On the Zambesi, July 31

Today was a sick day. After the best sleep I have had in a long time, I woke with the first light. It was a clear sky with cloud at the horizon, and the sand was wonderful. I had treated my foot for a thorn that I had picked up, and had been walking barefoot again, and loving it.

But Charlie woke feeling awful. Everything hurt, and he felt nauseated. So we had our usual coffee and biscuits, and he got up very slowly. Evntually, he was able to get to the bathroom area (by far, by the way, the best bathroom on the whole trip, on a hill at one end of the island looking out over the river), and promptly threw up. In the end, we paddled only a few kilometers to the ranger station where we had to pay our fees, and spent the rest of the day there. We didn't really know what was going on with Charlie, but he was weak and sleepy and nauseated.

The day was not a waste. Daphne sat with her husband much of the day, getting small amounts of liquids into him, along with Gravol. I sat with the guides, talking politics and cultures, and reading and sleeping. And because this was a Ranger Station, there were wives here as well. This station is supposed to have running water, but they let a lot of water out of the dam a few weeks ago, and they did not give enough notice to this area. The resultant rise in the water level washed away their pump. So the women were doing the laundry in the traditional way, down at the river. They came in groups of two or three, sometimes with a baby attached to their back in a wrap, and worked ceaselessly. Then they carried it back up on their heads, in a display of balance and swaying hips that was wonderful to see.

They also came with large barrels to get water, and carried this also on their heads. I am told by the guides that this a woman thing, and if a man carried water or wood that way, they would be considered a woman.

Charlie got better, then worse, and it began to look like a flu type of illness. In spite of that, we agreed to try some cipro and see if it helped. We have lost most of a day's travel, but we can make it up tomorrow and the next day. So we will camp here, on a sand bank well above the river, and await Charlie's progress.

Supper was cova (a green veg like collard cooked, then with peanut butter added) and sadza (corm mush thickly cooked with a beef curry stew for sauce). Both very good.

We have a tough day tomorrow to try and make up some mileage.


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On the Zambesi, July 30

Today was to be an easy day. We woke as usual about 6, and watched the sun come up through the haze of the dusty sky. We were on an "island" on a side channel of the Zambezi, very muddy and difficult in many ways. One of those was that there was no discreet place to go to the bathroom. However, we managed somehow, with the wake-up snack done and the packing finished, and we were off down the river.

Once we got into the river proper, we realized that there was a significant wind to battle. Even with the river current of 4-5 km/hr, the wind meant that we we were barely moving. And the waves were coming over the bows of the canoes. So it was not pleasant, and after an hour or so, we stopped for breakfast.

Bono let us sleep for a while, and we waited a bit until he felt that the wind was in fact going to settle down. We got back on the river, fought the wind for a while (so I doubted his thinking about the wind), but found that he was right (again), so went on. It then became quite nice, taking our time to go along the river, seeing some impalas, once an elephant, and lots of hippos as usual. After a while we stopped again for lunch, and had quite a nice site. I found a trench kind of hole, which turned out to be the former tunnel of an aardvark, now abandoned and collapsed. And lots of elephant dung, about the size if a soccer ball, dry and eaten by termites.

I am interested in the vegetation as well, and we saw the Bob Marley tree, the milk weed (with it's fruit which leads it to be known colloquially as the old man's balls plant). Also the winter thorn acacia, many ebony trees, and now again some baobab trees. I am told that baobabs which are three metres in diameter are a millennium old! And there is one in Zambia which is thick enough that they have put a bathroom into the base of it.

The island we are staying on tonight is in the False Gorge area, just before the final Gorge of our trip. The Zambian shore and the Zimbabwean shore are closer than we have seen for a week. This is a sandy island with a rocky part to it, some trees, but mostly sand. It is safe from the hyenas and the lions, although there are a multitude of hippos just off shore. And the water is faster here, so I have the sound of running water to lull me to sleep.

