A Weekend Away at Nina’s Fishing Camp

For months now friends of ours have been raving about Nina’s Fishing Camp, a lodge on the banks of the Zambezi River in Western Province, Zambia. It’s actually on the way to Sioma Falls, where we camped at over Easter.

Zambezi River rapids

The view from our room. If only I could provide the sound of
the water too!

Anyway, last weekend we finally made it there for a truly fabulous few days away, or a “lekker” weekend, as the Afrikaans would put it!

Mike and Arno 

I know very little about fishing and have never really had much of an interest in (although I do love eating fish), but as the weekend at Nina’s proved, you don’t need to be into fishing. Just being at the beautiful lodge, cruising down the Zambezi in the warm sun, listening to the water flow down the rapids while lying in bed reading or napping, made a very enjoyable weekend. Having great people, Robyn, Arno and Simone, and the owner Nicky, to spend it with, also helped.

Our group for the weekend enjoying a lovely meal together

Nina's Fishing Camp from the water

The rooms at Nina's Fishing Camp

View from the water

Pretty much as soon as we arrived, we took to the water so that the boys could see who had the best fishing skills; the fact that Mike has never fished off a boat before was irrelevant! Well, despite what some may say, fishing really does come down to luck. We hadn’t been out there for 15 minutes when Mike caught his first Tiger fish. A good size one too, about 2kg! Another 20 minutes later, Mike caught a second Tiger fish of equally good size, not impressing Arno at all! Unfortunately due to a beer versus fish moment, Mike missed out on his third catch with the beer in the hand winning!

Fishing on the Zambezi River

Mike's first catch: A 2kg (approx.) Tiger Fish

Mike and his catch

Mike's second catch of the day. Another good one!

Something that we didn't know about fishing is that for every fish you catch on your first go at Nina’s, you must take a shot of…..well, I'm actually not really sure what was in the shot glass but it did have a good burn and a garlic after-taste.  Truthfully, I doubt it’s a Nina’s Fishing Camp policy :-)

Robyn: After a shot of the mystery mixture

Simone taking her chances with the shot glass

Robyn, Arno and Mike enjoying a few "quiet" drinks

Anyway, needless to say, there were a few tired and one (Mike!!) particularly hung over participant on the fishing boat the following day.

A quiet, peaceful cruise along the Zambezi River is exactly
what we needed after the previous night! 

Day two saw more cruising and attempts to catch the biggest fish of the weekend, although less successful this time. Small catches but nothing of the size caught the previous day. It was a very pleasant morning followed by a relaxed afternoon of reading and napping.

The evening was spent sharing a very South African dinner of “Samp” with an Ox Tail “Potjie” (pronounced “poy-key”), a dish that spends many hours cooking and tasted delicious!

Ox Tail Potjie

Arno and Simone serving up the Ox Tail Potjie and Samp 

Simone and Robyn deciding how hungry they are

My plate: Ox Tail Potjie with Samp and a glass of white wine to wash
it all down. Yum!!

Day three and the return home saw some of our built up rest and relaxation take a sudden drop when one of our tyres burst about 150kms outside of Livingstone. Fortunately it was a rear tyre and our driver got us safely to the side of the road (thanks Arno). However it was a good blow- out; see below picture. A relatively quick tyre change by the boys and we were back on the road in no time!

"Ruth's" sister having her tyre changed after a blow-out on the way
home

The tyre: It was a pretty decent blow-out

And as this blog post is published, our friends Robyn and Arno are sadly (for us) returning to South Africa. But the good news is that we now have friends to visit in South Africa when we head down there early next year. Can’t wait!

L-R: Me, Mike, Arno, Robyn and Simone

Zimbabwe

Zimbabwe: A country I never thought I’d get to visit. Infamous for all of its political issues and crazy leader, many people are scared off by all of the trouble that gets reported in the western media. However, after being in Zambia for 8+ months and getting feedback from other volunteers and friends, Zimbabwe started to sound not quite so scary and definitely worth a visit.

So, with that said and a long weekend in Zambia, we decided to head over the border to see Zimbabwe for ourselves.

