Sunday, July 17, 2011
Tuesday, June 14, 2011
Bumps (or lack of) in the road
If this is your first trip to ZMM then you are indeed blessed. You are likely to hear the ole-timers speak in wonder and amazement at the quality of the roads. The tarred road from Livingston to Kalomo is in good shape and the trip from the airport could take as little as a couple of hours. Our convoys move a little slower than most traffic;-)
Also we are having a grand opening for the radio station the day before the team arrives, and President Banda's office has contacted us to say he is coming for the event. As a result the local commissioners decided to grade the road from Kalomo to Namwianga, so this alignment of events has created a very cushy transportation environment for ZMM 2011.
Now having said that . . . the road to Kasukwe is apparently in bad enough condition that there is some question as to whether or not we can make it with the trucks (lorries) and buses, so that trip, if we are able to make it will probably be slow, dusty and tedious.
In any case, it is coming soon. So be in prayer
KB
Also we are having a grand opening for the radio station the day before the team arrives, and President Banda's office has contacted us to say he is coming for the event. As a result the local commissioners decided to grade the road from Kalomo to Namwianga, so this alignment of events has created a very cushy transportation environment for ZMM 2011.
Now having said that . . . the road to Kasukwe is apparently in bad enough condition that there is some question as to whether or not we can make it with the trucks (lorries) and buses, so that trip, if we are able to make it will probably be slow, dusty and tedious.
In any case, it is coming soon. So be in prayer
KB
Thursday, June 9, 2011
Misrepresentations
I recognize that I may have taken some editorial liberties with the training video. For example, Angela says the tables in the video imply that you will actually have a table for one of your meals.
She is correct that you will need to polish the art of balancing your plate on your knees (in the dark most often) while holding your hot-chocolate between your feet on the ground. I often come home with shoes that smell of hot chocolate.
Seriously, you don't often get to eat at a table, and you do eat often in the dark. We try our best to put lights up for our evening meal and meeting, but they are customarily inadequate. A good investment may be a headlight. There are cheap ones and expensive ones, but small and cheap will work for three weeks. It should seem like a common-sense piece of etiquitte, but if you wear a headlight, it is valuable to point it downward more than straight out to keep from ruining your neighbor's night vision. Mine is on a headband, and I often eat with it around my neck rather than my fore-head, which allows me to see my food without blinding everyone around me. Sometimes a small light with a clip so that it stays with you is more valuable than a 9000 candle-power search light, because you tend to have it when you need it.
It is also very cool in the evenings while we are there. It is tough to get on a plane in Dallas wearing a jacket when it is 100 degrees on the jet-bridge, but I often wear a jacket during travel for two reasons. 1) you will need the jacket anyway, and 2) you can stuff a lot of heavy things in your pockets, and as long as you are wearing the jacket, not carrying it over your arm, airline officials don't tend to want to weigh it like they do your carryon bags. In other words, I wear a travel jacket or vest, and stuff it full of the heavy things that I can put back into my carryon after I sit down on the plane. This helps my backpack look smaller (even though it makes me look fatter) and it certainly reduces the weight of the carryon until after I get on the plane. This may not be a good strategy for all of you, but it does provide you some options in those cases where your carryon luggage is being scrutinized.
In any case, bring several layers of clothing that you can quickly add to and take away, and if you are cold natured, be certain you have enough layers to stay warm while sitting around the fire in the evenings.
Have a great day and keep checking here on a daily basis.
KB
She is correct that you will need to polish the art of balancing your plate on your knees (in the dark most often) while holding your hot-chocolate between your feet on the ground. I often come home with shoes that smell of hot chocolate.
