Dutch Market

The last Saturday of every month, the Dutch Reformed Church of Lusaka hosts a market where one can buy the usual stuff that appears to be in every market in sub-Saharan Africa. Or, at least that's what I thought. The Dutch Market pleasantly surprised me for not only having more than just the standard curios, but also because it was well-organized and the prices were much fairer than I was expecting at a place that caters to expats and tourists. There was produce, furniture, grills, and fire pits. In a way, I wish there was an easy way to get some of that here to send it back to DC, but alas, it would be cost prohibitive and extraordinarily difficult.

I successfully got all the gifts I think I need to bring back with me. I had been putting off getting the things as long as possible because I didn't want to store them in the hotel or schlep them around if I was going to end up switching hotels. However, I needed to see this market--everyone talks about it--and I leave Zambia the day before the next market day. Terrible planning, because clearly I come to places like Zambia just to go to markets.

Anyway, Zambian markets are unlike the markets I've been to in other parts of southern and eastern Africa. In general, the sellers are not hawkish. Negotiating is relatively simple: they give a price that's not completely unreasonable, I counter with a low-ball price, they counter at the price I was expecting to pay at the end of the day. In a way, I almost feel like I must be doing something wrong and that perhaps I should go even lower, but I'm not trying to be unreasonable. For example, the other day I wanted a Zambian football (soccer) shirt and anticipated paying about $15. The guy started at $12. I was taken aback and ended up actually paying his original price. Did I overpay? Probably. But it was fine; I got it for less than I had expected.

This post's video is of a hamster not really eating carrots, but definitely hoarding them. It made me laugh more than it probably should. I'm really curious what the hamster did afterwards though--did it spit them out or finally chew and swallow them?

Note: After watching many more YouTube videos, I am led to believe that hamsters storing food in their cheeks is a common practice. Doesn't make it any less funny to me, though.

Mosi-oa-Tunya, the Smoke That Thunders

View of the Falls from the plane.

The local name for Victoria Falls is perhaps one of the most appropriate names for a place in the world (maybe tied with New Jersey's highest point which is called, you guessed it, High Point). Mosi-oa-Tunya translates literally into "the smoke that thunders" and there is no question why this amazing natural landmark received that name--you can even see the smoke rising as you're landing at Livingstone's airport. With the rainy season recently finished, the Falls are close to their peak, so I would like to go back some day when they're at just a trickle to actually see them.


The Zambezi River right at the edge.

There are Seven Natural Wonders of the World, and this is the second one I've been to after the Grand Canyon...so basically, I only look at big holes in the ground (the Zambezi River drops and winds its way around, passing by the sites of previous waterfalls that eventually collapsed because of erosion, putting the Falls where they are today). Anyway, Victoria Falls is neither the highest nor the widest waterfall(s) in the world, but it is the largest because its height and width make it the largest sheet of falling water anywhere in the world. And you see it. Plus, because of the drop and the locations of the land and islands, it's easy to get very close to the Falls right before and right after they drop, resulting in an excessive amount of spray that soaks right through. The nifty businessmen in both Zambia and Zimbabwe have realized that tourists like me who failed to plan ahead would need raincoats, so I was able to get one on each side of the border, but all it did was protect my backpack since anything that was even slightly exposed was instantly drenched.

Knife Edge Bridge...and people without raincoats.

I started off on the Zambian side, since that's where I was staying, and from Zambia I was able to see the Zambezi River with its swift-moving water as it approached its 360-foot drop (by comparison, Niagara Falls is only 167 feet). As I continued along the trails--and after picking up a raincoat for 10 kwacha--I made my way to one of the not-to-miss parts, Knife Edge Bridge. I'm sure it is structurally sound, but I felt like I was in the midst of a hurricane while walking across it. I could barely make out the falls through all of the mist. I felt bad for those who decided to forego the raincoats. After the bridge, I continued along the path, still experiencing a perpetual rainstorm until I reached the end of the path. Just walking so close to the Falls made me realize their awesome power. True, I couldn't really see them all that well, but that actually added to the allure.

One of the few areas dry enough to take a picture not from the
other side of a plastic sandwich baggie.

After making my way back out of the park, I decided to cross into Zimbabwe to see their side of the Falls. Two-thirds of the Falls are actually in Zimbabwe, so I figured it was a must-do. After the border crossing formalities, I entered the park with my $2 raincoat in-hand (Zimbabwe uses a mixed bag of currencies, including the US dollar, but the woman I got my raincoat from didn't have change so she gave me change in South African rand). The Zimbabweans put the physical path even closer to the edge--and therefore nearer to the Falls--so I was sopping wet quicker, and it was more difficult to see. Again, though, that only added to the allure and wonder of Victoria Falls.

Double rainbow, and full-circle rainbow (save for the shadow
caused by the bridge).

