23-Jun-2009 -- Escape from the Capital
On the last of a three days' visit to Lusaka, I managed to get away for an afternoon for this hunt. It was a chance to get to know a little bit of Zambia beyond the capital. This confluence point is located not too far off from the main highway (T1) connecting Lusaka and Livingston. It is about 73 km GPS distance from downtown Lusaka.
Derrick who has been the designated driver for the past two days was happy to escape also. We departed Lusaka shortly after noon. A quick lunch stop at a road side shack in Kafue, about mid-point of the trip, offered the first real taste of Zambian cooking. A short stop at Kafue River, the second largest river of Zambia, and I learned from a solider guarding the bridge that there are many hippos hanging out nearby but failed to spot any.
When we reached within 3 km from the confluence point on highway T1, it was not possible to find a side road going to the right direction. Eventually we backtracked to a roadside stop about 4.5 km from the confluence point and took the dirt road next to a bar which headed toward the objective. We passed a gate and the friendly gate keeper let us pass. Apparently, the entire area is a large cattle ranch, and few access points are guarded to prevent cattle wrestling.
After a few wrong turns, we eventually found the right path and went through a second gate and reached the confluence point, about 10 meters on the road side, right exactly where a wire fence is located.
On the way back, we stopped at the nearest hut from the confluence point, about 330 meters away. They are laborers for the ranch, and only the women and children were home. Their living condition was as basic as it gets, but they seemed to be a happy lot.
All in all, this was a nice breakaway and gave me a little better picture of the pleasant country beyond what the capital city has to offer.
Rating of this hunt:
Degree of Challenge: 1 – Straight forward with a jeep (1= very easy - drive to the point; to 5= a death march – glad it is over)
Scenery: 3 – Rural southern Africa – very pleasant (Scale: 1= not interesting at all; 5= take your breath away)
Culture-social factors: 3 – Everyone I met are friendly and smiling, truly a charming place (Scale: 1=dull; 5= most stimulating)