Around Zambia – Nineteenth Week in Zambia

August 3rd – 10th

Sunday, August 3 – Heading to Lusaka, little deer on the road

Wake-up at 5 a.m. and off by taxi to the bus station, of course without tickets. Luckily, on the first available UBZ bus, there are two free seats: 4 and 11. Let’s gooo!! The road to Lusaka is a mix of highway and roadside life: vendors everywhere and lanes shared with anyone and anything. Sitting at the front, I enjoy the view and trust my life to an extremely attentive driver, dodging trucks and cars like a video game. Arriving in Lusaka, chaos and traffic greet us, yet people handle it all calmly. We spend the afternoon among markets and missed purchases (“if I had bought everything, I’d need another suitcase”), a snack with cake and muffins after days of boiled potatoes and bananas, and an evening movie watching “Fantastic Four” in English. Tired but happy, we return to the hotel ready for the next day.

Monday, August 4 – Lusaka between art and markets

Early wake-up, hearty breakfast, and a walk to the Lusaka Traditional Cultural Museum. The ticket costs 100 kwacha… but once they find out we’re residents, it magically drops to 10 kwacha (about €0.37). The museum displays stunning paintings, though they’re out of our budget. We then head to a traditional market, where bargaining is an art. Lunch at the hotel and an afternoon spent browsing shops. Dinner is fish at a restaurant inside a shopping mall. Lusaka is livelier than Ndola, full of evening life, pubs, and shopping, yet it still has that peaceful vibe amid the chaos.

Tuesday, August 5 – Off to Livingstone

Departure at dawn for Livingstone: 7 hours by bus with a packed lunch prepared at the hotel. At the station, we were immediately “helped” by people who then asked for a tip—people always swarm around us… but we always try to manage on our own. The journey was slow, with a few stops for fruit and snacks, and finally, we arrived. We walked to our B&B, a cozy guesthouse halfway between a hostel and a hotel. Simple dinner cooked by us and some relaxation.

Wednesday, August 6 – Victoria Falls, pure wonder

Early wake-up to visit Victoria Falls from the Botswana side. We paid for the visa and the entrance fee with the resident discount, because by now we’re basically Zambian with our work permit. Along the walk to the park, dozens of curious monkeys watched us (and rummaged through food). Two hours of exploring between water sprays and breathtaking landscapes. Back in Zambia, we had a budget lunch and then a relaxing $15 massage at the B&B’s wellness center… I really needed it, I almost fell asleep. At 3 p.m., free pancakes at the B&B, then a stroll around town, aperitif, and “home-made” dinner. Tomorrow, safari!

Thursday, August 7 – Safari at Chobe Park

Full day in Botswana for the safari. Elephants, giraffes, hippos… and the joy of discovering fun facts about the animals directly from the guide. At the entrance and exit, our shoes were dipped in disinfectant to prevent the spread of diseases… at least, that’s the explanation we were given—I swear I didn’t fully understand why. A funny but necessary scene. In the evening, we met up with some colleagues we had met in Ndola but who are working on another project in southern Zambia. We spent a few hours with them at a bar and said our goodbyes, since we don’t know if we’ll get the chance to see them again before leaving.

Friday, August 8 – Face to face with rhinos

Special tour to see rhinos up close: pure emotion. We also came across monkeys and zebras. The day ended with a sunset aperitif and some shopping for the next day’s lunch. During the safari, we learned that zebras are black with white stripes, how to tell male and female giraffes, elephants, and antelopes apart, and a few fun facts about local palm trees and red fruits.

Saturday, August 9 – Back to Lusaka

Departure from Livingstone at 10 a.m. for another 7-hour bus ride. Between music and photos of the landscapes, the journey went by slowly. The sunset, seen from the “wrong” side of the bus, stayed in my memory even without a picture. Arriving tired, we crashed into bed early.

Sunday, August 10 – Lusaka by night

Early wake-up and morning spent in shopping malls. After a quick lunch, we went bowling in a center that also offered games, simulators, volleyball, and basketball. We met some guys who were playing volleyball. In the evening, we had dinner at a Chinese restaurant and then returned to the hotel. After dropping off the day’s purchases at home, I went out again to have a “Fruticana,” a red fruit juice, with our new volleyball friends. I stayed out late… the next stop was the station because early the following morning we had a bus to return to Ndola.

Word of the week: Salt sana – good, great, perfect… basically the universal answer, often accompanied by a hand gesture.