On the Great North Road

6:30 am came quickly. We groggily dragged our bags out to the Cruiser and loaded up. There was a minute for a slice of toast and a cup of a tropical juice and yogurt drink, popular in Zambia, before we loaded in. Our trip will be a long one and we are hoping to make it all the way Kasempa in the daylight. The city turned from a series of walled properties with fairly modern buildings into clusters of mud block houses with a range of roofs types from plastic to metal to thatch. Our view for a good portion of the trip was the back of a packed minibus, one of the main modes of transportation for Zambians on the go.
Ashlee filled us on the joys of riding these buses. First, the have do a scheduled departure time, but typically the bus driver will hang around for the bus to fill up so that he can maximize his profit. She said that this has been up to five hours in her experience. She also said that many women traveling with small children have no problem plopping a toddler on your lap which is bad enough, but they do not use diapers. Gross! She has gotten wise to the gig and now refuses. It is just one of the reasons they often end up hitch hiking. There were many interesting sites along the road side: bicycles loaded win ways that defy the laws of physics, a woman wrapped in kitenge (brightly printed fabric) with a baby slung around her in another kitenge covered with a fleece blanket and a 3' basket on her head full of her latest crop and groups of kids from age 3 or so on up lounging along side the highway nearly the entire stretch.
And some more disturbing sites: the raping of the landscape by the huge copper mines, piles upon piles of trash due to a total lack of trash service and the newly paved roads that are already full of huge potholes because they are so poorly built, 1-2" of asphalt over dirt, by the Chinese because they know the roads will be repaved by them when they fail if they know the right palms to grease.
It made for a headache for Andy along the way as he zigged and zagged his way around the pits in the road.
A storm was on the horizon as we got closer to Solwezi, a very strange thing for this time of year in Zambia, when typically they will go months with absolutely no rain. It was getting dark because of the storm and with sunset just a few hours away Andy decided it was best to spend the night and go the rest of the way in the morning. So we booked a couple of rooms at the Royal Solwezi, a very modern lodge built on the hillside by a British couple. Then we loaded back into the Cruiser to visit the provincial house where Andy and Ashlee spend a lot of their off time. Below is a mural Andy painted in the hallway during one of their stays. Then we went for our first taste of the Zambian market. That proved to be a test for a few of us. The odor was overwhelming when we first entered through the dried fish portion of the market. There were rows and rows of ladies behind large piles of various types of dried tiny fish. I think I may have threw up a little in my mouth... but I sucked it up as we made our way through trash filled aisles of shops with people shouting out for us to visit their stands. We moved into the vegetable portion of the market and Ashlee purchased some rape, a favorite African green, sweet potatoes, tomatoes, onions, and some bologna-like substance made from nuts for our meal the following evening.
We ate dinner at the restaurant in the Royal Solwezi, where there was a broad offering of options. The power went in and out several times throughout the evening which was giving Ashlee fits and did limit the menu that was available. The lights and televisions kept going out, but there were several of the main lights on the generator which would kick in when the power would go out. I thought it set a relaxing mood for dinner and I rather enjoyed it myself. There were again mosquito nets on the beds, but in a more elegant fashion and we cranked up the air and slept soundly through the night.

