Stage 6 - From Lllongwe to Victoria Falls

The Tour d'Afrique offers cyclists a chance to race their way through the continent. For me and a number of other riders who prefer a more sedate pace, an alternative competition was run in Zambia. A "Scavenger Hunt" was arranged, whereby riders had to find and acquire a number of items relating to the country. Anne Price and I teamed up on a couple of the long-mileage days and passed the time gathering such items as: a locally-made catapult, an old Zambian
Ngwe coin, a local beer bottle cap, the traditional greeting in the 7 Zambian dialects, and a rusty nail. But to complete a memorable victory, we had to search out a back-street market and purchase a packet of dried worms - a Zambian delicacy by all accounts!

Cycling Zambia was a delight after the longest and heaviest rains in the country for almost 50 years. The grass was long, the trees were verdant green, and the whole place has a fresh smell about it. Moving south west, two things became apparent. The country gradually became more westernised, with modern shopping malls offering all the goods that we are used to at home. The second thing I noticed was that the leaves are turning golden red and yellow - yes, autumn is
upon us...

At the small town of Livingstone, I followed the huge cloud arising from out of the ground, and, like Dr Livingstone before me, discovered the magnificent Victoria Falls. The cloud is created by the spray which is bigger than ever, due to
the Zambezi River being so fall of water. I treated myself to some short-lived luxury for 3 nights in the Livingstone Safari Lodge - a hot soapy bath, and a meal on the terrace watching the sun set. After the privations of the Tour, such small luxuries are so much easier to appreciate!

In the capital city of Lusaka, I attended a further bicycle donation ceremony, at which 59 modern mountain bikes were presented to "Hands at Work" - a voluntary organisation of carers who conduct home visits to the sick and house bound. They were delighted with their new found freedom, although a mechanical session had to be arranged to help them to maintain the bikes.

This has been a short section of just 8 days cycling, but I have covered some huge distances, cycling a total of 761 miles.