I am getting ready for travel to Zambia tomorrow
and I'm taking a moment to reflect on process. I have always known that I get extremely involved with planning details leading up to a trip: making lists, pulling out
old gear and buying new gear, charging batteries, counting pills, looking over
Google Earth, or weighing boots. This behavior always worried me a bit, but I have found
a way to make it feel acceptable – I will call it Deep Planning. I
like this name because it sounds purposeful, rather than unhinged.
Right now, I'm going through a final checklist:
- Crisp new US cash, which is accepted if I choose not to convert to Zambian Kwacha - check
- Notify credit card companies about travel - check
- Buy new super glue - check
- Emirates Airline check in - check
- Put mail delivery on hold - oops, better do that now
I've never been to Zambia and we will be spending all of our time in South Luangwa National Park, in the eastern "lobe" of the country. This trip promises to be a bit different from some previous trips. On other visits to southern Africa, the guides make a point of making sure that you do not get out of the Land Rovers if "wildlife" is nearby - I guess that makes sense for all the obvious reasons. This trip: a little different - we will include walking safaris from one tented camp to another, with five miles or so of wildlife in between. This is a main offering at the park, and is done all the time. Even so, it might just be a little nerve rattling, even with the armed ranger along but I'm looking forward to it. I hope I am able to update this journal along the way, but I don't expect any cell coverage in "the bush".
I see from old maps that David Livingstone also walked the area in the 1860's - and his heart lies buried under a tree less than a week's walk to the northwest from our camps.
