Day 1. Sat 21st September
The flight out.
Having travelled down to London by train the previous afternoon, and spent
the night at Jess's (thanks Jess) in Croyden, I am up at 05:00 to get to
Gatwick Airport for 7:30.
In the check-in queue I am accosted by Andy, who has recognised my
Travelbag Adventures labels. Shortly afterwards Nathan and Amanda also
arrive, and the four of us set off to find some breakfast. Nathan and I
quickly discover a shared love of eating!
The flight is uneventful (we all end up watching "About A Boy" at the
same time and annoying the other passengers by laughing out loud in unison
at the funny bits).
At Lusaka airport we meet Auxies, Ken and the rest of the group of
seven, although Sue announces that she is spending the first evening with
friends in Lusaka, which somewhat incoveniences Ken, who apparently knew
nothing about it.
The remaining six are piled into the vehicles that will be our tranport
for the next three weeks - a battered Land Rover Defender, and a slightly
newer Discovery - and driven the few miles to our first resting place,
the Barn Motel, just outside Lusaka. The motel is comfortable, and even
has a pool, and we spend the evening by the outdoor bar eating barbequed
steaks and getting to know each other. We also have the opportunity to
get used to African time-keeping: although we see steaks put on the barbeque
as we order them, it is over an hour before they are served - they are
still warm (ish) and not burned, so it is never quite clear whether they
are the same steaks or not!
We retire to our beds to the insistent disco beat emanating from the bar
area which continues well into the night.