Welcome to Zambia

The flight from London to Lusaka was torture from the minute it started. Full of rambunctious 4-year-olds and one baby that screamed at piercing "Noooooooooooo" for hours at a time. As we descended through the early African mist the runway in Lusaka didn't look adequate to slow the plane. The pilot laid on the breaks and we screeched down the runway before doing a 360 and taxiing for what seemed like 20 minutes back to the terminal. After a wait through the customs line with the bad American parents who had allowed their child to scream through the night, we collected our bags and came out the arrival gate to find a much browner and skinnier Ashlee and Andy waiting. We had to wait for the car rental office to open. When it finally did open we learned that a travel agent in the US makes an online reservation with a company that doesn't have online reservations it won't always mean a car waiting on the other end. Ashlee was able to get things worked out and about and hour later we were wading through a group of Zambian men wanting to load our bags into the Land Cruiser for a few cents. We were a little heavy on the bags so Ashlee piled on top in the back section with a small area of seat still exposed. She said she didn't mind as it is still much better than how she usually gets around. Andy was our driver for the trip and he maneuvered the entire trip like a champion! They started out by taking us to the guest house where we would stay for the night so we could clean up and rest while they finished up a few things for work. The guest house was within a 10' wall like everything in the nicer neighborhoods in Lusaka. There was an empty pool and a guard at the gate. The woman that manages the house was there cleaning dishes and helping to carry in bags. It was basically a large house with four bedrooms and three shared bathrooms. There was also a large living room and kitchen. Ashlee showed us around, as this house is often used by the Peace Corp volunteers. There were mosquito nets over the beds. The bathrooms were rough but functional. After dark bugs started to appear though.

Later in the day we headed out to visit the Peace Corp house where we met several of the leaders and volunteers. There had just been a training session for the group so many of the volunteers were in Lusaka. They showed us around the campus where they have demonstrations of the gardening techniques they are teaching. Then we went to the Busy Bee, a small restaurant that had sandwiches made to order, meat pies, mixed salads and other treats that we took back to the guest house to eat. They also had a garden out back where they sell plant material for landscaping. Mom enjoy looking around and found several plants that she has in her garden already.

Later we headed to exchange some money and visit the Shoprite (Shop-rit-E), the large very nice grocery store, to pick up some travel food and supplies for while we are visiting the bush. It was a hectic inside. After battling the isles we headed for an ice cream cone or sundae. We went back to the guest house to unload the groceries and repacked them for the trip.

The sun was starting to set when we walked a few houses down to a Chinese restaurant that is a favorite of the volunteers. It smelled great when we came through the gate. The house had several small dining rooms and we got a private room with a large round table. We requested the first of many Cokes for the trip and ordered from their vaguely familiar Chinese food menu. During the meal Ashlee took a call from a guy they met days earlier in Lusaka. They were hitchhiking and were picked up by a Zambian man. When asked where they lived they said Kasempa and after some back and forth they realized that the man's mother lives just down to path from Andy and Ashlee, small world. So the man was calling to bring by a package for us to take to his mother, some sugar, salt and oil, small luxuries for the Zambian. We finished up dinner and walked back for an early retirement. Aundre and I snuggled up under the mosquito net and chattered for quite a while before drifting off to a fitful sleep. We are planning to set off at dawn so that we can try to make it the whole way to Kasempa in the day light as driving after dark is a risky business, so hopefully we can catch some zzz's in the car.

The end of a whirlwind romance

We slept in and dined on the breakfast buffet before hauling our bags down to the lobby for the next few hours while we wander. We started off to find China Town. It was a much smaller version of the one Andrea, Aundre and I visited a few months ago in San Francisco. We grimaced at the raw creatures hanging in the windows advertising their freshness.

We decided to head towards the British Museum and found a quaint shopping district and spent a while nosing through shops. With little room to carry purchases it was mostly window shopping until we came across a Nike store that had computer stations where you could build your own sneakers. Aundre and Andrea were memorized. The selection in the store was unlike any I have seen at home. Both Aundre and Andrea found a pair that they could not live without and made purchases. We then made our way on to the British Museum. Andrea really wanted to see the Egyptian collection so we wandered through the school kids for an hour or so. Aundre found the Rosetta Stone which was impressive in size. It was a favorite attraction and was full surrounded with interested guests.

From there we headed back through the Covent Garden where we stopped at a street side cafe for lunch. We then made our way back to the hotel to collect our bags and hop a cab to the airport. This time we asked for a van so we had room to breathe. After a stringent inspection of our passports and tickets by the Heathrow staff we made our way through the duty free shops to the waiting area. From there we boarded our flight to Lusaka, Zambia. Once again we will wake up tomorrow in a different world, we have not idea how different.

