Tag: Restaurants

Kalimba Reptile Park Day Trip

Moving back to your home town can take a toll on you especially if you got so used staying away from home. Being back in my home town meant adapting to the many changes that have taken place here. The beauty is that as one that loves travel, I can handle this. The biggest change has been the school I work from.

New scenery, friends, students and old family members is what I found here. I treasure my solo trips because they have helped me get out of my comfort zone and find myself. Lusaka town has changed a lot over the years and it was clearly time to visit places I visited way back but this time in a group.

Nothing does it like a day-trip to a remote place in summer. It’s super hot here and taking a dip would be awesome.

Kalimba Reptile Park is a place one should bucket list and visit when on this end. It is not so much of a hidden gem. Lots of people frequent this place to be away from the busy places. It may be your go-to-place for day trips. If you are not a local, you may have to return to town area for accommodation as this place does not have lodging.

As we arrived, we were greeted by some cows on the premises that were grazing. We paid our 5 dollars entry fee and my niece paid less for being a youngster. I have done crocodile meat and this place has a kitchen where that can be prepared but the style of this trip was  barbeque what we brought and we didn’t bring croc meat. I will try this on another day.

Kalimba Reptile Park is great for group excursion or family day out. For all the fishing lovers, this is the perfect place as well. You will also enjoy a display of  reptiles.

The park houses snakes like black mamba, boomslang, vine snake, Mozambique spitting cobra, brown house snake etc. It was amazing to see some of these species camouflaged in the grasses which made me question where I was standing just in case.

If at all you did not pack much to eat, it’s fine because this place has a kitchen and am sure they prepare crocodile in all ways possible seeing that they had a croc recipe book on display for sale.

You are gonna have a comfortable place to have your croc burgers, croc spareribs or whatever version of crocodile you choose.

We took a walk around the gardens and noticed other clients coming in at mid day. Some took their kids for a dip, others went on the swings. Others started their barbeques upon arrival, am thinking they were starved.

This place is not that big but there is lots to do around. I could see some mini golf which few people have been doing am sure because it appeared to need a facelift.

There comes that special time when your stomach protests because it wants a fill. I loved that this is a place you can have a picnic and enjoy some warm foods.              

Though I didn’t have my signature adventure food, crocodile, I enjoyed the meats we had brought to the park. You will never go wrong with boerewors sausages, I just love them. I had fair shares of barbeque chicken as well. All this with a salad and my favorite being potato salad which just made my afternoon.

We had enough of this food marathon until it was time for a dip. The beauty about this trip is that if the adults (mum and auntie) wanted to be left alone to chit chat, it was the perfect place for people of that generation.

I had my sister to talk to as well. We goofed around and all but we had to make the smallest human being in our group feel part of the squad or at least make her locate her squad at Kalimba Reptile Park.

If we didn’t, she was gonna loudly be singing, “la, la, la, la!”, just so that she does not feel left out but be the one to tell all the stories. Talk about a bossy kid! Anywho, we changed into our bathing suits. The heat was at capacity but we had so much fun with this small human being who found herself her own squad.

I am recommending Kalimba Reptile Park for that relaxing day away from the usual way of life at home or away from the noisy places.

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And to my WordPress family……

Hey everyone,

It’s hard to believe it’s been three years since I started this little corner of the internet! Back then, I was just starting out, full of ideas and a touch of nervous excitement. Now, as I look at the amazing community of over 200 followers, I’m filled with so much gratitude.

Thank You!

From the bottom of my heart, thank you to each and every one of you who has followed along on this journey. Your comments, shares, and likes mean the world to me. They fuel my passion to keep creating and sharing content that I hope you find informative, engaging, or just plain entertaining.

Celebrating Together

To celebrate this milestone, I did this write up just to thank you all for being there. I have learned so much from many blogs I follow and hope to keep learning from you all.

Here’s to Many More!

Here’s to many more years of learning, creating, and connecting with this wonderful community. I’m so excited to see what the future holds for this blog, and I can’t wait to share it all with you.

Thanks again for being a part of this journey!

With gratitude,

Faith

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All I ask from my dining moments….

