Cruising across Lake Kariba in our 15 metre houseboat. The hills of Southern Zambia fade into the mists about 30Km to the North. We are now heading out from the town of Kariba toward Matusadona Park in northern Zim. We pass several "Kapenta" (tiny sardines teeming in the lake) boats on the way. There are far fewer than 3 years ago. Absolutely no Diesel for running them these days. Comrade Bob at work again.
We have had a truly excellent stay in Zim since we arrived. No problems, welcomes wherever we go, fantastic scenery, people and activities. This current trip here in Kariba is certainly no exception. Peter & Maureen agree that this is probably the best vacation they have ever had, I'm working on the "ever likely to have".
After our excesses in Vic Falls, doing the VF extremes, it was time to introduce the newly arrived tourist to Africa in the rough. Peter hired a Mazda 323 which surprisingly, could be dropped at Kariba, for an extra $US100.00, and on Friday 1st August, our time to leave Lokathula Lodge.
We have finalised our itinerary: Hwange, Zambia, Kariba, Houseboat, Lower Zambezi canoeing and Mana Pools with game walks. Pretty much all confirmed and ready to go upon arrival. I still have no access to email or similar, (my servers down I think), and we have to use Kaylas to get our details to the hotel in Zambia. I have used our Kariba contact: known on the lonelyplanet.com as "flatdog", to bounce a few ideas and request off of. She has all of the Kariba excesses sorted out for us, and we have both promised the other a free beer once we meet..
Maureen takes charge of the shopping for out camping, I get bags of Mielie meal -` the saple food here, for Abbiot & Abisha. With full truck and car, we trekked down to Sinamatella camp in Hwange Park. One night here, and two at Masuma Dam for their initiation. On route, we stopped off at several of the craft villages to see if there was anything we could get on the way back up. Somehow these folk still keep going. Down here there are very few folk who would be buying these crafts these days. Excellent art and crafts all around us.
It is only 150Km to Sinamatella, 100Km of it full glorious wide tar. Only about 35Km is dirt and this only mildly corrugated - by African standards anyway. Peter & Mo get the feel of the African experience first hand.
Once again, it feels good to be back at the camp. We each have a 3 bedroom lodge which like all the lodges and restaurant, overlooks the grand view of Africa trailing off into the haze which I keep going on about. We pay the full going rate. Hoping it goes to feed people and animals. The lodges are now pretty basic, glories of the past still around, but everything patched and worn. Everything is still spotless and the linens worn but perfectly clean. The plumbing is only just still working, and the shower has seen many better days. The fridge is still alive, and hot water comes from a strange concoction of wood boiler and toilet flushing devices. Showering is an experience here.
We order our regulation fantastic Chicken/ Beef curry at the restaurant, and all play cards as the evening sets in.
Although we now get more for the dollar in local cash, the full implications of this only come once we pay for the food. What was $ZIM3000 at 5:00PM, is now $ZIM4500 at 8:00PM: I've never had a meal increase in price as I was eating it, or experienced inflation like this! This really is hyper inflation. As it was only an increase of $0.50 per meal, we decided to be noble about it and pay up. It was really good after all. We talk to several of the folks in the restaurant: all locals or on contract here. The evening is rounded off with some of my 15 year old Malt which Peter brought from Toronto. Perfect nightcap.
I volunteer to do an early morning game run at 6:00AM, no takers in the family, just Peter, Mo & I. The guests have genuine palpations upon seeing Giraffe, Elephant, Kudu etc as the sun rises. Even I, jaded African adventurer that I am, eventually reach for the cameras. Back for breakfast at Sinamatella, and I confirm Masuma for our 2 nights.
We still have no confirmation regarding our hotel booking in Zambia. At least, our free visas which is what I'm more interested in. It takes about and hour to finally get through to Livingstone, and they ask me for the fax number of where we are staying that night. Laugh! Well, one thing Masuma does not have is a fax, so, hoping for the best, I redirect it to Lokathula and hope.