Seriously, you don't often get to eat at a table, and you do eat often in the dark. We try our best to put lights up for our evening meal and meeting, but they are customarily inadequate. A good investment may be a headlight. There are cheap ones and expensive ones, but small and cheap will work for three weeks. It should seem like a common-sense piece of etiquitte, but if you wear a headlight, it is valuable to point it downward more than straight out to keep from ruining your neighbor's night vision. Mine is on a headband, and I often eat with it around my neck rather than my fore-head, which allows me to see my food without blinding everyone around me. Sometimes a small light with a clip so that it stays with you is more valuable than a 9000 candle-power search light, because you tend to have it when you need it.
It is also very cool in the evenings while we are there. It is tough to get on a plane in Dallas wearing a jacket when it is 100 degrees on the jet-bridge, but I often wear a jacket during travel for two reasons. 1) you will need the jacket anyway, and 2) you can stuff a lot of heavy things in your pockets, and as long as you are wearing the jacket, not carrying it over your arm, airline officials don't tend to want to weigh it like they do your carryon bags. In other words, I wear a travel jacket or vest, and stuff it full of the heavy things that I can put back into my carryon after I sit down on the plane. This helps my backpack look smaller (even though it makes me look fatter) and it certainly reduces the weight of the carryon until after I get on the plane. This may not be a good strategy for all of you, but it does provide you some options in those cases where your carryon luggage is being scrutinized.
In any case, bring several layers of clothing that you can quickly add to and take away, and if you are cold natured, be certain you have enough layers to stay warm while sitting around the fire in the evenings.
Have a great day and keep checking here on a daily basis.
KB
Wednesday, June 8, 2011
Weight for Luggage
Ellie experienced considerable issues with luggage weight this year in her travels to Zambia both at check-in in the US and when re-departing at Jburg. In the US she was slightly overweight on her checked luggage, and had to remove items. In JBurg her carryon exceeded the 8kg capacity and she had to remove items.
It is one thing to be sending excess underwear home with the people who take you to the airport in the US and another to have to put your camera in the dumpster in JBurg (I am exagerating of course), but the MESSAGE IS THIS:
Be conservative on your luggage weight or you may have difficulties. In the past 5-7 years I have never had officials pick up my carry-on luggage to check it for size and weight, but in the early years they did it almost everytime I got on a plane. I have personally found that luggage that can be made to look smaller and more flexible like a back-pack tends to attract less attention from officials than hard-sided cases. As sure as I say that they will start singling out backpacks.
In worse case situations you may have to check your carryon luggage in JBurg for the final flight to Livingstone, and this usually doesn't cause any real problems, but for those of you with expensive electronics it is a little risky. I am not sure what advice to give you except to check things that are heavy and low value and leave only essentials for your carryon luggage.
Similarly, home luggage scales tend to be finickly, so going to the airport with a bag that (by your scales) is 49.9 pounds can be risky. Give yourself a couple of pounds of margin. You will be surprised how little it actually takes to be happy in the bush. Leave some stuff home;-)
If we have more official advice later, I will put it here, but I wanted to get you started thinking about it.
It is one thing to be sending excess underwear home with the people who take you to the airport in the US and another to have to put your camera in the dumpster in JBurg (I am exagerating of course), but the MESSAGE IS THIS:
Be conservative on your luggage weight or you may have difficulties. In the past 5-7 years I have never had officials pick up my carry-on luggage to check it for size and weight, but in the early years they did it almost everytime I got on a plane. I have personally found that luggage that can be made to look smaller and more flexible like a back-pack tends to attract less attention from officials than hard-sided cases. As sure as I say that they will start singling out backpacks.
In worse case situations you may have to check your carryon luggage in JBurg for the final flight to Livingstone, and this usually doesn't cause any real problems, but for those of you with expensive electronics it is a little risky. I am not sure what advice to give you except to check things that are heavy and low value and leave only essentials for your carryon luggage.
Similarly, home luggage scales tend to be finickly, so going to the airport with a bag that (by your scales) is 49.9 pounds can be risky. Give yourself a couple of pounds of margin. You will be surprised how little it actually takes to be happy in the bush. Leave some stuff home;-)
If we have more official advice later, I will put it here, but I wanted to get you started thinking about it.
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