Profile
Blog
Photos
Videos
Lusaka, Zambia
It was a very long 2 days of traveling. 10 hours from Dallas to Heathrow, 8 hour layover in Heathrow, 11 hour flight to Johannesburg South Africa, 2 hour layover and then a 2 hour flight to Lusaka Zambia. I was feeling pretty sick by the time I got to Lusaka. I hadn't slept or eaten really well. I don't like flying and the food wasn't very good, was really hoping I'd feel better soon. Getting through customs and passport control was nothing worth stressing over, just a long time waiting in line. I payed my visa fee and walked into Zambia. A taxi met me to take me to the Hostel (Chachachas) on the way we stopped to change money. The taxi driver saved me some stress since he knew a place that changed smaller denominations of money for the same exchange rate.
The staff at Chachachas was very nice. They got me settled into my room quickly and I immediately laid down for a nap and slept for about 4 hours. The hostel is pretty basic. My room is small with 2 beds and a night stand. It's wood/reed thatched walls, a door that locks and windows that open directly outside. The beds are fitted with mozzie nets. The beds are comfortable, at least compared to airplane seats. The bathrooms and showers are shared facilities and they are decently clean. The hostel offers dorms, camping and private room facilities but I don't htink they have any en suite rooms, which is fine for what I need. They also have a really nice bar area and a swimming pool and a small kitchen with chef to prepare meals. I ordered a dinner (chile con carne with rice and veggies) The food was really good and the chef was a lot of fun to talk to. I met some travelers from Finland and the UK and we spent awhile after dinner talking, mostly about traveling in Zambia, what our plans were, what to see and do and what not to do. I enjoyed it greatly but was really tired so eventually had to call it a night. I took a quick shower which felt fantastic and set up my mozzie net and fell asleep for my first night in Africa. Mosquitos are pretty bad near the hostel, especially outside the rooms. There is a lot of noise too, dogs barking mostly but also people in the bar. The hostel has a security guard on duty 24 hours and the grounds are gated so I feel pretty safe.
Impressions of Lusaka: Very busy city but doesn't have the same big city feel as cities in the US. Compared to US cities it is obviously very poor. There is a lot of traffic, dust and smog. Lots of people on the streets selling everything you can possibly imagine (magazines, brooms, mirrors etc) and they walk right up to the windows when you stop. There are not a lot of traffic signals. Lots of strange roundabouts. Driving is like in the UK, on the wrong side of everything and people drive very crazy. There are stands everywhere sellinmg things in addition to the street hawkers. Shopping centers are set up in strip mall styles. Houses/business are all fenced with cement walls (painted with adverts) and gated, usually a small frontage road runs in front. No real big buildings, only a few in the main downtown area. Everything is pretty grey/drab looking.
- comments