Eureka Farm (Lusaka, Zambia) to Kariba (Zimbabwe)

We were all tired but elated after a busy day of visiting schools in Lusaka, Zambia. After visiting the Mayor's office we headed back to our temporary base at Eureka Farm where we were glad to have a couple of hours to catch up and take in some of the scenery.

Our sleep that night was broken only by the occasional high-frequency buzz of an approaching mosquito, some of which managed to make it through the holes in our mosquito nets. Next morning we woke early and decided to explore the adjacent nature reserve on foot. It was a beautiful area to explore and was teeming with zebras, ...

giraffes ...

and nyala, a large species of antelope.

We did a mini-harmony run around the nature reserve ...

and then finished off with an action packed game of ultimate frisbee.

After a somewhat leisurely morning we got underway and headed south from Lusaka.

After we left the bustle of the city we drove out into the wide rolling African bush. On the way we passed numerous make-shift stalls selling fruit and vegetables.

We stopped at one of them and bought mangoes, tomatoes and a watermelon. The people were gracious and friendly, although our only photo didn't really capture this.

Kafue River Bridge

We had time, so we decided to head out on foot and do some running. Our run included crossing the great Kafue River - a river the supplies water to many of the people in Zambia and which also supplies part of Zambia's electricity through a huge hydro-electric power plant. We stopped at a plaque next to the bridge and discovered that the original Kafue Bridge had come from London!

The children who ran with us across the bridge set a blistering pace and we had a hard time keeping up!

Our presence attracted some attention from the local people, who came out to hold the torch and be part of the joy.

This woman, who approached from the other side of the bridge was carrying a huge bundle on her head. She was grinning from the moment we saw her and her spontaneous joy touched all of us with just how powerful the world harmony run is!

As we got back on the road and the midday sun approached, the mercury began to climb and for most of the day the temperature was a scorching 39°C.

Siavonga and Kariba Dam

We drove all the way to Siavonga, a town near the border on the Zambian side of Lake Kariba. The morning's activities had left us famished and so rather than tackling the border crossing on empty stomachs, we stopped under the shade of a huge mango tree with a view out over Lake Kariba. The Sampa Karuma islands on the Zimbabwean side of the lake dotted the horizon.

After lunch we crossed the border into Zimbabwe, which took us across the huge Kariba Dam - a feat of engineering that was built more than 50 years ago. The dam generates power for both Zambia and Zimbabwe and is a critical source of electricity for both countries.

This is the view downstram from the dam, with the penstock outlets in the foreground ...

and over the edge ... phew, what a drop!

The view upstream stretched away into the distance. Shree, who had never seen a lake anywhere near as big as this, was astounded by this huge inland see, more than 300km long.

We ran across the bridge...

and stopped at this sign giving some history into the development of the scheme.

Just before we crossed into Zimbabwe and headed on to the town of Kariba, where we were due to spend that night, we came across a group of more than 10 mongooses, tiny ferret looking creatures, which are known in africa for being snake catchers.

– Balarka Robinson

Distance: 10 km

Team Members:
Adhiratha Keefe (USA), Dhiraja McBryde (New Zealand), Abhijatri Robinson (Zimbabwe), Balarka Robinson (Zimbabwe), Shree Chirkoot (South Africa), Stavros Polykarpou (South Africa)

Gallery: See more images!