On Sunday we crossed the border into Botswana. As i've ventured further and further south, its just got hotter and hotter. Yesterday we measured 42 degrees at about 2pm. Sitting in our 4 wheel drive was hard work
So we crossed the border at a place called Kasangula. A ferry takes you over the Chobe river into Zambia! It was the usual story as far as Africa is concerned - people trying to get bribes out of you for everything...one guy for getting us to the front of the queue, one guy for showing us where to park on the ferry. Im sure you can imagine what its like, complete chaos!
The next challange was getting the accommodation sorted. Having just come from Zambia, where you can pretty much walk into any lodge, hotel or campsite and get a room for that night, we thought we'd find a similar situation in Botswana. Boy how wrong were we!!
You see, Botswana is a lot more developed than Zambia. Its full of tourists from South Africa, Namibia, Europe and North America. It was a lot of hassle to get somewhere to sleep! Botswana, predicatably, has made its money from diamonds. They even have streetlights here - you don't get them in Zambia, even in Lusaka! Everything is bigger, more modern and better looked after, but you know what i miss Zambia! The people there are just so relaxed, chilled out - it doesn't seem to be the same here in Botswana
Anyway, we've spent the last 2 days in Chobe National Park. Last night was just one of those evenings that will stay with me forever. The game in Chobe is incredibe, i spotted most of the big 5, lion, buffalo, elephant, rhino plus hippo, zebra, sable, springbok etc etc! you get the picture - the park has everything! We camped in the reserve, in an official campsite. The offical campsites in the park offer you no protection though, not even a fence! So, last night as the sun came down i was looking out on the chobe river, at the crossroads of four countries - Botswana, Namibia, Zambia and Zimbabwe, with the cries of all these animals in the background. There was a herd of elephant in the distance, monkeys and warthog all around us. I have to admit i didn't sleep much - i was too scared! What an experience though
We will leave Botswana for Livingstone tomorrow and i only have a few more days left in Africa. I fly back to Heathrow on Saturday!
Wednesday, September 10, 2008
Monday, September 08, 2008
Muchomo - continued
In Swahili, so I've been told, muchomo is what you call a celebration of finishing something & it always involved roasting meat. So my muchomo was a goat roast - the most common meat here in Kaabong! I got to choose the goat between the two pictured here - but I refused to be present for the slaughter.
baby Joanna in the front, singing in the back
This whole past weekend has been a celebration with various people. On Sunday we went to one of our co-workers, Timat's house and enjoyed the best chicken I've ever had in Uganda! I even ate the gizzard as the honored guest!
Sneaking in for the kill...yeah right
Luka & Yusuf cooking the 'treasured' intestines.
baby Joanna in the front, singing in the back
This whole past weekend has been a celebration with various people. On Sunday we went to one of our co-workers, Timat's house and enjoyed the best chicken I've ever had in Uganda! I even ate the gizzard as the honored guest!
Saturday, September 06, 2008
Livingstone
So, livingstone ....this is where i am now!
I left Chingola on Thursday and travelled to Lusaka. Yesterday i got on the bus to Livingstone. It was a bit nuts - it took 7 hours. It was hot, sweaty, african music blasting out of a very poor stereo system, and trying to get hold of a ticket was bonkers. I sat next to an amazing person on the bus though and we chatted for almost seven hours..most Zambians are very chilled out and relaxed they are so easy to get on with!
Today i've been exploring Livingstone. The undoubted highlights was the Victoria Falls - an absoloutely awesome experience and very cheap as well...30p to see one of the 7 wonders of the world..not bad at all. Trust me, i came back to livingstone and wasted a load of money on tacky African art. Livingstone has a very chilled out feel to it...lots of cool bars and safari lodges and not too many tourists! i could see the Zimabawe side i didn't try crossing lots of police everywhere and exorbitant visa charges. The Zimbabweans don't seem to like us Brits too much at the moment, at leat there government doesn't!
Anyway, im off to Botswana in the morning. to Chobe National Park. Can't wait
I left Chingola on Thursday and travelled to Lusaka. Yesterday i got on the bus to Livingstone. It was a bit nuts - it took 7 hours. It was hot, sweaty, african music blasting out of a very poor stereo system, and trying to get hold of a ticket was bonkers. I sat next to an amazing person on the bus though and we chatted for almost seven hours..most Zambians are very chilled out and relaxed they are so easy to get on with!
Today i've been exploring Livingstone. The undoubted highlights was the Victoria Falls - an absoloutely awesome experience and very cheap as well...30p to see one of the 7 wonders of the world..not bad at all. Trust me, i came back to livingstone and wasted a load of money on tacky African art. Livingstone has a very chilled out feel to it...lots of cool bars and safari lodges and not too many tourists! i could see the Zimabawe side i didn't try crossing lots of police everywhere and exorbitant visa charges. The Zimbabweans don't seem to like us Brits too much at the moment, at leat there government doesn't!
Anyway, im off to Botswana in the morning. to Chobe National Park. Can't wait
Muchomo
Me with my namesake, Adupa Jennie! She's very sweet...but quite malnourished, I think. She was born last December & still is about the size of a 6 month old. Her hair is getting to be a burnt orange color - that is a tell-tale sign of malnutrition.
