Best of Zambia
We visited Zambia between December 27, 2013 and January 3, 2014, traveling by bus and making stops at Livingstone, Lusaka, and Chipata. We crossed the border between Zimbabwe and Zambia walking along the Victoria Falls Bridge which connects both nations at this spectacular natural wonder. After completing our immigration procedures with the Zambian officials, we were robbed for the first time in our entire world trip. The thief, the biggest monkey baboon we have ever seen, passed running between us and ripped away a plastic bag with 2 apples, crackers, and a bottle of water that was hanging outside Gisela’s backpack. After the fear of being attacked by a baboon and Gisela’s inevitable scream, we found ourselves laughing and feeling relieved because nothing really happened to us. This is probably the best way we could have been robbed and we will certainly remember it forever!
Our time in Zambia was full of adrenaline provoking experiences. A day after we were robbed by the baboon, we were white water rafting in the Zambezi River, paddling hard, getting wet, and enjoying a lot of class 5 rapids. We were also thrilled to learn about the mission and expeditions of David Livingstone, a medical doctor from Scotland, who devoted his life to liberate Africans from slavery while exploring this magical continent. He died in Africa and his heart was buried here where it always belonged.
On the afternoon of December 31, 2013 we encountered another adrenaline provoking situation. As we were making our way back into our CouchSurfing host farm outside Lusaka, Sal was attacked by one of the guard dogs. It happened so quickly, that the only evidence we have was the huge hole that was left on Sal’s shirt. We were relieved to find out that Sal did not suffer any physical injuries, but for both of us, the psychological scars of being attacked by animals remained wide open and pending to heal…
During our stay in Zambia we enjoyed their food and people. Traditional meals of nshima (cooked maize flour) served with a delicious sauce of little dry fish, fried fish, or chicken stew, accompanied by pumpkin leafs, okra or rapeseed vegetables are simply delicious. Zambia, like many other African countries, suffered years of government corruption after attaining their independence from Britain. The population in Zambia is made up of 73 officially recognized ethnic groups. Their people are polite, welcoming, and friendly. Children were always curious and willing to play with us. We had one of the funniest interactions with the locals when a drunken man on his way home saw us and decided to stop where we were sitting to dance for us, hoping that we will give him some kwachas (Zambian’s currency) for a beer. He was holding an umbrella and two machetes while dancing to the rhythms of different songs that were being played on the cellphone of a local lady. His dance was hilarious, the African version of Cantiflas! We and all the local spectators had a blast laughing while watching him, he definitely made our day. Although we didn’t give him any money, he was fine with it. He shook our hands several times and said goodbye without causing problems. After all, interaction is what really matters in Zambia and it always made our stay unforgettable š
Below are other great things we enjoyed about Zambia:
Food and Drinks
Mosi Beer
Nshima: cooked maize flour
Fried Local Fish
Favorite Sights and Activities
Feeling the Adrenaline Rush while White Water Rafting on the Zambezi River
Enjoying the Exhibits in Livingstone Museum
People
Mandy, Lee, Jacqueline: from Hong Kong and China, our CouchSurfing hosts in Lusaka.
Christoph and Teresa: from Germany and Austria, met at a hostel in Chipata
Vincent: from Zambia, our taxi driver in Chipata.
