Livingstone to Malawi in Style!

The folks I rafted with on the Zambezi are traveling as part of a guided Livingstone-Nairobi tour and offered to let me join them on the 7 hour drive from Livingstone to Lusaka. They let me infiltrate the tour's ranks, and camp alongside them in Lusaka. Then they let me join them on the bus for two more full days of driving all the way to Malawi - I just had to pay for my portion of the shared food and did some chores. This was a sweet way to chill with good people, blitz-view Zambia, and make it to Lake Malawi in great time.

The tour was guided by a laid back Aussie girl, and a giggly Zimbabwean driver. The tour group was comprised of the rafting Norwegian trio, plus an Aussie couple and a sweet Kiwi priest named Jude. This made for a great forum with a small group on a large bus. I got along swimmingly with adventurous Jude, and we dined on rotten Mama Beef and got lost while trekking in some corn fields in northern Zambia. I have been invited to join up with the Norwegians again for their summit bid of Kilimanjaro on Feb 22nd - here's hoping I can make the timing fit.

I was sad to leave, but just wasn't ready for their path north to Tanzania quite yet. I asked to be let out at a highway junction near Lake Malawi in a village called Kaphalenga. Many thanks to these fine folk for their companionship, some good times, and the many miles of Zambian highway they put behind us.

Shown is me sitting to show pictures to some school children who sat to gawk at us as we ate lunch on the roadside.