A vegetarian supper tonight, and I had some conversation with Scu, the youngest of the guides. He has just got a dog, is about to marry the mother of his son, and is working to get his guide's licence. An interesting evening.


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Location:False Gorge

On the Zambesi 3 (July 28, 29)

I write this as the sun sets on the 29th. We have had a long day - 34 kilometers. And we are all tired. The guides are making supper and I have taken this time to write a bit.

Yesterday was like many days, but Bono had told us it would be a bit easier, that we would only be doing 20 km. So after the usual coffee and biscuits, we headed out, paddling a fairly short while and then stopping for breakfast. The next leg got us to a wonderful island in the middle of the river, with trees for shade, and a sandy area for Lunch. We were relieved to not have to work quite so hard, and took the time to have a real siesta. I slept soundly for an hour or so, had a read, and relaxed very nicely. And then we were off again. I can't remember whether I mentioned that I had been in the stern of the canoe, and I was very tired from the previous day.

But a short ride to the overnight camp. This was a place which was not as nice as the lunch spot. It is called Devil's Thorn Island. But we had a pleasant enough supper, again in the dark. We're getting used to that, although I don't know how the guides manage to cook so well. This was the first time that the sky was quite clear, so we marveled at the stars before the moon rose in a brilliant orange. I had been paired with Dave, and we decided to go to bed early after our supper. I read for a while (an African author named Chinua Achebe). The sky was clear all night, and it got quite cold for here. We were glad of the liner in the sleeping bags! But I slept well and woke early ( going to bed at 8:30 will do that).

This morning we were up before the sun. We shook off the cold and had something warm to drink. Since the day was to be quite long, we were going to have a full breakfast before leaving. The sunrise was amazing, everything they say about African sunrises.

And we got off pretty early.

I forgot to mention that we entered Mana Pools yesterday, and camped inside the Park. So today was also the day Dave left us to do a walking trip on the land. And, wonderful day!, it was also a day when we had a shower. We were to stop at one of the camps for letting Dave off, and for restocking our supplies. But they had a shower with poor water pressure, but warm water. It was great! The place was crawling with Verbet monkeys, who managed to steal some of our fruit before we got them.

After a long paddle we stopped for short lunch, and paddled until almost sunset. We passed a group of loud, drunk South Africans, and were glad to be a ways beyond them for our camp. Saw some zebras and some water bucks toady, as well as impalas, baboons, and the monkeys. And lots of birds: egrets, storks, eagles, plovers, and something called the Jesus bird ( look it up).

I'm glad the paddling is done for the day, tired and looking forward to supper and bed.

For supper, we had a wonderful chicken curry, with rice and gem squash. But before that, they served us mopane worms. These are the larvae of moths which grow on the mopane trees, are boiled, then dried, then fried with chili, salt, pepper in a bit of oil. They were very good, once you forgot what it was you were eating.

We stayed up to about 9, then were off to bed.

Had a few interesting conversations with our guides yesterday. Over lunch, we talked with Scu about the recent elections. He described how the government forces in his area knew how people voted, and punished them accordingly. His best friend was a supporter and organizer for the opposition, and was taken to jail for two weeks, then released. He was afraid to vote, fearing for his life. But he said that the police did their job well, and pretty impartially. He said that the police were also in the majority for the opposition. They seem to remain hopeful that things will change.

The other conversation was with Champion, about guiding. You have to have one thousand hours on the river before you can write your exams to be a River Guide. And you can go on from there to work an additional four years to be a Pro Guide, which allows you to guide on land as well. And ther is, as part of that, knowing how, and actually shooting, the animals. They have troubled animals that have been a real problem in the area, that they shoot. But when you are guiding, you have to be prepared to shoot to kill. Charlie and Daphne's guide had to shoot a buffalo on their first trip, one which was charging them. It is a man's job at this point, but that may change. Apparently, the training here in Zimbabwe is the best in Africa, so their guides are sought after throughout the continent.

