Road to Zambia

The plan was for an early start from Mbeya and a late arrival in Lusaka. The border crossing raised question marks, but the drama was not over.

The highway south was fairly good, but did not seem to be very busy, nor were there major towns on the way. Diesel was needed, but there were no service stations along the way. Isoka was the first town marked on our map, but there was no town that we could see. A sign on the road pointed us to the Total petrol station and we headed that way, a few kilometres off the highway. Problem solved, there was Isoka. U-oh, the Total service station had closed some years ago, and the supplier of petrol had no diesel Oops!

Back on the highway we asked again, this time at the police stop. With a little help from the locals we got some diesel. Some guy on a push-bike with a plastic 20 litre container had his bike hijacked by the man who came to our aid. We followed them back towards Tanzania a kilometre or so, where there was one more 20 litre plastic container of diesel Ten minutes later we had added thee diesel to the tank, and it was filtered - through a sock, stuck over the end of a plastic bottle, through which the fuel was poured (via some plastic tubing) into our tank. Costa made sure that we got value for money, and pressed for the last half litre from each container to go into our tank. He was not going to be short changed.

Meanwhile Beth gave some vocabulary lessons to the girls around the car who were pointed to various parts of her anatomy and offering the English words - she was able to help them distinguish between the belly and the breast.

Later in the day, after a 4 p.m. lunch at Mpika we had a further delay. A tube on the front right wheel split, and the tyre deflated quickly. Not quite a blow out, but close. Fortunately Costa controlled it well, and with our help changed the tyre. A half hour or so later we continued on our way.

From Mpika the road had deteriorated, and the night descended on a car with no spare. Lusaka beckoned, but was a long way off. The road got worse, and night driving in Africa is not highly recommended. After a couple of hours of 40-60 km driving we got to Serenje. That was our stop for the night - and we were all glad to be able to rest.

At six next morning Costa was up and working. There was a tyre to be fixed. With some guidance from the locals and some initiative from Costa a replacement tube was found, and inserted into the flat tyre. By 8.30 a.m. we were on our way again - and arrived safely in Lusaka for a late Sunday lunch with Jim and Marion.

Our Zambia stay had commenced.

Border crossing

An early start and by 8.15 am we were at Tunduma on the Tanzania Border. By 9.15 am I was about to text and say were about to head into Zambia. Wrong, wrong, wrong!

Two Shukrani staff were with us, Costa was driving us, and Mr Michel Nshiga was coming to visit a secretarial college in Lusaka as a study trip. It was easy to get the people through, but not so easy to get a vehicle into Zambia. Costa needed a letter of authorization, including all the car details and stating that it would be returning to Tz. We didn't have one. One hour later, after a visit to an internet café in Tunduma, we had one, signed by me on behalf of the Principal of Shukrani College. Right to go now....wrong, wrong, wrong!

There was a little matter of insurance. Insurance? We hadn't heard anything about insurance. We did need it though, according to the Lonely Planet Guide to Zambia. The agent had a form filled out for 300,000 Kwacha - about $60 US. What? Not in or budget. Then there was the little problem of the Name of the Insured - he had entered Costa's name. So our 300,000 piece of paper would have been worthless if anything had happened because the vehicle belongs to The Salvation Army. We went to his office...the outer office was dark, the inner office darker (almost pitch black) and he expected us to do business there by the light of ONE candle. No way! Next door in his associates office we could see, and the debate continued. Why for 3 months when the car was only going to be there for a week? The time was reduced to one month, but the price only came down to 200,000.

How do we know we are not being ripped off? Can we see a rates schedule? All sorts of questions and comments as the corrected details were being entered on the form. After a while I pointed to the address of the head office in Lusaka, and said we would check when we got there. I would ring them, give them his name and details, and make sure we had not been overcharged. No more was said about the price, but when the form was completed we paid the 100,000 Kwacha fee that was itemised on the cover note, and we were off - almost. He did indicate that there was a 15,000 Kwacha local council fee we needed to pay at another office across the way! This we ignored - and went on our way.

Immigration - one hour. A breeze!
Vehicle clearance - one hour. A nuisance!
Insurance - one hour plus. Aagh!

At 11.40 a.m. we were driving in Zambia, and on our way to Lusaka at last.

Farewell to Shukrani.

The time came for us to move on the the next stage of our journey - and it was sad to leave Shukrani. Eight weeks seemed such a short time, yet we have made so many new friends and shared in a variety of experiences.

Our last day included finalising some of the stuff we had been working on, and saying our farewells to students, staff and our friends down the market. Late in the morning we delivered some photos to the folks in the food hall (they actually call it the canteen), and Beth got a couple of farewell hugs. In a culture where physical contact in public (except guys and guys or girls and girls holding hands) are unusual it was somewhat remarkable.

In the late afternoon we had a formal farewell. A special occasion for us in the library - and we felt like he bride and groom at thee top table. A light snack plus sodas, and then some farewell speeches (from just about everybody there!). It was gratifying yet humbling to have such nice things said - and to think that we had made a positive contribution to Shukrani. Whatever words we said could not adequately express how much we had gained by sharing in that community, and how much they had given us by their welcome, and their friendship.

Our plan was to head to Lusaka on April 18 - and so for us it is time to leave. We may have left the place, but Shukrani has certainly not left us.