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We are up at 05:30 to find the Defender once again in working order .....
Day 3. Mon 23rd September The road to Kasanka.
DaveMidgley2005-10-22 11:59:13
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We are up at 05:30 to find the Defender once again in working order (well, as near as it gets to working order) and we set off on the 500km drive north to Kasanka National Park. Much to everyone's relief Sue rejoins the party well before the 06:00 deadline, so we are now a full group of seven. Ken always drives the Discovery and Auxies the Defender. I travel with Nathan and Amanda in the Defender with Auxies. It turns out that the Defender has quite a number of interesting little character traits. For one thing the front seat belts have no buckles and are not actually anchored, so that every time we pass one of the police check points which are scattered seemingly at random around the African road system the driver and passenger wrap a couple of yards of belt around themselves, and the people in the back hold it down with their feet. Also, although the vehicle actually has no wiper blades, both the washers and wiper motor run continuously unless the fuse is removed. This, however, also disconnects all the dials on the dashboard, so in order to see how much fuel there is, or to check the engine temperature, we must stop and temporarily insert the fuse.
Our first port of call is Pete's house outside Lusaka. A third driver is necessary as we will leave the vehicles at Mpulungu when we embark on the ferry up Lake Tanganyika, and pick them up again after the train journey at Dodoma. Ken will travel with us while Auxies and Pete drive the vehicles. Pete joins us in the Defender. As a professional hunter he has an excellent knowledge of wildlife, and has an easy, laid-back manner which endears him to us all. (It turns out he is half Scottish, and still has family living in Scotland). Auxies says little, partly because his English is not as fluent, but has a tremedous sense of humour and a huge infectious laugh.
Having collected Pete we head North to Kabwe, and then turn right in Kapiri Mposhi onto the Great North Road. This road has only been paved in the
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