July 8, 2022
Kafue to Lusaka (Natwange Backpackers/Asmara Hotel)
Nightmare ride into Lusaka :(
Lusaka is officially the worst city I have ever cycled in (this coming from someone who has cycled out of Bangkok.) What an absolute nightmare. It was very intense and I was near tears near the end. So chaotic and someone actually bumped into my bike/bags with their car because he couldn't wait two minutes for the car in front of me to move so I could get out of his way and he could get his parking spot. I went off on him!
I followed Google maps route and stuck to the main highway that went through downtown. It's hard approaching a city and I thought the main route would be better to potentially avoid passing through any bad neighborhoods. Traffic was at a standstill at times so drivers were a bit more aggressive and making erratic moves. Also, the hawkers (and pedestrians and cyclists) were walking between cars creating more of a problem for me to maneuver. I didn't realize the city was going to be so big. I felt pretty frazzled for hours even though I did walk over to a modern mall for dinner which was a nice change of pace. I later learned that part of my problem was I rode into the city on a Friday afternoon when everyone's in a hurry to start the weekend.
The hostel I chose was the Natwange Backpackers. It has potential to be good, but I was less than impressed. The first night I had a dorm room, and although the other ladies were nice, one lady was clearly living there with her child. Then, the water in our building did not work. The owner knew I was maybe going to move so upgraded me to a private room for cheap. They made it sound like the water was going to be fixed. Turns out, it is an ongoing problem they know about so to sell rooms knowing it doesn't work, pissed me off. I did end up moving after a couple of days to the out of my budget, but oh so much nicer Asmara Hotel. I just needed some nice surroundings and peace.
I had a contact from a reliable source to get my bike worked on. He did come over and readjust the front derailleur (from when I had adjusted it). I just wanted to make sure it was actually set correctly so I could use all my gears. I also wanted my chain stretch checked and I needed a rivet fixed on my Brooks saddle that is making sitting less than comfortable. Communication wasn't all that fantastic with the guy. He lost his chain tool so I never got that checked as by the time he came by again and confirmed he didn't have one, it was too much of a hassle to try and find a reliable shop and pedal there. He did fix my saddle though so that's an improvement.
I spent about a week in Lusaka, just walking to the mall every day (even though I didn't really need anything) and grabbing various food options. Pizza was my favorite. I even went and saw the new Jurassic Park movie. Sure was nice to just escape and do something that felt familiar and normal. Was suppose to meet up with a friend I met in Livingstone, plus potentially a cyclist, but in the end, neither worked out. I was just trying to relax and do my route planning through Malawi and figure out a timeline. I had no desire to wander far from my surroundings.
I have always planned to take a bus from here to Chipata, which is near the border of Malawi. I've read in cycling blogs that the cycling's not that great due to road conditions and lack of services/accommodations. I also knew that the bus station here was going to be really overwhelming. At the last minute, my contact said to have the guy that helped with my bike take me to the station. That is what I did and so thankful for it.
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Today's ride: 34 miles (55 km)
Total: 3,440 miles (5,536 km)
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