Please find our first "catch-up" long blog entry below. Hopefully more will follow and we'll try to keep them in order of date.
The UN World Tourism Organisation are holding a big conference in Livingstone, so we got up early to get all our business sorted while they were still busy and not clogging up the town with all their vehicles etc. We managed to visit the ATM, buy some post-it notes, get the groceries, get SIM cards for internet and local calls, and find an open bank where we could exchange some old kwacha (now illegal) for new, and be on our way before 11am. As last year, we had to fend off various types who wanted to sell us things we didn't want, or look after the truck for an extortionate rate - this kind of thing is guaranteed to irritate Barney!
The road to Choma wasn't too bad. Not very scenic. People sell big bags of charcoal all along this route and clearly the fires sometimes get out of control, as much of the bush is burnt along the way. Possibly the charcoal is used for making bricks, as we also saw lots of brick ovens near the road. It was hard to find an unoccupied spot for a break, but eventually we were able to stop under a shady tree, and were soon joined by Ute and Henry in their MAN truck coming the other way. It's weird how one seems to bump into other travellers at the least likely times. Anyway, they gave us some useful info about the state of the roads to Lower Zambezi N Park, and where we could stay near there. Also there showed us their monster bites from tsetse flies!
We stayed just outside Choma at Gwemba farm and lodges. As at so many places the camp-site is basic, but the ablutions are clean with plenty of hot water, and security was provided in the form of Edward, who is probably a retired farm worker. At least he kept the curious children from being too much of a distraction. In the late afternoon we took a walk out of the farm grounds, crossing paths with the sheep, goats and cattle as they were brought in for the night. We saw several interesting birds and enjoyed stretching our legs. Not very many insects here, and it cooled down after dark which was nice. When we did our dishes we found little toads living under the outdoor sink.
The UN World Tourism Organisation are holding a big conference in Livingstone, so we got up early to get all our business sorted while they were still busy and not clogging up the town with all their vehicles etc. We managed to visit the ATM, buy some post-it notes, get the groceries, get SIM cards for internet and local calls, and find an open bank where we could exchange some old kwacha (now illegal) for new, and be on our way before 11am. As last year, we had to fend off various types who wanted to sell us things we didn't want, or look after the truck for an extortionate rate - this kind of thing is guaranteed to irritate Barney!
The road to Choma wasn't too bad. Not very scenic. People sell big bags of charcoal all along this route and clearly the fires sometimes get out of control, as much of the bush is burnt along the way. Possibly the charcoal is used for making bricks, as we also saw lots of brick ovens near the road. It was hard to find an unoccupied spot for a break, but eventually we were able to stop under a shady tree, and were soon joined by Ute and Henry in their MAN truck coming the other way. It's weird how one seems to bump into other travellers at the least likely times. Anyway, they gave us some useful info about the state of the roads to Lower Zambezi N Park, and where we could stay near there. Also there showed us their monster bites from tsetse flies!
We stayed just outside Choma at Gwemba farm and lodges. As at so many places the camp-site is basic, but the ablutions are clean with plenty of hot water, and security was provided in the form of Edward, who is probably a retired farm worker. At least he kept the curious children from being too much of a distraction. In the late afternoon we took a walk out of the farm grounds, crossing paths with the sheep, goats and cattle as they were brought in for the night. We saw several interesting birds and enjoyed stretching our legs. Not very many insects here, and it cooled down after dark which was nice. When we did our dishes we found little toads living under the outdoor sink.