Arrival Announcement

We’ve managed to get to Zambia! 

And for those of us who know Eva and myself, you might be surprised to know that the journey actually went very smoothly. The only problem we encountered was some vicious turbulence over Kenya – when you can actually see the wings of the plane flexing alarmingly up and down, you realise quite how much faith you’ve put in a few bolted-together sheets of metal (although as Eva pointed out, as long as they’re still attached we should be fine).

We have been travelling non-stop for two days, with a brief stay in Dubai (which, thanks to Eva, I have now discovered is not in India as I had previously imagined). That was a first: as far as I know, I’ve never set foot on the continent of Asia before. It was seriously hot there, and humid too, to the extent that I felt it was almost like breathing water. On arrival in Zambia we discovered it was significantly cooler. Disappointing at first, but perhaps for the best - I’m not sure how well my English thermostat would cope with sudden extreme heat. The airport itself in the capital city of Lusaka was bizarre – very small, and when the passport stamp on border control broke, the two officials sat there laughing for about ten minutes: ‘This is what happens in Africa,’ grinned the lady, as she tried to fix it with an elastic band.

some of the more unique places in Lusaka

We were eventually allowed through (Eva slightly indignant that she was made to give her fingerprints, whereas I was not), and found Wilson, who works with the Zambian branch of the charity and had come to pick us up. From there we went to a Spar to pick up some food (seems to be the supermarket of choice around here – the capital was also host to a Nandos and Subway) where we got mildly confused trying to pick up some ingredients for a salad, bearing in mind anything vaguely green or leafy is dubiously labelled as ‘Vegetable’. We thought we had managed to pick up some mini iceberg lettuces - turns out on attempting to cook them that they are actually baby cabbages.

leaving the city

The country though, it has to be said, is absolutely beautiful. Driving along, little huts appear at the side of the road - mud brick and straw-roofed – and on first glance everything appears so rustically idyllic. Even a pig casually wandered past at one point. 

Not long into our drive, it grew dark, and we were amazed by the number of stars in the sky. I’ve lived in a village all my life, so have been lucky to see the stars, but this is something else entirely.

For the next few days, we’ll be staying in the small town where the charity offices are located. Can’t see much of it right now, so it’s hard to pass judgement, but we’ll be exploring more tomorrow.

Off for some much needed rest in a real bed now. Much love from us both.

the 'hibernating tortoise' - beginning to wish Eva wasn't the photo editor now...