Zambia World Wide

Chapter 7

Before writing about the railway, I feel that I should explain why it was necessary. In the past goods had been exported and imported through Rhodesia. After the Rhodesian Government declared U.D.I. ( Unilateral Declaration of Independence ) the Zambian Government decided it would be wrong to continue shipping goods through Rhodesia. This decision was to prove very costly and have an adverse effect on the Zambian economy. Once the border with Rhodesia had been closed the only trade routes open to Zambia which is a land locked country were through Tanzania to Dar-es-Salaam or through Mozambique to Beira ( now known as Sofala ). Unfortunately Mozambique was a very unstable country, with continual civil unrest. Civil wars are not cheap and since there was very little finance available within the country, the money was raised by continual increases in Port and Storage fees. At the time the charges were increasing at the Ports the price of Copper which is the main export from Zambia was falling. After some time it became unprofitable to ship goods via Mozambique. This meant that Dar-es-Salaam in Tanzania was now the only economical route open to the Zambian Government. Before the building of the railway, goods had to be transported by road. The Government formed a national haulage company. The company was called Tanzania / Zambia Road Services

( TanZam ). They purchased a large fleet of trucks and trailers the purpose of which was to transport goods between Depots in Zambia and the port of Dar-es-Salaam. The trucks ran day and night and as with any piece of mechanical plant break-downs were inevitable. The route was patrolled by mechanics and service vehicles around the clock. The route was commonly known as the “ Hell Run “, one round trip could take as much as two weeks to complete. Many of the mechanics and drivers made a lot of money on theses runs but most are glad they have come to an end. The roads were rough and both the drivers and mechanics had to camp by the roadside at night. They also had to carry enough food and water to last several days. It was hot, heavy and dusty work. It was during this period that the Zambian and Tanzanian Governments decided jointly to build a railway from Kapiri Mposhi in Zambia to Dar-es-Salaam in Tanzania.

The Chinese Government financed the construction of the railway, they also supplied the engines and rolling stock. An agreement was reached by the three Governments as to the way in which the Chinese Government would receive payment for the construction work plus rolling stock. It was agreed that part of the payment would be in cash and part would be paid by the importation of Chinese goods over an agreed period of time. Walking around the towns it was impossible not to notice the large variety and quantity of Chinese goods for sale. The bicycles were similar to those seen around England when I was a small boy, these were commonly known as “Sit Up and Beg” and of course they had no gears. In Zambia they soon became known as “Flying Pigeons”. Although very basic they were very robust and at a price the Zambians could afford. Another product that I have never forgotten was Mayling canned peas, they were absolutely awful but once again the price was right. There were many other Chinese products on the market but I see no need to mention more. The construction of the railway was an enormous task, the land had to be surveyed and cleared, embankments made, rivers and streams crossed and of course the track layed. Most of the work was carried out by the Chinese, not a great deal was seen of them as they lived in camps along the line of rail and very rarely visited the towns.

We had followed the project quite closely through the construction stages. One evening whilst we were having a drink in the Company Club with friends someone suggested it might be fun to travel on the railway from Kapiri Mposhi to Dar-es-Salaam. Finally a group of us got together and decided to go. Our first major obstacle was to get the company to agree to give us all three weeks holiday at the same time, finally they agreed. Once we had the time booked we then began our arrangements for the trip. There were eight of us in total. Jan, Myself, Gary and Craig went as a family and the rest of the group was made up of four single guys. They were Pete, John, Terry and Dave. One other guy, Stewart should have come with us but could not get enough time off. We decided to travel as light as possible as we would have to carry enough food and drink to cover the duration of the journey which would take almost three days. We arrived at the Railway Station in Kapiri Mposhi and went to the Booking Office it was by now about 18.00hrs., as usual nothing ever goes smoothly and we were told that the train leaving that night was fully booked. We booked two sleeping compartments on the early morning train.

