We finished the meetings in Mongu on Sunday, and because we were going to be leaving early yesterday (Monday) morning the people farewelled me Sunday afternoon. I was only there for a couple of days, but they really took me into their hearts. Everyone wanted hugs and photos, as well as several group pics.
Yesterday I was up at 4, to be ready to leave by 5.30 to be on the bus at 6. It was raining through the night, which was nice in terms of temperature but created a bit of a challenge in getting to the bus. However, it stopped in time and we were able to get to the bus terminal with no problems.
The bus itself was something else. The company had installed an extra line of seats down what should have been the aisle, leaving only a tiny gap for people to squeeze through to get to their seats. There was no way I was going to be able to manage it, so we ended up with the very front seat, which had enough room for our knees but not enough space to stretch our legs out at all. To make matters worse, the seat cushion was totally flattened, and the iron bar at the side of the seat (meant to hold the cushion in place) was pressing into my hip the whole way. Add in the potholes (it’s not that the road has potholes, it’s more that the potholes have a road) and it added up to a very uncomfortable (and painful) nine hour trip! I kept telling myself, “You’re a missionary. Suck it up, Buttercup!” but I have to confess it didn’t help very much.
The driver, who was obviously on commission, was not content with the extra seats – he kept stopping to pick up still more passengers, putting them on steps, on fittings, anywhere else he could stash them. At one point I wondered whether he was going to start asking us to have people sit on our knees (he didn’t, and would have received a sharp answer if he had.)
We finally arrived at the town where Muzamai and his family live, checked in to my hotel and then went to their home for lunch. Muzamai’s wife Janet is delightful, and so are his children. It was already around 4, so after eating I went back to the hotel where I did a bit of reading then crashed. I was in bed at 8.30! I NEVER go to bed that early, in fact rarely before 11, but I was totally whacked.
The hotel was quite nice, up to western standard. What I particularly liked was that breakfast was served in a lovely garden area. I would be happy to stay here if I ever came to Zambia as a tourist (which is extremely unlikely.)
The trip from there to Livingstone was only about 60kms, and Janet came with us, so we came by car instead of bus – a quick, comfortable ride on decent roads. When we arrived there was a bit of drama, as apparently there is some kind of convention in town, and all the hotels were booked. It took Muzamai quite some time to find one that had rooms available, but eventually he was successful and I am here now. Tomorrow I have to cross back into Zimbabwe to catch the flight to Johannesburg, and then connect on to Nairobi. Meanwhile, I have to repack my cases to try to fit everything in. I need an elastic case!
I arrive in Nairobi at 10.30 tomorrow night, so it is unlikely that I will be posting tomorrow.