Clozing the greasily air valve.

[onlyMark]

I am having a bit of a road trip at the moment because Mrs M is away on business. I intend to do a rough circle in the south west of the country and it is about 1,500km or so.
Yesterday I set off at 8am and because of circumstances I kept driving until about 5pm with the only breaks being to have a pee and grab a sandwich or two out of the coolbox to be eaten whilst driving. I hasten to add the peeing, eating and driving didn't happen at the same time.

The object was/is to see how the country changes as I go around but not to stray too far off the road into the bush as it is fully now the wet season and getting bogged down in the mud is not an experience I wish to keep repeating. I’ve done that in many countries and that is one reason I enjoy deserts (and desserts for that matter). No mud and little if no rain.
It should be a trip around here –




To get from a place called Siavonga on Lake Kariba to Livingstone would normally mean a large back-track to a town not far from Lusaka, called Kafue. This takes hours and then you are still a hell of a long way from your destination. The map though shows a route running for a while parallel to the lake and popping out on the main road at Chisekesi, which is about halfway, and seems to cut out not only a large back-track but a large right and left through Mazabuka.
The road is designated as the D500.
This boded for bad things. Because the ‘D’ means it is worse than an A, B, or C roads. But Zambia doesn’t seem to have these designations anyway. There are T roads, M roads, D roads and what are probably even worse, RD roads. I assume T stands for Trunk, M for Main and D for “Don’t know what to call them”. RD will logically be, “Really Don’t know what to call them”.
I’ll be on an RD tomorrow by the way. We’ll see how it goes.

It started raining as I left Lusaka and kept raining until about 5am the next morning. The D500 turned out to be majority tarmac, which was a hell of a bonus but the last 50km or so was quite dire where the tarmac ran out. I was lucky to have 4wd to scrabble up some hills.
The heavy rain meant I didn’t take any photos but a rain slicked road and trees either side would be an apt description.
The plan was to stop the night at a campsite on the main Lusaka to Livingstone road but the rain became torrential as I reached it. I stopped at the turn to the camp and looked down the track it was on, the site being a good 2km down it. Thunderstorms, lightning and a track that disappeared under I’ve no idea what depth of water put me off. Never mind having to erect camp in a wet season downpour. So I headed off towards Livingstone for a good hour or so until I found a motel type place I had as a back up plan. No internet but dry and warm and a good hot dinner (two fish fillets, mashed potato, a side salad and a cola for 4 euro. Plus a cooked breakfast in the morning) so it was a done deal.
I was so tired I was asleep at 9pm and slept through to 7am this morning.

The rain has been off and on today but nothing serious so I had a steady drive to town. Being a little closer than anticipated gave me time to have a walk round a little known place and when I have a better connection, probably when I’m back home, I’ll post about it in this thread.
I will leave you for now though with this. Take note. You know who you are and I’m looking at you –

[Deleted]

I'm certainly hooked on the premise so far. I'm about to take a tiny trip myself and can imagine the same situation if I replace "mud" with "ice."

[onlyMark]

The clouds are heavy this morning as I'm about to set off. It won't be long before they decide to dump massive amounts of water on me.
Cold and ice would be worse though.

[Don Cuevas]

How do you access Internet while abroad in the bush?

[onlyMark]

Because I'm not always totally in the bush. I will be at some time but usually I will stay in a campsite attached to a lodge, especially whilst in a game park as you can't just camp anywhere, obviously. If so, then the lodge will have internet. Last night though I was on the banks of the Zambezi but it was at a fishing camp without electricity, internet or food.
Apart from the internet, I have with me the rest.

[lugg]

Looking forward to reading more and your photos of course. Happy travelling.

[onlyMark]

Hope to post more stuff tomorrow. I've just had a bit of a marathon drive and returned home so I'll get it sorted when I can.

[Deleted]

I hope you didn't come home looking like an elephant after a mud bath.

[onlyMark]

I kept relatively clean. The car was a different matter.

[onlyMark]

When everyone visits Victoria Falls the first thing they do is go and have a look for a few hours and then maybe have a little drive round the local game park. In between they might do a few adrenalin things like white water rafting and bungee jumping. The odd one or two might have a walk round the local museum. "Been there, done that" one might say. But as I often do nowadays I tend to ignore the usual sights when re-visiting somewhere and which are often covered at length in a better way than I can. The lesser known attractions are what I try and aim for to give a view of something little seen normally.
In this case I made a beeline for the –




I flashed my residents ID and paid my fee of the equivalent roughly to $0.80/Euro 0.80 rather than the tourist fee, which I think is rather a lot. It's just over the railway tracks, would you believe –






I signed in, mid-afternoon, and saw I was the first person to visit that day.
Logging and timber preparation had long been a minor industry in the area and numerous small companies and one man enterprises had sprung up but it wasn't until 1917, and seeing the potential, three smaller companies joined together to form Zambezi Sawmills. Timber was in demand at the time from the Copper Belt area in northern Zambia and the mines in South Africa, plus for export purposes.
Initially the problem became transport to get the timber from the logging areas, 48km away to the main sawmills, located in and around Livingstone. It was ox-hauled to the river and floated down stream with some effect but losses through rapids, especially at certain times of year, made the proprietors gnash their teeth.
The simplest solution was to build a railway, so they did.

