Zambia Day 3 We land safely in Africa late Saturday night after an exhausting day-and-a-half journey. All nine of our checked bags arrive, which is a minor miracle. We are collected (as the Africans would say) at the airport by the owner of Roma Lodge, where we spend our first night. It is a delightful lodge surrounded by large, leafy trees and with the usual room guests of geckos and cockroaches. At 1:00 a.m. we are finally in bed, safely under the mosquito nets. A knock at the door ends our short sleep. It is Sunday morning, 6:40 a.m., and Marjorie Milambo, a good friend, has brought our rental vehicle. She has a bright, cheery smile to greet our day. Our goal for today is to be in Serenje by nightfall because driving in the dark is very hazardous. The distance to Serenje is 245 miles, and the sun sets very quickly before 6:00 p.m. We will need to depart Lusaka by noon. We buy groceries for our 11-day stay in Serenje, but the two largest stores in Lusaka do not have ice. As the clerk said, It is finished. This creates a dilemma for transporting meat in the 90+F heat, so we buy frozen chickens to cool the rest of the meat. It works nicely. Unfortunately, we dont get out of Lusaka until 1:40 p.m. There is total darkness at half-past six. The highway is good but often there is no center stripe, the shoulder is narrow or non existent, and bicyclists and pedestrians in dark clothing crowd the edge. The greatest hazard is on-coming traffic or drivers making poor decisions. One mini-van taxi pulls onto the highway and then stops. I serve over into the opposite lane to miss hitting the van and we rocket past it. Holy cow! What was that? Thats crazy, exclaimed Jeff. Four more times in the next two hours we have to slide over to kept from being hit by trucks that are over the center line. James says, It makes you want to say, Shoot, Or, Oh, shoot! said John. At 8:15, we arrive intact and unscathed at the Hope Center in Serenje. It is a really good feeling. Navice and Ketty, our Zambian friends, greet us with vigorous handshakes, double hugs to each cheek, and hearty laughter. Ketty prays in her native Bemba tongue and thanks God for our safe arrival. We unpack and are ready for sleep. John is concerned about snakes. Not that Im paranoid, he says, but Im going to look under the bed. The adventure continues, prayers are encouraged, may God be glorified. Marlin
Posted on: Tue, 28 Oct 2014 02:49:15 +0000
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