The Railway Station at Kapiri Mposhi is some way from the town, we thought about booking into a hotel for the night but realized that it would be impossible to get back to the station in time to catch the early morning train. The only other alternative was to spend the night at the station. There were very few seats at the station and those were all occupied, we put our luggage near the wall and settled down on the ground for the night. It was quite entertaining to watch the local people walking by, the variety of goods they carried was fascinating. There was so much noise that sleep was impossible, most of the night we spent playing cards. I think we almost wore the pack out. When I look back that night certainly had it’s humorous moments. Next morning we finally boarded the train, it was quite a relief to be on our way. The compartments were quite large and each had six berths. We had paid for all six berths in both compartments even though we would only be using four in each. In this way we ensured that we had some privacy, in all the journey would take two and a half days. All went well until we reached the Border Post at Tunduma.

The Zambian Immigration boarded the train and checked our passports, they found nothing wrong with any of them. The train then moved on to the Tanzania Border Post. Apart from my own passport they rejected them all. Jan’s passport they said was new and since she was not carrying her old one they suspected that she had been to South Africa and had obtained a new passport just to visit Tanzania and they would therefore not allow her into the country. Pete and John they refused to allow into the country because they did have South African stamps in their passports. The best is yet to come! Terry and Dave were refused entry because they had no exit stamp to show they had left England. They did have entry stamps and work visas for Zambia but that was not good enough. The Emigration Officers still insisted they should have had exit stamps when they left England. The border post is situated miles from any towns or villages but the Immigration Officers still expected us to leave the train and wait two days for a return train to take us back to Kapiri Mposhi. Naturally we refused, they tried all ways to make us leave the train apart from physical violence, they even at one stage resorted to waving guns and rifles at us. We still refused to leave the train, the train was now running an hour late so they gave up and we carried on to Dar-es-Salaam. On the train was an off duty policeman who asked us what the problem had been, we explained and he wrote a letter which he said we should take to the Immigration Office in Dar-es-Salaam on our arrival. The letter was written in Swahili so we decided to play safe and only hand in the letter if we had to. No one bothered us for the rest of the journey and we finally arrived in Dar-es-Salaam. We were a little apprehensive when we left the train as we thought that there was a possibility that the Immigration Officers at the Border might have sent a message through to the Immigration Office in Dar-es-Salaam to stop us at the railway station. All our passports carried a refused entry stamp but there was no welcoming committee. We walked out of the station, found a taxi and asked the driver if he could take us to a hotel near the beach. The hotel he took us to was the Africana Beach Hotel.

The Africana Beach was a lovely hotel, right on the edge of the beach. It was quite obvious that before Tanzania took up Communism it had been a very exclusive hotel. Today we could see where it had deteriorated over the years and although it was still a very nice hotel, I would have liked to see it as it had been in the past. The chalets were Rondaviles set out in the grounds and surrounded by tropical trees and shrubs. The bird and animal life was unbelievable, I have never seen such a variety anywhere in Africa. It had a spacious swimming pool with a poolside bar. Unfortunately the bar was no longer in use. The restaurant was first class, although as things were to turn out we would not be using it too often. We really could not have found a better place to stay. It was possible to sit at the swimming pool bar area and see the Coral Reef just off the beach. Many things happened on this holiday which today I find amusing although at the time it was not always so. Craig had been able to swim for some time before we came here but we had been unable to remove his arm-bands as he was convinced that without them he would drown, there was no air in them but he would still not take them off. Whilst we were here we finally managed to convince him that he would not sink if he swam without them and of course he didn’t. We had a great time wandering along the beach which was white fine sand and swimming in the crystal clear blue water which was very calm as the Reef broke most of the incoming waves. One little incident that comes to mind was the time I stepped on a sand fish, I am not quite sure who was the most surprised the fish or me. The sand fish is washed onto the beach as the tide comes in and very often becomes stranded until the next ebb tide takes it back out to sea. Walking down the beach with Jan and the boys I suddenly found the sand move under my foot and nearly fell over. We then noticed what seemed like a fish shooting through the sand at quite a rapid pace. When the sand fish is left high and dry it buries itself in the sand to keep moist until the next tide arrives. It would seem that I had stood on one which it obviously took exception to and in self-defense took to flight.

