THE HERITAGE AND GREAT LAKES TOUR 2014

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Cyclops

Pack Dog
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Jul 6, 2008
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Location
Howick, KwaZulu Natal
Bike
BMW R1200GS
As the days leading up to our intended departure on Friday  6 June for our month long trip into Southern Africa grew closer, I could not help thinking just how pleasantly mild the Johannesburg winter days were. Then on Tuesday 3 June the weather service predicted a massive cold front sweeping across the whole region, destined to hit Gauteng in the early hours of Friday morning with minimum temperatures of -2 and a maximum of only 8 for Johannesburg, and not much more for Polokwane to the north. You’ve got to be frikken kidding I thought. Here we were embarking for warmer climes, and although expecting a cold early 6 o’clock start on Friday, were not prepared now to have to take extra warm clothes.

Our Heritage and Great Lakes Tour had been in the planning since November last year and we were now finally ready to leave. I was born in Lusaka but moved to the then Salisbury when I was 3 and grew up in Salisbury until independence in 1980. My wife, Lyn, was born in Salisbury and also grew up there until 1981. We had met in Salisbury, but got married in Johannesburg in 1982 after we both left Zimbabwe in 1981.
Neither of us had been back since we left and we both wanted to go back to our towns of birth, to see our family homes where we grew up and to revisit our schools. We also wanted to go back to places that had meant so much to us during our youth, places like Lake Kariba, Victoria Falls and the Eastern Highlands. We both also wanted to see Lake Malawi.….hence the Heritage and Great Lakes Tour was born.

Day 1 Friday 6 June Johannesburg to Martins Drift
So here we are, 6 o’clock on Friday morning, the temperatures had plummeted as predicted, but we were stoked for the adventure ahead. An extra jersey was put on, the heated grips turned on to max and we were ready to go.



A friend of mine, Grant was joining us for the first 10 days and we planned to meet at the Total Petroport  just north of Zambezi drive in Pretoria, around 7:15. Unfortunately his girlfriend was denied leave by the company that she had recently just started with, so she could not make it, which was such a pity.
The ride in the early morning rush hour traffic in Johannesburg was manic, and freezing cold, but without incident and we arrived frozen to meet up with Grant at the agreed time. Time to get inside and order a very large cup of coffee and a breakfast.















After warming up and swopping our ride experiences in the traffic, it was time now to get going. The city is behind us and a month of open roads ahead of us. It was still freezing as we headed out onto the N1, destination Martins Drift border post. Next stop was the Kranskop one stop for a pee break and then through to Botswana. We were on a mission to get to the border earlier rather than later as it was a Friday and I was concerned that there would be high volumes of migrant workers  going home for the weekend.

This did not stop us from stopping at the Big Fig Inn two kms before the border for a couple of beers and a toasted sarmie.



The border crossing went smoothly and we were soon crossing the Limpopo  on our way to Kwa Nokeng Lodge, our stop for the night. Kwa Nokeng offer to purchase your road taxes and third party insurance which you then settle up at the filling station as you cross the border. This is a free service and is really convenient as you don’t have to join the often long and slow queue at customs in order to buy this.
A stop at the garage to pay said taxes, stock up on beer and wine for the evening and we’re off to the lodge.



















 
Day 2 Saturday 7 June Martins Drift to Nata.
Monday saw us off at a reasonable time with our first stop being Palapye but as no one was hungry so we had a Wimpy coffee and were on our way.  The wind was howling as we made our way to Francistown, enduring  about 30 kms of road works and stop and go’s before hitting town. It was our intention to purchase food here to braai that evening in Nata but we underestimated the traffic  and people congestion, this being a Saturday morning so we decided to carry on. After searching for a petrol station that actually had fuel we filled up and carried on arriving at Nata Lodge mid afternoon.









Not having bought food to braai we settled in to a good few beers and ate at the restaurant.





