Rainy season scuppers plans for the first time

Yesterday Ruth and I were due to go to Kapeshi to visit the school one more time, but unfortunately are attempt was thwarted by the weather. We started off a little later than planned after saying goodbye to Jon and family, as they headed to Lusaka to catch their flight back to London. However on reaching the point where we were due to meet Joel, there was no sign of him. We were 15 minutes late, but he had not arrived yet. This was very unusual, as Joel is never late. I decided that we should go up the dirt road where he will cycle down, thinking we can pick him up and save time. However 10 minutes down the road, we found parts were flooded. Not having a 4x4 vehicle, I decided not to attempt going through the water, as we’d been stuck once before. So I decided to turn the vehicle round in the narrow road, using 10 or 11 point turn (Austin Powers style, if you’ve seen the bit where he turns the car round in the tunnel). Anyway, I put the back tyre slightly off the road into some mud, and immediately it stuck. We got out, and I realised this would need people power. Now in rural Zambia, although breaking down can be a common occurrence, you do at least always seem to have people willing to help who appear out of nowhere. A family came out and the son dug the wheel out, while his father chopped up a log. We then layed the log down so the tyre could grip. After paying them a few kwacha, and the usual long saying goodbye shaking every family members hand, we were off again, well reversing down the track until I found a drier place to complete the turn. On arriving at the main road again, we waited another hour for Joel. His phone appeared to be off (later we discovered it was because it was out of battery) With no electricity in people’s homes in the bush, you have to take it to a mobile phone charging kiosk. They charge the phones from a car battery, which they in turn charge up in the town. This is quite a lucrative business for those who run the mobile phone charging kiosks. We were due in Kepeshi to also see those preparing the land for planting the crops for the school project, and they would only be there in the morning, so with time pressing on, we had to make the decision to go without Joel, and leave a note for him at the roadside shop. – Leaving notes for people is common place, and because Joel is well known in the area, there is no chance he wouldn’t receive it.


So we travelled on without Joel. (Annoyingly he would arrive just 5 minutes after we left. – Joel had suffered his bike chain coming off 3 times, as a result of having to cycle through mud in places. Before this he had to carry his bike as he walked through a river (which by January can mean walking through waist deep in water ). Some time later we started off along the Mibila road, and after 2 minutes Ruth said that it was good so far in terms of lack of surface water on the road. I suggested that we’d be fine until the mibila bridge, but this could be a problem, and where we got stuck back in August. However within 5 minutes we hit water in the road.
Photo: Mibila road filling up with water already



Being a wanabee rally driver, this was no problem! You have to go fast through the water or the tyres will get stuck, however, as the car started to go into skid, followed by skid, and I was only just able to avoid the small trees at the side of the road, it became apparent that we were not going to reach Kepeshi, and had to turn back. The problem again though, was finding a place to turn. Knowing the problem a couple of hours earlier, I needed to find a dryish bit of road that was also wide enough. So some 20 minutes and after going through numerous areas of submerged road, we turned round, and prepared to do it all again! Anyway, we arrived back safe, although a little disappointed not to have got there, but it highlighted to me the problems the people face, and this is after only 1 week of the rainy season proper.

Next time on the blog…. The adventure comes to an end and I'll tell you my Top 10 things about Zambia!