Having received Zambian visa ironically easily, after all back-and-forth flights over Atlantic, we finally made it to Africa. We have been waiting for it so desperately, and now crawling into the waiting area of Lusaka airport, we dropped our backpacks and ourselves onto the benches. So what is next. Have to put ourselves together and finally go out there where we wanted to be. We just couldn’t imagine getting ourselves into the capital chaos anymore, so directed exactly opposite way. Out to villages and lonely roads. Hitch hiking here is not a big deal, we are soon crammed with locals on the back on the truck, all under the wood and among sacks of maize and loaves of bread. Soon we learn here about the farmer’s countless family, local life, ups and downs.

Gražūs ir linksmi pasirodė pirmieji Afrikiečiai. Mus pavėžinusi moteris. | Pretty and happy Zambians from the first minutes. The lady that gave us a lift.

The roads cars and police people

A young lady of businesswoman posture quickly waves to get in. After having reached ten kilometre distance, the police stops us. It seems this profession could be described similarly in many countries using the same tricks and needs, let it be Russia, Columbia or the village of Africa. Fines do not exist here, only bribes depending how sinful you were at the moment of the act. Debora cannot find her driving license in her wallet, and that could get her into big financial trouble. ‘I terribly don’t want to pay them’ she sounds desperate, so the entire car team is in search of the document. It was found soon under the seat, which causes a deep relief sigh.
But many policemen on our way will be creative in being suspicious even in the fact, that ‘how on earth is possible, that the black gives a lift to a white person’. But so far we are not a trouble for ourselves neither to a driver. So far.

Visi labai smalsūs ir norintys pašnekėti. | Everyone very curious and wanting to chat.

After such a rusty beginning Deborah is happy to chat about the poor rights of Zambian women, who are not able to own the land, and the rest of the issues. She works with American organisation, so for this moment the issues will be looked after. The Zambian women will be neglected as soon as the funding will run out.

This is going to be the first night on African soil. Every time after getting to a new continent or even a country, new questions arise, how we are going to find the calm place to rest. Locals warn immediately – there are lots of national parks, which means there are hyenas, lions and elephants which can cause problems. We guess the gas against the bear would not be enough against the lion. So we decide to stay closer to villages. And after first successful night staying close to the park officers homes, we get into routine of staying close to the schools, churches, and local home gardens. It gives us a bit of an insight how local live and have a chat with them.

Witchcraft

Į kadrą įsėlinęs driežiukas. | Lizard crossing the street.

After hearing our unpractical offer to get the truck cabin for free, the drivers just looked us giving us an impression of ‘what on earth you think you are talking about’. But after a moment they stopped again, and a hand waved to us, meaning get in.’When I looked through the mirror at Karolis surprised face, I thought why not to help you. Money comes money goes.’ So we continue our couple hundreds journey with those drivers transporting white beer to the villages.

‘There is a joke’ Wezzy tells, ‘that if your friend is sick, you go to the witch, she gives something to drink or so, and then your friend is healthy again. You might think, that this is a joke, but in reality people still heavily rely on witchcraft despite the fact that education and church have a certain part in their lives. ‘Look at those trees, they are called mooleza, the leaves of those trees are used for every sort of treatment. They even heal STDs and AIDS. People don’t use condoms here, they are afraid of cancer that condoms may give. AIDS after all is a curse, so you better go to the witch to be treated. What is the advice she might give? Maybe go and sleep with a virgin eight year old girl. And if the husband dies, certainly his brother will take his place, to take away the curse. It doesn’t matter that the husband might have died from AIDS.

Žmonės maistą šildosi anglimis, kurias patys pasidaro iš vietos krūmų. Kodel ne pačius krūmus degina taip ir nesupratom. | People make their food by burning coal that they made from the surrounding bushes.