This was to be a very relaxing holiday which it was for the first four day’s. “wait for it” could anything go wrong “of course”. At this time there were no credit cards the only way to obtain money abroad was by cash transfer from one bank to another. Two months before we travelled here we transferred £500 from our UK bank to the Bank of Tanzania in Dar-es-Salaam, we took a taxi into town and went to the bank Surprise! Surprise! The funds had not arrived. At this time the British Government had imposed currency restrictions on travelers going overseas from UK.

Pete and ourselves had been out of the UK for so long that we were exempt from the restrictions.

Our UK accounts were classed as overseas accounts, the others had not been abroad very long and so the restrictions applied to them. We were therefore transferring funds to cover everyone. Pete and I had no money which meant the others had none either. Over the next four to five days Pete and I seemed to spend most of our time either in the British Embassy or the Bank of Tanzania. Meanwhile we were all reduced to eating coconuts, for breakfast, dinner and tea. I won’t go into details, it is enough to say that the British Consul was a total waste of time. It was the manager of the bank that got things moving and we finally got the money that we needed. We celebrated by going out that evening and having a top class meal and a few bottles of wine. The rest of the holiday went very well until it was time to leave.

Because our passports had been stamped entry refused we had to go to the Tanzania Embassy and explain the position that we found ourselves in. We were a little concerned but there was no need, we paid a £15 fine and were free to go. The journey back to Kapiri Maposhi was uneventful and we were glad to be back. We should have been met at the station by Stewart but of course he wasn’t there, so we decided to catch the bus. (We had been told shortly after arriving in Zambia not to use the local transport as it was not safe). We travelled back to Kitwe on the bus and although it did take a long time, we found the Zambians that we travelled with to be a polite and happy crowd. From the bus station in Kitwe to our house we hired a local taxi. (We have now used all three forms of Public Transport and have had no problems with any). It was a relief to be home, we had been travelling for more than three days and were hot, dusty and tired. As I said at the beginning, a holiday to remember. After a few days it felt like we had never been away. “I am now having to think how to carry on as my memory these days is not so good.

Over the next few months nothing of great interest really happened, we went water ski-ing and camping, even at work life was quite uneventful. Ski show practice went on as it did every year, we went to local places of interest where we would spend many happy hours. We would spend many an evening at the company club where we would play golf, tennis and bowls, it was also about this time that we bought a bigger power-boat. The boat unknown to us at the time was to make a big difference in our lives as we could now go to places which until now would not have been possible. It was also about this time that Jan started sailing which meant our Sunday’s were now quite busy. Jan would leave the house at about 07.00 as the sailing always took place in the morning. I would give Gary and Craig breakfast, hitch the boat trailer up and load the cool-box. We would then drive to the boat club, launch the boat and get ready for the afternoon. By the time we had finished ski-ing and packed the boat away it would be time to get the Braai going. There would be a number of people there, as it was the best part of the day. Good food, a few beers and good company, end to a perfect day.

