Day 30 (30/06/11) Mongu

Its been a month and what a month. It’s been one hell of an amazing experience so far. As we’ve been here 30 days, after our beautiful breakfast (rice krishpies, apple juice & ham sandwich) it was time to get our Visa’s renewed so we set off for the ten minute walk to the Cheshire Homes centre where Sr. Cathy agreed to take us to town. The Immigration building is a 6 story building in the middle of Mongu (although Mongu doesn’t really have a centre it’s just spread out.). We went to the 4th floor and met two guys in an office who showed us to another office with a rather plump lady and a 2003 calendar on the wall. She stamped our visas no bother without asking any questions about our travel plans it was hassle free apart for 1 thing. I couldn’t look her straight in the eye cause I was laughing at how the one song that came into my head was “don’t come around here no more” it was weird. If she had deported us I probably would have laughed all the way home (Dan incidentally had “I’m leaving on a jet plane “in his head). After Cathy had one or two jobs to do before she dropped us home. We pottered about our cavernous guesthouse for a bit before heading back to the Cheshire homes centre for lunch. It was unreal we ate with Cathy and another Sister from India whose name has slipped my mind (I’m pathetic with names). We had chicken and spuds it was so so good. Afterwards Sr. Cathy agreed to show us around town and around the sites they owned (and we had to stop in a car wash bizarrely called the Drunken Fish). She brought us down to the harbour. During the rainy season Mongu is on the banks of the Zambezi, however during the dry season there are a few canals that take boats to the Zambezi which becomes 25km from Kaoma. As a result there are massive flood plains stretching as far as the eye can see it’s an absolutely unreal sight looking across the flood plains of Africa (David Attenborough’s voice was in my head as I wrote the last sentence). Stretching out across the flood plains in an old broken road on the embankment which we were told is the most expensive road in Africa (it looked more like a big pile of soil), every year they try to build it and every year the floods wash it away. On the side of this road is a sign that says “Zambezi River 25km” it, I never thought I’d see a road sign saying that. On the way back we stopped briefly in their soil blockmaking plant. It was a far more impressive operation than in Kaoma. After the day where Sr. Cathy had told us more information than all the other people in Zambia combined (she is the most talkative friendly person alive) we suddenly went from no jobs to do to loads to do. Finally we headed back to the centre to go on the internet. It was wireless it was so weird finally being back on the internet on my own laptop. Only difference was the only place in the centre we could get a good signal was in the chapel. It was quite bizarre being online in a church (I wonder if god has an email address godthefather@heaven.com). We finished off the evening by watching “The Damned United” and of course 2 bottles of Mosi. So another day down before we know it we’ll be home. Goodevening