Day 3 Sunday 8 June Nata to Maun
The road to Maun is typical of those in Botswana – surrounded by flat grassland that stretches as far as the eye can see. It also passes very close to the northern tip of the Makgadigadi salt pans.

























We came across this huge Baobab rest area and just had to stop for a break.







Next was Planet Baobab with its famous Aardvark . We decided not to stop as we were still fresh and it was also still quite early.





We came across the entrance to the Nxai  Pans National Park but decided not to try to go to the Baines Baobabs as the sand was stupidly thick. We met up with some well travelled folk in a 4x4 who had battled their way through even with 4 wheels and very deflated tyres.





We were rewarded though by a nice sighting of Giraffe right next to the road.  There’s something quite special and magic looking at game from the seat of motorcycle as opposed to the relative safety of being in a car and we stopped for quite some time to watch these magnificent creatures.





Arriving in Maun we were welcomed by these colourful artworks and a zebra in a garden!







Crossing the Thamalakane river






Inevitably we had to deal with that Botswana sand – en route to Old Bridge Backpackers.



The camping area at Old Bridge is quite small but if you get the right spot are rewarded with beautiful views of the river and the old bridge.












Old Bridge has a very vibey pub area with chilled music and a sand floor. Just the place to relax and enjoy the evening. It also produces the best bacon and cheese burgers I’ve had in a long time.








Tomorrow was a rest day and we used this to see some of the Delta.
 
Day 4 Monday 9 June Maun
We wanted to do a Mokoro trip into the Delta but could only find full day offerings and the thought of spending the whole day sitting in the sun in a canoe didn’t excite any of us so we opted for a flight over the Delta. We had met two Dutch kids who were travelling through Africa in a beat up citi golf and I convinced them to join us on the flight. With these flights, the more people you have, the cheaper it becomes so we were able to do a flight for the same price as a full day mokoro trip – bargain. We still had the opportunityy to do the mokoro thing when we visited the pan handle of the Delta the next day.
Breakfast at the Bon Arrivee restaurant and then off to catch a plane. The flight was magnificent as the Delta was filling with water, and according to our pilot, was more than half full. Although, there appears to be lots of grassy areas, these are in fact flooded, but as it is 6 foot high elephant grass, it is sometimes difficult to see the water underneath. We had some good sightings of elephant but unfortunately the photos do not do justice.



















Day 5 Tuesday 10 June Maun to Ngepi
Today was going to be an interesting day with regards to fuel range. Fully loaded and two up, my consumption has been ranging between a low of 16.5 km/l to 18.5/km/l so I’ ve worked on a range of 350kms. Todays leg was 430 kms with only two reliable fuel stops, these being Sahithwa and Gumare. The problem though is that although these filling stations may have fuel, a recent spate of power outages in this area of Botswana means that the pumps may not be working. So with this in mind. I filled my jerry can with 5litres and off we went. My fears were groundless as we were able to fill up at both places. The road from Sahithwa up the western side of the Delta was in good condition but the endless herds of goats and cattle, the natural speed cops of the region, kept our speeds to between 90 and 110. Besides there were things to see.







A quick snack of biltong and cashew nuts under a tree.



Border formalities at the Mohembo border post into Namibia went smoothly and we emerged right onto a super gravel road through the Mahango national park. Signs warning of the possibility of elephant kept us on our toes.









Another sign warning of elephant a few kilometres futher on!



A short while later we turned right onto the 4 – 5 kilometre dirt road to Ngepi camp. In my correspondence with Ngepi, I had been told that the road is “mostly gravel with a few sandy patches, and although most of the motorcyclists that come through complain, especially if they are heavily loaded, they all get through in the end”. 







Well, the statement should have read “thick sand with a few gravel patches!”  It was this sign that indicated the worst was still to come. Ngepi is known for its quirky signs though.





Hey this is Namibia, close to Botswana so who wouldn’t expect some sand. But true to form, like those before us, we got through in the end, but it was hard work and we were glad to set up camp for the day.