London by bus and boat

We started the day with a typical European breakfast at the hotel: runny scrambled eggs, potatoes, toast and croissants, beans, yogurt, fruit, juice and, of course, a spot of tea. Then we walked a few blocks down to the Visitors' Center where we purchase tickets for the doubledecker bus tour. We had just missed the walking tour of the changing of the guard but one of the old chaps that worked at the place offer to run us down to catch up. He was a funny guy. But not nearly as funny as the tour guide, Uncle Bernie. He took us on more like a running tour from where the new guards exit the one of the smaller palaces and march down the boulevard past Buckingham Palace to the guard house. There are different uniforms for the guards one different days because they represent the armies of the four countries that make up the United Kingdom: England, Northern Ireland, Scotland, and Whales. We also went to a smaller scale changing of the guard at the palace where Prince Charles lives.

From there we made our way back to the pick point for the bus and climbed to the open top for the prime view of the city. We circled back around by Buckingham Palace, past Westminster Abbey and Big Ben, to St Paul's, through the financial district, over the Tower Bridge to the London Tower with the commentary of an aspiring young actor as our tour guide. We got off at the Tower of London and grabbed a bite to eat from an strange under ground food court of sorts built into the side of the hill. We dined on large stone benches surrounded by pigeons watching the demonstrated catapulting in the yard. Then we started off on foot for our Jack the Ripper walking tour with the same interesting tour guide from the morning. On this tour he was really pouring on the drama with his crazy eyes and slashing motions when he described the brutal slayings. I have to admit I didn't know a lot about Jack the Ripper when we decided to take the tour, but it sounded interesting and we got to see a part of the city that most visitors would never visit.

We boarded the the boat at the Tower of London and traveled back down the Thames past Shakespeare's Globe Theatre, the Tate Modern, and the London Eye before docking in Westminster near the Parliament and made our way back along the bank with lots of joggers and other casual walkers towards the hotel. We took a break for a rest at the hotel and then went to an Internet cafe across the street to select our seats on the flight to Lusaka, Zambia the following evening. Then we made are way along the cobbled sidewalks up to the Covent Gardens area where we enjoyed a late dinner alone in a small, but delightful Greek restaurant called Pad. Then back to the hotel to pack up catch some BBC before falling asleep.

London by foot

We arrived in London just after 10am. The red eye had proven to be just that, but you can't waste a day sleeping it off when you are in a new city. So after gathering our bags and literally walking right through customs we exchanged some $ for pounds we grabbed a cab downtown. Aundre straddled the bags and we strained to understand the "English" that the cabbie was speaking on the 45 minute ride to Charing Cross Hotel. A rather nice hotel located over the Charing Cross tube stop and right in the middle of Westminster, walking distance to many familiar sites.

Only one room was ready when we arrived so we make a quick wardrobe change and set off on foot with a map of London to conquer the town. We made our round-a-bout way around to a bridge and crossed over the Thames as a sprinkle of rain passed through. We grabbed a baguette at a riverside cafe and made our way along the opposite side of the river from the hotel. We walked under the bridge and discovered a row of street performers earning their pay in the gentle dripping. We came to the Eye and despite the overcast sky we decided to give it a whirl. The view was amazing! So many of the buildings have beautiful courtyards that are not visible from the street and Big Ben and the Parliament were incredible from that angle. We came full circle and walked across the Westminster Bridge to the Parliament. There was a large group of protesters in support of Sri Lanka filling the center open space. We walked around the perimeter to the Westminster Abbey for a closer look, but didn't feel inspired to pay for a visit.We meandered back past the Horse Guards through Trafalgar's Square and Piccadilly Circus. Basically we got lost, but it made for some great site seeing. We headed back to the Charing Cross for a shower and a little nap. Later in the evening we ventured off to the Covent Garden area for a bite to eat. We settled for the Maple Leaf, a local pub with fish and chips, steak and a veggie burger on the menu, which satisfied us all, so we sat around a heavy wood table with TVs playing soccer on ever screen and people watched for a while before heading back and succumbing to a coma-like sleep.

