Zambia World Wide

We were driving around the bush roads one afternoon when we came across a mining shaft, it was the first time we seen it. It turned out to be Mindola Mine, in the distance we could see what looked like a small lake. We later found out it was mindola dam which can be reached from a turn-off from the road to Kalalushi. The amount of freedom from rules and regulations took a little getting used to, we could drive anywhere without hindrance or interference apart from the cities and towns. We did come across many roadside markets such as Fisenge and the Chingola/Mufurila turn off. We were told about a place called Tinker’s Claim which was not far from Kitwe off the Ndola road. We drove about 3 miles down the Ndola road, we then turned right onto a dirt road for about 2 miles then turned right onto a bush track which took us to Tinker’s Claim. There is little to see at the site, just a stone cairn and a small plaque, it is here that copper was supposedly found first, leading to copper mining in the Kitwe area. The largest mine near Kitwe is the Rhokana mine on the edge of town. The cairn is on a hill and at the top one can see for miles around in all directions. It is one of the few places to get a panoramic view of Kitwe and the Rokana mine. We returned to the site many years later and found the track so badly overgrown it was impossible to get through with a vehicle. The only way to reach the cairn was to walk, we had come back to see the site, so we walked. Although the track was almost impassable the cairn was still there and of course the view was still superb. There was very little information about Zambia at the time so many of the places we went to were found by talking to other people, many who had lived there for many years. We spent a lot of time driving off the beaten track where we came across rivers, streams and often local villages. It was quite common to come across women down by the rivers and streams washing clothes or getting a bath.

Driving out of Kitwe through Kalalushi we came to a place known as the 17 mile Dambo probably because it was about 17 miles from Kitwe. It is a wooded area with quite a large lake and occasionally a group of us would get together there for a day out. It was always nice to get together, have a braai and play with the kids. The fishing was quite good but it was necessary to have a boat and at the time we didn’t have one. It was said there were crocodiles in the lake but although we went there many times over the years we never saw any. Another place we enjoyed was the Mufulira Rapids which were off the Kitwe/Mufulira road. The area around the rapids was rocky and the noise of the Kafue River flowing through the rapids was deafening when the river was in full flood. It is also a great place for bird watching and there are many varieties of flowers and shrubs along the banks of the river, below the rapids. We saw some of the most unusual butterflies in the shrubs in that area, many were so beautiful it was hard to believe they were real. In all our travels around Zambia we never saw such a variety and so many anywhere else. On the way to the rapids there was a small roadside market where we would stop so that Jan could buy her boiled ground nuts which she seemed to be addicted to. Usually whenever we came across a small market we would have to stop so that Jan could get her ground nuts. We enjoyed the roadside markets, there were quite a range of foodstuff that could be bought but of course only fruit and vegetables when the seasons were right. I think our biggest surprise were the mushrooms, there were two types. The first was similar to the British in colour but were the size of a dinner plate, the second similar to the size we had bought in Britain but reddish orange in colour and no matter how well they were washed always tasted slightly gritty, we preferred the large ones they had the right taste. There was also other fruit and vegetables that we could buy at these markets such as pumpkin, water melon, yams, oranges, paw-paw, mango’s and other fruit and vegetables. It was fun buying from the markets, everything was bartered for and there was always good natured banter and laughter. Driving from Kitwe on the Ndola road there was a village near the roadside and the villagers made cycles, motorbikes and other items from wire. They were well made and we often stopped to look at them, we bought some to take back to England as presents for our families. Jan decided she wanted a cat, so we then tried to find a kitten which was not as easy as one might think. I was in Luanshya one day and saw an advert, a lady’s cat had a litter of kittens. I mentioned this to Jan and she replied, see if she still has any, she had two so we drove to Luanshya and brought one back with us, Jan named the kitten Smokey. Smokey made an impact with Gary right from the start. He was twelve weeks old, grey with black stripes and so full of fun.