Sorry but ICT gone badWent to see old school and took some photos and had a bit of a mooch about. Left at 11.00 am for Lusaka. Just another long ride on fair to middling roads until the roadworks. Only 3 sections but can not do at car speed so ended up overtaking and taking on mud and potholes just lining the bike up and doing Charlie Bormann style keep the throttle open and no brakes. Had to stop in a few places to build a gap between cars and me and use the wrong side of the road (if there is one over here) getting back quick when something approached.
Pulled in for fuel at 5 petrol stations and they had run out, rode another 40Km to Kabwe and finally found one. Got waved through the long queue to the pump and filled up, other drivers did not approve especially when the attendant said this was the last pump still working. Rode on toward Lusaka.
Now that was an experience and all new, gridlock with everyone pushing through junctions and snarling them up, no one gives way. Got through it and headed out on the Kitwe road. No Idea where I was, GPS still dodgy, Drove to school down this road every day for a couple of years, can not recognize a thing. Built up for 12Km out, only sign of Makeni is the Makeni shopping Mall.
Main road South, a highway, 4 lanes of broken up concrete, 15Km out of the city was the Eureka campsite so pulled in, 2 Km dirt track and the site. Two quid to camp in a tent for the night or a tenner for a chalet??? So booked in for 3 nights, sat on the verandah having a local Mosi or three Zambian light refreshing beers, watched Arsenal and Man United win (broke my rule and having a beer) then another when Zebra started walking past eating the grass. Another beer and fell asleep listening to Echoes and watching billions of stars. Woke up in the morning with monkey's on the window sills trying to steal whatever they could get.
Got up at 6 (been daylight for an hour) and thought about all I could do and saw it was Sunday, the day of rest so have sat about reading and doing nothing, bit of heat on the old ankle has sorted the stiffness a bit. Rediscovered tea, Three Roses is pretty good as opposed to Reebos (sorry for the spelling).
Went for a ride round the city of Lusake, found Cedar Road, Woodlands school, Kabulonga, teagles Road but due to the 6 inches of dust gave it a miss. The old araes are still in good nick road wise, the newer ones were poor. Stopped at the Lusaka Museum for some culture and it was nice the colonial bit a wee bit scrappy but otherwise interesting. Traffic rules confuse me, stop at a crosssing only to avoid hitting a pedestrian, roundabouts, give way to the left, no, just shut your eyes and go it is a contact sport at slow speed. Have to say so far everone has seen me and mostly been kind.
Got back to the camp to adopted by a Jack Russel untils its owner turned up and then came back to me when she left. Stpped at the gate by an overlander who has been in Livingstone for 3 months trying to get info in roads that he and wife can use going up through Kenya and arranged to meet up in a couple of days to talk, they are on a Yamaha 1200 Super Tenere. Will look forward to it. Once again moving on, fed up with older people moaning about using holes in the ground as toilets and dirt everywwhere and the latest is they allow insects inside? Guess they would moan wherever they were just wish they would go away and leave me in squalor where I am happy and contented. Met up with another group in the big yello lorries, someone tell Miss Juniper she did it the easy way having seen the preperation that goes into their arrival twwice and the nice places they stay.
Leave tomorrow, may stop at Munda Wanga, sounds great, used to be a tip or Kafue dam or even both or may just head for Livingstone and Vic falls for a week (can't cope with the planning thought I had left that behind), place been recomended where elephant and hippo wander through the camp, make a change from the monkies who had my washing kit out through a partially open window last night. Scared the stuffing out of me last night and the zebra munching grass at the chalet doorway this morning.
Stopped in several shopping malls today and none had wifi, Zambia is strange as I can not even find an Internet cafe except in the city centre here they park two abreast and clamp them for parking in the road, just to cause more chaos. Lost track of the day and date again, think it is Monday 28th.
Oh yes one for the sisters, guess what the gaurds do outside the Presidents house when you come along and indicate to turn into the baracks (with no canons outside)? Wrong they do nothing and I tried 3 times.