During the evening, and through the night, we heard the eerie sounds of the Ghost Snipe, a bird who, when it flies, makes a sound like the wailing of a ghost with it's tail feathers. We also heard, a few nights ago, Bell Frogs which sound like small bells when they croak. And then there's the Blacksmith bird, which makes the sound of a smithy hitting his anvil when he cries. Interesting fauna.


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Location:G Island

On the Zambesi 2

These last two days have been quite eventful. As usual for this trip, we got up and had only coffee and biscuits before packing and leaving the campsite. Paddled quite a while (probably 8 kilometers) before our real breakfast, this time an English breakfast of bacon, eggs, potatoes, onions, beans and bread. Also good, but to my taste not as good as the other one. We then had to paddle to Chirungu to pick up our fourth tourist, a man named Dave originally from New York and now working in Harare for a press organization there. A man of forty-five, in his second marriage to a Kenyan woman, and hoping to stay for longer in Africa.

We had to go to the market in Chirundu to get some things, so went in the back of the truck which had brought supplies from the safari company. Chirundu is a border town, so there are lots of trucks waiting for hours (or days) to cross the border. And the hookers that go with them. But we went around all that and went to their local market. It was small, but remarkably colourful and vibrant, with fresh veggies and fruits, and some clothing for sale, lots of people sitting around, and some baboons trying to steal things. I did not feel right taking a picture, so forewent that. In the end, they did not get what the sweet potatoes they were looking for, so we headed back to the canoes. At the side of the launch area, there're was a group of Zimbabwean guards sitting around joking and passing an open wine bottle among themselves. Makes you wonder about the security. They told us that there had been sixteen elephants poached in a park at the south of the Zimbabwe, near South Africa. We were all saddened by this.

We paddled a while, then stopped under a tree and up a bank of sand for some lunch. We had passed a herd of elephants on the way, and were pleased to see that they were easily visible from our lunch place. A short siesta, and we were off again. The Zambesi is a broad, winding river at this point, with a fair bit of water going down it. At points, to avoid all the hippos, we would take a side channel, which was always a treat. Partly because it avoided the wind, which was quite high on the open water.

A short paddle and then to a campsite, on a muddy plain, and difficult to access. But the food and the company was good as usual, and I was ready to go to bed after a long paddle. We went to bed with the serenade is of a multitude of frogs, which was fortunate because it drowned out the distant radio we could hear from the Zambian side of the river.

Today was special. After breakfast, we got on the water, and went through a small channel. We had seen some elephants from the campsite, and were very pleasantly surprised to see the along the channel. We go within thirty feet of them, and they just stood there while we took their pictures. At one point, one of the males lift his trunk and smelled us deeply. It was thrilling, to say the least.

Then on for a long paddle until breakfast, which was traditional again, and much enjoyed. Lots of hippos along this section of the river. And after going a long while though the river's open areas, with the wind, and passing lots of hunting lodges and camps, we finally stopped for lunch at a shady spot with a nice entry. And there was a pod of hippos, a herd of elephants, and a few buffalo at the site (all a ways off). And, for the first time, we saw a baby elephant with its mom, and the baby suckling the mother.

With the arrival of Dave, I have been promoted to stern one of the canoes. This is sort of an honour, but it was hard work, and I am not as strong or as fit as the guides. So I was very glad that, not long after lunch, we settled in to our next campsite for the night, a place with a large sand bar we can camp on. Along the way here, we went down a side channel again, and this time, there was a dead buffalo in the water, perhaps killed by a croc recently. Our guides said it must we quite recent, since food like that is not left uneaten for long.

As I sit here in the fading light, there is a lion calling in the distance, as well as the rude sounds of the hippos, and several birds calling. The guides are making supper and joking (maybe about us) in Shone, their language.


