Day 16: Livingstone to Lusaka

Sunday 07 April 2019 | Distance travelled: 485 km (2205 km total)

A farily uneventful driving day from Livingstone to Lusaka. We got up reasonably early and left Gloria's by 0830. We got slightly delayed in Livingstone finding a cash point and filling up with gas, but we were on our way by 0915. We got stopped at a police checkpoint outside Livingstone. The man there looked around the car and, having looked at Jason's driving license informed us that we were missing reflective strips from around the car. I had known about these, but had neglected to get them, although I had tried a shop on the Cowley Road in Oxford before we left.

I walked into the policeman's office, which was a basic container, much like the one that the car had been shipped in, with a desk and chair inside. He informed me that we would need to get some stickers or pay a fine. I said we'd happily go and get the stickers, if he could recommend somewhere. He said that there was somewhere in town, but as it would delay us, maybe we should think about buying him a drink instead. I said that we had plenty of water in the car, and he seemed to lose interest in the drink and instead gave us directions for the shop in town.

Needless to say, as it was early on a Sunday morning the shop was closed, but as we drove back past him 20 minutes later, he didn't seem to care anymore and waved us through.

The drive was beautiful. It was greener than Namibia, and wide and vast at points. It felt like we were driving right across the flood plain of the mighty Zambezi. There were more people around too. Some people used the road a a selling place and sat with piles of fruit, vegetables, or charcoal, others road bikes.

We arrived at a very basic hostel in Lusaka run by a guy called Kevin. White with strange Geordie accent, he was born in Zambia to parents from Newcastle and is suffering from Parkinsons. I think we were all unimpressed with the state of this place, and are sharing a four person dormitory, with a shower installed in the corner. There's no space and our things feel more safe in the car, but it's a roof over our heads at least. I'd cancelled our campsite in lieu of this, and although we're very close to the National Malaria Elimination Centre (NMEC) it's definitely the biggest dive we've yet been in. I'm sure we'll come to appreciate the goats roaming around and the chickens in the garden, but it's not ideal.