We alighted the bus to be inundated with taxi driver requests (some more forceful than others - one actually pinched us). We eventually chose a guy who was rather more polite than the others, and haggled with him to get a price which seemed remotely reasonable (still probably too expensive, but cheaper than any UK taxi). As soon as we'd dumped our bags in our room (which was delightfully clean and simple but has hot water and WiFi!) we headed straight back out and took a taxi to Manada Hill shopping centre - seeing as we thought we'd be going out with Boyd at this point, Eva figured she needed something to wear. We entered the place like children in a sweet shop, and after having a bit of a shop around, stopped for a cocktail. Although I don't usually enjoy large shopping malls, it was such a relief to be there - after living in small towns in the bush for weeks, a shopping mall just seemed to be the epitome of choice and things which actually work (I know that sounds a bit pathetic, but it is nice to have a bit of organisation after nothing going to plan for a month).
We'd heard about a recommended Indian restaurant, so after our cocktail we headed off there (chomping at the bit at the prospect of good food). When the taxi pulled up at the restaurant, it all looked rather closed, but we found our way to a deserted outdoor bar at the back where there was a waiter, who told us it would be half an hour until we could order food (I'm not sure that he realised quite how desperate we were). We spent that half an hour poring over the menu in minute detail - we decided to go the whole hog and have starters, curry, rice and naan. There was far too much, but we were so determined to eat and it tasted so wonderful that we managed nearly everything. Each with a definite food baby, we returned back to the backpackers to get ready for or night out.
We sat by the small pool as night fell, waiting for Boyd to turn up. With no appearance an hour after the arranged meeting time, we were feeling a little silly all dressed up with nowhere to go. Although surrounded by lodgers such as ourselves, the only friend we'd managed to make was the cat which had jumped onto my lap and looked ready to spend the night there. We'd given up hope when the barman from the poolside bar wandered over with two beers for us - apparently someone at the bar wanted to buy us drinks. We accepted them, naturally, but after having drunk only half of it the barman came back, saying that there were more for us behind the bar! Curious to meet our anonymous benefactor, we made our way over (nearly throwing the cat in the pool in the process) and it turned out that the guy buying us drinks was a young Zambian man who evidently had a lot of money as he was buying round after round for everyone in the bar. He began introducing us to everyone: it seemed no one was actually staying here, but the bar is apparently a popular haunt with the locals. We ended up talking with everyone rather late - I was especially intrigued by a middle-aged white Zambian man who hunts crocodiles in his spare time (only to release them again - apparently it's a pest control kind of thing). He's promised to take us to see some lions today (although whether that will actually happen is doubtful).
The title of the blog came from a bizarre conversation we were having when everyone had forgotten Eva's name. I was trying to give them hints: "It's biblical," I was saying (that seems to be how everyone here recognises it), "three letters..."
"Isaac!" Dudley the crocodile man suggested, "Moses!"
I pointed out that they were neither female nor three letters long. "Think earlier," I hinted, "Beginning of the Bible... Three letters..."
"GOD!"
Eva and I nearly split our sides laughing. So that's who she became for the rest of the night.
Our breakfast this morning consisted of toast (the first we've seen since being here) and actual real filter coffee. We feel spoilt.
We'll try and update again tonight, but judging by the manic spontaneity of our lives at the moment, who knows. Hope everyone's having an equally brilliant weekend!
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