Livingstone to Lusaka.

Livingstone - Lusaka 480 Km

We had arranged with last night's taxi driver to collect my present companion and take him to the bus station to purchase our bus tickets to Lusaka (€10 for 7 1/2 hour journey). We had intended to take a train but as I previously mentioned,  the train schedule changed without notice. The Jubilee train, a revamped train now runs only on Sundays. If we were to take it , we would only have had 4 hours in Vic Falls!! The other trains were reputed to be extremely dirty and while I might endure it for a day trip, I was not sleeping overnight in one!!!! 

I already had one experience of that type of train from Hoi Chi Mhin City to Hanoi ( Vietnam) and I don't intend to repeat it. I also suspect this experience might be worse? So it had to be a BUS... I

On the return journey, my constant companion was dropped off at the Railway Museum , where else you may ask, dear reader? The taxi driver then returned him to the hotel where I joined him and we were taken to the station. 

On the way, we had a good tour of Livingstone. It is a 'real' town as opposed to the artificiality of Vic Falls. There are some fine colonial buildings, most in a somewhat dilapidated condition.   

As I've discovered the word maintenance doesn't appear to be in the African vocabulary!!

The station was just a kiosk with some spaces for the busses to park.  

As the taxi man departed, we realised that my companion's  ruck sack was still in the taxi. Luckily we had his card from last night and an employee of the Bus Company insisted on ringing him for us. He returned; the bag in tact, unlike  the previous experience. We're getting careless!  

 

We were there an hour early but time the wait passed pleasantly as we watched Livingstone's citizenry go about their daily lives. 

The Zambian people are very gentle and kind- when we could not buy some minerals, as the shop could not change the note, a young man offered to pay but we declined He too was waiting for the bus. He informed me that the bus was coming from the Namibian border, that he had tried to board further up the road but the bus was full and he got a taxi to Livingstone as many people would alight here. He apoeared to be a well travelled young man.  

The bus arrived. Though we took the Shalom Bus Company  bus - one of only two companies recommended - the bus was quite old and in need of a lot of TLC. The floor was dirty and hadn't been attended to for sometime. For the first time, we were glad we had brought Travel wipes. 

Loading the cases was a challenge as the bus also carried freight. We set off  at precisely 11.30 hrs as scheduled. No music - mercifully the video system was broken so the cotton wool remained unused! We had seen a newer bus at the station and lamented we were not to travel on it.  It even had business class, (that would have been a first) but to be spared the loud gospel music was a plus - 7 1/2hrs of it might have tested my endurance. 

We stopped at various towns as we loaded and unloaded passenger and freight but it was all done quickly and efficiently.

 We had two 10 minute breaks. 

 

At the first, my travelling companion said that the toilets were filthy and not to go in. At the next break a lady told me that I  would find clean toilets and for 2 Kawatcha one could use the PRIVATE toilet, in which,  one was provided with toilet paper and soap. They were very clean. 

We followed the railway line but there was not a train to be seen during our entire journey. It appears that the Zambian Government brought in a foreign consortium to run the railways but  they are obviously not up to the job! 

We were the only two whites on board.

As we passed through the countryside, we saw the poverty - people living in mud huts.

A project has been launched in Southern Africa to have people make bricks from mud and this will enable them to build a more substantial home 

but in the towns are quite substantial houses - I assume the property of the emerging middle class. In the countryside too the odd Ranch was to be seen - a remnant of their colonial past.   

As we left Livingstone woodland filled countryside,    

later areas of cattle, sheep and goats and  around the town of  Mazabuka; a large sugar cane growing area was to be seen. 

Education is very important. There are public posters everywhere extolling the virtues of education and at 1600hrs, we saw the children in their various uniforms; all beautifully presented, making their way home from school - some in the towns , others going home through the fields. They wear their uniforms with pride. We also passed a number of teacher training colleges. This  emphasis on education ogres well for the future of Zambia

Dear learned colleagues at the LL there's always a job here if you fancy s change!!

Religion is very imporatnt to the Zambians and there is a substantial church of some Christian denomination in every town and village together with a primary and secondary school - some private. 

The bus eventually pulled into Lusaka station at 1900hrs. It was manic there - all the taxi men shouting at the passengers as to whether they wanted a taxi or not. We declined and came outside and got a taxi ; after the usual negotiation (you never get in a taxi without establishing the fare in advance)  and we arrived at the  Best Western Lusaka Grand Plus. We were checked in, in minutes and went to our room When we tipped the porter he said 'God bless you' when did you hear that from a porter last?