It was about this time that an incident occurred at Mindola Dam, we were sitting and chatting at the powerboat section. We saw a rowing boat leave the far side, it was about halfway across the dam when we spotted two children hanging on the stern of the boat. The men in the boat were hitting them on their hands with the oars, for a moment we were frozen, not believing what we were seeing. Mike and I were first to move, we ran to our boats and went out to get the children and bring them ashore. We were too late, Mike grabbed one child and we searched for the other, but there was no sign of the child anywhere. Mike continued the search while I went after the boat which by this time had reached the Fishing Club. I went back to see how Mike was getting on, however he had found no sign of the missing child. There was no telephone at the club, so one of the others drove to the police station and reported what had happened. Meanwhile Jan and I kept a watch on the Fishing Club, in case the men from the boat tried to leave before the police arrived. The men were arrested and we all gave our statements. The police “who had no boats” asked if we could take them out on the Tuesday as they felt the child’s body would then be on the surface of the water. We agreed and on the Tuesday went to the dam and met the police. Mike and Iris went clockwise round the dam and Jan and I went anti-clockwise. We had been searching for about twenty minutes when Jan and I spotted the child in the reeds at the side of the dam. The police got him into the boat and we returned to the shore. When we reached the shore the child’s parents were waiting for us, they thanked us for finding their child. I was a little confused and said to the police, why are they thanking us, their child is dead. The police said yes he is but now they can grieve, they have their son back. It was not until many years later that I really understood why they had thanked us. Now I am older I can understand. If we had not all sat there stunned by what was happening the outcome might have had a happier ending.

The months have flown by and we are once again due for our end of contract leave. Its decision time once again, where should we go. It has to be a place of interest to us but also a place the children will enjoy. We have given a lot of thought as to where we will stop over and have settled on Cyprus and Tunisia going to and from UK.

It’s now time to leave we have all the forms and tickets necessary and are now on our way. We will be stopping for a week in Cyprus before going on to UK. We have booked a hotel in Ayia Napa for a week which should be fun. At this time Ayia Napa was a tiny fishing village and the only hotel was at the end of the quay which was about 1/4 of a mile long. This was a very relaxing holiday, the boys would spend the morning on the beach and we would then wander down the quay as the long-shore boats came in, we would buy fish rolls from the fishermen, cooked on the braai as we watched.

Great way to eat, just sitting there, looking out over the harbour. We would then wander round the village in the afternoon and return to the hotel for the evening meal. Most nights were spent sitting on the balcony overlooking the bay whilst the boys were asleep. It really was a very relaxing holiday, the village at this time was small and quaint and really nice to spend time in, and the people were so friendly. On Saturday night they would all get together on the quayside and dance and have a few drinks which really was nice as we outsiders were always made welcome.

We then carried on to UK where we would stay for the next month or so. Our parents could spend time with the boys as they only got to see them every two years. I cannot say very much about this trip to UK as we did very much as we had in the past, visited many of the same places which we did enjoy but I have mentioned them before. It was nice to return and really great that our parents could spend time with the boys but all too soon it was time to return.

Having bought loads of goodies we then left for Tunis where we would spend a week before returning to Zambia. In some way’s we made a mistake by staying in Tunis as it was not a holiday resort and no one spoke English but it was the very heart of the country and although no one spoke English they were so friendly we managed to get by. Gary and Craig had a great time on the beach and Jan loved going to the indoor market which was huge, it was possible to spend a whole day there and still not see it all. There was everything from gold and silver to clothes and such a variety of spices as we had never seen before. All too soon the week ended and once again we were on the move. We flew to Lusaka and then on to Ndola, from there we travelled by road to Kitwe. It don’t matter where you go, it is always nice to get home. The next few months were hectic what with work and sailing we always seemed to be on the move.

