Having asked our ever helpful receptionists about what there was to do in Lusaka and only being told about the numerous shopping malls we decided to do our own research. Consequently we had come up with a few ideas (that didn’t involve shopping) for our next couple of days entertainment. Everything we liked the look of involved transport so, as Rob was so enjoying his various driving experiences we again decided to hire a car.
We really should have learned our lesson by now but ever hopeful of them redeeming themselves, we again approached the receptionists, this time to enquire about car hire. We were assured that they would arrange this and call our room when it was sorted. After waiting in vain for a call we fell asleep after deciding to deal with it in the morning.
Waking up early we went down and explained our requirements to a new receptionist. She assured us it would be arranged and she’d come and find us in breakfast. With no news during our meal we returned and were told a price of the equivalent of £60 a day. Having paid less than £30 a day in Rwanda we managed to reduce the daily price to about £40 and were told we would be called as soon as the car arrived.
Hurrying upstairs and readying ourselves for the day we speculated about the car hoping, for the inflated price, that it might be a little better than our trustee but rattley Rwandan Rav 4. By 10.30, having exhausted all ablutions and preparations, we went back down to enquire how much longer until our transport arrived. We were reassured it was on its way so waited patiently catching up on emails and messages in a rare moment of fairly good WiFi. At around 11am a driver appeared. After a little discussion with reception about towels we could borrow for our trip we were told we had to go back up to our fourth floor room to take the ones from there. Rob had had enough so ignoring them he decided to just take the ones from the pool as we were passing it on our way to the car. As I followed the car hire man Rob detoured, grabbed two towels and joined us as we surveyed our chariot.
Within seconds a porter and the pool man had appeared to insist that the pool towels could not leave the site and we must take the ones from our room. Trying to avoid a prolonged towel tussle I set off for our room ( did I mention it was on the fourth floor) missing much of the car hire man’s explanation of the very dirty, seven seater cars little quirks. When I arrived back I sat in the back seats, (the middle row of seats ‘didn’t work’ so were folded down) scared to move for fear of contamination, with the towels and all my possessions piled on my lap for the same aforementioned reason as above. Rob meanwhile had clambered into the drivers seat (his drivers side door didn’t always open) with the car hire man in the passenger seat ready to drive to the nearest atm to collect payment as they didn’t take cards.
Before we had left the hotels limited grounds and despite our passengers obvious desire for very loud music, a very obvious clanking noise had emerged. As Rob turned left into the flow of traffic it continued ominously and within 50 yards it was my turn to have had enough. ‘Pull over’, I demanded, Rob was obviously of the same mind as he wasted no time in finding the nearest lay-by. We apologised (???) and explained to the bemused looking man that we didn’t want his car and despite his reassurances that it was a good car, good wheels, good brakes we left him extolling it’s virtues and marched back to the hotel.
I was so angry, and as is often my way, also a little emotional over the car, the towels, our wasted morning and the hotel’s general inefficiency. I needed an outlet for this but preferably without an audience so asked Rob to try to arrange car hire with the nice tour operator adjacent to the hotel (why didn’t we go here first) while I ‘spoke’ to reception.
Within ten minutes I had unleashed my fury, Rob had arranged a lovely saloon car that was already sitting outside our hotel and (at nearly midday) we were off on our way.
We had a relaxed afternoon visiting the monkey pools, a lovely swimming pool and river pools in a beautiful quiet setting. It was especially peaceful as there was no one else there.
We also visited Lusaka’s National Park and met their very friendly rhinoceros, he was great although I was a little put off that he’d recently fatally wounded his female partner.
And a few other scattered animals.
Above is the viewing tower in Lusaka National Park, you could see for miles but with my fear of heights, and an African disregard for health and safety, it was one of the scariest things I have ever climbed!
Both places were very difficult to find as there were no obvious signs for either attraction. We were however, so happy to be away from the hotel that none of that mattered. On our way back we found a restaurant called latitude 15 that had been recommended on trip advisor as being good for coeliacs. It was so lovely, great food in a beautiful setting for a very reasonable price. It was a perfect ending to a lovely afternoon with our mornings trials all but forgotten. 😊
Our final day in Lusaka was an unexpected delight. After going to the bus station to book our next days bus journey to Livingstone (I still can’t believe I persuaded Rob to catch another bus) we set off for the elephant orphanage. Again it was near on impossible to find but with my expert navigating using the phones GPS we arrived just in time for the daily 11.30 until 1 educational talk and meeting with the orphans. 
The talk was fairly short and interesting but the orphans were totally captivating. There were only three there as they just keep them until they are nearly weaned from the bottle (at about three years of age). They then send them to another centre where they are introduced to a herd and prepared for release in to the wild at between 20 and 25 years of age. 
Contact with humans is kept to a minimum, the guards just feed them their bottles three hourly throughout the day and night and then leave them to their peers. At night they sleep in the loft of the elephants stable to continue the feeds – they are amazingly dedicated to their charges.
Watching the orphans play in the mud, rolling and tumbling and pushing each other over reminded us strangely of wayward children and our first day in Lusaka.
Once our time with the elephants was over we walked back to the car and decided to go for lunch at Lilayi Lodge right next to the orphanage. We drove up mud roads flanked by dry woodland to a little oasis amongst the trees. 
While we sat and had lunch we watched monkeys, bushbuck and Elands walk the gardens and chatted to the South African, Essex educated, manageress tell us a little about her workplace. 
On her recommendation, but with limited time, we selected the shortest of the three trails around the hotels grounds and spotted zebras, warthogs and several types of deer before returning back to our final night in Lusaka and our early morning departure on the bus to Livingstone.
Rob & Emma's Trip 