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Drumbeats from Africa - Week 5
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31 July : Kapishya Hot Springs : ZAMBIAN BONUS
Welcome to Friendly Zambia! That’s what the sign says as soon as we entered Zambia on the 29th day of the PETRONAS Africa Trek 2003.
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We headed straight for our next campsite about 300 kilometers away. It seem everything in Zambia was the opposite of Tanzania. The roads were excellent, absolutely no traffic (we traveled about 2 hours before seeing a single vehicle), and the campsite ... ahhh .... After the field in the middle of Mbeya and the police station in Dodoma, the Kapishya Hot Springs Campsite was bliss. A beautiful river running next to it and a clear pool heated by the hotspring! The team was in camping heaven! Although the altitude of this campsite was about the same as Mbeya, it was thankfully not as cold. Woken up by the birds, everyone had a final dip in the heated pool and prepared to leave for our next campsite – I am sure some wished we were staying here a little longer, but we have a lot more of Zambia to see and the day after tomorrow we will be in Lusaka and a hotel. After 6 nights of camping everyone is looking forward to a nice warm bed, getting some laundry done and of course replenishing food supplies.
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On a smooth ride to the hotspring
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Water therapy for the aching muscles
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31 July : Kapishya Hot Springs : THE TOKOLOSH AWARD
The PAT South Africa team introduced the Malaysian to an African idol called the Tokolosh. The laughing Tokolosh is given to the team member that has made an error, a fool of himself or caused unnecessary hardship for the team. The unfortunate team member has to wear the Tokolosh around his neck for the next 24 hours until the next recipient is announced, and believe me sometimes we didn’t have to wait very long!
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The Tokolosh has changed hands many times for the past 30 days. Some of the reasons for getting the Tokolosh are quite funny. One group of recipients received it for getting into a car that was not even theirs, to top it off they tried to get in a four door car when they rented a two door car! Another recipient got it for taking photos with no film in the camera!
Well today to prove that no one is above the fray, Dr Zaini (Zulu) received the Tokolosh for leaving his keys in the car and locking the door! His engine was running and the wipers were on and we were about to leave the campsite. Needless to say the decision to award Zulu the Tokolosh was unanimous. He was lucky Ah Woon was around to open the door for him, otherwise we would have left him back in Tanzania!
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Zulu being inducted into the Tokolosh Hall of Fame
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30 July : Mbeya : THE ROAD TO MBEYA AND BEYOND
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We were lucky this time; it was not so cold at the Farmhouse campsite. Still, most of the team members got their thermals and sleeping bags out. It can be tough getting out of a very snug and warm sleeping bag at 6 in the morning. Reluctantly, the team got their stuff together and after a leisurely breakfast we headed for our last stop in Tanzania – Mbeya. It was an easy drive compared to the past 4 days. Here are some pictures of the dust storms, potholes, and mountain passes we had to go through.
The dust got into everything, I MEAN EVERYTHING! Some cars were more badly effected than others. The cars’ suspensions were going through a rough time, oil leaks, clogged air conditioners, just to name a few of the problems we encountered.
As we reached Iringa, the dust settled to reveal a tarred road. Unfortunately, the road turned out to be much worse than the unpaved road. Instead of dust we got potholes!
As soon as we arrived in Iringa the team took the opportunity to replenish their food stocks and water supply at the local market. Potatoes, fresh vegetables and chicken were the main items on the list. After shopping, it was just a short 60-kilometer drive to the campsite. Everyone ate like kings today.
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From very dusty (above), to slightly dusty (below)...
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..the PAT convoy forge on towards Mbeya (below)
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The next sector to Mbeya was relatively straight forward driving. Good paved roads all the way and by lunch time we were in Mbeya. One of the main reasons we scheduled to arrive early in Mbeya was to make sure we have the time to check our cars and make any repairs after 4 days of off-road driving. Tonight the team members discover that it's colder here than at Farmhouse. The members were unprepared. So when morning came, some sleeping bags were wet due to condensation while others had ice on theirs. Brrr!
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Despite the cold, Kumar still remembered his duties and was seen waking up member and checked that the campsite is clean. Kumar is the team's sergeant major, and he takes his job very seriously.
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Besides helping in the refuelling of vehicles, he makes sure everyone is accounted for during the daily morning briefings (above). Today – Zambia!
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