There Really is a Mongu

Our very long 50+ hour journey beginning in Chicago to Mongu, Zamia ended.  We had a bill board for the hotel we would be staying at about an hour out.  It screamed civilization is near! It was the only bill board we had seen since leaving Lusaka (7 hours earlier).  The billboard gave us hope and an expectation that life would be somewhat normal as we knew it.

We drive in while it is still daylight and to describe what Mongu looked like at first glance is hard.  An Oasis?  No.  A city? Perhaps.   Intersections?  Sort of.  Stop lights?  No.  But there were cars, bikes, oxen and  lots of people walking to and fro or just standing around watching what I was watching.

There are lots of very old buildings made of cement blocks and kiosks or mats on the on the road side selling items that I had yet to figure out what they were. The roads are just wide sand trails and ruts, serious ruts.  If there was a sidewalk it was crumbling. We had arrived.

A gate opened to let us onto the property.  There was room for maybe 4 vehicles.  The lobby was simple and on the wall behind the check in was a photo of the President.  I learned later that his picture is required to be hung in every establishment.  He came into office in the fall and stacks of pictures were delivered to each business shortly after his term began.  It is 'strongly' suggested that his photo be placed in a prominent spot.

 The check in desk filled the small entry way.

My room was small but adequate. It was clean to the best of my knowledge.  A sign I did not photograph informed me that I was to remove anything of value as I left the room for they would not be responsible for any theft.

Below is my closet. I had one hanger.  I actually had a small refrigerator with a key as well.  This convenience remained unused as mold had made it's home inside.

I truly found my simple abode to be just fine.  I did note one morning that the maid carried a can of raid into the room.  But there are no complaints here.  I found one medium size roach and it had a short life upon my discovering it.  Electricity was 'iffy' and when the lights went out it was pitch black.  So,  I learned to keep my I Phone with me and the trusty Flashlight App became my friend. :)  I do have to say that my bathroom was wonderful!  It had a toilet that flushed!!!  It was clean by Zambian code!!!!  My shower had good water pressure and no mold!!! Life was good. 

Breakfast was included in our rate.  Breakfast was served in the very, very, very small eating area.  It consisted daily, of hard boiled eggs, fried eggs, white bread which could be toasted, a funny yellow substance that I believe was to be 'butter', baked beans and a fat sausage.  Coffee does not exist in Mongu apart from instant, the 'cream' was a packet too.  Tea was the beverage of choice and we could also make hot chocolate.  Tang was our juice option.   But no one ever came to Mongu for the food.

We were so very tired and longed to drop into bed but dinner beckoned us.  I will save this dining experience for another blog.  I had to photograph our parking attendant.  This is for my Oregon friends and family.  The shirt is phonetically correct. :)  OREGIN.  He wore this each night. I would soon find out that states and cities from the US were represented on the clothing worn by these Zambians.

It is so hard to capture the sensory experiences into words and quite likely this entry is for me alone to remember a world so many miles away from mine.