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Location:Mana Pools

On the Zambesi 1

The last two days have been filled with adventure. We were picked up from the hotel at 8:00 Zimbabwe time, which means about 8:45. A jeep arrived with Bono and a driver. We were informed that we would be going to the Natureways office and then shopping before we got onto the river. And this is what we did. We stopped at the Natureways office to pick up the equipment and food, and also the two other guides, Champion and Scumbuzo. This of course took some time. We passed some baboons and the evidence of elephants (dung), along the way to the stores. These stores were what you might call a secondary mall, not in the centre of Kariba. There was a central square, with stores on both sides of it. We went into the supermarket to get some supplies: I wanted to get some more batteries. Again, this took a lot of time, but finally we were off.

We had a fair ride through the town, and then turned off onto what we would call a farm path. This led to the Park Office, where we were to pay our fees. Of course, it was an uneven number, so there was a great scramble to get the proper change. And it is paid, as everything is, in US dollars.

After that, we were on the road again to get to what I would call, generously, a cowpath. This was to lead us down to a place near the water.

Bono gave us last-minute safety instructions, and we loaded the canoes and set off down the gorge. It was quite different from what we would be used to, much more rounded. But the river had some rapids and some tight spots. Vegetation went right to the tops of the hills, and was like a tundra or savannah. We had eighteen kilometers of this to do before camping for the night. Along the way, we saw some hippos, some crocodiles, some baboons, and some monkeys, along with many types of birds which I will never remember. And we stopped for lunch along the way, at the side of the river.

Being a safari, they had brought a table, and a stove, and stools to sit on. And a cooked lunch as well, which was much appreciated.

A short nap, and we were off again. After a short while, we left the gorge and made our way past an abandoned hunting camp to an island called Crocodile Rocks. There we put up our tents, they cooked a supper for us, and we ate in the dark and talked (it gets dark here about six). We discussed Canada, Zimbabwe and its politics, and general affairs of the world. We were accompanied by the grunts and bellows of the hippos. They make almost all the disgusting noises you can think of, so if you do something like that yourself, you can always blame it on the hippos.

The hippos went on all night. But we were tired enough to sleep in spite of all of their noise. The moon was almost full, so there was a fair bit of light as well. Before we went into the tent, we saw some elephants across the river, drinking. Too bad it was so dark. The night was a good sleep.

This morning, we were up at 6:30, had a light breakfast of coffee and biscuits, and got on the river. We were to have about eighteen kilometers of paddling and in was to be broken up by a full breakfast stop as well as a lunch stop. We were on the river by 7:30, paddling what was now a much wider and less rapid river. The gorge of yesterday had given way to a much flatter topography. I have to say that the paddling got quite tiring, although the commentary of the guides (I had Champion in the stern of my canoe) was very informative about the local flora and fauna. Saw a number of birds again, as well as more crocs, a herd of warthogs, several more pods of hippos, and some deer-like animals. Also a lizard, about 50 cm. long, which apparently eats crocodile eggs. That must take courage!

Breakfast - the real one - consisted of a cornmeal porridge (called Millimil) which had peanut butter stirred into it. We also had what they called sweet potatoes, although they grow underground and have flesh a lot like in colour (but not taste) of our regular potatoes. Breakfast was delicious. A short rest and we were back on the river, paddling a long way until about one o'clock when we stopped for lunch. This country grows avacados, tomatoes, lettuce, carrots - all the things we might use and did for a salad. Again, it was great. And it was followed by a siesta, which was not too bad either.

Interestingly, the place we stopped had been frequented by elephants, evidenced by large footprints in the mud, and large piles of dung aroung the site. But it served our purposes, and I even had a little sleep.

In places here, we could see some of the villagers on the Zambian side, down bathing or cleaning their clothes. There was a certain primitiveness to this which was quite exciting. And there were many Zambian fishermen in their dugout canoes, with long paddles, minding their nets. On our side of the river (which at times was 500 meters across), there were lots of hippos and crocs.