This being Africa (or anywhere else I guess), upon arrival at Masuma, we find we have been double booked, with a white hunter and his "Tilley" clients. (NOTE: This is definitely an indication of our disrespect for these said "Tilley" wearer. We are of course being far more relaxed and African like in our dirty T shirts, and unmentionable shorts). However, as we know about Shumba Hide from our last pass through, we are quite happy to head down there for the night. Wrong actually as the aforementioned Tilley set saw 12 Lions that night!.
We know there are no attendants here as the White Hunter dude has brought the guy out when he passed through this morning, so the place is totally ours bar none. Still, we go - it's about 24Km - another hour as the road is a little more deteriorated here.
As we drive in, there is an almost Rousseau look to the place: reminds us of Etosha - animals everywhere, elephants, a herd of Sable, Zebra, Cape Buffalo - you get the picture. We find out why when we get to the hole. The family group walk to the platform for a grand view of the wildlife around the water hole. The problem is, there is no water at the hole, and it is almost dry. No diesel/ no attendant we assume. There are several elephant patiently waiting for the pump to start, and whenever one of us approaches sticks their trunk in the air hoping, I assume, to sniff life giving diesel fumes. Not to be. As the sun heads off west, the animals start to give up in ones and twos, then groups and herds. They are all heading to Masuma, so we will probably see them tomorrow morning.
Being this remote, Aiden & Kayla begin learning to drive, working out which pedals to push as elephants are approaching is probably not the recommended way to learn, but we avoid all elephants and most bushes on the return to our site, grab piles of firewood, set up our camp, and await the night with Gin & Tonics at the ready - hey who said we have to rough it?
We close the gate at 6:00PM as darkness falls.
Most of the wildlife is shut out from the vaguely secure compound. We have most of the luxuries here: fire place, sink, water - cooking and drinking, his & her toilets. The evening is spent coaxing the gas burner into flame, and roasting one of our salvaged kilo of bacon into crispiness. For a scratch camp meal, we eat very well.
During the darkness, we hear lions and Hyena. The kids take the new spotlight around the perimeter fence (this camp is only about 2 acres) checking for eye reflections. There are several pairs glowing back at us. After we go to bed, the roars and shrieks continue. We hear the unmistakable hunting growl of a lion, probably no more the 25 metres away from Peter & Mo's tent..........
The night, however, complete with the requisite glorious starry sky, eventually passes and our morning inventory shows that with no one was eaten.
We take our time packing. Peter has a yearning to get some Christmas card shot in the bush with a few props. Getting the light right for the perfect shot obviously takes time.
Finally, we are done, and head back to arrive at Masuma about 10:30 - we missed the lions who had been at the dam all night and finally left at 7:30AM.
As there are lions with cubs around, we do not walk to the water pump which we had planned, but drive there with Abiot. Tracking lions there and back. No tracks, so they are still in the bush between the pump and the dam. Throughout the day, just masses of animals arrive as we hang out at the kitchen, work our way through pots of tea and our cans and various vittles. How can I express it best? Probably with this little snippet:
Maureen: "Look there are more elephants coming"
Aiden: "There always are"
An all day parade.
We simply relax and suck it all in. This is (have I mentioned this before?) such a truly incredible experience.
As this is Masuma, and this is one of the few places that have water, the parade goes on most of the day. We even recognise an elephant we saw at Shumba.
I talk to Abiot, he just loves the animals here. The actual facts of working here are however not quite as Halcyon.
He has worked here nearly 6 years, but is still on "contract", ie not permanent. His salary is $ZIM4000 per month,(about $US1.50) and he has not been paid for 2 months. He has a boy who is 4 years old, and it costs $ZIM20,000 for the uniform, plus $ZIM5000 per term. You can work out the fine points of living like this. Abisha has 3 kids - how does he manage? Well, the answer is that no one does here.
Never too many elephants, but come morning, still no lions.
Onward & outward, there's still Mana
We offload the mielie to Abiot, both Peter & I give him some cash (both more than his monthly salary - big deal huh?), take his address and wish him well as we take the main road back out of the park to Vic Falls.