We decided to eat some of the food that we brought with us and braai the following night. I set about cooking on my low level oven whilst Grant chose to use his GSA’s “eye level “ oven.





The next morning we woke to these views of the sunrise from our tent.









 
Day 6 Wednesday 11 June Ngepi
Ngepi is a most wonderful place, situated on the Kavango river, the pan handle to the Delta and we chose to spend a rest day here.













It was also a good place to consume lots of these





Grant, who is a very keen fisherman brought his fishing rods along and got some fishing in.



That afternoon, Lyn and I chose to do a Mokoro (called a Wato in Namibia) trip up the Kavango river to watch the sun go down, whilst Grant hired a boat to take him up river for some fishing.











One wonders how many cows like this get taken by crocs?



We alighted on an island for a drinks break and watched this fellow glide past in his wato.



Back on the wato I cracked open another Windhoek Draught to lubricate the throat whilst watching a truly magnificent ending to a perfect day. Grant meanwhile had not taken refreshments on his boat, so when he came by, I offered to “sell” him a beer. Somehow he was not amused by my generosity  :xxbah:













One of the things that Ngepi is also known for, apart from its stunning location, is its very quirky loos and showers.











That evening we bought Kudu steaks to throw on the braai








 
Great RR as well as beautiful pics.

Thks for sharing the experience
 
Day 7  Thursday 12 June Ngepi to Namwi Island

We awoke to another magnificent sunrise and got ready to tackle the ride through the Caprivi Strip to Katimo Mulilo and Namwi Island. Remembering the thick sand and how we battled, I organised for a game viewing vehicle to take our kit and Lyn up to the main road so that we would be a lot lighter. This time the sand monster could not catch us and we managed the road with ease.









Back on the main road, we refuelled at Popa Falls, crossed the Kavango River and were into the famous Caprivi.













It was not long before we came across this elephant on the side of the road. Whilst it is great to see animals like giraffe from a bike, it’s another matter watching elephant. This is an awesome experience, although you do realise your vulnerability on a bike.



The one thing that struck me when driving through the Caprivi is how many rest areas there are, and how well maintained and clean they are. Something we could learn from in South Africa. One thing that has become very noticeable is the number of villages that have sprung up right next to the road, and how many hectares of vegetation they have cleared around them. With more villages, so the game moves away deeper into the bush and it becomes more difficult to spot.





Back on the road it was a relatively boring ride to Katimo Mulilo, with us not seeing any more game. However, it is there, and we stayed alert for animals suddenly crossing the road in front of us.  The speed limit is only 80 kmh, and the temptation is to go faster, but there is always the fear of an animal like a kudu suddenly coming out of the bush and running across the road. Besides, it’s all about the journey, and not necessarily the destination.







We arrived in Katimo mid afternoon and set off to buy food and drink for the evening as the resort that we were staying at had no restaurant or bar. Namwi is a few kms out of Katimo and we arrived at dusk to watch the sun go down over the mighty Zambezi. Today was a special day for Lyn and I as we celebrated our 32nd wedding anniversary. What a wonderful way to celebrate it; with a good friend and in a magnificent setting.







Day 8 Friday 13 June Namwi to Victoria Falls

We originally intended to head for Kazangula and stay over at Toro lodge for the night, but the distance was so short followed by an equally short trip the next day, that we decided to head straight for Vic Falls.

First up was the crossing of the Chobe river at the Namibia/ Botswana border.

























This border crossing also went without any hiccups and I was starting to wonder what all the fuss and hype there is that gets talked about when people talk about crossing borders in Africa. Maybe we were lucky, maybe our time was still to come. Never the less we were soon on our way again and entered the Chobe National Park. As we were about to pull off from the gate, the parks board official suddenly stopped us and pointed out a massive bull elephant crossing just 500m from us. Unfortunately we were unable to get a photo.







