Safari!

So 2 weeks ago we experienced the reason we came to Africa – safari! We went to South Luangwa National Park for a long weekend of spotting wildlife and relaxing in the lodge. After another scary journey on Zambian roads (nothing new there) we arrived at Marula Lodge to find two elephants casually munching on the trees at the entrance! The lodge was beautiful and set on the border of the park – only a river separates it as we found out later watching a herd of elephants crossing the river and coming towards us!

Our guide, David, took us on 4 game drives during our time there, one starting at 6am and the other starting mid afternoon and continuing on into the evening. We didn’t mind getting up at 5am with the prospect of seeing wildlife we’d only ever seen on TV or in the zoo before. The drives were incredible and we saw every animal we hoped to see. Highlights included sitting 3 metres from a pride of lions eating a waterbuck, spotting a leopard on one of the night drives and encountering a grumpy elephant blocking our road. Having a drink while watching the sun set over the park was the perfect interlude to our animal spotting. David knew everything about the animals and could take us to see anything we wanted but didn’t really get our sense of humour! His true character emerged when he spotted the rare honey badger from miles off. Having only seen one twice before in his career, he set off at high speed to see it closer up. What we weren’t expecting was a car chase worthy of 007 with David shouting “It’s tiring! It’s tiring!” as the poor badger ran panting in front of the car.

Some fun facts from safari (ie David!)

·      A group of zebras is called a ‘dazzle’ of zebras

·      A group of giraffes is called a ‘tower’

·      Hippos can’t swim – they walk along the bottom of the water

·      Giraffes can only sleep for 6 minutes at a time

Who said this was a weekend off! It was an incredible experience getting so close to the animals although having a pride of lions walk right past your car and be within touching distance was a bit nerve wracking. After our last drive we were happy to spend our last few hours relaxing by the pool, thinking we had seen everything possible. But the arrival of an elephant beside the pool completed a great trip :)

A week in St Francis

We are now finishing our fourth week at the hospital… time certainly flies here! Everyday is so busy with ward rounds and outpatient clinics to attend. It has been great to feel fully part of the team here, seeing patients and making plans. We have seen things we probably would never see in the UK, and also things that are so advanced. It is shocking to see how long people leave problems before being seen, as for many the hospital is so far away, and costs a lot of money to get to. But still there is very little complaining, and everyone is so grateful for anything you can do, no matter how big or how small.

The outpatient department has certainly been an experience in itself! As mentioned before, anything can come through the door, from a hypertension reviews to very acute situations like overdoses and collapses, not to mention snake bites! It is always an interesting day, never knowing what will come through the door!

But it has not been without its difficulties. We have seen so many really sick babies, children and adults, and none of us have been without days when we just come home in need of a hug and some chocolate! One of the biggest difficulties and frustrations is that often the medication you would want to use is not in stock, or the procedure you would want to do is not available. It’s hard to accept that sometimes there is nothing you can do when back at home there would be so much.

Last week we got the opportunity to go to out-reach clinics in nearby small villages where we were helping in HIV clinics. This was an amazing experience, although a little daunting at first when left in a room with no translator and told to start seeing patients. We soon got the hang of it though, and it was great to feel like we were really helping.  Afterwards the local people made us a dinner of nchema (the local dish made of maize- a favorite and daily meal for Zambians), which we accepted and politely munched on.... although not something I would particularly want to eat again.

This week has been another busy week… so looking forward to a weekend by the pool in Chipata, the bigger town near by J.

Arriving at the hospital

After a relaxing few days at Lake Kariba we set off for the hospital, wondering what challenges we would face. Turned out our biggest obstacle was getting there in the first place! 17 hours later, at 1am, we pitched up at the hospital entrance and fought through the darkness and the gales to find our home for the next six weeks.  Waking everyone from the Accommodation Officer to our new housemates maybe wasn’t the best first impression!

In the bright morning sunshine we could finally see where we had arrived and were given a tour of the hospital. Pictures don’t really give a sense of the feeling of the complex but have a look and see for yourself J. We learned the local greeting – a three part handshake – and met most of the staff at the hospital. We’re all rotating through the Medical and Paediatric wards while we’re here and have the chance to see patients in the Outpatient clinic in the afternoon. This is not a typical clinic as people walk for miles to attend and you see everything from diabetic reviews to people being stretchered in and immediately admitted to the ward.  We’re slowly picking up some useful phrases in the local dialect, Chichewa eg “Muli bwanji?” which means ‘How are you?” but fortunately sign language and sound effects are universal!

