Siavonga

A couple weekends ago Henry and I visited the southern part of Zambia. Henry wanted to do work related to micro grids he is helping build in that area, and I tagged along. We drove, and it was quite the road trip. It took us two days driving each way. We probably could have made it in one day. However, driving is so stressful here that we preferred to break it up. The roads are so poorly maintained, you never know when you will come across a pothole that shouldn't be passed at more than 20 mph. The roads are also full of cars and trucks of variable quality and condition. This means everyone is going a very different speed, and there is a lot of treacherous passing. I was very glad to get safely there and back and do not look forward to the next driving trip.

We stayed in a moderate sized town called Siavonga, located right on Lake Kariba. The town has very few amenities, but because of the lake, did have some resort type hotels. This made for a lovely stay. As is our experience, however, even the most lovely places still have some reminders that we are not in the US. Before I could enjoy our room, Henry had to kill a massive spider.

Landed right in our coffee service, effectively squashing any coffee drinking for the rest of the stay.

The room and facilities were lovely, and welcome treat compared to our day to day. The biggest luxury: air conditioning. Not just air conditioning, but air conditioning AND 24 hour/day power. Which of course didn't actually translate into 24 hour/day power. There was still a 1-2 hour power outage in the middle of one day. But hey, I'll take. 

Best TV we've had in Zambia...included perhaps 3 watchable stations. 

Because the hotel was on Lake Kariba, it had a gorgeous view of the water, and a gorgeous pool that I sadly did not get into.

I wouldn't mind this in Kitwe.

We were there only 2 days, and most of the time was spent working. If you have to work, better to have an office with a view. 

This was also my introduction to the fruit tree beverage - essentially blended juice.

The resort had zebras and impalas roaming everywhere. I was amazed how close they would let us get.

Hello, friend!

Because Henry was collaborating with some of the engineers working the dam, we got an exclusive tour. The dam on Lake Kariba is the primary source of power for Zambia. This is also the source of much consternation. Part of the reason for the load shedding we are enduring is the low water level in Lake Kariba.

Dam...

The dam is huge, which makes sense given that it generates enough power for most of two countries (it is shared with Zimbabwe). Henry can give a lecture on both the engineering considerations and politics of the dam and the current load shedding. I, however, can really only speak to the day to day frustrations of it. The many, many frustrations

Lake Kariba is huge (biggest man made reservoir ever!). While there I also ate bream, a local fish harvested from the lake. 

Checking out the water level...

The river divides Zambia and Zimbabwe, and the dam provides a link between the two. So we made a quick trip to Zimbabwe just by walking across.

Walked from Z to Zim.

We had a free morning before starting our drive back, so we decided to do a quick boat safari. We went to a lodge a little further east, and boated around the Kafue and Zambezi rivers.

We got wet bums because of course the boat wasn't covered last time it rained...

On this trip we mostly saw hippos... so many hippos. We also saw a lot of vultures. Cruising around on a boat was a really pleasant way to spend the morning. If we weren't moving, however, it was so so hot (I'm sure I haven't said that about my time here yet...). In general, it was much hotter in Siavonga and around than in Kitwe. Henry thinks he has really adjusted to the climate, but right now it doesn't feel like I ever will. Regardless, you just have to accept it and relish the air conditioning when you have it.

Always hanging out together.

Although this makes it look like all we do is travel, there is a lot of boring work that happens in between trips. Look forward to a potentially boring blog about it...

Safari

While in Tanzania, we also got to go on Safari. We left the lovely island of Zanzibar, and flew to the Selous Game Reserve in southern Tanzania. Surprise, there are no major airlines that fly into this game reserve. Instead, we flew on very small plane, seating about 12. For one of the flights, one of our crew actually got to sit in the co-pilot seat. 

 

It was very cool to fly low enough over the landscape to get a good view of the terrain and what we were getting ourselves into. You can also see the grass landing strip we utilized to get close to our camp in the picture below. On our landing, a giraffe ran right in front of the plane, probably within 30 feet. It definitely got my heart pounding to be that close at that speed.

Clear of giraffe!

The camp had really nice facilities. There was a common area with a gorgeous deck and view of the river.

Shade was a necessity...

 They also had a bar built around a very old baobab tree (we were told thousands of years old).

We would go out early each morning (usually in a jeep but once in a boat). Then we would come back during the hottest part of the day and hang out at camp. In the evening we would go back out in the jeep looking for animals. It is really cool to be able to see the animals in their habitat.

Cape Buffalo - one of the big 5.

A hyena eating an impala. Don't look too close.

Mama giraffe and baby!

Baby baboon hitching a ride.

