Exploring Zambia’s History at The Livingstone Museum

Visiting The Livingstone Museum in Zambia is like stepping into a time machine, one that whisks you through the pages of history, culture, and the untold stories of a vibrant nation. As Zambia’s oldest and largest museum, it offers a treasure chest of artifacts and exhibits that bring the past to life. From the tools of ancient warriors to the personal belongings of legendary figures, every corner of the museum tells a story.

A Glimpse into Zambia’s Fight for Freedom

The story of Zambia’s independence is proudly showcased in the museum. A statue commemorating freedom from colonial rule stands tall, symbolizing the nation’s journey from oppression to liberation. Next to it, the sight of the British flag reminds visitors of Zambia’s history as a British colony, a reminder of the courage of the Zambian people.The story of Zambia’s independence is proudly showcased in the museum. A statue commemorating freedom from colonial rule stands tall, symbolizing the nation’s journey from oppression to liberation. Next to it, the sight of the British flag reminds visitors of Zambia’s history as a British colony, a reminder of the courage of the Zambian people.

You’ll find traditional weapons like spears, bows, and arrows, used by Zambia’s ancestors for both hunting and protection. These artifacts offer a vivid connection to the bravery of those who lived long before the modern era.

The Legacy of David Livingstone

At the heart of the museum’s collection is an impressive exhibit dedicated to David Livingstone, the legendary explorer and missionary. His personal items are on display, including his travelling trunk, which looks like a rugged, well-worn chest ready for an adventure. You’ll also see his coat, his letters, and even his journal, each offering a glimpse into the life of a man who explored territories and made history along the way.

The museum also features a statue of David Livingstone, a reminder of his enduring impact on the region and its history. His story is intertwined with Zambia’s past, making this exhibit an essential stop for anyone curious about the country’s journey.

The Vintage VW Beetle Vehicle

One of the most charming exhibits in the museum is a vintage vehicle. Its unusual design makes it stand out among the historical displays, offering a fun and unexpected element to your visit. This car was once used in Zambia, and its presence in the museum adds a delightful touch of the past.

Panoramic Views of Zambia’s Past

The Livingstone Museum doesn’t just tell stories, it immerses you in them. One of its highlights is a breathtaking panorama of a traditional Zambian village. This display recreates the sights and sounds of village life, complete with huts, tools, and scenes of daily activities. Walking through this exhibit feels like stepping into another time, offering a profound connection to Zambia’s cultural roots.

Nature lovers will also appreciate the museum’s natural history section.

Here, you’ll find displays including the skeleton of the isamupati, that is in folded like poster showing in what style olden people buried others. But perhaps the most intriguing exhibit is the Broken Hill Man skull, an important anthropological find. While the original skull is currently housed in the UK, the museum displays a detailed replica and shares plans for its return to Zambia, a move that will further enrich its collection.

For , culture enthusiasts, or anyone with a curiosity for the past, this museum offers an unforgettable experience. Its carefully curated exhibits and immersive displays ensure that every visitor leaves with a deeper appreciation of Zambia’s heritage.

Kenneth Kaunda’s Chilenge House: A Symbol of Leadership

No visit to the museum would be complete without learning about Kenneth Kaunda, Zambia’s first president and one of the most influential figures in the country’s history. The museum features a view of his Chilenge House in Lusaka, where Kaunda’s leadership and vision began to take shape including the motorbike he used. This exhibit honors his legacy and highlights his role in shaping modern Zambia.

Why The Livingstone Museum is a Must-Visit

The Livingstone Museum is more than just a building filled with artifacts—it’s a living, breathing celebration of Zambia’s rich history and culture. Whether you’re marveling at the tools of ancient warriors, admiring David Livingstone’s personal belongings, or stepping into a recreated Zambian village, every moment spent here is an opportunity to learn, reflect, and connect.

December 22, 2024 4

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.

October 28, 2024 6

Discovering the charm of Chipata

Chipata is a city and administrative centre of the Eastern part of Zambia.The city, unlike in older years, has undergone some economic and infrastructure growth, leading up to city status. It is still a work-in-progress though. Do not hesitate to add it to places you can visit for not only the laid-back life but to see the parks which have game and wild animals. When I visited Chipata for the second time, I was happy to see lots of change. Last time I visited, I didn’t know how to share my journey with the world like I do now. I loved Chipata town for simple things like:

Those mangoes!

There are many places in Zambia I have on my bucket list. I have them because of the fruits I have heard are found there. Mwinilunga has pineapples and Mazabuka, sugarcane. When I visited Chipata recently, I couldn’t help but appreciate the mangoes found in this part of the country. The season to enjoy mangoes is from late October to late January. The beauty is they are cheaper in Chipata than in other towns like Lusaka. It was mango parties everyday! I found a reason to use mangoes in things like my desserts. My favourite was custard fruit salad!

Animals at your doorstep

Whenever we want to see certain creatures, we quickly have to be the ones to make the first move to where we can find them. Of course, I don’t mean the wild animals. It was such a great moment to walk out of the house and appreciate the birds that frequently flew by or perched. I usually don’t get to see the S-necked and long-legged kind of birds where I live. It was a super cool experience to get frequent visits from this species of bird.

Because of the wet season, we also had frequent visits from crab-like creatures. I want to think those were real crabs. At least something close to mud crabs. I don’t have my facts right yet. If they are were crabs, we have delicacy on the loose!

I was in an area called Moth in Chipata and that’s were I spent most of my time. This was pretty much in the centre of Chipata. Whenever I saw creatures I was not able to see where I came from, I made sure to take a shot. The one creature I saw the most but failed to take even one shot was one in the family of ferrets. Again, I am not sure these were ferrets but they were furry and looked like guinea pig cousins. I just noticed, they don’t stay put. I tried placing some nuts in strategic places so when they pay a visit, I could take a shot but things didn’t go as planned. I found the nuts gone.

Lovely landscapes, lovely sunsets

Not that I am not a fan of mountain climbing, but in some places like Tanzania ( Mount Kilimanjaro), doing it will cost me an arm and a leg. Chipata has so many hills I could try climbing before doing a legendary mountain climb.

My first attempt goofing around on these hills was with my nieces. This didn’t do the trick but it was good enough for some memorable views. I didn’t have to climb up these hills all the time to enjoy incredible views. Sometimes, I just sat or walked around in the neighborhood enjoying the views I don’t see where I am living. Everyone living where the land is flat knows this feeling when you find elevated lands. I enjoyed my early morning or evening walks because of this.

Sunsets could have been perfect if not for the distracting hills but then again, I was in the eastern part of the country. The sun rises from the east, so says geography. This means sunrises here, should be more enjoyable than sunsets. The hills would be distracting nonetheless.

Bike city touring

Last I checked, especially in developed countries, if you wanna know a city, you have to use a tour bus. This is not the kind of stuff you are gonna find here. I loved seeing more places on motorbikes. This is one thing that has changed over the years. There were no motorbikes used for public transport some time back. This has now become the popular means of transport in this part of the country. In other parts of the country, they are used for deliveries. Here, it’s public transport. Since it’s cheaper than getting on a vehicle, it was easy to see most of Chipata. I even found hidden gems that you should try finding on your own when you tour this laid-back city.

April 21, 2024 15

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.

March 8, 2024 9