The Welcome Party

After 17 hours on planes and in airports passed uneventfully, except to say that Callum remained awake throughout, we arrived at Lusaka International Airport right on time, at 16.30. We made our way smartly across the tarmac to the short corridor that leads to immigration. The whole exit procedure took all of 5 minutes – I love small airports. We had met fellow teacher Courtney and her husband Chris while waiting for our connecting flight in Dubai and we spent a pleasant half hour in the immigration queue chatting, with only Callum wilting from lack of sleep. Once through immigration, which was painless, we located our luggage and helped Chris and Courtney locate their 17 bags and boxes. They had decided not to ship anything but rather to pay excess on their luggage. Although Chris' bike got left in Dubai, this seemed like an eminently sensible option given our later shipment trauma.
Martin, International School of Lusaka headmaster, met us at the airport and once we'd established the process for collecting Chris' bike, we were whisked off to our new homes. Two minutes into the journey Callum fell asleep and didn't wake up until eight the next morning. We tucked Callum up in his ready made bed and looked round the house with Martin. He quickly noted that although the toilet was new, it didn't have a seat on it and the bath had been repainted but the shower curtain rail was absent. The dining table and chairs were also missing and well...other sundry items.
Our assigned buddies Katell and Fraser from two doors down, introduced themselves and their children Axelle and Nathan and treated us to a most welcome supper. I have to say, had it not been for the serious effort on Martin's and our buddies' part, settling in would have been a very different experience. There's nothing quite like being deliberately introduced and made known to people to make you feel welcome and part of the community. 
After an early night we were ready for our first foray into Zambia - a camping trip to Kiambe, on the Lower Zambezi.  The mention of camping usually fills me with dread. The combination of cold, inevitably accompanied by wet, of my formative years causes me to start generating reasons to avoid it; even though I really want to want to do it. But this time I felt excited about it. Martin and wife Cherry turned up in their 4x4 packed to the hilt with all the necessary camping equipment. We headed south east out of Lusaka on the Leopards Hill Road, the out of town section of which, although only a year old and very smooth to drive on, was covered in oil spills. After 40km the road ends and we turned right onto the RD481, The Escarpment Road, a dirt track. We had managed a healthy 60mph on the new road, but on the track even Martin, the seasoned explorer and off-roader, slowed to a bumpy 15/20mph on the good bits. 

Our route to Kiambe shown in orange, along
Leopards Hill Road and the dirt track

It is the end of winter and there has been no rain since April, the trees are mostly bare, the landscape dry, brown and dusty, but it’s still beautifully warm making it to at least around 26oC most days. Heading out of Lusaka it’s flat; as we made our way down the dirt track the flat gave way to sharp inclines and spectacular views across the valley, hence, I suppose, the name the Escarpment. You really need a serious 4x4 with high ground clearance to make it down the Escarpment; even our Rav4 wouldn’t have coped with it. At one point Cherry had to get out and guide the car round where the last rains had washed away a portion of the track and make sure we didn’t tumble down the steep incline.

Callum at the coffee & cake stop, just before it got really bumpy.
See the track and hills behind him

We passed many villages with the traditional thatch roofed and grass sided houses. The villagers were sitting around doing not much more than keeping out of the sun. Since they are pretty much all subsistence farmers there isn’t much to be working on until just before the rains come in late October. The children standing near the road waved enthusiastically to us as we covered them in dust.

Typical village houses

At the campsite we off-loaded all the equipment from in and on the cars and found suitable tents, mattresses and sleeping bags, erecting the tents while the children charged round exploring and working off the excess energy of sitting still for 3 hours. There was time to meet and get to know the other car parties. In Katel and Fraser’s car were Leah (school counsellor) Courtney and Chris, all Americans in their late 20s and Fiona (Scottish, in her early 50s who first met Cherry and Martin some 20 years ago in Oman). Then Natanya and Todd, Belgian and American brought their 3 children and Axelle and Nathan.

View of the Zambezi river from our campsite

At 16hr (important to say time in 24 hour clock or you could come unstuck) we trooped down to the edge of the Zambezi for a boat trip. In a slightly surreal atmosphere we sipped wine, beer or juice as we watched elephants, hippos, crocs, baboons, impalas and various other African excitements. We finished off by watching the sun go down; it moves so fast you actually see it move down to the horizon. I remember Mum telling me about her childhood memories of it in Sri Lanka but I didn’t think it really happened like that!

Clockwise from top left: couple of bull elephants, crocs,
hippos and green bee-eaters

Much later after a fantastic BBQ of Zambeef beef steaks followed by marsh mallows melted over the camp fire, Steve and I lay awake in our tent listening to the sounds of our new home: cicadas chirping, the strange sound of hippos mooing, elephants trumpeting and lions roaring across the river in Zimbabwe. Glad to have a river separating them from us we touched fingers in silent and mutual anticipation of what life has in store for us here, and still not quite believing that this is our new home.

Sunset on the second day