The Outcropping
Hello Everybody-
It seems like a very long time since I have written in this blog on Nathan's behalf. Taking his subtle hint I would be more than happy to share some stories & pictures from my visit to Zambia. :) In the near future I will add pictures to my website and provide the link here so you can see more of Zambia if your heart so desires. Take care.
Brian
Today I met more of the people living in Elizabeth's village (Serenje). They seem very friendly & open. One in particular, Patricia, was a constant presence while we were at Eliza's house. She is a single mother with two children. Very nice, but also a bit nosey and loud. There was also a small group of boys that hang out with Elizabeth and help her with things around the yard, etc. One of them came and killed the snake Nathan found outside the tent when we woke up. The small snake was probably a spitting cobra but I can't say for sure because after he was done beating it he threw it in the tall grass. The snake, more than likely, would have ignored us as it was preoccupied with swallowing a large toad.
After a small breakfast of dry oatmeal and coffee we spent the rest of the morning around the house. In the afternoon a couple of Eliza's boys showed up to take us to a linear rock outcropping approximately 8 km to the east/south-east. It was pretty funny because the boys decided to ask for a small "guiding fee" to take us where we wanted to go. Haggling began and eventually an agreement of 1 pin (1000 Kwacha) each was reached. (The exchange rate is roughly 1 US Dollar = 4130 Kwacha) Business men in the making. :)
The walk to the outcropping was nice and the variety of habitats represented along the way were beautiful. The stands of trees were impressive (though early successional) and the butterflies seen were amazing. The path was not entirely forested but was occasionally broken by fields of maize or natural openings. The soil in several areas was sandier than the typical reddish clay found most everywhere else. Monkeys (probably Vervet) were known to be in the area, we seen their droppings on the trail, but none were seen during the hike.
The view from the top was definitely worth the climb. No matter where you are in this country the horizon seems to go on forever, and from the top of the outcropping it was no exception. Everywhere you look is lush and green; it's hard to imagine it being brown, dry and burnt over.
Walking back to the village, Nathan found a small snake in the leaf litter along the path. Maybe another spitting cobra, maybe a black mamba? We didn't stick around to find out. Our "guides" did a fairly decent job, but (jokingly) pretended to be lost and said they needed more money to find the way back. Sneaks.
When we finally did get back, without having to pay a larger fee, Patricia came over and took us to see her fields. It's amazing the amount of work they put into their fields using only their hands and simple tools. Returning to Eliza's house Patricia tried to teach me how to use an Ulukasu (Zambian hoe). I tried my hardest to get the technique down, but I'm not so sure I was successful.
With "Ulukasu 101" out of the way I drummed on an empty 10 L water container while Patricia's children danced. From an early age it seems Zambians know rhythm and can dance well.
It rained fairly hard all night long. Luckily our tent was set up underneath Elizabeth's insaka.
It seems like a very long time since I have written in this blog on Nathan's behalf. Taking his subtle hint I would be more than happy to share some stories & pictures from my visit to Zambia. :) In the near future I will add pictures to my website and provide the link here so you can see more of Zambia if your heart so desires. Take care.
Brian
From my journal - 06 January 2007
Today I met more of the people living in Elizabeth's village (Serenje). They seem very friendly & open. One in particular, Patricia, was a constant presence while we were at Eliza's house. She is a single mother with two children. Very nice, but also a bit nosey and loud. There was also a small group of boys that hang out with Elizabeth and help her with things around the yard, etc. One of them came and killed the snake Nathan found outside the tent when we woke up. The small snake was probably a spitting cobra but I can't say for sure because after he was done beating it he threw it in the tall grass. The snake, more than likely, would have ignored us as it was preoccupied with swallowing a large toad.
After a small breakfast of dry oatmeal and coffee we spent the rest of the morning around the house. In the afternoon a couple of Eliza's boys showed up to take us to a linear rock outcropping approximately 8 km to the east/south-east. It was pretty funny because the boys decided to ask for a small "guiding fee" to take us where we wanted to go. Haggling began and eventually an agreement of 1 pin (1000 Kwacha) each was reached. (The exchange rate is roughly 1 US Dollar = 4130 Kwacha) Business men in the making. :)
The walk to the outcropping was nice and the variety of habitats represented along the way were beautiful. The stands of trees were impressive (though early successional) and the butterflies seen were amazing. The path was not entirely forested but was occasionally broken by fields of maize or natural openings. The soil in several areas was sandier than the typical reddish clay found most everywhere else. Monkeys (probably Vervet) were known to be in the area, we seen their droppings on the trail, but none were seen during the hike.
The view from the top was definitely worth the climb. No matter where you are in this country the horizon seems to go on forever, and from the top of the outcropping it was no exception. Everywhere you look is lush and green; it's hard to imagine it being brown, dry and burnt over.
Walking back to the village, Nathan found a small snake in the leaf litter along the path. Maybe another spitting cobra, maybe a black mamba? We didn't stick around to find out. Our "guides" did a fairly decent job, but (jokingly) pretended to be lost and said they needed more money to find the way back. Sneaks.
When we finally did get back, without having to pay a larger fee, Patricia came over and took us to see her fields. It's amazing the amount of work they put into their fields using only their hands and simple tools. Returning to Eliza's house Patricia tried to teach me how to use an Ulukasu (Zambian hoe). I tried my hardest to get the technique down, but I'm not so sure I was successful.
With "Ulukasu 101" out of the way I drummed on an empty 10 L water container while Patricia's children danced. From an early age it seems Zambians know rhythm and can dance well.
It rained fairly hard all night long. Luckily our tent was set up underneath Elizabeth's insaka.
posted by nathan at 21:56
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