The way back up is shopping time, we stop & shop & bargain and exchange. T shirts, socks (even Maureens nail polish) it all can be taken at par here. We pile the stuff into the van and car somehow, and after a stop or two for local colour, reach Vic Falls around 3:00. Amazingly, the fax for our Zambian entry is there at Lokathula. T shirts for the kids, some artwork for Maureen, and its out of the country.
Zambian immigration authorities simply look up our manifest, check the names, stamp us in and its customs time for the vehicles. Temporary import permit, some insurance ($US15 this time - just for 24 hours, but valid for a month), and we are off to the Maramba River Lodge, arriving just as the light fades. It's shower time. The missus has had some incredible skin rash for 2 days, and it peaks today. She does not feel very good about much, so the rest of us luxuriate in a few Mosi Oa Tunya beers (nothing like as good as Zambezi beer) before a very acceptable dining experience.
The lodge is a bit of a crock. Forget "River", read "Swamp". The rooms are pretty pathetic, showers are as primeval as Hwange, there is not even a glass to drink out of. The staff are friendly, but pretty incompetent. I'm already missing Zim. Being philosophic, we saved the $US30.00 per person (including kids?) to get into the country, so as we are paying $US80.00 for the room, we are actually being paid to stay here...... I can buy that - just. Enough whining.
Not much to say about the place, food was pretty good..... In the morning I try to get some local currency, pretty difficult even though it's all legal. Finally get some, get some gas and do the other side of the falls.
I'm running a tight ship here as we (read I) want to be in Kariba - 530Km away before the border closes at 6:00. That means 45 minutes to do the Zambian side of the falls, complete with photo ops and rainbows, avoiding death defying chasms all around the pathways - don't let your 5 year old head out on their own here folks! Personally, I think the Zambian side is a more balanced and pretty sight than the Zim side - I could be wrong.
Before we leave, I call Louisa of Warthogs fame: she is in Harare, but I give her a request for our evening meal in Kariba before we leave Maramba. Lets get this trip organised!
We are in and out by 9:45, pausing only to take piss of amusing signs, we move back to town, but piss around in Livingstone till 10:30 - 30 minutes behind already.
The rest of the day is spent hacking the Livingstone - Kariba highway. Luckily, it is all excellent tar, so we could travel at 100Km/ hour a lot of the way. Normally, I try to limit my speed to 90KPM and usually 80 if we are not in a hurry, cows, goats and other miscellaneous animals do tend to make a mess of the vehicle..
It is a long, but fast trip. All the way is Africa at it's (almost) lowest level. We see as we pass nothing more than two poles with grass strung between them "Bicycle Repair Shop" say the sign. Coming into town, 3 sided grass covered poles with about 10 small boxes of candies. At Choma, we stop at a "Supermarket". All that they have are some cookies, soap, and some mielie meal. Obviously no middle classes reside within 100Km of here.
I first came to Zambia 30 years ago, and remember the sad level of "Commerce" here. It is still simply bags of charcoal and sheafs of thatching grass on the road side. Nothing is different from so long ago. I would have hoped that some things would improve the lot of these people, but no such findings along all 530KM of flat, uninspiring landscape.
At Mazambuka - about 350Km out of Livingstone, we fill up with fuel. I need a full tank, plus 3 x 28Lire containers filled up for the Zim side of the trip. There is a large sugar plantation here, so the supermarket here is almost recognisable as such. Butter, cheese, milk, sugar and coffee. Wow - a gold mine.
It was while we has just gone through Mazabuka that I suddenly realised that I had passed the rubicon as it were. As of this moment, I was completely bush. As my left arm scorches in the winter sun as I drive East, this was my natural mode of living and I love it! All the office routine, all the political crap I have to put up with from suppliers, it's just dross out here.
Heading down the last 100Km, through a particularly nasty piece of winding hilly road, we pass several broken down trucks. Always on bends on hills. This is the main road into Zambia from Durban and Mozambican ports, so it's very busy with heavy traffic.As we head down past the remains of a truck which recently impaled itself on a solid lump of verticle rock, I notice my break pedal is on the floor. Oooops! Luckily (as I find out later), there is a fail safe for front or back failure, and I coast through to the border, bowed but not beaten.
