Day 2. Sun 22nd September
Lusaka.
Today is a free day. In the morning Ken drives us into Lusaka and we see
the two faces of a large African city. First we visit the market which
is very much the typical African market to which we will become accustomed
over the following weeks, narrow unpaved alleys between rows of tiny traders'
shacks. Everything is on sale here, carved curios for the tourists, beans,
rice and fruits in huge sacks, live chickens, dried fish, slabs of newly
butchered meat, or even a meal of beef and rice at a trestle table. Everywhere
flies and tradesmen buzz. The sellers are charming, cheerful, and frighteningly
tenacious, and the unwary traveller, not used to the African way of trading,
is parted from his cash with disarming dexterity. A white face is fair
game here, and puts up the price threefold before the haggling even starts.
Luckily we have Ken, who prevents anyone from being too severely fleeced
until we learn the rules.
However, a few of the biggest African cities, Lusaka being one, also have
another side, a western-style shopping centre with a supermarket, clothing
stores, mobile phone shops and internet cafes. As we sit down outside a
smart cafe and order rolls and juice for lunch we are acutely aware of
the contrasting lifestyles that coexist here. (Unfortunately I didn't take
any photos of this part of the day).
Lusaka is the capital city of Zambia, the first of the three African
countries that we will visit on this trip. In colonial days all three were
under British rule, Zambia then being Northern Rhodesia. The local currency
is the Zambian Kwacha (Kwacha is a Chechewa word meaning Dawn). Over seventy
different languages are spoken in Zambia, as a result of which English
has been chosen as the official language. Bemba is the tribe, and the language,
local to this area.
In the afternoon we relax by the pool
while a local musician entertains.
The plan for the evening is to all go out to dinner at the "Irish Pub"
in Lusaka, however, like all well made plans, this one goes awry. Peter,
the third driver, has been meeting with Ken, and Auxies is to drive him
home. We sit by the pool and drink beer and wait for him to return . .
. and wait . . . and wait. When he finally returns it is to report that
the front differential on the Defender has broken. (It seems that the Defender
is quite as eccentric a character as its owner - as it turns out this is
to be the first of several incidents with the vehicle over the coming weeks).
In the end Ken drives us into Lusaka in the Discovery and leaves us at
the restaurant while he and Auxies take the Defender to pieces. We have
an excellent meal, and return by taxi to find Ken and Auxies still rummaging
underneath the Land Rover, which now has the front wheels off and most
of the innards strewn over the path. We retire to bed, but it takes them
until 03:00 to fix the Defender. However, there is one positive result
- Ken, with characteristic bluntness, has told the DJ that if he doesn't
shut the music off he'll unplug the whole system himself, so we all get
a quiet night.