We were at the boat club one Monday night for a sailing section meeting, during the meeting Jarius one of the grounds-men came into the bar. He called me aside and said there were two armed men at the main gate. They insisted that if they were not allowed in they would shoot the Gate Security Guard. He asked what he should do, after some thought, I realized that I could not let them in. My family, were inside the club plus other people who could be harmed. I asked Jarius where the guard with the dog was, he said the guard has tied the dog to a tree and gone to the toilet. I knew the dog, Jan, I and the boys always made a fuss of him whenever we met the guard. I told Jarius to go back to the gate and when he heard me call to open it. I left the club by the front entrance which could not be seen from the gate. Then I walked quietly round the side keeping in the shadow of the building and the trees. I reached the dog unseen, spoke to him and then released him from the rope. I held him by his collar and called to Jarius, he opened the gate and I released the dog. What happened next was a nightmare! The dog hurtled across the ground and before the two men got through the open gate he attacked. There was such carnage, the like of which I had never seen. The first man was torn to pieces, his clothes were ripped off and he was mauled so badly that he died where he stood. The second man ran, but to no avail the dog caught him and once again the mauling he received was horrendous, I called and the dog came back, but it was too late. The second man was brought back by the staff, he was still alive but badly injured. He died in hospital the next day. Just as the second man was brought back, Jan appeared followed by the others who were at the meeting. The shouting and laughing made me feel sick, did they have no respect. I was by this time quite angry, they appeared to think what happened was some kind of show for their benefit. Then I flipped and told them to go inside where they were happy to stay while events took place, I did say more but nothing I care to repeat. Jarius and I went to find the weapons. What had happened just got worse, we found the weapons and they were wooden replicas. The police came and took statements, then arranged for an ambulance to take the men away. Two men died that night because of a decision I chose to make. I thought that when I let the dog loose it would behave in the same way a British Police Dog would. I was so wrong, the two men died and I have to ask myself if I could have handled the situation in a different way, whereby the men might still be alive. However I cannot change the past and so will have to live with the decision I made that night.

We were by now well into sailing and went to regatta’s all over Zambia. Many were on the Copperbelt which for us was great but others were a long drive. Mainly we went to Luanshya, Ndola, Mufulira, Lusaka and Mulugushi, we were at the same time practicing for the annual ski-show, so as I have said life was hectic. Why is it that when one is busy, everything seems to go wrong, just to make life more difficult than it already is. One evening about this time I stopped at Moore’s Farm to collect milk, when I drove into the yard and to the dairy I noticed Mr. Moore waving from the field beyond. He came over and said could I drive into the rear field, as I drove into the field I noticed the vet standing over a cow which was laying on the ground. When I got there the vet said the cow was trying to give birth, but the calf was stillborn and she needed help or she would die. He hitched a rope to the front of my cruiser and I selected 4x4 low speed, he then reached inside the cow and tied the rope around the calf. He then told me to reverse slowly, and as I took the weight he eased the calf out. Within minutes the cow was up and ran off. Mr. & Mrs. Moore were a couple that I had got to know quite well, we often helped each other. Butter was a commodity that was unobtainable to people like ourselves. The only way to obtain it was to give large bribes which people like us were not in a position to do. Mr. Moore however supplied the Dairy Board with milk each morning. He was a very religious man and would never consider paying bribes. He kept us supplied with butter for many years, we would get a phone call and he would ask if we needed butter. We always said yes, when he delivered milk to the Dairy Board he would ask them for the amount of butter he required. The usual answer was sorry we don’t have any at which point he would get back in the tanker. When asked what he was doing would reply, you have no butter therefore I have no milk. It always worked as he was one of largest supplier’s, they needed him more than he needed them. It was a few weeks later when he said he had to go into hospital and would I run the farm until he came out. Having never run a farm, I wasn’t too keen. He said it would only be for a week or ten days, and his wife would be there and help where she could. I agreed! Suddenly life just got more hectic. I would leave the house at 05.00, drive to the farm and supervise the milking and at the same time run it through the chiller and into the tanker, ready for the driver to take it to the Dairy Board. Then I would drive back to town in time to sort out the day’s work for the departments I was running at the time. After work at about 16.00 I then drove back to the farm to supervise the evening milking and sell the milk to his customers. The milk in the evening was never taken to the Dairy Board as they would be closed by then. It was always sold direct from the farm. Most nights I would get away about 21.00, drive home “shattered”, but it was worthwhile and quite enjoyable. I met many farmers through the work I was doing, the power lines went through some of the farms, and although I had right of access I would whenever possible stop and ask if the farmer minded. I had not been in Zambia long when I met Mr. Moore, I was passing through the farm and stopped to say hello, and while we were chatting he mention that his submersible pump in the river had stopped. I asked him to show me where the pump was and fixed it for him. From then we remained good friends, whenever I was at the farm I would ask if he needed help. To get an electrician to go 20 miles in the bush was impossible. We now had a supply of beef, pork, butter and milk, flour and sugar was a little more difficult as the Sugar refinery was at Ndola and the Flour mill was in Kabwe. In the beginning we would collect flour and sugar when returning from the Victoria Falls but later when travelling from sailing regatta’s we would fill the boat and van. This not only gave us a good supply but also many of the people working for the same company. Cooking oil was difficult, this we had to buy from local stores when it was available, but once again we were lucky. Most stores would limit the amount of oil per person. Once again my job helped as I had to visit many towns on the Copperbelt, so would buy the amount that I could from a number of different towns. We lived in Zambia for 12 years and were never short of any commodity, which as I have said we were lucky, many had to live with shortages of most.

