Day 276 – Zambia

July 8, 2010 – Livingstone to Lusaka, Zambia

It’s time to move on – my back is improving slowly but surely – so we wake up nice & early in anticipation of our 6 hour drive to Lusaka.

We’re not sure what to expect considering the varied bus experiences we’ve had in the past, but to our pleasant surprise this trip is great. Boarding is hassle-free, the bus has big, comfy seats with lots of leg room, it leaves and arrives on time and the gospel music playing on the stereo is kept at a reasonable level. Okay, the movie isn’t one of our preferred picks – one of Kirk Cameron’s born-again religious numbers – but if this is the only thing we can complain about, well then it’s all good.

Of course, any feeling of calm & contentedness we have evaporates the minute we get off the bus. We are bombarded by taxi drivers, mini-bus drivers, touts & hawkers and people who we don’t even know what they want with us. We grab our bags – Eric is now playing Sherpa and carrying both of our big bags, while I carry the two smaller daypacks – and manage to get away from the chaos to discuss our next steps.

Seeing as there aren’t too many “backpacker” options in Lusaka, we decide to try out Ku-Ombuko Backpackers. Fortunately, there’s room at the inn – as the kids say – so we settle into a dorm room for the night.