On the way to Bulawayo: Eating lunch roadside

Our trip took us from Victoria Falls just over the border, down to the country’s second largest city Bulawayo where we spent our first night, followed by a night in Matobo National Park (about 40kms west of Bulawayo), back north for a night in Hwange National Park and then back to Victoria Falls for our final night. Not a long trip, but it gave us an idea of what Zimbabwe is like.

Map of our trip

Our first stop, Bulawayo (meaning “Killing Ground”) was very civilised for an African city (especially when compared to a city like Lusaka). It was easy to drive around, well set out and planned and had everything you need from a city. For the first time in a while I felt like a minority with not a lot of muzungus (white people) to be seen, however the people in Bulawayo, and all of Zimbabwe for that matter, were lovely! Very welcoming and seemingly very happy to have us there. Our first night we had a drink at a bar tasting the local brew “Lion” beer; wasn’t a fan but the atmosphere was cool. We also learnt that like Livingstone, Bulawayo is subject to frequent and long power cuts, when we were rudely awakened by the power generator at our accommodation as they tried to prepare breakfast for their guests.

One of the main streets in Bulawayo

Beautiful old buildings in Bulawayo show the old colonial
influence; this one is a shopping area

From Bulawayo we headed to Matobo National Park, listed as a world heritage site for its rock formations and ancient cave drawings. It is also the place where Cecil Rhodes was buried, although not knowing a great deal about Cecil Rhodes, some of the importance was lost on me.

Some of the rock formations that Matobo National Park is famous for

The resting place of Cecil Rhodes

Cave drawings in Pomongwe Cave: These drawings have been
carbon dated to be around 2000 years old

Pomongwe Cave: Part of a World Heritage Site

We spent a night in the park, which I wasn't particularly keen on to start with and less so when we were subjected to freezing cold temperatures, with an icy wind coming off the nearby lake. We came extremely well prepared (or so we thought) but freezing temperatures and an air mattress makes a nice recipe for hypothermia. Anyway, Mike’s scout training kicked in and saved the day and despite a nearly sleepless night, we made it through.

Sunset: Matobo National Park rock formations

The lake by our camp-site in Matobo National Park: Making a cold
night even colder!

The next day we headed to Hwange National Park, via Bulawayo where we purchased additional camping supplies, well worth the money spent! On the way we encountered the usual police stops without any problems, but one police lady did tell Mike (and I think she was serious) that a dirty car “was an offense”. No fine for that one but probably time to get “Ruth” washed. 

Much warmer! After our new camping purchases we had an air mattress,
rubber mats, sleeping bags and three blankets to keep us warm

Setting up camp at Hwange National Park Main Camp

Hwange National Park was awesome. After a much better night’s sleep we travelled through the park and its very varied landscapes. We saw a lot of different animals; zebra, impala, giraffe, elephants, etc., but the highlight without a doubt was the male lion hiding behind some bushes with the previous night’s kill. Unfortunately it was difficult to get a really clear photo despite being no more than 3 metres away, but exciting to see.

This Giraffe just loved being photographed!

View from the road as we moved through the park. Was just like
Autumn with the beautiful coloured leaves

Zebra enjoying the sun

Elephant skull: A reminder of just how big an elephant is

Hippos down by the waterhole

Male lion protecting a dead buffalo, the previous nights kill. We were only a few metres away, unfortunately the scrub between us made
it difficult to get the perfect photo!

 Our last night in Zimbabwe was spent in the town Victoria Falls. One of the things we noticed there were the number of overland trucks and backpackers; they were everywhere! I’m not too sure what Zambia and Livingstone is doing wrong, but they should be looking to cash in on this revenue stream in much the same way that Zimbabwe is obviously doing.

Lots of overland trucks stationed at Victoria Falls Rest Camp; Zambia
and Livingstone need to get in on all the action

We didn’t do a lot in Victoria Falls. We checked out the Victoria Falls Hotel, which is a beautiful old colonial building, surrounded by green lawns and the most amazing view of the Victoria Falls Bridge. We walked around the town a bit, a small town very much focused on tourism. We had then planned to visit the Falls themselves to see how they look from the Zim side, but the $20 entrance fee for SADC members (i.e. Southern African Development Community) we felt was a tad steep, given we pay the equivalent of $1.40 (7,000ZMK) on the Zambia side. We have been told the Falls are even more amazing on the Zim side, but nearly $19 more amazing??? Probably not.

