Brandon Bosch Memorial Ride - Africa 2021

[DASKOP]

I found a place to put up sticker no 15 for Brandon. It was an extremely emotional moment to say the least.

 

[DASKOP]

The climb back up to the top. Naomi had to wait for me a few times.

 

[DASKOP]

20 minutes? It took me about 40 minutes to get back to the top.

 

[DASKOP]

The Boiling Pot from above.

 

[DASKOP]

Last photos at the Victoria Falls.

The bridge between Zambia and Zimbabwe.

Barrenness against the backdrop of abundance.

Me and my amazing guide.

 

[DASKOP]

The craftsmen and women of Africa are amazing in their creations.

I really wanted to take these with me, but I still had such a long journey ahead and they were so fragile.

 

[DASKOP]

It was time to say goodbye to Naomi, my guide, and her friend, Stella, who looked after Matilda for me.

These ladies are self-employed, they are sole providers and are reliant on tourists for their income. They are very knowledgeable and very friendly and they enhanced my experience.

They blessed me and I made sure that I blessed them before I left.

 

[DASKOP]

I could not find a Vic Falls sticker for Matilda at the crafts market and drove into Livingstone to see if there were any available there. No luck.

At Maramba River Lodge, I had my first elephant sighting, in Zambia, from the deck.

 

[DASKOP]

I was sitting on the deck, doing my normal admin thing, when the sightseeing boat arrived back at the jetty.

There were many dignitaries and uniformed men around. I asked one of the uniformed men what this was all about. He was part of the personal guard of His Excellency, the Chief of the Chewa tribe, who was here for a seminar. In for a penny, in for a pound, so I asked if he could arrange for me to meet the Chief, which he duly did.

The Chief asked about me and my trip, offered his condolences and wanted to know about my destination from Livingstone. I told him that I was initially heading for Lake Malawi, but because of the Covid related inconsistency of the ability to cross the Malawian border, in or out, I was not sure. He suggested I go to Samfya on Lake Bengweula and stay at the Chita Lodge. Take the Great North road from Lusaka, turn right at Kapiri Mposhi, just after Serenje, turn left towards Samfya. On this road, there is a 3 km long bridge that I had to see. The lake is beautiful and I would not be disappointed, but he advised me against swimming in the lake, as it is full of crocodiles. We spoke for a while longer, I thanked him, he wished me well and I went back to my admin.

I was then approached by another gentleman who joined me for a beer. Wilson Zimba, qualified Psychologist and teacher at a local medical school. He gave me more details about getting to Samfya and indicated the area on my totally outdated Africa Atlas. My trip and the Brandon Bosch Foundation was discussed and he said that he would really want to be a part of this. He told me of the prevalence of depression and related suicide numbers in Zambia, some with children as young as 8 years old.

This rocked my boat. Why am I encountering all of these people and WTF am I getting myself into?

Time for beef curry supper. Put on everything I could find and go to bed. It was going to be another cold night.

 

[DASKOP]

05 June 2021

It was a late start for me. It was freezing cold during the night.

I was having some coffee, when I heard branches breaking, that means elephants. I walked down along the river bank to see the elephants and I mat Charlie Skeen, a Civil Engineer, who had given up his career in London and was traveling from there to Cape Town in his 4x4. We immediately clicked, watched the elephants and then had breakfast together.

 

[frankmac]

Thank you for sharing your catharsis and I'm very happy for you meeting good and sympathetic people on your route. May it long continue.

 

[DASKOP]

Thank you for sharing your catharsis and I'm very happy for you meeting good and sympathetic people on your route. May it long continue.

Thank you for taking the time to talk to me. It did continue.

 

[DASKOP]

They stayed around for a while.

 

[Slim Jim]

That was an emotional read , can't wait for the rest,  :spitcoffee:

 

[mox]

I can't help thinking that there is something for all of us readers to learn from this in the bigger scheme of things.
Thank you for sharing, thank you for your vulnerability and your strength to be human.

 

[TheHamster]

So much one can take from this journey, as I think we all carry baggage of a similar nature.

The generosity and sincerity of people you have met along the way is a stand-out for me. There is so much negativity in our daily goings-on that it's heartwarming to meet happy and friendly people. It reminds one that mankind is inherently good, and not everything is doom and gloom.



Sent from my vivo 1820 using Tapatalk

 

[DASKOP]

Charlie wanted to visit the falls. Naomi had given me her number so we contacted her and sent her a photo of Charlie's bakkie and she said she will meet him at the gate if she was not busy guiding someone else when he arrived.

I went into Livingstone, adamant to find a Victoria Falls sticker for Matilda. I started at the Museum, no luck, the office which may have been able to help me, was closed. Other places had fridge magnets, but I could not find what I was looking for.

The mask on the Cecil John Rhodes statue was a hoot.

On my way back to the lodge, there were elephants crossing the road. It is a section on the main road to the falls, just before the Maramba bridge, which they call the Elephant Corridor, and where these amazing creatures cross very regularly.

 

[DASKOP]

Humour is the best medicine.

 

[Mikie]

I have read everything from the beginning
Loving this report, Daskop

 

[wooly bugger]

Epic!  :thumleft: