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Yesterday was also a long travel day. We had a short final walk with Champion and Bono, had our final breakfast, which had to hold us all day. Then packed, took pictures of the staff, handed out tips to everyone, and we packed off in the truck for our trip back.

Along the way to the Park Gate to check out, there was an elephant on the road, eating branched from a tree. They don't seem to be able to see us when we are in a vehicle, so we got quite close, and watched him for about twenty minutes.

After that was a bone-jarring, noisy long trip to the Zimbabwe border. About seventy kilometers, and no faster than about twenty at any time. And we had truck trouble: the trailer hitch broke and we had to stop and repair it; and we blew a tire and had to replace it with one which would have been thrown out in North America. So we got to Chirundu about two hours later than planned. Our driver, Trust, was to take us across the border where we would be met by someone from Zambia who would take us to Lusaka. But the Zimbabwean border guard at first wouldn't let us pass. We had to go get something from another person, then try again (and this time succeed). So we crossed the Zambesi River on a bridge we had canoed under two weeks earlier. And went through the re-entry stuff to Zambia, and were met by the appointed person in a comfortable and quiet van. That felt good.

It seems that in Africa, you have to have a lot of faith that things will work out, and they always seem to. The Zambian driver had waited at the border over two hours for us, having faith that we would show. And we had to have faith that there would be someone there to meet us, and he was.

After the trip back to Lusaka, they let me off at the Juls Guest House and,a after a bit of akin around, my room and my bag were found, and I was safely ensconced. Faith again.

That bed looked pretty good.

I benefitted from one aspect of African incompetence. My "24 hour" Internet connection from almost three weeks previously was still working, so I was able to phone Darlene.

Then I got busy organizing for today, and lost sight of time. I was late arriving at the appointed supper place with Charlie and Daphne, and was scolded for it. And the restaurant they wanted to go to was closed, so we had to go to another one in the plaza which was not as good.

But the night ended with hugs and handshakes. And we left as friends after a wonderful trip on the Zambesi!

This morning, I was up early as usual, had a real shower and was all set to go by six. By about six-thirty, I met the same driver, Martin, who had picked me up at the airport, and he drove me back to the airport. He told me he would like to go back to his family farm, but cannot afford it right now. He is living in a three-room house (kitchen, sitting area, and bedroom - the bathroom is outside) and pays $125/month for that, plus water. He has a wife and three children, and relatives who sleep in the sitting room. Such is life in the relatively prosperous city of Lusaka.

Getting through security and customs at the airport was easier than coming in, and after looking at a few of the shops in the airport, I border the plane to the UK.

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Location:Lusaka