Check out the awesome view of Victoria Falls Bridge just behind me

The Victoria Halls Hotel: Beautiful, old, colonial building

The front of Victoria Halls Hotel

All in all we had a pretty good trip to Zimbabwe. I’m not sure what I was expecting to be honest, but what I found was a country of people who are just getting on with it, are welcoming to visitors and continuing to build their country’s economy up as best they can, and not doing too bad a job of it either! One can only hope that the elections to be held there later this year don’t take the country backwards, because the people there certainly don’t derserve that.

Stopping traffic: Two cows fighting on the side of the road 

But I’m not going to end this post talking about Zimbabwe; instead I think the story about Mike and I getting fined on the Victoria Falls Bridge for the below photograph is a much better ending. As we entered back into Zambia, we thought it would be nice to get a photo of “Ruth” on the bridge. So with no cars or trucks behind us, I jumped out of the car for not more than 15 seconds and got the below photo, not realising that stopping on the bridge was illegal. Opps. As we approached the end of the bridge a very angry Zambian gate minder pulled us over, taking Mike’s license in the exchange. Warning Mike it was a $500 fine for stopping, he was also willing to accept 50,000ZMK ($10) for the offense, which we were more than happy to pay if it meant avoiding a $500 fine. Probably encouraging the wrong behaviour, but $500 for a 15second photo stop, really? Anyway, the below photo will now have be appreciated all the more by us!

Our infamous photo: 50,000ZMK later.......

Zambia National Voluntary & Counselling Testing (VCT) Day

Every year on the 30^th of June, Zambia has a national day, Voluntary & Counselling Testing Day or VCT Day as it is better known here.

The purpose of VCT Day is to raise awareness and encourage Zambians to get themselves tested for HIV. This year’s theme was “Get tested today, Get tested together”, encouraging couples to get counselled and tested as a couple.

My organisation's banner for VCT Day

Mike and I as we waited for the march to begin; it started
about 1.5 hours later than scheduled! 

This was the first VCT Day I have participated in since being in Zambia, so I was curious to see how much it differed from the events that take place on World AIDS Day. The answer to that was not much.

Marchers lined up along Mosi-Oa-Tunya Road

The local VCT Day event in Livingstone was bit more low key than what was done for World AIDS Day. However we still had a march through the main street, the marching band and the long speeches. What is most disappointing about it all however is that like World AIDS Day, the people who attend and participate in the event are already aware about the issue; it’s kind of like preaching to the converted.

Women from Self Help Groups dressed in matching chitenge for the
VCT Day March

Me walking in the VCT Day March

Traditional dancers preforming at the main event

 Nonetheless, intentions are good and it provided a good opportunity to set up the testing tents for public display. I don’t think anyone actually got tested on the day in Livingstone at least, (Zambian’s are very discreet people, especially when it comes to the subject of HIV/ AIDS) however it hopefully plants the idea in people’s minds.

"New Start" testing tents

This year my organisation had a display tent at the event, the first time for quite a while. The display looked great and I was very pleased with the effort made on the posters I had asked them to do for the different projects. 

My organisation's tent for VCT Day

The Livingstone District Commissioner and accompanying party taking a
look at our stand and discussing the various programmes on offer

Information on offer

Also impressive was the turnout we received from our Self Help Group women. All up there was about 40 women from the different groups and they came dressed in matching chitenge for the event, very effective during the march. We were also able to display some of the goods they had produced as a part of our display, which was a nice touch.

Poster for Self Help Group for Women Programme

Women from Self Help Groups and the team

 So, that was my first VCT Day. I think for a brief moment the day may raise some awareness on the importance of getting tested ,however it would be good to see event organisers find ways to draw members of the community into the event and increase their involvement. I think it would also be symbolic for local and national leaders to “lead the way” and get tested as an example to others. But I won’t hold my breath on that one! 

The Downs and Downs of being in Zambia

It’s become apparent to me that my blog entries are getting further and further apart. I guess that was to be a little bit expected, although I probably need to a little more vigilant.

Anyway, as the title of my post indicates, things haven’t been running as smoothly as they could be. Everyday new challenges present themselves.