Our evenings have been filled with dinner with the other students and doctors in the Mess and watching Broadchurch with our housemates (bets have been taken as to who the killer is – don’t give it away!) if the power is still on. There’s something quite cosy about sitting around in candlelight but the bucket showers are taking a bit of getting used to!

Sunbathing with crocodiles

After a very frantic time in Lusaka we decided it was time to relax so we headed to the beautiful Lake Kariba. The first thing that this trip gave us was a newfound appreciation of Megabus. After four hours waiting to set off in a packed, boiling, rickety minibus and then four more hurtling round corners with a driver who clearly wanted to die, on a road the locals call the ‘death road’ I swear I will never complain about British public transport again. According to locals there are two accidents a week on this particular stretch of road, a fact emphasised by the lorry carcasses littering the track.  We passed through tiny villages comprised of nothing more than mud huts. Despite this, we noticed MTN shops everywhere where you could buy top ups for your phone!

When we arrived at the lake things instantly picked up. We had a small lodge right on the edge of the lake, mango trees at our door and stunning views. We spend the next few days sunbathing and avoiding Susan, the resident crocodile of the beach. We also went on an incredible sunset cruise where we saw a huge dam that formed the lake and also acts as the border between Zambia and Zimbabwe. Although beautiful, we were sad to learn that when the river Zambezi was dammed to make the lake, thousands of local people lost their homes, sacred burial sights and fertile farming land.

We met some amazing people at Lake Kariba who were all keen to teach us about the area.  Advice for the future: If bitten by a tiger fish you’re in trouble because its teeth are laced with an anticoagulant. The trick is to catch it and rub its eye on the wound because the eye contains a coagulant. The locals also delighted in terrifying us with stories of poisonous snakes and canoe-capsizing hippos. We were the laughing stock of the lodge when we had to ask a security guard to remove a spider from our room!

A Storming Start

So it would be our luck that the south of England has a massive storm on the day that we fly out! All trains to London were cancelled and Vicky had a frantic drive to down from Newcastle. But eventually, despite the fact that fate was against us we arrived at Heathrow for our flight to Zambia.

After a very bumpy landing (maybe avoid Ethiopian Airways in future) we arrived in Lusaka, the capital city of Zambia, immediately hit by the boiling hot air! We soon had our first experience of haggling with the taxi driver, which was slightly counterproductive after Vicky announced to him “we have no idea how much anything cost here”- its no surprise we were ripped off for this taxi ride!

It was immediately apparent we weren’t in Aberdeen anymore! The landscape is so baron, little huts line the sides of the roads where people sit selling fresh tomatoes and watermelon. Women were walking around with baskets on their heads and little babies strapped to their backs. Although the very stereotypical image portrayed on television, it was almost more of a shock as we kind of expected that to be more in rural areas, not the capital city. But the closer we got to the city the more built up it became, and the more apparent how much of a busy bustling city Lusaka is.

The following morning we were advised to try out the local market in Kamwala. Travelling as three obvious tourists definitely has its disadvantages. Anywhere you go in Lusaka you are hassled by people trying to get you to go in their taxis, or give them money or buy something. The word Muzunga (white person) is shouted at you regularly, not in an aggressive way, but it makes it harder for you to blend in! But anyway after a fight between taxi drivers to get us to use their taxis, we made it to the market…. Which in itself seemed impressive since the car had no wing-mirrors or door handles.

The market was amazing. Little stalls lining an old train track, selling anything from clothes to chitengas (the material they wear) to chickens. We tried out our bartering skills again, although it seemed that they wouldn’t be convinced that we weren’t tourists and didn’t want the “tourist price”.

That evening we headed to a backpackers bar for a few drinks. What we weren’t however expecting was to be serenaded all night by about 20 sixteen-year-old boys from Dublin! But perhaps the highlight was the song a local Zambian sang for us with his guitar- “Mamma Africa” (its on youtube- check it out!) A great start to the holiday J