Great Northern Road or Paradise Found
15th and 16th, the Great Northern Road or Paradise Found
The group has split for a while. Miles and David are headed towards South Luangwa Park and Malawi, Omar (Egyptian on an Africa Twin), Bridgette his Australian girlfriend and I are taking the Great Northern Road direct to Tanzania. We all plan to meet in Arusha on the 27th for a side trip to the Norgorongoro Crater.
Omar’s (over) loaded bike.

Eventually after much repacking we managed to leave at about 11h00. The first stop was for fuel needless to say the garage was sold out. I was about to leave when Omar disappeared only to come back 5 minutes with the Manager who then switched on the pumps and filled our tanks. It pays to travel with a Muslin Egyptian lawyer! For the next 2 days 8 out of 9 fuel stations we stopped at were empty. Apparently the refinery is broken, sounds like home.
We had an uneventful ride until about 250 km out of Lusaka I spotted the Fig Tree Coffee shop. I can find decent coffee in most places!

We had a late lunch of toasted sandwiches followed by afternoon tea and chocolate cake.

The end result was that we nearly had to travel in the dark to reach our campsite. I am yet to pitch my tent much to the others disgust as to date all the campsites also have chalets.

I think I have discovered where our ex Minister of Health is, she has moved to Zambia. See picture beow.

Today we agreed to travel separately and meet up at the Kapishya Hot Springs. From the turnoff it is 14 km down a sandy dirt road (sand and motorbikes do not belong together) to XX an English Manor House Shiwa Ng’andu built shortly after the First World War. By today’s standards it is in the middle of nowhere, I shudder to think how long it took to travel before cars and decent roads. It forms part of the largest privately owned land in Zambia about 120 000 hectares.

Shiwa Ng"andu

After stopping for a few pictures I continued for another 20 km to the Kapishya hot springs, what a find after a long day

At least 35 degree’s, about the same as a really hot bath, set in the middle of the bush. An aboslolute pleasure.