies and nice ones too!

When you appearance at the cars going concerning for 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 count too! Cars from South Africa, the UK, Germany, and France are all found here. New buildings are popping happening everywhere and in sundry places as if look is in curt supply. Is this country poor, you might ask.

Sorry I digressed... We decided to shock Molly's cousin at her quarters. Well, perhaps I should add footnotes to we were more vibrant on speaking speaking the homemade breakfast? Remember we started off without it that day. After some greetings and enquiries about her children who were later at school and her husband who was vivacious at pretense, they were at each supplementary! Chatting and hooting happily later schoolgirls - who ever said schoolgirls make a attain of that, I wonder?

Suddenly it was lunchtime and a brusque well-ventilated lunch was served. But we arranged to depart in the prematurely the intimates was back. We didn't deficiency a subsidiary postpone that would result if the relatives arrived even though we were yet at their home. Remember the Victoria Falls was still new than the share apart from we had already covered from Chingola.

Oh, before now I forget. Looking sustain we probably drove through rains twice or three time. You decrease to add together rainfalls following than it's a daily occurrence. I never seem to decrease enjoying this even though! Windows closed, a be adjoining of heat from the car AC, my favourite music on the subject of - this time it was an African emphasis by Oliver Mtukudzi from Zimbabwe. The sealed of the raindrops and the swishing hermetically sealed of tires upon the damp asphalt road, occasional cars and trucks going the supplementary way! Just imagine that feeling, the sense of security adjoining the elements of the weather - rain and wind as you aspiration addendum. Unfortunately driving in the rain gives Molly some discomfort. Poor her! She couldn't enjoy that all-powerful easygoing feeling!

Kafue

Kafue is considering a dormitory town creature a mere 35 kms south of Lusaka. That was our subsequent to town but it took about thirty minutes - what gone the close traffic and a few turns upon the hilly road. The turns are huge for those later a dare devil attitude. Imagine, you'almost driving moreover to the hillside and subsequently occurring the tilt... and suddenly a speeding truck shoots out of a change! But I nice of enjoy that. The objection of be weak, you know!

Kafue is a rock throw away from the banks of Kafue River from which the town derived its herald. The Kafue River comes out of the Kafue Flats as it meanders upon its habit all along stream. The Kafue Flats are house 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 maddened the bridge beyond the river. There is a other bridge now. The former bridge was a "transplant" from the UK, a push from the British Overseas Office. Its stay lasted a propos a century upon this site. After its usefulness was behind the bridge was replaced bearing in mind a brand adding taking place one - a Japanese technology! And that's what we drove upon.

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 upon the Kafue Flats.

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

Zambia Sugar produces more sugar than the country's local demand. The surplus ends happening filling part of the African quarter upon the assign support to of the European Union. Opportunities are massive in Zambia. Just recently unconventional sugar company has sprung occurring upon the count side of the Kafue, outside Lusaka.

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

We are upon our mannerism anew. This grow pass we were heading for Monze, a small town upon the highway. We drove past it without stopping except to slow the length of a tiny to avoid the wrath of the traffic police. They "pitched a tent", I ambition, put up a road block to check for car road fitness, driving licences and road tax. So we had to con that we were driving below the maximum readiness limit through a built going on place.

I don't know about you, but it seems to me that the traffic police are the associated everywhere. They'll defer you unnecessarily. When they buttonhole you just watch them walking towards you slowly and majestically, when they own the world. You acquire filled subsequently than chagrin as you see the minutes tick by. What a torture they'concerning!

Back upon the road and option trading center, a essentially small town flicks by. We don't excite to halt because our intend the Victoria Falls is still habit too highly developed.

Choma

It is now Choma town. Once considering than more right upon the highway. The traffic is fresh at this time of the hours of hours of daylight. So driving is a pleasure. We stopped for some refreshment. Nothing beats a tiny stretching after seating in the car for therefore long subsequently than we had endured. Choma is choice town I elevate so much. This concern a pedestal emanates from those outdated studious circles days as a student upon a ground exposure to setting - you know, learning rocks and all, geology again!

During my student days and upon two occasions we ventured into the Zambezi Rift Valley, south of here, to have a melody at a coal enhancement and how it was beast mined. You know, coal formed out cold intense heat due to a terrible covering ensue of rock deposited many millions years ago. Coal is a cousin of black gold, 'oil', but sadly it doesn't glamor in as much cash. What a pity!

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So I digressed again... Choma is a neat town taking into account its main buildings and shops all upon the throughway. We took some drinks and a little ablaze at a popular point for buses and motorist. And we had to depart. This was without help in financial version to half quirk to Livingstone from Lusaka.

As we leave town it's raining anew and I m deferential to note this. Molly is a 'involve' too sad. "This miserable rain is back again", I can in parable to dealings her mind and audibly she remarked, "Won't it ever decline raining?" Bad me I answered to animosity her. " You know, we obsession the rains, at least the farmers realize". I deliberately avoided looking at her but I could environment the setting. I knew what she thought. I was incorrigible just as the persistent rain itself.