May 21, 2009
We went into town early to catch the bus to [[Chipata, Zambia]]. Chipata is on the way to Mfuwe and that is where are safari camp is located. We were supposed to leave at 8am, but the bus didn’t pull out until 11:45am. We waited for long because the bus had to sell a set number of tickets before it would leave. Additionally, I am finding that nothing is on time in Zambia.
Village on the way to Chipata
The bus finally got to Chipata at 8pm. It was a hellish bus ride for me. I was sick for much of the ride from a combination of: not eating enough the day before, motion sickness, and altitude sickness (Lusaka is 3.6x higher than State College). We stopped at several small villages on the way to drop people off and for restroom breaks. At one of the stops, I got out and dry heaved about six times; it felt good to do. I began thinking I was really hungry, but because I was so messed up from the jet lag, I could no longer sense if I was hungry. When I got back on the bus, I ate some apples with peanut butter, some granola bars, and crackers. I figured this food is either going to make me feel better or cause me to puke. I knew that at least if I puked, I would feel better for a little while. Fortunately, I was fine the rest of the bus ride. John also helped me find a seat in the back of the bus next to a window which really helped. It also served as an out in case I did throw up!
During one of the stops, I attempted to use the restroom. I paid the equivalent of ten cents to use the toilet. I followed the signs and was let to this brick shack which contained a concrete floor with a hole in the ground. I realized at this moment that living in Zambia for the next two weeks will be exactly like camping. I made a mental note to get toilet paper and to keep it with me at all times from here on out.
Toilet in village
We watched some terrible movies on the bus ride. They were Nigerian films. We watched Heritage of Sorrow 1 and 2. We also watched WWF wrestling for about four hours as well — I will never watch wrestling again…not even to make fun of it. We finished the trip out with some Jackie Chan movie. I hardly watched any of the movies.
Eating with the Swedes
It was dark when we go to Chipata. On the bus, we met to girls from Sweden and they recommended a hotel to stay at in Chipata. So, we paired up with them and we all took a taxi to the hotel. Once we got their, I realized I had lost my cell phone. John and I went back to the bus station to try to find it. Thankfully, I found it wedged between my seat and the side of the bus. We then cabbed back to the hotel. On the way back, we stopped at a place to get me some food — I was hungry! We bought chicken and [[Nshima]] for everyone. Once back at the hotel, we all ate together (us and the Swedes). After this, we retired to our rooms for the evening.
Our room in Chipata
The Swedes were just out of undergrad and were missionaries. They were on their way to [[Malawi]] and Chipata borders Malawi.
I currently have no idea what the date or day of the week it is — awesome!