Work has definitely been an area of challenge for me. On one hand things have been going quite well. My organisation has been awarded a grant for a new over-locker machine to assist with our Sewing IGA and training, good timing considering our other machine has just about given up. We have nearly secured funding for an advocacy project to lobby for improved maintenance of sporting grounds in Livingstone (in support of the link between sport and HIV prevalence amongst youth). And we had a big win with a partnership being announced between ourselves and a USAID funded capacity building organisation here in Zambia. The new partnership will provide assistance in some much needed areas of the organisation and hopefully open the doors to other funding sources. All good right?!  Not really.

Sewing room used for training local women and producing curios to
sell to the local tourist market

More and more I am starting question the sustainability of the work I am doing here. Unfortunately I don’t think that VSO Zambia has explained the meaning of the title “Advisor” to its partners and so I am finding myself doing more and more of the work at my organisation. To my colleagues it seems I am just another pair of hands, but worse, the only ones prepared to do the hard work! I have had the obvious discussions of concern and made attempts to hand things over, however we are now starting to miss deadlines and opportunities. It’s increasingly frustrating and causing me to question if a two year tenure here is realistic (for my own sanity!).

Action items to be "shared" amongst the team; worked for a while but
the novelty seems to have worn off

Another issue I seem to be encountering on a more regular basis is that of the role of religion. In Zambia, as in most African and poorer countries, religion plays a key role in providing hope. I do think this is a good thing. However, being here in Zambia I worry about the way in which people here are taught to take the bible as “black and white”. People here are not taught to question, well, anything really, but especially their religious leaders. This is especially disheartening in the face of the HIV pandemic Zambia is facing and difficult for me working for an “interfaith” organisation.

And then there is the area of aid and development. I have touched on this briefly before and made reference to an “allowance culture” in Zambia. I think the two are without doubt linked, in that, people here are hesitant to do anything unless there is something to line their pocket first. I mean, I don’t blame them; why would you go to work if you can go to a workshop and be given a free meal, transport refund (regardless if the venue is next door to your office or not) and a “sitting allowance”, given just for being present. It is difficult, because in some cases these allowances are the only source of income for some individuals. However, this allowance goes right to the top and the wealthiest people, who not only get their regular salary, but these allowances as well. 

Development at work? Livingstone's first traffic lights!
Is the fact that it's an election year just a coincidence?

Take for instance the partnership launch that I attended in Lusaka last week for the capacity building organisation I mentioned earlier. I received a transport refund, meals and accommodation, which was all fair enough, as most of the attendees were from outside town. But then I received on top of that 100,000zmk per day for three days, just for my presence! In dollar terms it isn’t much, but here that is a lot of money and when given out to each attendee, really starts to add up. The nice hotel and meals should have been enough. I sat in my room and wondered if US tax payers were aware of how their taxes were really being spent, whether good intentioned or not?!

My hotel room while on a workshop in Lusaka

Outside of work things have been a little better, but again not without the odd hiccup.

Last month Mike and I set out on a safari trip in Chobe National Park in Botswana, only to discover in the middle of the park that our 4WD wasn’t actually 4WD at all! We got stuck twice in some very deep sand (unfortunately I didn’t get any photos), and I had to keep an eye out for elephants and lions while Mike attended to the car. Fortunately we both saw the humour in our situation a bit later on :-)

Getting stuck in the sand wasn't all that bad; we wouldn't have come
across this lioness on the way out of the park!

Mike enjoying a well earned Windoek and dessert

Further issues with sick puppies, with one of the puppies from the neighbouring property ending up on our door step as sick as, well, a dog! We were convinced he would die as he wouldn't eat, but then miraculously a few days later he started to get better. Then he went missing for nearly a week and we thought maybe he had died. But no, his owners had him chained up (again). After an escape attempt and seeing wire around his neck we decided to buy him. So now we have a new puppy, “Rambo” who will hopefully become the new property dog after Simba! Just need to toughen him up a bit, hence the name :-)

Wire that was tired around the puppy's neck.
Fortunately the rope wasn't particularly strong!

Rambo: Now a happy puppy with changed luck!

On a brighter note, the month ahead has a couple of trips; one to the capital Lusaka and the second, more exciting one, to Zimbabwe. Looking forward to both trips and a change of scenery!

If all else fails, there's always dessert :-)