There was a strong north wind, and with the amount of water in the river at this point, the waves were hard to battle. We took on a bit of water, but were generally okay. The water level was down, so we had to make some detours, but we got eventually to a campsite on the Twin Logs Island, named after two dead tree trunks paired at one end of the island. We pulled up the canoes, worked our way through the reeds to get to the sandy centre of the island, and set up camp. Supper tonight was a thick corn porridge called sadza with a beef stew on top. The way it is eaten by Zimbabweans is ti take some of the sadza, roll it in the hand to a small ball, and dip it in the stew. I wasn't yet prepared to try that, so ate it with knife and fork. And a kale-like vegetable dish, also quite tasty.

Charlie says he will take a picture of me writing on my iPad in the wilderness. I think that would be neat! When we are on the river, I am leaning against the side of the tent with the iPad on my lap.

And so to bed. It is 8:30, but I am quite tired. And the morning comes early. Bono warns us that tomorrow will be a long day. We are picking up another tourist for the trip, in the town of Chirungu.
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Location:Twin Logs Island

Kariba

Today was a travel day. I had arisen at about seven, folded the mosquito net, and began to pack finally. I decided to leave with the guest house my knapsack full of various things not really needed. But decided to bring this iPad along with me, to keep some notes and to keep the pictures. I am hoping that the charge will last.

Met a nice man at breakfast, as well as two women from England. The women were here to look into a cooperative venture between their organization and on of the universities here. The man was from South Africa (although he had been born in Zimbabwe), and was here to promote some agricultural products. He and I talked about what I was hoping to see, and also about the differing cultures in South Africa and Zimbabwe. He said that the South African culture was more violent, but also that travel was pretty safe outside Johannesburg

I was due to be picked up at ten, so I got finished my meal and my packing, and went to the office to see the beautiful Dorcas again and settle my bill. This I did, and she took my knapsack to put in a safe place.

Charlie and Daphne arrived about 10:20, which is really ten in Zambian time. I met the driver, Martin, and we were off. But of course we had to stop for some shopping, at Martin's insistence. We wove our way through the downtown of Lusaka, with it's incredible traffic and lots of people. Then out towards the country to what would be called in Canada a strip mall, with a large grocery store in it. We bought some bananas and olives and buns for lunch, and set off again.

Once out of Lusaka, we fairly quickly got into an area of more hills (Lusaka itself is quite flat). There were often people at the side of the road, selling produce or wood for fires, or large containers for water. The communities we saw began as flat-roofed houses with tin for roofs, then became more and more circular houses with thatched roofs. And the number of houses per community began to drop as we got further from the city. The hills got bigger and the roads got worse. Pot holes which would swallow my smart car with lots of room to spare.

There were two stops for police patrols, and on one our driver passed over some money, and then we moved on. Occasionally we would see some goats or cows. They would amble onto the road, cross slowly, and we would stop for them (the driver would have to pay the owner if they were killed by the car). We climbed and took some hairpin turns to get to the top of the hills before coming into the Zambesi valley. There was a moment of awakening when we passed beneath a sign which proclaimed the "Sinoelectric corporation", and in fact the Chinese are now in control of the major electric generating plant in the country. As we came down to the river valley, we realized that the road actually crosses the dam itself.

Lake Kariba is the result of this dam, originally built by the cooperation of Zimbabwe, Zambia, and perhaps Malawi. It was built in the late 50's, and is now run by Chinese.

Crossing the border was interesting. We had to do it on both sides, to allow us to leave Zambia, and to allow us to come into Zimbabwe. And of course there was money involved: $75 per person. I didn't have a $5, so gave them $80, expecting change. They claimed not to have any bills for change (although as Charlie points out, if they are charging $75, they must have some $5 bills). Fortunately, Charlie had the right change, so they didn't get to pocket my money today. Our driver had said that we would see more native animals in Zimbabwe than in Zambia, and sure enough, after passing through the border, we spotted some baboons - mother and child - at the side of the road. Saw a few more along the road to the lodge we are at, the Cutty Sark on Lake Kariba. And also some large dung piles which the driver said were elephant dung, and that the elephants are a problem along the roads at night. I'll keep that in mind.

