2100hrs local time
Dear friend,
Greetings from Lusaka, the capital of Zambia,
where it is a balmy 23degrees... without humidity. Talk about perfect weather,
a welcomed escape from the particularly cold Auckland winter.
The last leg of my
trip was again uneventful, though I started to really struggle to keep my head
upright, bobbing up and down for the duration of the two hour flight.
Coincidentally there were two groups of Korean tourists on the flight which
always provides good entertainment. One of the women randomly came up to me,
asked me if I was Korean, and then very kindly offered me a special bandage for
the bleeding blister on the back of my ankle (the inevitable result of breaking
into new hiking sandals!).
After an incredibly
long wait in Immigration (hello again, African time!) I was finally cleared,
and despite being one of the last people through the taxi driver who was
arranged to pick me up was thankfully still waiting for me.
Stepping out of the
airport was... bliss. The temperature, the lack of humidity, the warmth, the
magnificent and commanding sun, the clear blue sky... just perfect. And, for
the first time in my thirty two hour journey, I couldn't help but smile.
The driver brought me
to my arranged accommodation, a guest house used by various missionaries going
through Lusaka. I had a quick chat with a lovely couple who live here long term
and provide logistical and transport support to the peripheral rural sites
around the country. Midnight in New Zealand, I crashed into bed soon
thereafter, completely out of action for the rest of the afternoon. This
evening they kindly invited me out to dinner with them and another visiting
Anaesthetist from Ireland, the latter of whom is heading home after a two-week
stint.
Now it's early evening
local time and I am wide awake. I keep trying to not think about the time in
New Zealand where it is seven in the morning -- a futile attempt at forcing my
body into ignorance. Sadly it doesn't seem to be working...
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