However, not 20 kms later we had to stop as a breeding herd of elephant had straddled both sides of the road ahead of us. Nothing else to do but stop and enjoy the spectacle. Again one’s vulnerability comes to mind, and although I have seen countless elephant close up from the safety of a cage, I have a deep respect for these magnificent creatures and know when to give them a wide berth.
Eventually the ones on the right joined the rest of the herd on the left and we were able to pass.












Not two kms further down the road we witnessed a herd of buffalo crossing the road ahead of us. Too far to get a good photo and as we drew level with, they had all but melted into the bush.  But to see 2 of the big 5 within five minutes of each other, on a bike, was really special.











We decided at this point to pull into Kasane and have some lunch and a cold beer  and pulled into the Chobe Safari Lodge with its setting on the river. We had been enjoying Windhoek Draught in Namibia so ordered a couple of these at the Safari Lodge to go with the burgers . We got the shock of our lives when the waiter presented us the bill – 400 Pula (R500) for 3 burgers, 2 draughts each, and a glass of wine. The Windhoeks were P42 (R50) each compared to local SAB beers at around P18 each!





Next up was the  Zimbabwe border post at Kazangula which is notorious for delaying travellers, so we thought “let’s get this one over with and behind us” We shouldn’t have worried and the officials were all pleasant, courteous and relatively efficient and we were through within an hour or so.
Vic Falls, here we come.  We got our first glimpse of the Zambezi from the Zimbabwe side.











Arriving in Vic Falls we took the scenic drive around to our accommodation at the Vic Falls Rest Camp in the centre of town.









That evening, having a couple of drinks in our basic accommodation.





I did not book any of our accommodation, working on the principle that we would always find and I was really surprised to find that the place that I had earmarked for our stop, was basically full. We had decided not to camp in Vic Falls as we wanted to spend two days here and we wanted a chalet where we could lock up our panniers. In the end we had to settle for these basic chalets that are usually reserved for the tour guides of the Overland groups that come through. Anyway US$ 55 per night for three of us isn’t bad.




 
What an experience, I want to go and pack my bike so lekker lyk dit.

Did not know that these roads are tarred now, in my younger days even the road from Francistown to Maun was gravel with fesh fesh every now and then.

Nice to have a photographer on the back seat.

Thanx for sharing.
 
Day 9 Saturday 14 June, Victoria Falls

Vic Falls is a town full of tourists from all over and it’s good to see that after years of isolation where everybody went to Livingston on the Zambian side, that the tourists are now filtering back to see the falls from the Zimbabwe side.  There is a lot of debate as to which side offers the better view, both have their respective merits, but the length of the falls accessible from the Zimbabwe side is just so much longer, offering  a much wider perspective of the sheer magnitude of this waterfall.

















A short walk takes one to the Vic Falls bridge look out where we watched some crazies bungee jumping from the bridge. When you watch from where we were, you realise what a drop these bungiers fall, and also how high they bounce back on the elasticised rope.



A short walk took us to the gorge look out where you can look down gorges 2 and 3 and view the bridge from another view point.





That afternoon, we took a leisurely ride around the circular scenic drive to park next to the river and to see the Big Tree. This was the first time that I rode without any ATTGAT and it is amazing how vulnerable one feels.

There is something about these photos of the bike parked next to one of the mightiest rivers in Africa that just seem to capture the whole essence and soul  of adventure riding in Africa.













Next morning we were up early, packing the bikes and getting ready to go.









 
Day 10 Sunday 15 June Victoria Falls to Mlibizi

Today was the day that Grant would leave the tour as he had to get back to Johannesburg. We would ride together through Hwange until we reached the Binga / Dete, Mlibizi turnoff, and then he would carry on towards Bulawayo, and the next day on to Johannesburg.







The scenery around these parts is magnificent until you reach the Hwange Colliery eyesore.







A last stop to say our farewells. We had had a wonderful 10 days riding together and it is at times like these that you realise the enjoyment of a trip like this with friends. But all good things have to come to an end and its time to part company. Grant still had another 300 kms or so to get to Bulawayo, before the long slog from there to Johannesburg the next day. We had a relatively short distance to travel down the Zambezi escarpment to Mlibizi where we would board the ferry to the other side of Lake Kariba.





