Back to Lusaka, the easy(ish) way

Well there were all sorts of valid reasons why, but lets just get it out there, we took the easy way back to Lusaka.

I say easy, but we had no idea exactly how we were going to get back, only that we did not intend to cycle back up the escarpment. The strategic plan was to try and hitch round the main road. The details would have to be worked out - hitchhiking with two bicycles is not that easy, they are remarkably awkward to pack, and we had a bad gravel road, a big river to cross, then the main tarmac road to Lusaka to negotiate. Then we needed to traverse Lusaka to where our vehicle was parked, then double back to a friends house to find Peter's bike box, unpack, sort and then re-pack everything, ready for Peter to fly back to Canada the next day. And we had a party that night - dad's birthday, and he and mum had come to meet us to celebrate. 

Dawn at the local transport hub

To maximise our chances in daylight hours we set the alarm for a painful 5am and got up and packed in the dark, trying not to wake our fellow campers. We set off cycling up the "short hard stony driveway" (1km of sand) which was a nice warm up, and arrived soon after 6am at the local transport hub. We had been told there was only one truck, that came by only once, and by the way it is often full - so you probably wont get on it.

Given how much we didnt want to cycle the awful loose gravel (see end of epic escarpment post), even if the wind should in theory be behind us this way, we were very keen to catch it. We therefore pressed for what (exact) time it would come, which got a laugh (do these guys think they are standing at a Swiss train station??).  But the important thing is that we got it!

Chiawa rush hour - the day's only public transport in each direction

Beats commuting on London's tube

Please - no scratches on the bamboo or steel

Peter thought the sacks looked ideal to sit on, much more comfortable than a metal ridge over the severe corrugations. It transpired the lady owner of the vegetables, on the way to market, did not concur. 

After a bone shaking ride (and we had padded cycle shorts on), we arrived at the Kafue River pontoon, and were told to get off the truck as passengers are not allowed. In front of us was an empty Landcruiser, driven by a real gentleman called Stefan - who was driving to Lusaka! He told us to shift the bikes over, which we did double time, and just made the crossing. It was incredible, we had a fast direct ride to Lusaka, seats and great company.   

Thumbs up - man, this is an easier way to get to Lusaka

On the outskirts of Lusaka we swapped vehicles, Stefan insisted on driving us across town to near our vehicle. The kindness of strangers is very humbling. The rest of the day just fell into place, a blur of packing and moving.
And we had a great birthday dinner!