After dark and for our evening meal, we always had a guide escort us from our tent to the common area. Animals would routinely visit the camp, and this was a safety measure. Hippos would come into our camp every night, and we woke up on several occasions to the noises of their feeding. Hippos eat grass, and essentially have to spend all night grazing to consume enough.

Our tents and the hippos' lunch buffet.

Our "tent" was very nice. The camp was not grid connected, but ran a generator 2x day, which charged a battery for each tent. The battery would run lights and fans, but would drain after about 1.5 - 2 hours. That meant that you could have a fan running while you fell asleep, but that fan would stop and you would inevitably wake up in the middle of the night soaked in sweat with no relief.  It felt like you were trying to fall asleep in an oven.

Too hot for shirts.

One of our friends got a little heat stroke (at least, that is what a bunch of people without medical training self-diagnosed his symptoms as). His solution was to take a shower with his clothes on and then stand in front of a fan. Instant swamp cooler.

We did have a lot of down time in between our morning and evening safari times, so we did a lot of reading and a lot of crosswords.

It was also interesting to see a new part of Africa which looked very different from our corner of Zambia. This tree is believed to be thousands of years old. Pretty amazing.

Most people fly out of the game reserve back to Dar Es Salaam. Henry and I decided we would go by car. This turned into a pretty interesting road trip. As expected, nothing goes as expected. So of course we had to wait hours for our driver.

Waiting for our driver. Still waiting....

The rains had definitely made the roads deteriorate, and it was difficult going. The first 3-4 hours were on dirt roads, and our driver was definitely going faster than conditions indicated. Case in point: after hitting some pot holes pretty hard, the driver had to get out of the car to remove part of a now dragging bumper. Later, the driver had to wrap twine around a window that was being bumped loose. That trip destroyed that car. But we safely arrived.

Along this route I was desperately trying to get a signal on Henry's phone to check where I had matched for internship. I got enough of a signal at one point to know the information had been released, but it took another 30-45 agonizing minutes to actually get the correct e-mail to load. I was super excited to learn I had matched in Seattle and am grateful just to finally know what the next year will look like!

Locked Up Abroad

Not really, but I had my first real interaction with the local police in Zambia. The police routinely set up check points, in which all cars driving through are asked to stop and the police verify that you are up to date on your registration, taxes, and insurance. This is done through a series of stickers placed on the windshield of the car, so it usually requires no actual interaction and we are usually waived right on through. This time, while driving alone, I was asked to pull over. I knew there was no problem with my registration or taxes, so it's unclear why they asked this of me. They then asked for my drivers license, so I handed my international drivers license over. At this point I was asked to step out of the car and go speak with the other police officers.

The police officer informed me that I was supposed to carry my US drivers license in addition to the international drivers license, which I didn't have on me. This lead to some confusion. The police officer kept telling me that I needed to have my US drivers license. I kept repeating that while I understand the expectation, I did not have it on me. No amount of me telling me I needed it would change that fact, although they seemed to wish it would. Eventually, another police officer informed me I would have to drive to the police station. I told them I had no idea where it was, so they told me a police officer would ride with me.

I called Henry to let him know what was happening, and he encouraged me to bring the police officer with me to come pick him up. The police officer refused, and insisted we drive straight to the police station, even after talking to Henry. During this exchange, the police officer threw trash out of my car window. So while they are clearly sticklers for driving with a license, littering doesn't seem to be a concern.

The officer and I arrived at the police station, at which point she asked for my car keys. I replied by saying I didn't feel comfortable handing them over, and clearly I was complying with all of their requests. I didn't get asked for them again. I waited for a while while the police officer at the station completed a phone call. She again told me that I needed to have my US license. I explained that it was at my house and that my husband was trying to pick it up to bring it. I further explained that because I had the car, he was having to arrange a ride. I had tried to go pick him up myself, but the officer with me would not allow it. The police officer at the station told me I was released but needed to return to show my US drivers license. So I left.

Police Station

Since Henry was already on his way with my license and legal counsel from CBU, I just waited in the station parking lot. CBU staff carried my US license in and the entire thing was resolved.

Survived my first police interrogation.

Overall, the police were incredibly polite and respectful to me, for which I am thankful. It was my error for not also having my US license, however, I was surprised how important that was to them. Henry has had to show his license many times in the past, and has never been asked for anything beyond his international license. So I never thought it would be asked for. It also seemed like a lot of of trust in people following rules. If I had originally told the police I would drive to the station myself, I could have driven away with presumably no consequences. There was no documentation at that point. Additionally, once released to go bring my license back, it's hard to imagine anyone would have done anything if I had never returned. Regardless, I complied and everything was worked out.