The lodge is very nice, and very quiet. There are only ten guests tonight, so there are more staff than guests. And, apparently, we have to pay for our own suppers tonight, which we had not expected. But we are finding that the rules change seemingly at a whim, so we were not totally surprised.

We got here just before four o'clock, so I sat with Daphne under a thatched roofed cabin and read my novel, sipping on some local white wine. Very colonial!

That evening, we were met by Bono, who was to be our Guide through the entire trip on the Zambesi. He went over some of the things that were going tom happen, and some of the concerns we might have. We had to reiterate that we wished a guide in each canoe, which is what we were promised, but not what he was initially suggesting.
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Location:Kariba

A Day in Lusaka

When I got to the Guest House, they were ready to meet me and show me to my room. It was spartan, the toilet only works sometimes, the electricity is there most but not all of the time, and the shower is a hand-held apparatus you have in the tub. But there was hot water, and I had a bath and cleaned myself enough to be presentable, then went off to the Arcades Shopping Centre on foot. It is about a kilometer altogether and pretty easy walking. I finally found the store which sells sim cards, lined up (as you do everywhere here) and got the card with a bit of time on it. I got the card in okay, but couldn't figure out how to get the time on it, so had to go back into the store. I was startled when I realized that the person just ahead of me was about twenty, in fatigues and was carrying a sub-machine gun on his shoulder! You don't see that in Canada! And he was just a regular one of the customers.

That accomplished, I called Dr. Margaret Mainbolwa, the assistant dean of the medical school (who was a trained nurse midwife, with a Ph.D in it from Sweden, of all places), and we arranged to meet at her office. Took me a while to find a cab, but I got there and finally found her office. Of course she was not there, but people are nice, and someone went to find her. She welcomed me warmly, and we talked about her research and the medical school. She helped me by arranging for the next interview which was at a different location, so I got another ride with two of the staff, and met with Dr. Fastone Gomar, a cardiologist by training and practice, but also a researcher and one of the founders of Zamfor here in Zambia. He has been involved in human resources work in health care, as well as tobacco reduction strategies. A very interesting man, and one whom I would like to spend more time with.

It turned out that the third person I thought I would see today was out of town, so I came back to Juls and slept. I took a cab with a young man who said of course he knew where Juls was, but when we got close, it turned out he didn't know, so we had to stop and ask a few times. Fortunately, we had agreed upon a price for the total ride.

I had forgotten how fast the sun goes down in the tropics. I woke about 5:50 and thought I should get going to meet Daphne and Charlie by 6:30, and by 6 it was already dark. I had been assured that walking around here was okay until after 8, but it felt a bit scary walking down the dark streets (no street lighting), on uneven roads with cars which don't always drive well, and being the only white person in sight. And the houses here are all behind high walls with razor wire on top of them, so getting help there would be impossible. But I made it safely, had a wonderful reunion and dinner with the Maurers. And then came home by taxi.

I have decided to take this iPad with me on the trip, so we will see how well it does. I am fascinated at the prospect of using it to keep a diary while out.


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Location:Lusaka

London and Beyond

I have not been writing too much over the past few days, so I will do that now.

We arrived in London, were met by Daniel, and went back to his place, as I mention in my other posting. Saturday was a day for getting time-shifted. We slept twice through the day, and felt pretty good that evening, so went out to a South African restaurant for supper, where I ate ostrich and wildebeest meat - both pretty good. We had some good conversation with both Daniel and with Electra, and returned fed and happy by foot to his apartment.