At 5:40PM, we roll into the Zambian border post. A final fill up of both vehicles at the BP station here, and 10 minues later are clearing customs and immigration into Zim.
As everyone wants to get out by 6:00, processing is a breeze. Surprisingly, we even get in with our double entry visa. I must admit I expected to argue this to some degree. It takes 20 minutes to clear both borders.
It's dark by now, but we have our directions for Warthogs Bush Camp about 10K out of Kariba. Thankfully, Ilge locates the place and we trundle in. We are expected. "The people from Canada have arrived" we hear the barman announce. Beers all round folks - We Made it folks - congratulations on a successfully executed plan!!
Now we can relax.
Dinner is not what we requested, but is fantastic anyway. We pig out on warthog stew. "Pork" we are told until we ask for warthog steaks tomorrow.
"It is" we are told - great stuff.
We watch from the bar as Zebra pass by, just beyond the light from the bar, and elephant scrunch away in the distance.
The evening cook is also the security guard, just as the barman works behind the bar till 3:00AM, then hangs around as security and breakfast maker. Life can be hard here without a job, so if you want to work, get to do lots of stuff.
In the morning, we begin to organise ourselves for the remainder of Peter & Mo's trip: three days on a houseboat (this one), followed by 4 days canoeing on the lower Zambezi, and then two days of walking in Mana Pools national park.
I have to immediately look after my brakes. As it happens, Kariba is exactly where I needed to bring the cruiser for brakes last time we came through (I think it was the rutted roads in Hwange both times), so I know where to head. Luckily, I pick up the barman who takes me to where it used to be, but it's miles away now. Finally I locate the place, and Alfred quickly spot the problem (broken brake pipe, probably shaken through in Hwange), and tells me to come back at 1:00.
Albert has taken over the old Land Cruiser repair operations from the previous owner who has moved to Tanzania, so he has lots of used spares in stock. In Toronto, a new one would have to be ordered. Here, he finds a pile of old pipes, and bends them to fit the bolt holes. He has to dismantle the master cylinder before it is working again, and while I'm here, I get a full oil check top up and service. He tells me that the guy who looks after it in Toronto has done "an excellent job. Perfect condition". There are two helpers who wash tyres, take off bits and find odds and sods. 4 hours later, I have (what turns out to be - ed) perfect brakes. The bill comes to $ZIM40,000 (about $US18.00) and that includes $ZIM22,000 for the pipe, and $ZIM 4000 for extra brake fluid. Three guys worked for 4 hours, did a perfect job for about $US7.00. TOTAL, not per hour folks. Are you reading this Jimmy?
There is also the matter of laundry, (Patrick does this before he leaves), e-mail and more souvenirs & crafts. These seem to be looked after adequately by the ladies. Peter gets the steaks for the evening fodder, and Patrick our cook/ night watchman whips up the grub.
This lodge backs onto Lake Kariba, so there are plenty of photo ops with Hippos out of the water. Up before sunrise, Peter & I trek down to the water, but the two guard dogs have their own ideas about Hippos, and within 10 seconds they are all chased back into the lake.
A few last minute details, like some more crafts, a pie or two, return of the hire car, and we are ready for this boat trip. Down to the local supermarket for a few days supplies of food & booze - seems to be enough stuff here to sustain us for a while. Louisa finally arrives at the camp, and we head to a chandler for drinks and fishing stuff.
Louisa takes the cruiser back to warthogs, and after a stop off for various fuels and oil, and Henry, the captain heads out to the lake.
We tie up at an island about an hour out, find firewood for our barbeque and then wait and watch as Steve our on board cook prepares dinner.
Once again the sun sets, we sit on deck, G&T in hand. The Kapenta boats are now just spotlights in the darkness as we see the lights of Kariba twinkle in the distance.
What an adventure.
What is the SAS moto? Who Dares Wins?
Very apt I think as I snuggle into bed on the top deck with Peter, Mo and the family all around.
What will we dare to win tomorrow I wonder?
Odometer: 310807 Distance Travelled: 905Km Trip Distance: 880Km, Total Trip 5130 Km
