Here is Maarten's last and final e-mail. Jessica remains in Zambia until the 31st and hopefully will continue to be able to send us some news and pictures.
We're back from Livingstone. This morning, Joan and I walked up to Flying Angels and purchased 90 bags for subsequent resale at the church Bazaar, etc (the sewing machines at Flying Angels have been running steadily to produce Zambian crafts for sale here in Canada).
Victoria Falls is, in my opinion, best seen later in the season. You get a better idea of the immensity of the chasm into which the Zambezi drops. Hopefully the pictures will capture this. We took a walk around the same route we went on last year, and then Jess, Joan and I ventured forth onto the riverbed above the falls. So - I went wading in the Zambezi, and Jess and Joan paddled their feet in it.
Chobe National Park in Botswana was also quite good. This time, the hippos were swimming around right at the park boundary, we saw two crocs, a whole herd of Cape buffalo, and gazillions of elephants and lots of elephant droppings. The land looks blasted due to the lack of moisture. The highlight was the group of lions snoozing under shade of a tree. A short distance away, a 4x4 Safari Jeep got hopelessly stuck in the sand. We pushed it out, and did not lose anyone to the lions. The sand was hot.
The six hour trip home started at 12:20 p.m. By the time we finally arrived in Lusaka, it was dark, Jessica was worrying about our luggage, and a very voluble woman from somewhere was arguing and gesticulating with the conductor about the huge quantity of bags, boxes, etc which she was offloading. Even the bus driver was beginning to wonder what was going on before we finally drove the final few km to Cairo road and reached the Lusaka bus station. Nothing got lost, nothing was stolen, and we made it back to Zebra guest House by 2030 hr.
Benard was as good as his word. When we went to Flying Angels this morning, a huge pot of porridge was bubbling over a wood fire, and half a sack of porridge was leaning up against a post. It would seem that the schoolchildren are, once again, being fed. Those little people are as cute as always, but we are still definitely a curiosity in N'Gombe - cries of Muzungu abound. Mary (one of Benard's children) wanted me to pick her up this morning, so I did. Little Benard is finally getting over his shyness. The dust, garbage, and extreme poverty contrast sharply with the paved roads, walls and steel gates of Kalundu (the location of the guest house).
On our way out, we met Evelyn and Ronald, two of the community visitors that have been hired as part of the new clinic, who were busy doing their rounds. Give it time... [Maarten, Dr. Brian Kongolo and Benard are planning a new medical clinic to service the destitute of this community.]
Tomorrow, we are having a braai (B-B-Q) with Angela, and then it is off with the wings of Man to London, Amsterdam and finally, home. Joan and I will be leaving on Zambian Independence day. They are celebrating their 43rd anniversary.
Maarten