As demand increased and forests further afield were plundered the network of railways increased stretching out nearly 200km from Livingstone. A separate company was formed to deal with this side of the operations and called, funnily enough, Zambezi Saw Mills Railways Company Limited.
This existed up until 1973 but the death knell for it was the sweeping Nationalisation Reforms of 1968.
Fortunately there is a National Monuments Commission in Zambia that deals with things pre-1924 and they saw, in 1976, a need to place what is now the museum under protection by an Act of Parliament. It took some years but eventually the museum was opened in 1987 by the father of the nation, Kenneth Kaunda.

There is a fairly uninspiring museum building with displays but after walking round it I decided that most information, scant as it was, was as dry as sawdust. So I thought I'd just show you a little of what was made in the sawmills –





The best part was walking around outside –












As we walk round I recorded certain information signs that will explain some things further rather than having to type it all out. Otherwise it is a general amble and nose-poking exercise.



























If you ever wanted to know how a steam engine worked, here is the explanation. Clear, concise, easy to follow and with precise use of language.
Or maybe not. This is where the title came from –












Continuing with our walk round –














Luckily, more information –








I'm sure there must be a story to this damage –






I bet this was a big steaming monster, frightening all the locals –












I think this might be the grandfather of Thomas –














The next one 'down the line' –






And yet more –












That was about it so I made my way back out. A pleasant hour or so walking round joining two things I like, ambling through the countryside and machines –




The last time I was in Livingstone my accommodation was fine enough but this time I did a bit more research and found a place a little more chic and comfortable –






However, I wish I'd not examined things more closely –





A further report on this little road trip will follow in good time. Thanks.

[bjd]

I had wondered where you found the title for this thread. Now I know. The museum was sort of interesting, but I certainly wouldn't pay $15 to go in. No wonder you were the first visitor of the day -- probably of the week.

[onlyMark]

There were entries for the previous day but I noticed they were all Zambian residents. All being no more than three or four. I think the price does put people off.

[Deleted]

I knew that we were going to get to the explanation of the title.

There are more things at the railway museum than I expected, and I bet that railway museums in other parts of the world would love to get their hands on some of this stuff. US$15 is an outrageous price, though. However, I'm not sure that more visitors would put the place on their 'to-do' list even if they charged only US$2.

[onlyMark]

Prices in Zambia can be outrageous for sure. For example, to do an oil and filter change on my car at a normal QuickFit type place they want to charge me 200 euros. To do it in Germany would be about 70 euros. I could go on as I come across things every day. Never mind the cost to stay in a normal Lodge in a game park. Try car hire, not that you need to or will, but jeez.

[mossie]

Full marks for bringing us back to the age of steam railways.

[onlyMark]

The nostalgia, the smells, the emotion, the sounds........... the soot, the dirt... it was all there. Up until the age of five I lived with a rail track at the bottom of the garden. My elder brother would do the penny on the track thing and we'd wave at the drivers. It wasn't a mainline track though but one used mainly for coal trains.

All bloody night shunting around.

It was a terraced pit house with daddy long legs on the stairs. I still have to check when going up and down stairs in a house that there aren't any hanging around.
It also has a slurry pit/pond over the back that a young lad drowned in. The NCB decided to fence it off then, but wasn't worth it before.

[Deleted]

Since my biological father was a locomotive engineer, I even got to ride in the locomotive a few times. He wanted me to blow the whistle, but I was afraid that it might bother people.

[onlyMark]

So your father wanted you to blow his whistle but you wouldn't do it near other people.
Perfectly understandable.

[lugg]

Enjoyed your thread very much Mark. It was only very recently when I was researching for a post that I discovered that steam driven cranes existed, so was especially pleased to see the photo of those albeit they are more modern versions of the Victorian cranes I had seen photos of . I do not understand the placard that talks about "funding ham " Any ideas ? And yes - the blue engine -definitely a Thomas look a like

[onlyMark]

No idea about the funding ham thing. Can't be right but I don't know what it should be.