Grant waving farewell on his way to Bulawayo, whilst we turned left towards Mlibizi





The reality of the significance of us now being on our own suddenly hit me. Until now there was always the two bikes and the security that one feels when travelling with friends. Now we were on our own, no one to help if we got a puncture, had a technical problem, or, worst of all, if we had an off. We had completed one third of our journey, with possibly the more difficult part of it still to come. I always felt that the Botswana, Namibia and Zimbabwe legs of the trip were in “familiar” territory having driven some of these roads before, and that once we crossed into Zambia, that we were now venturing into the “unknown”. But, we still had Kariba to cross, and this was still in “familiar” territory.

The road from the turnoff to Mlibizi, descends the Zambezi escarpment and whilst very narrow, is in reasonable condition and offers some nice twisty bits.







We came across the Sanyati river, which was a lovely malachite green colour, quite beautiful.





Our journey continued through the ups and downs and twisties of the escarpment until we reached this sign to the Mlibizi Hotel. Time for a few cold ones, as were nearing our destination for the day.



A few more kilometres further on was our overnight for the day, Mlibizi Resort.  This was one of the few places that I had pre-booked as I wanted to make sure that we had a place to stay prior to us boarding the ferry. We had originally booked and prepaid for a camping spot, but decided that it would be better to book into a chalet as we needed to be up early the next morning to catch the ferry, and I didn’t want the schlep of having to pack up our tent.

I mentioned this to the manageress, Cheryl, and after we had been chatting to her about having grown up in Zim, and doing this whole heritage tour thing, she said she had a chalet available for us.

Well...... we certainly were not expecting to be put into what can only be described as the presidential palace. This was a three bedroomed chalet, each with its own en-suite bathroom, lounge, dining room complete with solid Rhodesian teak furniture, fully equipped kitchen, outside bar area and veranda that ran the whole length of the unit. And best of all, it was perched on a hill overlooking the tail waters of the mighty Lake Kariba. Some directors chairs to enjoy the view and we were set. Only thing now was to buy some drinks and enjoy the view.

Unfortunately there was no bar on site, but there was a spaza shop up the road that sold mealie meal, a few basics......and beer! We were in luck.

Our accommodation for the night.












Me buying beer at the spaza shop. Check the children peering through the door. I think they were fascinated at this strange mulungu in a funny shirt and motocross boots.



Some views from our veranda balcony.







Later I went down to the office, to settle the difference on the account between camping and the cost of the chalet, only to be told
“Not to worry, the chalet is on us. It’s wonderful to meet people such as yourselves, who have come back to Zimbabwe to enjoys its offerings”

Wow! I was flabbergasted. How awesome is this!

Thanks Cheryl for your kind hospitality and generosity.

Day 11 Monday 16 June. Kariba ferry Mlibizi to Kariba

After a good night’s sleep, it was up early to catch the ferry. It docks about 7, offloads its passengers on the Kariba – Mlibizi leg, then starts taking on its passengers for the return journey. I was therefore expecting to see it sail past about 6:45. Unknown to us it had got in early and had already docked about 6:30.

Now this journey on  a Monday, was a normally unscheduled crossing  and here I am thinking the worst that it was not going to happen as the usual Mlibizi – Kariba leg is on a Wedneday!

Next, Lyn comes running in saying the ferry has already docked and is taking on cars. Wow, what a relief. We hurriedly finish packing our kit and it’s off to board the boat.









The waters of Lake Kariba can get quite rough if the wind comes up, so it is vital that the bike is securely strapped. There are rails that run across the roof of the hold for this purpose, so I set about making sure that the bike was properly secured.









That done it was time to go upstairs to the lounge areas and select a bedchair and settle in.

The ferry can take a maximum of 65 passengers, but on this trip there were only 16 on board, so it was really relaxed as we had the whole ship basically to ourselves . Time now to chill, relax and enjoy the view whilst someone else does the driving.















