Livingstone Bound

I’ve got only four days left in Zambia. In the last two months, I only got to visit a small waterfall near Mansa and spent a day at Samfya Beach. So I’d better take advantage of these four free days and do some serious sightseeing. The premier attraction and the mother of all waterfalls, Victoria Falls, is near the southern city of Livingstone at the border between Zambia and Zimbabwe.

After a leisurely breakfast, I head to the bus station and catch the next bus to Livingstone. Within minutes of leaving the bus station, we are going through open country. The narrow road is flanked on either side by lush savanna for as far as the eye can see, with a few thatch roofs of village houses dotting the landscape here and there. I half expect to see lions or giraffes or hyenas roaming in the distance. Alas, the lush landscape hides the longstanding human activities that had driven the wild animals off the land long time ago.

The bus rolls down the narrow road, speeding up during smooth sections and slowing down to a crawl to go over the not infrequent pothole-ridden sections. The two TVs on the bus are alternating between some Zambian soap opera, gospel music video, and a couple of Michael Jackson’s music videos. I put on my MP3 player, crank up the volume, and stare out the window. With a soundtrack playing, I start to daydream, something I haven’t done in a long time. It’s like letting my mind go for a walk – just let it wander and see where it goes. I find that the exercise has a certain meditative quality to it.

At noon, the bus stops at a rest stop for lunch. Food at this kind of place is almost the same the world over – something starchy with something greasy. I ask for vegetables, only to be directed toward the pile of fries under a heat lamp. Opting for the least greasy item on the menu – a mystery meat pie – I head back to the waiting bus. In the late afternoon, seven hours after setting off from Lusaka, the bus rolls into Livingstone. I head to the nearest backpacker’s, get a bunk bed in the big dorm room, and walk down the main street.

Being a Sunday evening, most shops are closed. I sit down at a local restaurant and have a meal of nshima with chicken. I know, I’ve been eating nshima everyday for the last two months. But after these four days, I won’t have a chance to eat it anymore. So I will eat it as much as I can before I leave.

Tomorrow I will see Victoria Falls and check out the possibility of crossing into Zimbabwe for a day.