With my short journey into Zimbabwe finished, I walked across the Victoria Falls Bridge, the place from which crazy people bungee jump to the rapid Zambezi River below. But there was one thing that I liked even more than that (and that was fun)--rainbows. Now, you may be thinking, "I've seen some pretty fantastic rainbows before," but I would guarantee you that the rainbows from the bridge outdo anything you've ever seen before. Not only was there a double rainbow, but the first one was a complete circle. No pot of gold at the end because there is no end to the rainbow. I had never seen--or even heard--about complete circle rainbows. It was stunning.

Anyway, that's about all of the Falls I'll put in this post. I also had an experience at the David Livingstone Museum (don't get your hopes up for anything spectacular if you ever visit), and my next post will probably be about the rest of my time in Livingstone, which was mostly spent at the backpacker's lodge. I had forgotten how much fun traveling alone can be because of the other people who are just open and friendly and take you into their small group just because you're a fellow traveler...but that's for another post so I can do it justice. In the meantime, enjoy the pictures and this video I took below (more pictures will soon appear on Facebook). You may think it's hard to see, but this was about the same view I had, just without a plastic bag in front of my face (although lots of blinking and turning away to avoid the insane amount of water).

To Victoria Falls I Go!

Tomorrow I head off to a quick weekend trip to Livingstone, Zambia, better known as the city on the Zambian side of Victoria Falls. I'm super excited about this chance to get out of Lusaka and just enjoy myself fully. It should be a good trip, because any time you get to see a natural wonder of the world it's good. PLUS, I've been told the weather will cooperate (sunny and 80s), and since the rainy season ended recently, the Falls should be close to their peak flow. Thank you, Easter, for falling at such a great time for my vacation this year!

I actually hope I can go. When the travel agency booked my ticket, they flubbed the order of my names. I asked them about it, but they keep assuring me it'll be OK. Side Note: Oddly enough, I went to take money out of the ATM today, and the ATM also reversed the order of my first and last name, even though it appears in the correct order on my card. Very. Strange. In addition, I'm taking a relatively new airline. Back in the beginning of March, an airline called Mahogany Air was launched. If I had any doubt about it, my booking code consists of mostly As and Bs. The airline is planned to be a tourist commuter jet around Zambia, and eventually into neighboring countries. I'm imagining Mahognay Air will be a step up from ZanAir and US Airways, but just below Albanian Airlines (yes, I've flown both ZanAir and Albanian Airlines, as well as US Airways...reluctantly). That's my guess at least. I'll be sure to report back.

Anyway, with the need to get my things together, I don't have time to write more about how I didn't really do anything this week, but I feel like this trip more than makes up for that. I'm enamored by these videos because they're not only fun to hear but also fun to watch with all the colors and all. Plus, Pirates of the Caribbean has a really good score.

Lusaka's Culinary Identity Crisis

I've eaten at enough restaurants in the city (well, in one stretch of the city) to have a sense about what types of foods Lusaka does well and what types could use improvement. Additionally, I have gathered a sense of how restaurants in this city operate. And my verdict: Lusaka's restaurants have an identity crisis, not just in terms of their food, but also in their style.

Today I ate at a restaurant called Dazzle. Try to figure out what type of food they serve. :) Anyway, in terms of style crisis, I've seen at multiple restaurants where there is an indoor space and an outdoor space that feel worlds apart. At Rhapsody's--my favorite steak restaurant across the street--the outside has a cool bar vibe, complete with paper napkins, plastic tables, and lawn-ish chairs. Inside, however, is more like a five-star restaurant with linen napkins, linen tablecloths, padded seats, and fancy artwork on the walls. Inside I automatically get a complimentary dinner roll. Outside I have to ask for it. Same restaurant, same menu, same wait staff, but so completely different. Dazzle is the same way.

Outside, Dazzle reminds me of a restaurant on the campus of the University of Dar es Salaam called Udasa. Nice, relaxed atmosphere, with tables in the grass. Inside, another high-quality restaurant with multiple spoons and forks that I'm pretty sure neither I nor the wait staff know exactly what to do with. It was odd. But as for the type of food, well Dazzle was just all over the place. It bills itself as Indian food AND a steakhouse. A quick glance at the menu backs that up, mostly. There's also some interesting chicken dishes and some seafood too (try your luck with seafood in a landlocked country). And in case that wasn't enough, Dazzle also serves some pasta dishes that are meatless, obviously.

While I'm chatting about weird things at restaurants, some of the restaurants in Lusaka need to reevaluate their music choices. The other day, I was about to go into a place called Shaka's Grill, but they seemed to be using the Best of Dolly Parton soundtrack, so I looked at the place next door. No joke, they were on a Nickelback kick. So I went to the next restaurant down and their music choice--a 90s and 2000s mix--was good. Then, after one questionable song (the Macarena), they put on their Celine Dion music. Thankfully I was wrapping up my meal and left about 15 minutes later.

Likewise, Dazzle's music was just frenetic. Hard rap turned to Adele turned to Ace of Base turned to some bluegrass. What?!?! I guess it was better than this video that made me laugh way more than it should have. As always, thank you, Ellen!

