Zambia
(07/12 - 30/12)
After almost two months in Tanzania, we continue our tour with its neighbor: Zambia. While it is true that the country is not at the top of our destinations, its geographical location between Tanzania and Namibia quickly convinces us. Favoring land borders over air flights (budget & ecological impact), we naturally add Zambia to our itinerary. And what a good choice we make, because after some research, we learn that this is the El Dorado of the walking safari and the home of the highest waterfalls of the continent! Not to mention its cultural richness thanks to the 70 different ethnic groups who live there in harmony. The country promises to be interesting!
Contents
Nakonde (07/12 - 08/12)
Following our most hectic border crossing (see our article dedicated to Tanzania), we are physically and mentally exhausted. We have been traveling non-stop for three days now, and the lack of sleep associated with the heat and our arguments with the authorities are starting to seriously get on our nerves. We can't wait to get to the capital to get some rest! A little patience, because we must first of all tick all the procedures that we have to do each time we arrive in a new country: check the validity period of our visa; exchange the rest of the local currency from our previous destination (more than an hour's wait at the bank); withdraw money from an ATM (additional 15 minutes); get a new SIM card, put it into service and recharge it (more than 30 minutes); and finally go to the bus station to buy our tickets. It’s 1:00 pm and obviously, there are no more buses for today. The next one leaves tomorrow at… 4.30am! In front of our discouraged faces, one of the company's managers accompanies us to a very decent hotel and tells us where to eat. His kindness confirms our first impression of the locals: smiling, kind and not at all oppressive.
Wake up at 3:30 am then, even more tired than the day before but at least with a full stomach. We are heading to Lusaka more than 1000 kilometers away !!! In the end, it was not such a bad thing not to have done all the way to the capital yesterday ... On the journey, the stops are regular, to the delight of Anouck who does not miss an opportunity to discover the dishes offered by each street vendor.
Lusaka (08/12 - 12/12)
We arrive safely after more than 17 hours on the road and excessive impatience. No sightseeing planned, just SLEEPING. Okay, let's just make a quick stop by the local supermarket to buy something to cook. But we will have to wait for the meal as the daily power cut from 11am to 10.30pm decides otherwise!! We do it with the means at hand…
A little extra effort and we meet at the national museum which retraces the development of the country. From its discovery to its current status as a Republic, through its colonization and independence, we discover a rather complex history. We are pleasantly surprised to learn that unlike its neighbors, Zambia has never experienced war on its territory. The visit ends with a colorful temporary exhibition created by local artists.
After these few days of rest in the capital, we are once again ready for our next adventure: our volunteering experience in the Eastern region, at the border with Malawi.
Katete (12/12 - 23/12)
What is certain is that we won’t run out of anything on the bus. Even before departure, dozens of salespeople come on board and offer their products. And believe us, there is something for everyone: drinks and food of course, but also toys, jewelry, electronics, beauty items, etc.
During our 8 hour journey, we are impressed by the green landscapes around us. These large expanses are far away from the arid clichés of Africa!
We reach our destination in the night and are immediately directed to our bedroom.
It's weird, the room feels very lively to us with all those shadows rippling across the walls, until we realize we are facing about fifteen hairy pseudo tarantulas disturbed in their sleep. Great! We voluntarily skip the shower (although necessary) in the inhabited bathroom, and we curl up in our bed, without changing us, and with a mosquito net too small for us (no way we open our bags and welcome new tenants!). As you can imagine, the night is chaotic and we are counting down every minute until the sunrise. If it is unthinkable for us to cancel our volunteering, we nevertheless decide to stay in a permanent hotel a little further away. We are really committed to giving the best of ourselves for this humanitarian mission, which also means restful nights. Now reassured, it is time for us to work!
Here we are at the Tikondane Community Center, an NGO aiming at fighting poverty among the surrounding farmers.
On the program: discovery of how the association works in the fields of permaculture, education, nutrition and AIDS prevention; visit to homes benefiting from the various programs; analysis of the measures implemented; contribution to the food supplement project for children suffering from malnutrition; participation in weekly meetings, etc. This experience transforms us, both through its committed dimension and its human richness. Exactly what we came for on this trip! Feel free to click HERE to relive this unforgettable and inspiring adventure with us!
In addition, our back and forth trips between our accommodation and the association give us the chance to observe and even be part of the local life. From the first days, we are struck by the apparent poverty of the inhabitants: makeshift homes, torn clothes, etc. Not surprising when we know that 64% of Zambians live below the poverty line of $1.90/day, with 40% of them with less than $1.25/day.
However, all the faces we meet are smiling and warm, we are always greeted with enthusiasm and we feel totally safe. Besides, there is no question of religious tensions here: everyone has the right to choose, show and pray their religion as they want. It is thus common for a priest to bless a bus before its departure even with Muslim passengers on board or to see churches alongside mosques. All this small world coexists harmoniously. A real inspiration! This diversity makes us very curious and makes us want to attend a local mass, and the least we can say is that it does not lack liveliness!