We are all different and these differences are seen in many areas including food. What do you look for in dining moments? Some of us are masters at recognizing the mix of flavors and aromas in our food.

Others are particular about the ambiance and would want some comfortable seating, appropriate music, and charming decor. What do you ask for in your dining moments?

Different diners will have that one thing that tickles their fancy. That one thing could be the reason to frequent that spot! Ever been to that one diner where you feel they get you? They do things how you would love them. An eatery will offer you something you will like. Another one will do things differently and you will still like something about that place. Of course, I am not talking about those places we didn’t enjoy dining from.

All in all, all I ask from my dining moments is what I have found in these eateries as I traveled around:

Taste (Lusaka, Zambia): This restaurant has outdoor seating. It also has a fireplace and serves great cocktails! Did I mention they have good coffee too? I wanted to experience a magical morning at Taste. There was fresh coffee and a delightful breakfast menu awaiting. Surrounded by beautiful gardens, this is an eatery offering a peaceful escape from our everyday grind.

The experience at this restaurant was as if the staff at Taste knew all I ask from my dining moments is a fresh omelet. Ohhh! For the love of well-done breakfast eggs! I will do this place soon.

Alliance Francaise (Lusaka, Zambia): This is an international organization that aims to promote the French language and francophone culture around the world. Having a branch in Zambia and a desire to learn French just to impress the French, I headed there for entertainment. The eating spot I saw there offered the necessary bites which I enjoyed. All I ask from my dining moments is something to go with those burgers. Some entertainment does make an eating moment memorable.

There is a time to have food in silence but I am imagining this happening in really organized families (or maybe royals). I wanted some entertainment. It was a relaxed evening with presenters in the likes of poets, guitarists, comedians, and ventriloquists. All this, where I could enjoy the evening breeze! That is all I ask from my dining moments.

Dar Lalla (Lusaka, Zambia) Let’s face it, sometimes it’s about the name first. Have you ever thought like, “He must be a handsome dude or pretty girl with that name!” That’s pretty much the theory I had. I loved the name first and that’s what moved me. I didn’t even look it up. Someone just mentioned it. It’s okay to judge an eating spot by its name.

Not to sound spiteful, but coming from Zambia, we have some funny names for companies, especially the small ones. Some small booths providing phone services can have vengeful sounding names like, “God is the judge Phone Dealers.” All I ask from my dining moments is to go to that nice diner with a name as nice as Dar Lalla.

I have enjoyed all my coffees, juices, and bites from this diner. All I ask from my dining moments other than a cute name is a clean environment where I can see how my meals are being prepared.

Sometimes it’s just the fresh air I went to enjoy. Though this place is near a building that looks like a group of companies sharing a space, the eating place is open to everyone.

JCS Food Market (Lusaka, Zambia)

All I ask from my dining moments is to cross borders to other countries using the food ticket. There is no way I will buy a plane ticket to China but I want to have my China moments in the comfort of my zone! JCS Food Market is the place for food enthusiasts. It offered dining options all under one roof! Each restaurant had its unique charm and this made deciding where to dine a wonderful challenge. All I ask from my dining moments is this endless choice of enticing aromas, simmering sauces, and a mix of flavors, and not being limited.

With menu options like I found, everything was enticing but I ultimately settled on a tantalizing combination of chicken and pasta, expertly cooked in the Chinese way. All I ask from my dining moments is large portions! Fancy hotels are culprits when it comes to small portions and we get it sometimes you aren’t just paying for the food but the place too. So when I experienced JCS Food Market, I left the place feeling not only stuffed but with a doggy bag too!

Green Ethiopian Restaurant (Lusaka, Zambia)

All I ask from my dining moments is to know some food I didn’t know because it was so different from what I have in my day-to-day life. If what you ate from an ethnic restaurant didn’t make you inquire more from the restaurant staff about it, it was not ethnic enough. In some restaurants like Chinese restaurants, you may choose to have what you normally have from home but cooked in a Chinese way with some Chinese spice.