Reason #1 why American Airlines sucks

So we were packed and ready for the start of our adventure. The parents showed up and we loaded the bags into the trunk on a mild Sunday afternoon in Missouri. We arrived at KCI and made our way to the American Airlines baggage check in. With itinerary and id's in hand we got to the counter just before 2:30pm.
"What flight?"
"The 3:40 to Chicago."
"There isn't a 3:40 to Chicago."
"According to my itinerary we are scheduled on the 3:40 flight to O'hare."
"Oh, well they probably changed the schedule. It leaves at 3:00."
"Well no one notified us. Can we still make the flight?"
"I think so, let me check with my manager."
"I can run their bags down to the plane right now myself. It's right there."
"Absolutely not. The flight closes 45 minutes ahead of departure."
"Please we are meeting up with our family in Chicago for an international flight."
"No!" Grrrrrrrr..........

So that was the start of it. Frustrated and getting frazzled we had no choice but to reschedule for the next flight. There is only 35 minutes for a connection, but they all but guarantee we can make it. Aundre did his best to get some customer service, but all the offered was a website that we could go to. Gee thanks, because we have a computer with us and your just standing there wasting air! Apparently down sizing has resulted in absolutely no phone support these days for good old American Airlines.
So we sit in the airport restaurant and I munch some less than mediocre nachos while Mom nervously sips an iced tea. When we could handle the unbalance HVAC system that was dumping ice cold air on our heads the with force of one of the jet engines just outside no longer we trudged through security to wait the two more hours for our flight.
Andrea arrived in Chicago while we were still in KCI so Aundre did a little bargaining with her to buy him the Chicago-style deep dish pizza that we was craving. He fell in love with it on one of our first trips to Chicago and had been going on about for days maybe weeks in advance. So with Pizza in hand Andrea met us at our gate with enough time to make a quick stop at the restrooms and then get on our flight to London's Heathrow Airport. After a crappy snack from our less than helpful cabin team and a single drink service they lowered the lights and we all put on our headphones, selected one of the movies and sunk into our seats as much as is possible on a commercial airplane in the Economy section.
When we wake up it will be Monday morning in London and we will be on foreign soil for the start of our adventure.

Mamma Africa

Ashlee was excited to talk about the tour she had recently been on with the US Embassy. They went to a refugee camp and say lots of refugees from all over Africa including the Congo and Zimbabwe have taken up residency there. She said the conditions we good relative to how Zambians live. They had mud huts similar to their village, but there were many different languages being spoken. All of the village services are provided by the foreign aid and the UN so it is actually pretty nice. There are many more bikes around than is typical for a Zambian village. There are now 15,000 refugees down from 63,000 10 years ago. Many children have now been born and raised in these camps. I asked why they can't just stay and establish their lives there as so many of their homes have been destroyed, but Ashlee explained that they cannot get Zambian citizenship as it is difficult to attain so they cannot move out of the camps which makes employment if difficult.
The primary role of the UN representatives is to travel around and visit the various villages, take photos and write reports. They also do things like showing the movie they did in Kasempa. Ashlee said that event went over fairly well. The movie they presented was about the national park and wildlife because they didn't think the people would speak English. Ashlee said there was a good response, but the people kept asking when they were going to show the Akon video, an American R&B artist who has become a favorite. My guess is because if his song Mamma Africa. Here is a link to the video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2z8bH_pGm9Q
They are now in Chalimbana, a village 40K outside of Lusaka, awaiting the new arrivals for training. They are staying at a Farmers' Training College that they are using for their training sessions. I am not sure the duration of the training, but they are planning to return home before traveling back to Lusaka to meet up with the rest of us in a few weeks.
So far Andy has not able to get his tooth repaired but hoped to be able to on the return trip. Keep him in your prayers that he can get it fixed soon. Things happen on African time which can be frustrating, I am sure.