Zambia Trip, July 2011 - Mumbwa, Zambia

Mumbwa is in the Central Province of Zambia. I was going to look up some info online about Mumbwa, but there is hardly anything other than that this used to be a copper and gold mining area, but most mines are closed now.
We put up our camp by a school near a township in a very dusty spot under a few trees. It was to be our home for 2 days; no water (the nearest pump was about 500m away), 2 long drops, and extremely windy. The wind blew the dirt into our tents; it got into everything, and after 2 days I was longing for a shower. But as soon as my thoughts turned to the people living here under these conditions all the time, I was quickly very thankful for all my blessings.

Here is part of our team dancing with the locals. Lots of fun! The Africans have such rhythm and passion, it's beautiful to watch.

One day went to visit people in their homes. Not many white people venture out into these areas, so most people pull up a little stool or crate for you to sit on. I really enjoyed meeting and talking with these wonderful people, hearing about their lives and struggles.

Somehow it is difficult to get them to smile. We had a great time talking and laughing together. I was shocked when I looked at the photos later to see their serious expressions.

Since we camped in a public place, our every move was watched. From the time we pulled into this place until we had said our good-byes we had some spectators around us.