Time to crack open a beer and a bottle of wine and have some lunch. Beers were $2 each which was a bargain really.





Later in the afternoon, the Captain stopped the ferry to allow passengers to go for a swim. It’s far enough from the shore to hopefully be free of crocs and hippos.



We’re on our way again and what better way to while away the afternoon than to indulge in a couple of beers and watch the sun set on yet another perfect day in Africa, hell we had earned it.












 
Day 12 Tuesday 17 June Kariba to Lusaka

It’s up early as we had made good time through the night  as the lake was very calm and we were able to cruise at normal speed. We were able to witness a magnificent sunrise as we approached Andorra Harbour in Kariba town.





Entering Andorra Harbour one cannot help feeling that this is a town that has really suffered the effects of the many years of tourist isolation caused by the aftermath of the land invasions and subsequent economic meltdown caused by the rampant hyper inflation that beset the country from 2000 to 2010. Houseboats in varying degrees of disrepair line the shores of this once vibrant tourist area and a rust bucket Capenta boat returning from its nights fishing.







The crew getting ready to dock and the approach to the loading ramp. The skill of the captain in bringing, what is quite a big vessel straight up to its mooring point, without the aid of tugs or anything else is quite something to watch.





Once docked, it’s time to disembark, kit up and be on our way. It was my initial plan to spend the day in Kariba and head for Lusaka the next morning. Kariba had many fond memories for Lyn and I as we spent many weekend breaks here with our friends whilst at school and during our Varsity years, and we wanted to visit those places where we had enjoyed such times. However the town had really decayed and three of the hotels that we used to frequent had long since closed down. Only Carribbea Bay, an old time favourite, and The Cutty Sark were still going. There was certainly a depressed air about the place. Such a pity.





We decided to drive around, see the sights go up to the dam wall observation point and then, as it was still early in the day, head for Zambia.







The shot of the elephant is taken just outside town on the way to the Warthogs and Lomagundi campsites.

We rode the twisty steep road up to Kariba Heights where one gets an amazing view of the lake. 







There are two prominent buildings on Kariba Heights, , the Kariba Heights Hotel and the Interdenominational Church, both built in 1956/57 to accommodate visiting dignitary’s and  consulting engineers during the  building of the wall, and to serve the religious needs of the multi cultural workforce  working on the project. After the dam was completed, the hotel was to be a major force in the tourist industry and the church to serve the needs of the blossoming community.

Alas, today have both fallen into disrepair and the heap of soil outside the entrance to the church indicate that it is no longer used for spiritual purposes. So sad.







The commemorative plaque telling of Operation Noah, the project to save thousands of animals from drowning from the rising waters when the dam was completed, is still there



Time to head to the observation point and then it’s off to Zambia. I’ve viewed the Kariba dam wall many times in my life from this point, but it still impresses every time.









We arrive at the Kariba border post around 10 and formalities are dispensed with in no time at all. Another effortless border crossing I think to myself. Thats when things go pear shaped.

I’m told I need to go to “Interpol” for police clearance.  Ahh, the old Interpol story. I had read that the Chirundu specifically, and to a lesser extent the Kariba border posts are notorious for their bribe inducing Interpol agents, but mainly for when one enters Zimbabwe at these borders from Zambia.

So I approach this well dressed African lady in a business suit, which looked so out of place in this hot climate, sitting under a tree and asked her what the issue is. She replies that I need a police clearance certificate from Interpol. Now I had done my homework , and no, you do not have to have a police clearance certificate, especially if your papers are in order, the vehicle is in your name, is not still under a finance arrangement where a bank is the title holder, and it’s not a code 3 registration.  Oh, and how many border crossings have I already done so far on this trip without this being requested?