Sunday we went on a walk to the local town of Barnes, walking through the commons (which is a huge area of open or forested land, with cricket pitches, football fields, and wild areas). After a stop for a pint, we took the bus back home, and celebrated Dan's birthday, complete with presents and a meal cooked by the two of them. It was wonderful - tasty, filling, and just plain good. And how nice to be served a meal by your children!

Dan was off to work the Monday morning bright and early and on his bike, and Darlene slept in a bit. So when we got up, we decided to walk over to the High Street and find some breakfast. Found a good place at the local pub, and then took the bus into downtown London, ending up at Covent Gardens, and Picadilly. Lots of walking and the occasional stop for a rest. We tired ourselves out, and were glad to get back on the bus for home. We got home before Dan, and when he got there we went out for a supper just down Richmond Street from his place.

Tuesday, again Dan was off to work, and we this time decides to take the bus to the High Street, and then on to Kensington, to visit a Museum. We got a wonderful breakfast sitting outdoors in the Kensington area, watching people. Then on to the museum. All the museums in England have free admission, which is wonderful. We decided to go into the Natural History Museum. The Museum is housed in an enormous, architecturally fascinating building which dates from the 1800's. And it contains a number of large collections of animals and insects, as well as exhibits about the human body. I was intrigued (Darlene perhaps a bit less so), and we spent most of the afternoon there.

We had decided that evening to go and see a film (Toy Story 3) with Dan, and did this, getting home late. But we got to meet Alfie, his roomie, and that was pleasant. Alfie is from Mississauga, and is going back there soon. He had kindly lent us his bed for the first few nights we were there.

Then Wednesday, which was to be our travel day. We took the morning to repack and get ready, then went to the airport. Darlene was to leave before me, so we had a bit of lunch at the airport. I saw her off, had to transfer to a different terminal, then waited for my own flight. Got on it finally, only to learn it was to be delayed a bit because of a strike in France which meant we couldn't fly through their air space. But in the end the flight was uneventful, and I even got a fair bit of sleep. Arrived in Lusaka just after sunrise, and of course waited in lines to get through the immigration process (complicated by my own ignorance of the fact that you have to pay to enter the country, and of course you pay in US dollars, and my US money was in my checked bag on the other side of customs). But they are pretty laid back here, so they let me get my bag and pay them. And enter their country. I was met by a man from Juls with a sign for "Robert Brown", but we got it figured out and I am now at the guest house.

First impressions: beautiful sunrise, very pleasant people, lots of poverty and some wealth. Reminds me a lot of Cuba so far. But I have a room, and it has power and water, so I am happy. Got some Zambian dollars out of the bank (300,000, which seems like a lot but is only about $60, I think). I will get a phone card soon, and walk over to the University and/or to the shopping plaza. Likely meeting the Maurers later tonight.

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Location:Lusaka

On my way

So here I am in Merry Olde England, visiting my son in Putney. This trip has been easier to get here than have most of the previous ones, due to an expensive choice I made earlier. I had decided that I was tired of being a zombie when I got here, so went for the "Executive" option on the plane. This allows for a horizontal position while sleeping. And it works! As well as the extra perks you get: earlier entry to the plane, faster trip to get your luggage and through customs; you get to assume a better position while trying to sleep. You still only have about three hours of sleep, but it is better sleep.

Yesterday in London was cool and there was a bit of rain. When we got to Heathrow, we met up with Dan, and decided that we should take a taxi to his place. We did not expect that it was going to cost us £60! Such is London, I guess. In spite of all, we had to sleep a bit in the morning and again in the afternoon. But in between these sleeps, we walked to the Thames River and along it for a while, then along the High Street in Putney, admiring the houses and the shops. Then back to Dan's place to have an early celebration of his birthday, and then for upper at an (appropriately) South African restaurant.

Home to bed and up this morning early. Out to find coffee, a paper and some internet. And now doing some more blogging on the iPad. Hope this works: I am thinking of taking this machine with me to Africa, and leaving the laptop here in London. We'll see.


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Location:Putney, London, England