The one thing I remember having from this ethnic restaurant was injera. Injera is a sour fermented pancake-like flatbread with a slightly spongy texture, traditionally made of teff flour. In Ethiopia, Eritrea, and some parts of Sudan and Kenya, injera is a staple food. It is central to the dining process, like bread or rice elsewhere. All I ask from my dining moments is to learn something from that ethnic kitchen. It was different from the usual and I am glad when I visit Ethiopia some day, it will be a better experience to appear knowledgeable of what others have for food.

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The Joys of a 20km All-Day Cycling Safari (Part 3)

In my last post, I contemplated doing another cycling adventure inspired by this one. Of course with a different map. Part 1 and Part 2 of this safari, I loved it! As I concluded Part 2, I shared how I bumped into some big animals. Elephants, elephants, elephants!

Point 4: Elephants

Just because this is Africa, it doesn’t mean these kinds of animals are everywhere. There are certain places you are guaranteed to find them. The particular route I picked for this safari sometimes has elephants and sometimes doesn’t. So, was I lucky or what?

The beauty of this unplanned stop was that I was alerted by a cyclist coming from the opposite direction. I had no intentions of retreating because if he “survived it”, I would too, so long I followed what he said and what authorities have stated about safety rules like:

Stay Alert: Be aware of your surroundings and listen for any signs of elephants nearby, such as trumpeting or rustling of trees.

Keep a Safe Distance: Maintain a safe distance from elephants. Do not approach them or try to get too close for photos unless you are with a professional or in a safe place to do so.

Avoid Aggressive Behavior: Do not make sudden movements or loud noises that could startle the elephants. Remain calm and move slowly if you need to change your position.

Respect Their Space: If you encounter elephants on the road or path, give them plenty of space to pass. Do not try to block their path or force them to move.

Do Not Startle Them: If you need to alert elephants of your presence, do so calmly and from a distance. Avoid using a loud horn or bell, as this could startle them.

Be Prepared to Retreat: If an elephant shows signs of aggression, such as flapping its ears, trumpeting loudly, or making a mock charge, slowly back away and find a safe place to take cover, such as behind a tree or rock. I remember doing so on the Zambia-Zimbabwe border when we saw a group of elephants appearing agitated.

Follow Local Guidelines: In areas where elephants are present, follow any guidelines or instructions provided by local authorities or wildlife officials to ensure your safety and the well-being of the elephants.

Point 5: By the Zambezi River

I was happy to have had this peaceful encounter with the elephants. I was not the only one at the time standing in awe waiting to take pictures. There were few cars that stopped with owners trying to take shots. The scene was both awe-inspiring and humbling, a reminder of the beauty and power of these majestic creatures in their natural habitat. A Stone throw away was a beautiful place by The Zambezi River, where you could sit and relax or have a picnic.

I continued to cycle on to a village called Mukuni because I heard visitors frequent the place for tourism purposes but along the way, something hit me that I was not that kind of tourist. I already had an idea of what an African village is about. The detour led me to a place where I needed some peace, rest, and good food. The almost 4km of riding made me think of one thing only, food.

Point 6: Avani Hotel

After a workout, we all know we can swallow an elephant! I was starved! The beauty of the place I dined from was that it was a hotel and in the middle of nowhere. It is close to one or two places around but generally, this place is isolated.

The Avani Hotel not only served delicious food but also offered a serene environment that was truly captivating. What made the experience even more extraordinary was the presence of zebras freely roaming around, adding a unique charm to the surroundings. The sight of these majestic animals peacefully coexisting with the hotel’s guests created a tranquil atmosphere. It was a moment of pure bliss and harmony with nature, making the cycling journey to the hotel worth it. The combination of great food, a peaceful ambiance, and the presence of zebras created an unforgettable experience that will be cherished for years to come.

Point 7: Victoria Falls

I left Avani Hotel feeling refreshed. I cycled on about a kilometer or so to the Victoria Falls but there was not gonna be enough time to tour the whole of it or go through all the trails like it’s supposed to be done. I got here still and as I got my ticket, I knew this should be my last stop because it was getting late. Instead of wasting time I just sat near the waters that fall and this should be the Zambezi River. I must say that was an amazing sunset I saw.

After this lovely sunset, all I could think of was the 10km back to point 1 and this trip did not take long because there were no stops made.

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