It was about this time that we had a letter from my parents saying that they would like to come to Zambia for a month, could we put them up, of course but it did give us food for thought as where could we take them, what could we do to make it a holiday to remember, something for us to think about over the coming weeks. We need not have worried, playing with the boy’s around the pool and with Jan taking them into town they were having a great time. I was busy making gear for the ski-show which my father gave a hand with, we had been given a steer by Mr. Moore a farmer that I was friendly with so Jan and my mother decided to cut it up by themselves. It took them three days, a mistake we would not make again but it kept them happy although they were both pleased when it was done. As in the past after that Jan took all steers to the local butcher and he cut them up for her.

The day for the ski-show was getting close and so with the help of my father we managed to finish the work we were doing and get it to the boat club in time. I was pleased that my parents had come out at this time as we had spoken a lot about the show and shown them many slides but now they had the chance to see it for themselves. It really was a fantastic day out, people would come from all over the Copperbelt and perhaps even further. We all put a lot of work and practice into it and it was nice when on the day everything went well. This year we had decided that Richard would spend the day at the show as a spectator with my parents as in previous years whilst at the show he would be working and see little of what was going on. After about two hours I went to check that all was OK as by now everything was in place and we were ready to start, I found my parents on their own and Richard working as he had in the past. I asked various people how this had come about, I was told they were busy and as he was a house-servant he was told he had to help out. Needless to say, I stopped him and explained that I had paid for his ticket and that for today he was to be a spectator and that he was not there to work, after which he had really great day. By the time the day was over we were all hot and tired and glad to get home but it had been a great day out, a day my parents never forgot.

Now the show was over we were able to think of places to take my parents, we took them to local towns and places of beauty around the Copperbelt. We also decided that no one could come to Zambia and not see the Victoria Falls. At this time we only had a VW van which was ideal for us as a family but not suitable for us and my parents to travel in. We borrowed a large car from a friend and decided after seeing the falls from the Zambian side we would drive over the bridge into Zimbabwe and see the falls from there. Once in Zimbabwe we made the decision to carry on to Wankie National park and then take a circular route to Kariba and see the Matopas plus it was nice to see and drive over the dam and back into Zambia. Not long after this it was time for my parents to leave but they did have a great holiday and one they never forgot. After they had gone life seemed a little quiet but we returned back to normal eventually.

After some time we decided to take a break, we did not have much cash to spare so it had to be a local trip. We gave it some thought and decided we would go to Mauritius, it was a place we had heard much about now we had the chance we decided to go. It was a very quiet and uneventful break, silky soft sand, warm breezes and lot’s of sun. We went water ski-ing and swimming , spent many hours laying on the beach or wandering along the sea shore, it really was a great break, nothing exciting but nice. On our return to Kitwe life went on as normal, work and play, if I make this sound like we did nothing in between breaks don’t be fooled we did work quite hard and the breaks we needed. I could speak of the things we did but you have heard it all before so I will carry on. It was about this time we had to think about where we were going, what we would do in the future, the kid’s were growing up and would have to leave, as they could only get schooling here until they were 12 years old. We were undecided as to whether we should return to UK or maybe go to South Africa. We decided to take a trip to SA and then we could decide where we would rather be.