I tell her this, to which the stuck record reply comes back “you need a police clearance certificate”  I know where this is going so politely I inform her that I am not paying a cent towards this.  Her eyes glaze over, the roller shutter door comes down look, that these people have perfected so well, and  I think ....stalemate. She then informs me that I need to report to her superiors at the Zimbabwe Republic Police office’s up on the heights, where we had just come from not 15 minutes earlier for them to go onto their computers, contact the SAP and obtain the necessary police clearance. Ja...right! So leaving SWAMBO at the border post as collateral, I race off back up the heights to the ZRP offices. I walk in and request Interpol and get shown into the CID office where 3 or 4 people are casually going about their business of .......eating. A well dressed gent asks if he can help, I tell him that I need a stamp from Interpol indicating they have done the necessary check with our SAP, and he disappears for about 10 minutes. On his reappearance he presents me with a stamped slip of paper, informs me that he’ll instruct the business suited lady down at the border post to let me through and off I can go.

Cool, I think, that was painless, and I know that there was no way on this earth that he contacted anyone in South Africa. And I wasn’t going to tell him that.  This little set back over I walk back to my bike to see a police officer with lots of bird shit on his shoulders to indicate that this was a senior officer. I think, oh he’s interested in my bike and is going to ask me all sorts of interesting questions like where I’m from, where am I going to, how fast can the bike go etc. No...... he’s checking out  the camo bags that are on top of my panniers that Lyn had made to keep our tent and blow up mattress. He sternly asks me what’s in them, authoritatively informing me that it is illegal for civilians to have any form of camo on or with them. FFS, here I think my troubles for the day are over and now I have to deal with this. And Swambo is sitting down at the border post with the business suited lady who still thinks she ‘s going to get some mula!

My first impulsive thought was to tell him that the one bag contained 17 R4 rifles and the other an RPG 7 rocket launcher and a frigging bazooka, but I realised that these okes don’t have a sense of humour and told him that they were only there to protect my tent and that lots of people in South Africa wear camo and it’s not a problem. Interestingly he was ok with this and said I could go.

That little ordeal over, I shot down to the border post, handed the business suited lady my piece of paper and off we went.
Now, in all my years when I lived in Zimbabwe, I had never gone on to the dam wall so this was going to be something .  Unfortunately, we were told we could not stop, dismount and take photos so the only ones we got were whilst riding across the wall. It was still an awesome experience though.











Zambia here we come.







 
Me too  :thumleft:
 
This brings back many fond memories of my youth. I was born in Kitwe in Zambia and my primary school days were in Salisbury.

I know the route you are doing well , but have never done it on a bike. I will have to add it to my bucket list.

Great ride report ,and great photos , thanks and keep it coming.
 
Day 12 Kariba to Lusaka and beyond..... continued

Unfortunately the border crossing woes were not to end just yet. The Zambians, whilst very pleasant and efficient still required one to go to 5 separate places in order to pay the different forms of taxes and fees and get things stamped and issued. Three hours after getting to the border, we were finally through, and there were only two people ahead of me the whole time.

Needless to say I just wanted to get the hell out of there, get to Lusaka and set up camp for the night.  The road from Kariba to Lusaka was good, twisty and in many places not unlike Van Reenens  Pass  on the N3 back home, built by the Chinese and carried a lot of truck traffic.  The scenery between Kariba and Kafue is quite spectacular and very hilly as you are climbing out of the Zambezi valley up onto the higher plains and it is a pity that the road conditions, being very twisty and up and down require one to keep  up a good momentum. This meant that Lyn had to hold on quite tight resulting in us not being able to take any photos until we got to Kafue where we stopped for a break.



From there on to Lusaka it was back into the traffic and again no photos.  Lusaka was chaotic and like in South Africa had its traffic light entrepreneurs trying to sell you everything and anything, only worse, and we were warned that they steal things from you as you pass. So camera is put away and off we go.  The traffic light entrepreneurs don’t restrict their selling antics to just the traffic light intersections but walk down the lanes between the cars making it almost impossible to lane split to speed up our progress. As a result it takes more than one and a half hours to get through the city.