We had a great dance fest after the feast - I'll post some videos once I return to internet that can actually handle that!
Me with Martha & her baby girl - Martha used to tutor me in Ngkaramajong.
The woman - so colorful & dressed up smartly for the occasion!
What cuties, eh?
The 'big men': Jakob - our present Project Manager, Phil - our soon-to-be Project Manager, and Tony - Prince of the office.
The goat being roasted
John Bosco cooking a huge saucepan of chips! (aka fries)more pics & explanation to follow....
Random pics 3
Its my last weekend in Kaabong. Yesterday we had a farewell goat roast and I got to see a lot of people all at once and honor how much they mean to me by inviting them all to share a meal together. I'll post on that soon. The next few days are full of little bits of work and lots of time with people before I leave. I have a feeling that in about 2-3 weeks, I'm going to feel deeply how much I miss this place...
Here are some pictures for now:
I found the bright umbrella to be quite unique for this lady to have and it made me smile! :)
this little guy was with four of his friends, all walking back from the bush with their firewood on their heads
You can't see very well in this picture, but the bags say USAID across them. They are from the UN's World Food Program distribution.
Tuesday, September 02, 2008
The Gold Rush
I have just come back from an area of Zambia called Lumwana, in NorthWestern Province. The chief has given a friend of ours 400 hectares of land which was nice of him. Its a nice place, nothing spectacular but there are rapids and waterfalls, its pretty cool!
There is a new copper mine being developed in that area, so my friend is really developing his area to try and bring in some of the rich whites who run the mines. Its a big gamble and these guys have so much money that they tend to fly off to wherever they want. A lot, for example, will fly back to South Africa, not stay in Zambia at the weekend. We did some ministry stuff up that way with some of the churhes as well.
There are mines all through this part of Zambia, from Kitwe in the CopperBelt right up to NorthWest Province. They are all foreign owned as you would probably guess, South African, Chinese, Indian, Australian. The Zambian government does not have the funds to invest in the infrastructure...these foreign companies do! Thats all very well but i wonder if the benefits will get back to the local people. It doesn't seem to do in most cases and the copper won't last forever. I imagine you can apply the same scenario to most countries in this region...Angola with its oil, the Congo with its own copper, cobalt and uranium, the diamonds in Angola and Sierra Leone...you could go on and on forever. It would be a national tragedy for these countries if they did not reap some of the benefit. Corrupt governments don't help either!!!
Anyway, on a lighter note, my time in Chingola is drawing to a close. In 2 days time, i will head down to Botswana to Chobe National Park for a bit of a holiday. On the way back, we will travel through the Okavango delta in Namibia and then back to Livingstone and Victoria Falls. I fly back to the UK a week on Saturday.
The last 4 weeks have really allowed me to focus on God, and specifically my future. God is certainly leadining me in one direction. Those of you who know me well will know what im talking about. The rest of you will have to wait and see. Being able to focus on God, and not worry about work and the other stuff i tend to get caught up in at home has been great!
There is a new copper mine being developed in that area, so my friend is really developing his area to try and bring in some of the rich whites who run the mines. Its a big gamble and these guys have so much money that they tend to fly off to wherever they want. A lot, for example, will fly back to South Africa, not stay in Zambia at the weekend. We did some ministry stuff up that way with some of the churhes as well.
There are mines all through this part of Zambia, from Kitwe in the CopperBelt right up to NorthWest Province. They are all foreign owned as you would probably guess, South African, Chinese, Indian, Australian. The Zambian government does not have the funds to invest in the infrastructure...these foreign companies do! Thats all very well but i wonder if the benefits will get back to the local people. It doesn't seem to do in most cases and the copper won't last forever. I imagine you can apply the same scenario to most countries in this region...Angola with its oil, the Congo with its own copper, cobalt and uranium, the diamonds in Angola and Sierra Leone...you could go on and on forever. It would be a national tragedy for these countries if they did not reap some of the benefit. Corrupt governments don't help either!!!
Anyway, on a lighter note, my time in Chingola is drawing to a close. In 2 days time, i will head down to Botswana to Chobe National Park for a bit of a holiday. On the way back, we will travel through the Okavango delta in Namibia and then back to Livingstone and Victoria Falls. I fly back to the UK a week on Saturday.
The last 4 weeks have really allowed me to focus on God, and specifically my future. God is certainly leadining me in one direction. Those of you who know me well will know what im talking about. The rest of you will have to wait and see. Being able to focus on God, and not worry about work and the other stuff i tend to get caught up in at home has been great!
Photo of the month
Or perhaps even of the year...its my favorite, at least! Amber & I were walking the other day. When you walk you through the bush you really have to keep your eyes on the trail - if you look up much, you'll stumble over a rock or into some thorns, step on a cow paddie or into a puddle. So we're walking, talking, minding the trail & all of the sudden I look up & there to the left of us are these boys - standing just as they are in the picture! Complete posers! :) At first I thought they had 3D glasses on, but on closer inspection I saw they had made the glasses out of cardboard. Even the visor on the boy in the middle was made out of cardboard - so sweet! They really made us smile! :)
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