We with a friend decided to drive from Zambia through Zimbabwe and into SA the trip would take six weeks in all as we really wanted to know a great deal about the country and intended travelling not only into the country but also see as much as possible. We were making a big decision based on what we found and how we felt would decide our future. The first thing we had to do was make a long range fuel tank and fit it in the car as we knew that petrol would be hard to find in Zimbabwe and so felt we needed a supply that would take us into SA. This done we were on our way, we drove through Zambia to the border and entered Zimbabwe, always a time of worry as we were never quite sure how a border crossing would go, not in Africa anyway. It was however very easy we had got things right and they did not see our fuel tank which we had fitted in the boot, we all deserve some luck. Now we really felt we were on our way, SA here we come. We drove through Zimbabwe and arrived at the border with SA, we had a good run and there were no problems, which was unusual.

It was our intention to see as much as possible in the time we had, we had planned our route very carefully so as to miss nothing of importance as for us this was to be a very special trip. We were deciding our future, which meant a great deal as we wanted to stay together as a family. We crossed the border and travelled down into SA we drove through the Limpopo to Pretoria and then on to Johannesburg from there we went to Kimberley, we did have an engine problem along the way, I can’t remember where but we had to stay over whilst a new engine block was fitted. I don’t remember the name of the town but it was a really nice place and we were quite happy to spend a few days there. We did however drink the bar dry. Kimberley was a great place to stop, Lovely town and much to do. We did spend a day at the big hole which I believe was one of the places that diamonds were first found in South Africa, they must have been real hard men or desperate to find diamonds, visiting there today it is hard to imagine the way people lived back then. We then spent some time at a working mine and it was so modern compared to the old method of diamond mining, it was like we were in a different world, something we would not have missed. From Kimberley we drove on towards Cape Town passing through Oudtshoorn where we visited an ostrich farm. It was an interesting experience which we would never repeat, the birds were well looked after and had enormous strength. They could be so gentle but also vicious, lovely animals but one should not be fooled. We then carried on towards Cape Town passing through Stellenbosch which was a big wine area in SA, we did of course have to stay over and sample the wines. No problem with that except come lunchtime we realized that Craig was drunk, he had gone from one to another asking to taste the wine and by lunchtime had drunk far to much. None of us had a clue as to how much he had drunk, I only know that it was far too much and he was a right pain for the rest of the day.

We did finally arrive in Cape Town, it was about Easter as they were getting ready for the Carnival and that really is worth seeing, I won’t attempt to describe the atmosphere and scenery as to do so would be impossible. The weather in Cape Town was not kind as the mist just would not go away. We waited four days as Jan wanted to take the cable car up Table Mountain and there was finally a window in the weather so she could go, I stayed with the lads and she finally made it, I hope it was worth the wait, we can now move on , but where to. We had thought about taking the garden route from Cape Town through to Durban and could see no reason to change our plans, so here we go. We had at some time bought the lads digital watches which played a tune, “The Yellow Rose of Texas” well trust me by the time the batteries went flat we had enough, they really played them to the limit and I mean the limit. We carried on driving round the coast. I think the lads were bored it was a long trip, perhaps too much for them to handle. We had decided to too take the garden route which although a long way would be nice. Our route would take us through Port Elizabeth, it was a lovely drive and really worth seeing. We carried on through East London towards Durban. Having arrived in Durban we were not disappointed what a lovely place. We spent some time on the beach and swimming in the sea, the conditions were ideal and we made the most of it. We did find it really hard to come to terms with the racial issues as we had never come across them before but we coped and had a great time. It was perhaps the best time the lads had on the whole trip as it really was sun, sea and sand. We stayed in Durban for some days, then it was time to move on much to the boys dismay but it had to be. We then drove up into the Drakensburg Park which was really nice but cold. We went pony trekking and played bowls, boring I know but nice. It was cold at night but the days were good, the temperature change was unbelievable. We spent some days there and it was time to travel back. Here we go again on our way home. We didn’t want to return by the route we had taken to get there so had to think how we would return. We decide to travel back through the Transkie. We drove through SA and into Zimbabwe and this time crossed the border into Zambia at Kariba just a slight change of route but nice. We did at the end of the day love the country we had taken as our own and were glad to be back, we carried on to Kitwe and were back home. It was a great trip and opened our eyes but we knew it was not for us or our children, so we have decided when we leave here we will return to the UK.