I need petrol and pull into a filling station on the outskirts of town and not having too many kwacha left as I had only brought a small amount for the border crossing, intending  to draw from an ATM when there or use my credit card, I asked the petrol attendant if they accept credit cards. Yes was the answer. So I told him to fill her up. I pull out my trusty Mastercard to be informed that they only accept Visa!  FFS!  Little did I know, but the non acceptance of Mastercard in Zambia is pretty universal.

But there is a Standard Bank ATM at the garage so I go to draw money, but as I get to the screen, it goes offline. Leaving the wife behind as collateral for the second time today, I roar off to find another ATM, which I find about 10 kms down the road.
Petrol now paid for, we speed off in search of Pioneer Camp, our stop over for the night.  After travelling 8 kms down a  rocky and sandy dirt road, we arrive as the sun is low in the sky and set up camp. Pioneeer Camp is a delightful place to stop and is run by an ex pat and is very convenient as being on the outskirts of Lusaka , makes it easy the next day to resume our travels. I wasn’t too keen to start a fire to braai our meat so spied the camp fire outside the kitchen where they braai the steaks for the restaurant and thought, “that’ll do quite nicely”. A quick word with the chef to make sure he didn’t mind us using his fire and we were good to go. The beer and wine and wors that we had bought earlier that day went down well that night. Interesting the wors was packed liked normal pork sausages that we buy in South Africa, but was definitely wors. There must be a South African living close to the shop where we bought these!










Day 13 Wednesday 18 Lusaka to Luangwa Bridge.

Yesterday’s long day and comedy of events over, and after some good food and drink and a good night’s rest we were off on the Great East Road, destination Bridge Camp on the Luangwa River. This is a convenient stop over as its roughly half way between Lusaka and Chipata. My initial plan was to do the Lusaka - Chipata stretch in one day, but the thought of doing almost 600 kms in one day didn’t appeal to me, and besides, that distance in one day means that you don’t see much of the scenery.

The Great East road is in good condition and goes through lots of little villages where the residents sell their wares on the roadside. I have never seen so many piles of bright red tomatoes in my life before.













We were now passing  along the edge of the Lower Zambezi National Park on our right hand side and the road was becoming more undulating and hilly.



Suddenly I saw a dirt road off to the left and thought this would be a good place to pull off and empty the contents of my jerry can into the tank. There are not many places to fill up on this road and where there are villages, they do not always have fuel.







Looking at the map I saw this road does a loop and enters the main road again further along.  So this is the road to take.
A while later we are back on the Great East Road heading towards South Luangwa.










 
A reminder of the hazards of travelling in Africa. Left abandoned with no one in sight.



The road entering the village that is on the western bank approaching the Luangwa river is quite steep and the trucks using this road have to brake quite hard as they enter the village. This causes a lot of diesel to be deposited on the road leaving the whole road incredibly slippery as you descend to the turn off to Bridge Camp.



The road to Bridge Camp is a great little road following the Luangwa River.









A little while later we see the sign to Bridge Camp and turn in.





Bridge Camp is a great little spot overlooking the river and is made entirely of stone and wood from the surrounding area.  The chalets did not look too appealing so we set up camp on the lower terrace before moving up to the lodge area for some well earned refreshments.





Not far from where we set up our tent was this little bike being overhauled by its proud owner. I don’t’ think he had ever seen a bike like the GS1200. His eyes were as big as saucers and he couldn’t ask enough questions.



Having set up camp it was time to go up to the lodge for drinks and to just chill.









Could spend all afternoon here, admiring the view, watching the local fishermen and drinking  beer and wine...........we did.







Watched some kids playing at the water’s edge oblivious to the 3m croc lying across the river on the sand bank.



I asked if I could buy some wood to make a braai. No problem was the answer and off went the barman, to return about half an hour later with a braai already lit and brought it right to us next to the bar.

What service, I was impressed.

We ordered a salad and some fries, some more beer and wine and settled down for a great meal.



 
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