And if in the city you don’t know the local witch, you only need to look into the newspaper ads page:

Dr. Rashid from Malawi is in Zambia to solve all your problems 100% natural, you can choose the partner of your choice the same day result. Pay after success. Call 0972…

Ads from Post newspaper March 14, 2013

Even if Wezzy and Chuck are a bit silent at first, later you can hardly stop their chatter. The road is even as a table – the gift from China. The valleys and mountains are all snoozing in the heat, and the the breeze gets briefly through the window.

Milky beer

‘You probably will tell everyone and write that the truck drivers here drink strong alcohol with coca cola while they drive’, laughed they after opening yet another cocktail bottle under-covered as a simple coke bottle. Even the most complicated turns don’t seem to bother them. In fact, the alcoholics are on every corner here, called chackolua. They normally drink white beer, which looks rather like milk than the beer. The first time we saw guys with cartons in their hands, thought they drank milk, its just that it have a strange effect on them, they can hardly form a sentence. Its chibuku, according to the others, a horrible taste beer made from maze, yeast and sorghum.

Naktis mokyklos bibliotekoje. Pietų ir Centrinėje Amerikoje miegodavom šalia degalinių, o čia mokyklos kiekviename kaimelyje, tad visada esame maloniai priimami. | Night in a school's library. In Central and South Americas we slept close to gas or police stations, but here schools are at every bigger village, so we are welcomed everytime for a stay.

The truck slows down, until it stops completely. The driver preys on the police. If they are there, two of us will need to get out. If there are more than two people in the cabin, it means the driver gets extra cash. And that has to be divided between him and the official. As we don’t give any money to the driver – ant that would be unheard to the official – we need to reduce the number of the passengers. So one of us and the driver help walk through the little town.

Walking through the village you can observe the fans of the white beer society and loud woman selling fish and other things in the kiosks. Some compassion wave follows us. Nianja language is still like a bubbling pot for us, so the drivers helper explains the content of the sorry sorry sorry and of what follows. They inquire whether the mosquitoes were after me. Huh, how to explain that might be them or bugs in Brasil caught up and made those nicely lined awful bubbles on the hands and legs. To explain the trip becomes harder and harder, so we only tell we are on the way home to Europe by land.

Marasmus

Bibliotekoje: Marasmus – kūno išsekimas dėl maisto trūkumo. Simptomai: Visada alkanas, plonos išvaizdos, nervingo žvilgsnio, didelis pilvas ir seno žmogaus veidas.

Wuzzy and Chuck go very slowly as they stop now in every village to supply it with the desired chubuku. So after finally seeing a school in the distance, we decide to get out. The sun was setting and we needed to pitch the tent before the dark comes. The random guy comes to us and promises to lead us till the school, and so rightly does it. The school teachers listen attentively what on earth we are doing in this gods forgotten village, and instead of allowing to pitch the tent in the garden, they offer us a heart of the knowledge – the library. The school teachers houses are as good cement quality like school which you can distinguish from the mortal ones. To a job teachers go like to a special event, all dressed up in silk attire. We guess, despite not the big salary, they are the wise people of the village and the only ones to bridge the locals to the outside world.

Oras vėsus, o mašinų nėra per daugiausia, tai kam gi sėdėti. Pirmasis kontinentas, kuriame daugiausia tranzuojame eidami, o ne stovėdami. | Cool weather and a few cars, so why to sit waiting. It's the fist continent that we are walking while hitch-hiking.

In the library we quickly settle cozily on the carpet, and look through the books and pictures on the wall. There is one that attracts our attention. The drawn boy in the picture is with a big belly and old man face. Marasmus – its a physical exhaustion, or malnutrition in this case, might be quite a common thing. The porridge of maize, called nshima, might be a fulfilling the hungry stomachs but not nutritious at all. So locals are taught that nuts, dark greens and vegetables with oil needed to be wholesome. It seems the education works well, as the greens and tomatoes can be easily and cheaply bought everywhere. We follow their advice carefully.

In Zambia we got the feeling of a necessity to walk. We wake up in the morning, the sun shines over the fresh green hills and bright red soil, and we just walk and walk. We sit down to have a rest in the shadow near the tomato seller shed, we buy a home cooked donut and we proceed further.