Well... I’ve been an avid traveler for the past 15 years. We’ve always been pretty lucky with our luggage up until now…
First, though…I survived my plane rides to Zambia!!! We were promised 1 flight which would last 1 hour and a half. We actually had to take 3 flights. The first was a 5 minute flight to a tiny airstrip called Pom Pom in a 6 seat plane.
Next, we transferred to an 8 seat plane for a 15 minute ride to another tiny airstrip called Chitibe where we were transferred to our 3rd flight. This “lux” plane held 12 people. Prayers said, moist palms…but I DID IT!!!
We were transferred to a passport control point in Botswana in a van then taken to the water border between Botswana and Zambia. We had to take a tiny motorized boat to the Zambian point of the river and were met by another driver who then took us to the Zambian passport control where we paid our $50 per person Visa fee. It was completely unsettling as we past people with guns sitting idly as we had our van visually inspected.
We drove to the Royal Livingstone Hotel which is an elegant hotel by Zambian standards. We were formally greeted by their representative and then offered a cool drink and a warm hand massage. The rooms were disappointing but the grounds were outstanding. Animals roam free at the Royal Livingstone. We past a zebra on our way to our room!
After being in the bush for the past 6 hot days, all I wanted was a shower and air conditioning. Jeff joined Ruth and Dan and went to Victoria Falls. They walked through the Falls and had a blast. 
Afterwards, we were met by our driver and taken down a long bumpy dirt road to the dock where we met the 3 deck boat called the African Queen to take a sunset cruise down the Zambezi River. It was very crowded and full of cigarette smoke so we went to the top deck and joined the captain. What a guy! He shared his knowledge of the region and made sure that our group of 4 didn’t miss anything. The views were spectacular. We enjoyed watching an elephant swim from the shore across the Zambezi River to the other shore as the sun was setting. We were mesmerized watching an elephant mother caring for her baby. We also loved the hippos (especially Dan). Bad drinks, icky food but what a memory!
The following day, was our most difficult travel day. We had a formal tour of Victoria Falls in 100 plus degree weather. This is the low season at Victoria Falls so we were actually able to see the rock formations that the Falls flow over. This is not possible during high season. Victoria Falls is a must – the best that the impoverished nation of Zambia has to offer.
Our driver ran us back to our hotel to pick up our luggage for the airport. We stopped at a local market to purchase our a few things for Ruth and I found a batik with 4 dancing African women that I had to have to remind me of this very special place. Off to the airport we went where we had to wait…and wait…and wait. We watched our luggage being loaded on the airplane…then unloaded form the airplane. The excuse that South African’s commuter plane used was that it was too hot (42 c) and the plane wouldn’t take off with all of the 
passengers’ luggage on the plane. We were promised that our luggage would be delivered the following day…NOT!
Let’s talk about transfers…we put our trust with people on the ground on the local level. Having a clean, reliable car with a knowledgeable driver will be something that I will never take for granted again. All of our transfers and believe me, there were A LOT were reliable except our sunset cruise tour in Zambia. The issue was the tour company’s fault but they did resolve the issue and we did go on the sunset cruise. Having ProAfrica’s connections was the key and to you my clients, I assure you that knowing the right people and companies makes all the difference. Hat’s off to Maggie at ProAfrica!
Remember how I said that the airline promised that our luggage would be on the next flight? What they failed to let us know was that the next flight was 2 days later. I am now an experienced flyer who can live on next to no clothes. We bought a change of clothes at the gift shop at &Beyond’s Kirkman Kamp when we finally arrived (4 hours later than scheduled) but as Jeff and Dan said…WE ARRIVED!!
More on &Beyond Kirkmans Kamp with my next blog...
Mari
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