Tikondane

This morning before we set off for Katete, we tried to find a Landrover workshop that could check out the transmission oil which seems to be slowly leaking and causing a bit of concern. After a few failed attempts of locating one on our GPS, we came across a shop behind a big warehouse, along a side street. Very random but the friendly mechanic was very knowledgeable and eased our worries by saying the oil level was just fine.

Lusaka is a wide leafy city with easy-to-navigate roads and roundabouts, wrapped in a sense of ease and comfort. We both remarked that besides Cape Town, the other major cities we've passed so far (ie.Windhoek) all wouldn't be such a bad place to live. There were some interesting communist-type buildings which some may think look rather odd and distasteful, but I thought it added to the attraction of the city.

Despite diesel being the highest in practically the entire continent, we decided to fill up our tanks "just in case". At least we got the cheapest rate in Lusaka at 6475 ZKW per litre. Once you leave the city, the price skyrockets.

The Great East Road towards Chipata (via Katete) was a lot less populated than yesterday's busy Livingstone to Lusaka stretch. I've been amused by all the mini-buses and trucks that we've come across with messages splashed along their front windscreen and/or back window, many with religious overtones. Some of them which stick in my mind are: "God is Near", "FBI", "Have mercy", and my favourite, "Extra punch, extra pleasure."

The scenery was pretty spectacular today as we passed fields of maize and sunflowers (biodisel seems to be a booming business here), villages selling locally-made baskets and mats, along with charcoal, sugar cane and firewood. There were a few police road blocks but after asking us where we were coming from (Cape Town) and where we were headed to (London - which always provoked a look of astonishment/confusion), they just waved us on with a friendly smile.

With the sun setting behind us, we passed endless rolling hills covered in lush green vegetation (the heavy rainy season just ended) and after we crossed the Luangwa Suspension Bridge where kids were washing in the river below, we rolled into Katete just in time for dinner.

We both ordered nshima and a "relish" (a type of sauce, either fish, beef, chicken, etc.) For dessert, I tried their "piece of cake", homemade goodness with sweet icing.

To Matt's dismay, there was no beer to be bought! Not even good old Mosi, the local lager. No matter, we had one last can in our fridge which was quickly consumed before bedtime.

The electricity went off right when the sun dipped behind the hills (didn't ask why so not sure if it's a regular thing), so we passed the evening outlining our route on Foxy's Africa Map using our headtorches. I tried to draw the countries to be able to distinguish our route better. It's exciting being able to see how far we've come already. And how much more there was still to come.


Start: Lusaka, ZAM. 10:56
End: Katete, ZAM. 17:30
Distance Traveled: 532 km
Road Conditions: more pot-holes, passed some incredible mountain passes and small villages, mostly selling charcoal, firewood, woven baskets and mats.
Temperature: cool, although no need for sleeping bag at night.