We have just signed a new contract and so have two years before leaving Zambia. Gary however will be starting boarding school in 12 months, which is why we had to know what we would do when we left. The next 12 months were a little hectic as there were a number of places we wanted to visit. One of which was Sumbu on lake Tanganyika. We went via Lusaka as there was a sailing regatta which we wanted to take part in. We then drove from there to Umpulungu where we launched the boat.

Unfortunately it was quite late when we got there but we thought we had time to get to Sumbu before dark. We had only travelled a few miles across the lake when a storm blew up. It got later and later and then it was dark. We carried on and kept a lookout for lights on the shore (nothing). After a time we knew that we had travelled to far and had missed it in the dark. We just kept going and looking, then we had some luck. On the shoreline we could just see in the distance a fire. We headed towards it, by this time we were tired and the lake was still very rough. We edged into land as we did not want to damage the boat. We were lucky, we had found a fishing village.

None of the villagers spoke English, then we realized they were speaking French. We had missed Sumbu completely and were well into Zaire. The village was on a lee-shore and the boat was taking a pounding on the rocky shore. The villagers helped us pull the boat onto solid ground after which we sat round their fire and had a good warm up. They also cooked fish for us and somehow we managed to communicate. During the night we heard the sound of a boat, one of the villagers ran over to us and signaled us to make no sound. It was apparently a border patrol boat, we got behind one of the huts and prayed they would not see the boat with their searchlight, they didn’t. Next morning the lake was as calm as a mill pond. They helped put the boat back in the water, I gave them a carton of cigarettes and we waved them goodbye. We came back into Zambian waters and finally got to Sumbu, we had missed it by about 20miles. It appears the generator had broken down which is why we could not find it in the dark. The rest of the trip went smoothly and we all had a great time. On our return to Kitwe we went nowhere really apart from Mindola Dam, Tinker’s Claim and other local places we enjoyed going to. Our main concern was to sell the stuff we would not take with us. This proved to be quite easy and took very little time.

Time is getting short, Gary is already at boarding school and Craig will have to start next year. This we don’t want as it will be a family apart, so we have made the decision and will return to the UK so that we can be a family once again. There is little left to say, it is now time to start selling up ready for the move. One thing we have always wanted to do is go to Luangwe Game Park, why not do it now, it will be our last memory of Zambia. The best years of our lives have been spent here, lets leave on a good note. Why not do the one thing we have always wanted to do. One thing I have not mentioned is that we got caught in a bush fire some time back and I still find walking really hard, in fact I still need the use of sticks to get about, no problem I can manage. We booked a week in south Luangwe and off we went. What a great trip, one we would never forget. It is really hard to describe that trip as it was early morning and late evening game viewing and the time in between was spent lazing around but we saw so much wildlife that, it was unbelievable! We arrived back from an early morning tour and were told to keep away from our rondavale as there was a hippo sleeping on the doorstep and he might be upset were to disturb him. Sure enough he was there, so we went away and waited till he moved. As I have said we always wanted to go there and we have. It was really great but it is now time to return home and do our final packing. Most of our stuff we have already sold, so we are ready to leave. We decided for tax reason’s to stop over in Cyprus for two weeks before returning to UK. It was so built up since we were last there, over the years it had become a tourist attraction, nothing like the place we had visited in the past but it was still nice and gave us the chance to chill out before our return. We then left and returned to the UK. We went to Zambia for three years and have stayed for twelve, it really was and is a beautiful country, a time in our lives we won’t ever forget