Zambia, We Are Not in Kansas Anymore. 10 Days on the road with Big Bertha

July 2024

When we moved to Malawi, one of the first things we realized in our initial days was the need to have a car. With an unreliable public transport system, we spent our first few weeks calling taxis to take us from A to Z and soon agreed that if we were here to stay, we needed to start getting serious about finding a ride of our own. 

The car scouting began and a few weeks and a couple of scam artists later, we finally became the proud owners of my very first car, a Nissan X-trail. The day that Gabe picked up the car and drove it into our driveway, a wave of relief washed over me and I knew that things would get better now that we could have our own independance.  

Naturally, we had to name our new car and even more naturally, Gabe and I couldn't agree on the perfect name...(good luck to our future children). I wanted to name the car "Monqiue", while Gabe was set on the name "Big Bertha"(???). Somehow, Big Bertha seemed to be the winning name and to this day she has become the source of our biggest adventures in Malawi. Big Bertha has safely taken us on trips across the country, becoming our second home as we drive north to south and back again, getting lost along the way but and always finding our way back behind Bertha's wheel. 

After 8 months in Malawi, we decided it was time to take Big B out into the unknown and a 10 day road trip to Zambia and Zimbabwe began to form. 3,100 kilometers and crossing 3 countries' borders in 10 days....daunting...let's do it. 

An immense adventure it was, we packed our bags, games and an unimaginable amount of snacks and started the long-haul drive to ZAMBIA, one of Malawi's three neighboring countries. In the 1950s under British rule, Malawi and Zambia were joined together with Zimbabwe to make one nation known as the Central African Federation, however, this federation dissolved in 1963 and Malawi got its independence shortly after. Due to this history, Malawi and Zambia remain close in common values, culture and shared dialects, and we were eager to see how these once shared nations remained similar or different from the Malawi that we know today. Zambia is 6 times the size of Malawi and after crossing through much of the country by car we were able to appreciate Malawi's big sister fully.  

First Stop: South Luangwa - Safari Time

After 12 hours of driving, we had finally made it.

If you are an animal lover, South Luangwa National Park is an extraordinary place to visit. I heard about this park some months back and was told that it is THE park to see big cats…galore. The GabCat in me was immediately excited. Although my mother did not allow us to have animals in the house growing up, for better or for worse I have become somewhat of an animal whisperer. A monkey bite in Kenya and 9 rabies shots later, a mountain gorilla grabbing my ankle in Uganda, a great white shark zipping past me in Mozambique (to name a few....) I have had my fair share of "too close for comfort" encounters and was ready to see if my Aliza Thornbery legacy would live on in South Luangwa. “GabCat” was ready for South Luangwa.... binoculars in hand, I was on high alert to spot the pretty kitties. 

Needless to say, the legacy lived on and during our first 5 minutes in the park we were lucky enough to see our first cat, a beautiful leopard jumping from tree branch to branch. It was magical; sweet and innocent wildlife with no near death encounters in sight. I thought to myself, “we are in the clear this time!” 

I thought too soon. 

About an hour and a half later, after sunset, we spotted a pack of 9 lions coming slowly towards our dark vehicle. The lions were moving closer and closer and just when they were about to pass Gabe's passenger side he grabbed my phone with excitement and started filming the catwalk. Just as the lion was directly below Gabe's door, the excitement got the better of him and he dropped my phone ONTO the lion. This is not a drill. The phone fell onto the floor, with the camera and torch face up. The lion, fascinated by the glowing light, circled the phone, assessing her opponent for a few minutes and then sat down directly on top of it. A National Geographic photographer's dream, that lion and my phone got up close and personal. 

The ranger slowly drove the car 10 meters in front of the lion to give her space to take her selfies in peace. Once she was done with her photoshoot, we went back and retrieved my warm and smelly phone-- all in all, the GabCat whispering lives on.

Aside from the Cat fest we saw tons of other animals in the park, we were woken in the middle of the night by majestic elephants outside our tent grazing away and the next morning spotted them playing together and cannonballing into the river. The full circle of life, It was an incredible site. 

Next Stop: Lusaka 

As the road trip continued, Big Bertha made her way down to the capital city of Zambia, Lusaka. The roads to Lusaka were rough but coming from a small country like Malawi, we immediately knew that “toto, we were not in Kansas anymore”. With proper double-laned highways, large shopping malls, tall buildings and working traffic lights we were amazed by the development of this capital city compared to our beloved Malawi. 

We had an amazing time exploring the city, driving through the wide streets, shopping in the local markets, eating sushi (no luck in Malawi!) and enjoying the shopping malls. We went a little too crazy in the supermarkets, loading up on special treats to bring back home. 

Final Stop: Livingstone- Victoria Falls 

After we were done admiring the tall buildings of Lusaka, we took Big Bertha back on the road for our last stop in Zambia, the lady, the legend…Victoria Falls. 

Visiting Victoria Falls has been a long-standing dream of mine and at that point we had traveled over 2,000 kilometers and over hundreds of potholes to get there. As we made our way closer to Livingstone town, I felt the excitement bubbling. Vic falls, we were close!

The next morning we entered the Mosi-Oa-Tunya National Park and made our way through the winding paths towards the thundering falls. The Zambian side was misty, wet, rugged and as we walked rainbows began to form before our eyes. It was magical.

Working in the water sector I have come to learn the immense value of water. Where there is water, there is life and water is a key driver in our ecosystem. Witnessing 500 million liters of water flow a minute was an incredible site to see. A true world wonder and powerful testament to nature's powers. I began to imagine what could be achieved if we could utilize these masses of water to better our world.  As the mist soaked through our clothes, we continued to walk along the rugged path of the falls, with new views and volumes of water appearing at every turn. As I continued to get completely soaked, I felt a massive smile cross my face, an immense joy that I had finally made it.