Thursday, July 07, 2005

deep dark africa

deep - because it is 40 minutes on a road that is impassable much of the year, after an hour of a road that is just plain dangerous and scattered with police check points and pot holes and truly insane drivers

dark - because there is no electricity

africa - because there can be no place quite like this. well, not this (being where i am now, an internet cafe in ndola) but where we were the night b4 last - kamatipa village. and tonight will be much the same - kalalushi village. My slightly odd waterbed at GLO Ndola is wonderful for base camp inbetween semi-sleepless nights on a bedroll on a dirt floor, shared with maize stores and probably rats and snakes, in a grass roof hut.

cannot quite believe ppl live their whole live like this. and many never see the ocean! so glad to have been born in nz. it is stunning. so much water. everything is so much more difficult here. dry and hot in day, cold at night. colder than anyone expects. roads are insane - almost as crazy as the drivers. overloaded trucks everywhere. saw two on side of road on way here thismorning - one had rolled down a bank - they were restacking it while the driver was cared for - sitting on the grass 10m away. other one had broken down. less damage fortunately. the rolled one was a sight.

long line for computers so must leave this short.

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