Category: Zambia

  • Ntumbatuschi and Northern Luapula province

    As morning dawned we settled into the car, girded ourselves for one hell of a ride, and started out on the bush path that would take us to the main road. We high centered a few times, scraped here and there, and finally burst out of the bush on clean and clear tarmac. Now I’ll…

  • From Mansa to South Luangwa

    A hop skip and a jump, from Mansa to South Luangwa:   Alright then! So, After our spectacular evening and morning in at Lake Bengweulu in Samfya district, we got back in our vehicle and drove to Mansa. It was an exciting day, we’d gotten everything prepared, and after returning the vehicle we picked up…

  • Samfya

    Samfya! All packed up, we said goodbye to Chisunka, piled into the car and headed south. We were on the road to Lake Bengweulu, Samfya district. Samfya is something special – it’s a gorgeous lake smack dab in the southen part of Luapula. It spans two provinces and is just big enough that you can’t…

  • A Brief visit to Mukuni Big 5 Safaris Conservation Park

    Good morning folks! Today I have the distinct pleasure to be writing about Mukuni Big 5 Conservation and Safari Park. At the end of June, I visited Mukuni while on personal leave with a visiting friend from the U.S. I’m a Peace Corps Volunteer working in health and community development in Northern Zambia – Luapula…

  • Flipping the ‘On’ switch

    I know this one will resonate with a few folks. I’m writing today about that curious dulling sensation, that trance of auto-control and routine that blurs out details and subdues our senses in a cloud of numbness. I am of course talking about that feeling of sluggish response when you realize that your whole being…

  • I know I’ve written about this before…but

    I know I’ve written about this before, But Africa is gorgeous. My oh my, it is simply spectacular. Today was one of those rare days where just an hour before sunset, the moon started to rise. Clear, bright, radiant and gleaming above the horizon. It climbed lazily into the sky as the sun was setting.…

  • Vicissitudes of fortune

    Morning all! Hope y’all are well and enjoying life. As I’ve been writing tonight and thinking a lot – facilitated by Marcus Aurelius – I’m getting motivation for some decent blogs. A couple points from Emperor Aurelius: “Bear in mind that the measure of a man is the worth of the things he cares about.”…

  • How to learn English

    Good morning folks, I’ve got an interesting topic for you today. A break from the harsh cruel reality of coping with death and suffering in the African bush. It’s all based on a 19-year-old kid, named Kapindah. As I biked in to my clinic a few days ago calling out greetings and being waylaid by…

  • The seasons are a-changing

    These times, they are a changin’. Guess that’s fair enough. The winds have come, strong powerful gales blowing dust, seeds, spores, and memories away on grand adventures. They bring riders – cool nights, dew-covered grass, and crisp morning air. A cold splash of icy water across your face where just last week the same had…

  • Malaria

    Morning folks – I’ve been writing a couple more introspective blogs lately so I thought I’d get back to the meat and bone of volunteer work – projects! I’m narrowing in on today’s project because of its importance and because I’m celebrating the completion of the first of six bi-annual observation visits & the enrollment…