Well we shall try again, i wrote a lot yesterday when i got to Muzuzu, all was great till the power went off and i lost it all.

The people in Ndola where fantastic to me, i stayed around over a week. They took me to a game park with a lake, went to a lodge and when we got there it was closed and flooded, went out riding, with Ernest on his Quad bike. Did so many things it was great.

Ernest and Astrid do a lot of 4x4 driving so they gave me hints on where to go, and how to deal with the local border posts etc.I took time out while in Ndola to go up to the Chimpanzee Orphanage nrth of Chingola. The Orphanage is rather run down but it was nice to see, especially the elderly lady owner. She and her late husband started the place like 20 + years ago. They have Chimps from all types of back grounds- movies, circus, private zoos, bar rooms etc. rather interesting. She also was a bit of a motorcyclist, did some social racing in her time.

From Ndola i headed over the Congo to get to the Northern Province of Zambia. Ernest and Astrid gave me all the low down on what to see and what to expect. They spent so long going over the map marking places of interest, giving minute details of the border crossing etc. i was actually a little nervice as i left. I didnt want to let them down after all their effort, but there i am, havant even got to the border and id realised that my medical book had no stamp for COLLERA. Ernest had specifically said for me to check and i didnt.

So on the side of the road near the border of the Congo i played doctor. With a stroke of the pen and a signiture of DR. LOU i was inoculated against Collera. I must have done a great job as when i showed it at the the border all went well. On the subject of the border, i couldnt even make an easy crossing out of Zambia. my visa had expired. I felt a bit of a fool, i never even checked. It ran out several days before hand. I handed over ZK50,000 to the gaurde and got my stamp out. Better than the time in jail he was talking about.

At the Congo border post the officials where sitting in a row at one desk like birds on a branch at feeding time. It went like this 'show me this form, now pay zk5,000' on to the next official 'show me this form, now pay me zk5,000' this kept up till i got to the end of the row and i think there where 6 of them. Some where in all that, lots of locals had gone and went and i also remember handing over $30 U.S. to one offical and actually got a reciet.
Now at the end of the line im told to follow one official and sort out the papers for the bike with another over the road. Finally im allowed through the gate, but no the gate guy wants his bit, i say no, your mates have it all and i ride into the Congo.