Zambia World Wide

We got to Shiwa Ngandu – distance of 250 kilometres from Flatdogs at 15h00. (A total of 24 hours driving)  We had to get fuel from a man named Bwali in a village en route to Tanzania.  It was the cheapest diesel in Zambia, Bwali has a deal with the tanker drivers coming through from Dar es Salaam (probably involving “ladies of the night”).  Our friends weren’t at Shiwa and we wondered whether they too had got lost?  Eventually they arrived after having missed the sign board and travelling to the next town before realizing their mistake.  We all stayed in fabulous chalets at Kapishya Hot Springs which is on the Shiwa Ngandu Estate owned by the Harvey brothers, grandsons of Stewart Gore Brown who built this mansion in the bush in the 1920’s!  Charlie runs the house and the farm and Mark and his girlfriend, Mel run the operation at Kapishya as well as Buffalo Camp.

Kapishya was so pleasant we decided to stay two nights.  Our driving companions had to leave to get back to Joburg for a flight back to the USA.  The springs are bath-tub hot and there is a river running through the camp that is fine to swim in.  We just relaxed for the time we spent there as well as visiting the house and the small game reserve where we saw Kafue lechwe.  Mel is an excellent cook and the first night we had roast fillet steak with Yorkshire pudding, roast tatties and all the trimmings!  We mentioned that we love Oriental cuisine, so the next night we had a pukkah Indian meal complete with sambals and poppadums – out in the middle of nowhere!  We also had good company that night as the Queen of Belgium had flown in from Lusaka to spend the weekend at the big house, so her pilots, a Swede and Craig Robertson from Mazabuka were our dinner companions.

Mark is very funny and a good raconteur.  The bar prices are steep – but hey – he does have Kilpdrift and Coke Light – AND – Peter Stuyvesant – and the beers are very cold and the ice is magic!  The food to die for and the chalets gorgeous! What more could a girl ask for?  We must take the kids with us next time.  Marriage not so shaky anymore!

Then on to Kitwe.  We arrived on a Sunday as night was falling.  The Nkana Polo Club is the first landmark I recognized after 31 years.  We popped in to take a look.  What a disappointment!  The stables have been reduced – at least Moon River’s stable is still there.  All the grounds have been sold and now there is only the polo field left.  This is now split into a dressage and showjumping arena and paddocks.  There were only about eight horses in the stables as opposed to over 50 horses when I stabled there.  The clubhouse has been made larger, but the pool is empty – but at least the Polo Club is still there!.