Zambia: Lusaka to Petauke.

                                     Monday 2nd March Lusaka, Zambia: 
My knee was hurting like hell last night, only the 2nd time ever that I've suffered from that. The first time was just a few months ago & I guess I've somehow twisted it again. Looking back, I think it was probably in the swamp last Wednesday, the 25th. There were a few times when I was checking the depth and suddenly found myself in a really deep part. I remember having to stop myself from falling in completely & probably twisted too much on a few occasions. Oh well, at least I know what caused it now. Couldn't find any anti-inflammatory tablets so I got a bag of ice and that helped to calm things down. A couple of large Bushmills also helped, before I went to sleep. Before I leave the hotel I'm going to see the nurse in the clinic and she might be able to do something. Part of the problem is sitting for hours, with the knee bent, particularly when driving. That can't help. We've had a delicious buffet breakfast out by the pool; it's a lovely temperature, about 23c. We've decided to head for Petauke, 408 kms away. I believe Ewan McGregor & Charlie Booreman stayed there when they motorbiked from Scotland to Cape Town 2 years ago. We'll be staying at Zulu's Kraal, the only campsite in town. We can also expect more crater size potholes as we travel this route. 

From Dust and Diesel Overland Trip Part 1

From Dust and Diesel Overland Trip Part 1

 Tomorrow we'll try and make Malawi as we really want to explore Lake Malawi, on our journey north to Tanzania. We will pass through Chipata tomorrow (The Eastern capital of Zambia). When I was reading the paper this morning, I saw that Zuma (The next SA president, most likely) is visiting there. That doesn't look good for room availability but hopefully he'll be gone by then. We'll try and be back on the blog as soon as we can. I've also been ironing out some difficulties with the website link to our photos and with the help of Gus & Kina in Somerset West, via email, text & skype, we may have the link up & running again so do click on the picture link to see the photos so far. ...... I did get to see the nurse before we left and she rubbed some pain relief balm on my knee and then bandaged it. She also gave me 6 Betapyn painkillers combined with anti-inflammatory. I was relieved about that because it was starting to hurt again. The Virgo in me is shining through now! Off we went to fill up with fuel, 72 litres of diesel, about $100 in cost. I asked John to buy me some more of the pills and some deep heat which he got in the nearby pharmacy. We finally left Lusaka at midday and headed out the Great East Road for the 400 km drive to Petauke. The painkillers are now working and I am much more comfortable. John is happy to drive the whole distance today and we’re hoping to get there before 7 as it gets dark soon after. I can now stretch my right leg a bit more & that’ll help with the healing, hopefully! It also allows me to update the blog in my computer and have it ready for the next upload. I mentioned earlier that we have an inverter fitted in the disco and this allows us to operate laptops etc from this power supply. As a passenger, sipping a cold beer from the fridge while charging the phone and using your laptop, maybe to watch a movie when the scenery is a bit dull, gives a few creature comforts. I might add that I have NOT watched a movie in the passenger seat yet. The route we are driving today is lovely, particularly near South Luangwa national park. We crossed the Luangwa River on an excellent bridge, close to the border with Zimbabwe. The landscape of rolling hills is very lush and green, courtesy of the rainy season.

From Dust and Diesel

Looking at the map, the Luangwa River appears to run from the top of Lake Malawi. We won’t arrive there for many days, possibly Saturday I would guess. When we got to Nyimba, approximately 60 kms from Petauke, the road deteriorated rapidly. Suddenly we had those crater potholes I mentioned earlier.

From Dust and Diesel

This slowed us down considerably and we had to revise our expected 6.30pm arrival. It was now going to be 7pm at least. As we head north, the daylight is getting shorter and it’s dark at 6.30 now. That’s 30 minutes less than we thought we would have. We arrived at the campsite to find it’s no longer in operation. An alternative was the Chimwemwe Lodge, run by Mwelwa Telmo, an ex diplomat, & his wife Edith, who worked with the Intercontinental group of hotels. Their flair is obvious and it is easily the best place in town. Because of that, it was fully booked, mainly with UN staff. There is a big presence of people working in that area, advising on malaria prevention. We took some advice from Edith but sadly, all the places were full. We looked at two other place, they were awful. We eventually stumbled on a small Lodge down a dirt track and having inspected the rooms, eventually took two of them. If you rank the Intercontinental, where we stayed last night, as a 5 star hotel, we couldn’t be further away in the ranking, on this one. We also guided a Korean couple who were bed hunting, to the same place and they were really grateful as the alternative was positively dangerous to your health. I used my own pillow & I seriously considered the sleeping bag as well. Never mind, with an electrical storm brewing, at least we’re indoors, and it’s got a mosquito net. The one thing I did observe before going to bed was the staff, triple locking the front door with padlocks. I asked what we do in the event of a fire. John said we should go through the walls but they appear to be 10” thick. Anyway, she said it was OK as the keys were on the inside of the door & all we have to do is unlock them! Pretty bizarre I would say, but needs must tonight & at least I do know where the exit is. Perhaps I could squeeze through the bars on my window, doubtful indeed. We popped back to Chimwemwe Lodge for some dinner, a chicken curry, and we were back in our lodge at 10pm.