Leaving the falls near Kasama, we headed to Lake Bangweulu. We were told this was a warm white sandy vacation spot wholly withing the borders of Zambia. We had 300 or 400 km to drive and only 100 km was paved.
The part of the trip that was dirt was in great shape.
However, there were a few obstacles that slowed us down.
The fellow below got all bent out of shape as we passed.
Then the Chinese had begun working on the road to improve it.
Initially, they were putting in large culverts for drainage that resulted in many, many detours and reduction of speed.
We did stop for gas. There were no familiar gas stations although we could see quite a few cars in the town of Luwingu. I was told what cinder block room to go to.
There the gas attendant started sucking on the diesel to siphon out twenty liters at a time. He assured me it was diesel .
As an added measure of customer service he used a sock to filter the petrol before it went into the truck.
Aids and medical issues are always apparent by the reminders in the signage.
The northeast part of Zambia seems to have plenty of water.
Once we reached Mansa and paved roads, things looked more familiar.
However, the sun was setting and I had tried to call the resort several times, and a little girl answered each time but was not able to confirm a reservation for us even though she assured me it was the correct place.
Below is the sign I found just after the sun set and in the dark. The photo was taken the next morning.
I was very happy that it was a "First Class Accommodation" and there was food available.
Kristi was thinking things looked a little sketchy but it was 50 km back to the really sketchy town of Mansa and it was over 200 km to what I would call "western style" quarters.
It was PITCH BLACK as there was no electricity.
I drove to the main building and knocked on the door. Eventually a man came and said he could put us up for the night and feed us. What more could we want? I was grateful.
I pressed him about how fresh the fish was and I was thinking this is a real adventure. We had a romantic place to sleep, candlelight dinner and a HUGE lake all to ourselves. We were shown our room and given some candles. About 45 minutes later the dinner arrived from the kitchen to our bungalow. It was pretty good but Kristi didn't appreciate the furry things running across the floor.
I ate mine and crawled into bed. They couldn't get an emergency generator running and there wasn't any water. On awaking the next morning this was our view of the "resort" main building and kitchen and Lake Bangweulu beyond.
Kristi was such a happy camper to see the beautiful sunrise, white sand and warm beach. The little shed is where the generator and pump for water is located. They worked on it for two hours the night before until I told them not to worry about it.
This was our honeymoon cottage.
The red face and steam out my bride's ears was a little different than I had seen before. She wasn't exactly "blushing". I think the time off was over and she needed to get back to a routine in the mission office. I, on the other hand, could have stayed and done some more exploring. You will notice the local natives are enjoying the warm sun and sand while they collect some water for their daily chores and meals. I had forgotten that July is really in the middle of winter here.
Next door we discovered another resort but they were in worse shape than where we stayed.
It did have the promise of internet and lavish accommodations
The new part had potential but as you can see work has stopped on the new part.
Someday the dream will be a reality with nice bungalows and a view of the lake.
But for now, I think your best bet is to bring a tent and a fishing pole.
We were offered a tour of the islands in that boat but I knew when my escape ticket had been punched and we needed to head home. Besides, I had one more item on my tour of Zambia list. I needed to find the spot where David Livingstone had died.