Our immersion also allows us to discover the warm town of Katete a few kilometers from the NGO. And to get there, it's easy, just stop a bicycle taxi on the road! You may feel a bit embarrassed at first to be carried around like that on a luggage rack, but it really is the most common form of transportation here (no local bus and very few cars). We get used to it and even get a taste for it, especially when we know that it really helps local people.
The city itself doesn't have much to offer, but we like to soak up the friendly atmosphere that emanates from it and all the colors surrounding us.
After ten days of enrichment in many aspects, we reluctantly left Katete for an express but nonetheless beautiful crossing of the country. 500 kilometers to the capital, followed by the same distance to Livingstone.
Livingstone (23/12 - 30/12)
This time, we are traveling in a minibus and come to regret it from the first minutes. The vehicle is crowded (as usual), but unlike large buses, there is no hold nor trunk for this one. From floor to ceiling, every square inch of the cabin is taken. Fortunately, the good atmosphere of the trip makes us forget our sardines status during this seven hour journey.
When we arrive in Livingstone, we are immediately impressed by the large number of facilities. This is the most touristic region in the country, and coming from Katete, it can only be more developed, but still. Supermarkets are everywhere, restaurants on every street corner, banks, pharmacies, stationary… In short, everything we need (special mention to the Italian gelato shop!). As we approach our accommodation, the landscape changes and concrete constructions become scarce. Like a symbol of Africa, we are now walking along a dirt track, between the simplest stalls on one side and concrete buildings on the other.
Besides its architectural diversity, Livingstone is best known for its proximity to the famous Victoria Falls, one of the Seven Wonders of the World. And what better than a helicopter flight on Christmas Day to admire them? We are slightly skeptical at the sight of the playmobil gadget that is supposed to take us on board at an altitude of 500m, but the excitement takes over from the takeoff.
A few seconds later and we can already see the cloud of vapor emerging from the waterfalls. Unbelievable!
There we are: a 15-minute flight over the Victoria Falls! At our altitude, we really realize the scale of this unique natural phenomenon, which stretches over nearly 1,700 meters. It’s huge! We let you judge by yourself...
We make the most of the last few minutes, not without missing the herd of hippos quietly basking in the water.
It's already over, but we remain captivated for many more minutes by the scenery we have just traveled. In short, a memorable Christmas!
Before heading back, we pass the town museum and the imposing statue of explorer David Livingstone, the very one who discovered the falls in 1855.
If it takes the rest of the day to recover from our activity, it must be said that it has clearly whetted our appetites, so the next day we decide to go back. After the Victoria Falls seen from the sky, let’s go for the Victoria Falls seen from the land! And we start off great!
The experience is incomparable, totally different from the day before. The sound of the helicopter is replaced by the deafening sound of the waterfalls, the sky by vegetation, and the falls produce a fine rain that soaks us from head to toe!
It's hard to describe the sensations we feel, but we are just so tiny in front of the immensity of the 108-meter-high wall of water that stands before us.
After more than two hours of contemplation, we leave the site, more than delighted to have been able to admire the Victoria Falls from all angles.
We come to the delicate and less pleasant, although essential, part of the trip: the famous Covid test, which this time must be less than 72 hours old to cross the Namibian border. In short, a miracle if we succeed! Fortunately, we are in contact with the director of the health district, who promises to deliver the results on time. We believe it... First doubt when we discover the hygienic conditions of the sample. Only half of the staff wear masks (and below the chin of course), and the materials are stored in bulk in a corner of a room which also houses three large motorcycles...
Second doubt when we witness the unparalleled productivity of employees. This sounds full of promises!
Surprisingly, the test turns out to be much more regulatory than the one carried out previously in Tanzania. For the results, however, we will come back ... The day we are due to receive them, we are informed that they are on their way to ... Lusaka! Hum, sorry? However, we are promised that we will have them during the day, and we better do, as we plan to take the bus early the next day. 8 p.m.,still nothing, how surprising! But as usual, we continue to get the same message: "soon soon". A night of stress later, and we finally get the results from the laboratory (almost 24 hours late). Great, except they have to be accompanied by a special certificate issued by the clinic. By the time we get there, the secretary arrives, turns on her computer, accesses her mailbox and reloads the printer and voila! We finally have them! And above all, WE HAVE JUST MISSED OUR BUS!
We have no other choice but to wait for the next one at 11:30 am. 12:30 p.m. and still nothing… “soon soon”, they still dare to repeat. Of course, we know your "soon soon" very well now!
At 1:00 p.m., we understand that if it does happen one day, we will never make it to the border post on time (even if the staff dare to say the opposite to all the worried passengers). So we ask to be reimbursed and book a bus with another company for the next day at 5 am, just to be sure. And fortunately, because it takes us more than 5 hours to reach our destination. We should not encounter problems with immigration: we leave Zambia more than a week ahead of our visa, our covid test is only 48 hours old, and the Namibian visa is free. For once, the border crossing is going easy! A little spray (of a mysterious product) on our luggage by the authorities, and here we are, in NAMIBIA!
Highlights
OUR FAVOURITES
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The opportunity to learn and exchange culturally
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The kindness of locals
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Zero oppression
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Off the beaten track country, so very authentic
OUR DISAPPOINTMENTS
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A life paced by the power failures
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The endless lies about the delays
Budget