The Weather, Universal Small Talk

Yes, this is a post about the weather. After an amazing five-week stretch, the weather since Monday has been TERRIBLE. I mean, cold (highs in the mid-70s), breezy (probably a cool 10-20mph), and rainy. Awful, I know. Yet every Zambian I've come in contact with since Monday--at the hotel, at work, at restaurants--assures me that this only lasts a few days. And every single one of them loves to talk about it.

It seems to me that weather is the universal small talk. I suppose it's because you know that you and the person facing you are both experiencing the weather, so it's something to bring you together. But still, it's weird to have the same conversation over and over. I've resorted to bringing up that everyone tells me this is temporary, which usually makes the Zambian laugh, nod, and then give me his or her own prediction. If this bad weather continues beyond Saturday (the day they all assured would be the last cold day), I have a lot of people to question about their meteorological skills!

Divergent at Fresh View Cinemas for 35 kwacha!

So my week has been rather boring, since I'm not really up for taking walks in rainy weather, lest I get caught somewhere. I've avoided my two favorite restaurants this week in part because I ate at the hotel two times to avoid going outside. And today I went to the movies to see Divergent. I have mixed feelings on the movie, but it was only 35 kwacha ($5.75), so the movies are definitely much more affordable. The theaters are finally shifting away from the Christmas- and New Year-themed movies.

This post's video is quite fine, and the fact that it takes place in New Jersey just makes it all that much better. :-) I wonder what my reaction to a living statue would be. Anyway, enjoy the laughs!

If the Cause Sounds Weird, the Solution Is Just as Weird

This morning I complained on Facebook about my recent string of first world problems, and I feel like I need to elaborate just a bit more to hopefully justify that not only was I not really complaining about nothing, but that the hotel had some very odd fixes that required human intervention. This is in no ways meant to put down the lovely, lovely hotel here--the facilities and staff are amazing, if at ties puzzling.

First World Problem #1: Television Not Working

Here's a picture of a baby elephant, just because.

I was watching my favorite show on TV these days--Master Chef Australia--and then I wasn't. The TV went blank without anything else going off (no power outage yet). I could sort of flip channels, but each continued to show a plain black screen. A nice, polite call to the front desk and they said they'd send someone right away. Twenty minutes later, still no one. So I called back, just to see if it was "right away" America-style or "right away" Zambia-style. I was assured that the guy had checked my TV and discovered no problem. It was then that I determined the employee went to the room above me, and not mine. No worries, the guy would be redeployed to my room.

He arrived and was as baffled as I was. He checks the cords and determines everything is plugged in (I had done that myself too, but figured I wouldn't mention it). He then looked up the TV's settings and determined that it was routed to an IP address meant for a computer, not a TV. Apparently in Zambia a TV gets to choose its own routing? So the guy said he knew the solution and left. Ten minutes later he returned and it worked. I was curious, so I asked him how he fixed it, and he told me he just had to rearrange the wires in a control panel. 24 hours later and I'm still trying to figure out what that meant, and how they were moved in the first place.

First World Problem #2: No Power
I'm used to power outages, they're to be expected in a place without a truly reliable power grid. But I don't get selective power outages, and by that, I mean a power outage that hit my room only. No kidding. Like the TV problem, one minute everything was on, and the next everything was off. I knew it wasn't the whole hotel that lost power because the outside lights--which are not run by a generator based on my observations during previous outages--were still on. A nice walk down to the front desk, and another hotel employee came to my room. "I know the problem," he said, and left. A few minutes later, my power was back on. The culprit? The guy painting the wallpaper in the hallway, apparently. I was told he did something to the circuit, although when I walked by, the painting was nowhere near any circuit boards I could see. So unless paint fumes can trip circuits....

First World Problem #3: No Hot Water
The hot water in my shower went out yesterday and didn't come back this morning, so I asked my new friends at the front desk for help. When the guys came, they did a bunch of fixes and within the hour I had hot water, although I don't understand how their fix helped. The maintenance worker told me that the showerhead had calcium buildup which prevented me from having a hot shower (although this doesn't explain the lack of hot water in my sink either). No need to worry, though, he and his colleague replaced my showerhead with a beautiful, new, un-calcified one. And now I have hot water in my shower and sink. Maybe I don't understand how plumbing works, but this makes zero sense to me. I'm just accepting it, along with all the other causes and solutions because I have no way of refuting it, and in any case, everything in my room now works.

Changing gears, this post's video is absolutely awesome. It should come as no surprise to anyone that knows me that I like the movie Pitch Perfect. One of my favorite scenes in the movie is a mashup of Bruno Mars's Just the Way You Are and Nelly's Just a Dream. Here it is if you haven't seen it:

I love this mashup. It's brilliant. In fact, I love all mashups. So I was scoring YouTube to see if I could find a longer version of this, and ran across this post's real Video That Makes Me Happy. Not only did this guy do a full-length version of it (including some other perfectly mashable songs), but he put it together two years before the movie came out. So props to him, and love this incredible mashup: