“Dr. Livingstone, I presume”…Livingstone city tour……

Tom was busy reading the extensive menu at Café Zambezi trying to decide what to order.

“Sighting of the Day in Zambia”

The dirt floor and bare feet in the restaurant, Cafe Zambezi, are so far our favorite spot in Livingstone.

Last night was quite a pleasure. We had happy hour at the hotel bar and at 1800 hours, (6:00 pm), the same taxi driver we used three months ago picked us up to go to our favorite restaurant in Livingstone, Cafe Zambezi.

We were shocked to see how many hotel employees remembered us from our visit three months ago. We were warmly greeted as we wandered through the lobby, hallways, restaurant, and bar areas. That was rather impressive considering the popularity of this hotel.

It was getting dark shortly after we arrived its easy to see the festive environment at Cafe Zambezi.

Once again, we enjoyed another excellent meal at the popular hot spot for locals and tourists although no reservations were required. We were seated outdoors at an open-air table on the dirt floor (commonly seen in Livingstone restaurants) and promptly and graciously served.

Way more chicken than I could eat but every bite I managed was delicious, including the side of vegetables and salad.

We weren’t in a hurry so we languished over the extensive menu, chatting all the while. At one point, I was reminded of many books I’ve read and movies I’ve seen where the characters, often journalists, reminisced over memorable times spent in African cafes and restaurants in their myriad travels.  

I shared this with Tom and he also recalled reading about such circumstances.  And, here we are, doing exactly the same; a dusty floor, the hum of conversation, the clinking of glasses, and the pungent smells of local food wafting smoke from the smokey kitchen.

Tom ordered the t-bone steak which was cooked properly. Our total bill for dinner including meals, drinks, tax, and tip was kwacha 250 (Zambian currency), (US $24.40).

This morning we did a tour of Livingstone, with our taxi driver Matthew taking us to see some of the most popular venues in the small town. From this site:
“Livingstone was, until 2012, the capital of the Southern Province of Zambia. Lying 10 km (6.2 mi) to the north of the Zambezi River, it is a tourism center for Victoria Falls and a border town with road and rail connections to Zimbabwe on the other side of Victoria Falls. A historic British colonial city, its present population was estimated at 136,897 inhabitants at the 2010 census. It is named after David Livingstone, the British explorer, and missionary who was the first European to explore the area.”

Today, we headed to the Livingstone Museum but when we were told no photos were allowed, we decided not to stay. We were on a photo-taking mission and spending an hour of our three-hour tour without photos didn’t appeal to us.

Now, the capital of Zambia is Lusaka as described here from this site: “Lusaka is the capital and largest city of Zambia. One of the fastest developing cities in southern Africa, Lusaka is in the southern part of the central plateau at an elevation of about 1,279 meters (4,196 ft). 

Vintage World War II military plane.

As of 2010, the city’s population was about 1.7 million, while the urban population is 2.4 million. Lusaka is the center of both commerce and government in Zambia and connects to the country’s four main highways heading north, south, east, and west. English is the official language of the city, but Nyanja and Bemba are also common.

Statues outside the Livingstone Museum.

In 1935, due to its fairly central location, its situation on the railway and at the crossroads of the Great North Road and Great East Road, it was chosen to replace Livingstone as the capital of the British colony of Northern Rhodesia“

Bust of the first president of the Republic of Zambia.

As we continued on the tour, we stopped at a few spectacular cultural venues.  After returning to the hotel and desperately needing a nap after a fitful night’s sleep, we’re saving those stories and photos beginning in tomorrow’s post.  

In Atenas, Costa Rica one year ago, moment by moment, the clouds grew thicker and thicker as the weather changed.  Most days it was warm and sunny. For more details, please click here.