The route today was supposed to be Livingstone to Kafue (just outside Lusaka and 450km from Livingstone) however, when we got to Kafue and realised that there was nothing there we decided to press on to Luangwa Bridge another 270km away even though it was already 15h00 and sunset was at 17h50.

The route to Luangwa took us through Lusaka (The capital of Zambia) which is a frenetic African city with traffic “rules” that have been invented by the Zambians and understood by them alone. Getting through Lusaka took a lot longer than anticipated so when darkness started to fall and we were still 100km from our destination we started to search for a place for the night. Our GPS units advised that the Dam view chalets (sounded charming enough) was only a few km’s from our location on the T4 so decided that that is where we would spend the night.

On arrival, we did indeed find 2 chalets with a dam view however, seemingly abandoned and not a soul for miles, this simultaneous with a front wheel puncture on Dale’s BMW so even had we wanted to press on, it was now impossible.

The chalets, it turns out are owned by a neighbouring school and occupied by a charming lady called Angela who is a social worker at the abovementioned school. We elected to camp for the night on the lawns in front of the dam…..the Royal Livingstone is now a distant memory as Angela’s radio plays in the background and the sound of trucks go trundling by on the nearby road.

Biltong sticks and dried fruit for lunch on the road.

Our charming hostess Angela (left), and her sister Nancy.

NOT The Royal Livingstone!!

Dale’s bike with a front puncture.