If someone asks me which thing was the most fascinating and remarkable
during my African tour, I, without any hesitation, will cite the hospitality of
Zambian people. Though we confronted an obstacle to get visa as the Zambian govt.
implemented a new rule just few weeks ago of our tour, however, later we could
manage it and got permission to visit Zambia.
After crossing the Congo frontier, we entered Zambia: a peaceful and greenery country of the continent of Africa. We hired a taxi-cab to reach the nearest city for taking a bus for Livingstone city. The taxi driver was very polite and helpful. He had provided us a lot of information about Zambia which later made our journey quite easier in terms of getting hotel, knowing the price and some common customs of the territory. His tips helped us to avoid some unpleasant situations. We could commence an enjoyable journey thanks to an unknown but kind hearted person. It was really a nice starting.
When we were proceeding to the city, we did not want to miss the scenic beauty of Zambian rural area. It was green, calm and quiet and everywhere the sign of blessing of nature. The people we saw beside the road were not in a hurry, if somehow they understand that we are tourist, wave their hands to us with a smiling and welcoming face. We start to feel homely; the fear and precautions which we normally bear during the travel to a new country particularly an African country, were slowly disappearing from our minds. We felt lightness inside us.
After more than two hours journey, we reached Kitwe, a small city close to the border. It was almost the end of the day. People were really welcoming, generous. We took a tour to the surroundings as we had almost two hours in our hand. We talked to locals, took photos with them. They hardly refused to do any favor we asked for from them. With smiling face, they always listened to us. I got this behavior from all aged people. I cannot remember any circumstance where they show the intention to cheat us. When they understood that we were tourist, they tried their best to impress us. Their overall approach and manner was quite unintentional because I curiously tried to reveal their common behavior and attitude. Then I reached a conclusion that generally the Zambian people are in good heart and more honest than their other African counterparts. Their generosity is also mentionable. I can recall many events but here I want to conclude my writing narrating only one event that took place in Livingstone on the second day of our journey. One of our tour-partners wanted to buy some mangoes form a girl who was passing by with a basket of ripe mangoes on her head. We called her and clarified our intention. We fixed the price without any bargain. Because the price she asked for was neither high nor less. When the deal was over, we received our product and paid the money. At the time of leaving the place, she offered us three more mangoes for three of us as just extra. We did not demand such favor, and the money is not a simple matter as she is a very poor school girl. She is selling mangoes to help her family, maybe to cover her educational expenses as well. So she is not supposed to do any bad deal, moreover she should try to make more money. We were ready to accept her offer by paying money, but she refused to receive any penny. We thank her for the generosity and hospitality she showed to us. I will always cherish the memory of this kind hearted girl.
After crossing the Congo frontier, we entered Zambia: a peaceful and greenery country of the continent of Africa. We hired a taxi-cab to reach the nearest city for taking a bus for Livingstone city. The taxi driver was very polite and helpful. He had provided us a lot of information about Zambia which later made our journey quite easier in terms of getting hotel, knowing the price and some common customs of the territory. His tips helped us to avoid some unpleasant situations. We could commence an enjoyable journey thanks to an unknown but kind hearted person. It was really a nice starting.
When we were proceeding to the city, we did not want to miss the scenic beauty of Zambian rural area. It was green, calm and quiet and everywhere the sign of blessing of nature. The people we saw beside the road were not in a hurry, if somehow they understand that we are tourist, wave their hands to us with a smiling and welcoming face. We start to feel homely; the fear and precautions which we normally bear during the travel to a new country particularly an African country, were slowly disappearing from our minds. We felt lightness inside us.
After more than two hours journey, we reached Kitwe, a small city close to the border. It was almost the end of the day. People were really welcoming, generous. We took a tour to the surroundings as we had almost two hours in our hand. We talked to locals, took photos with them. They hardly refused to do any favor we asked for from them. With smiling face, they always listened to us. I got this behavior from all aged people. I cannot remember any circumstance where they show the intention to cheat us. When they understood that we were tourist, they tried their best to impress us. Their overall approach and manner was quite unintentional because I curiously tried to reveal their common behavior and attitude. Then I reached a conclusion that generally the Zambian people are in good heart and more honest than their other African counterparts. Their generosity is also mentionable. I can recall many events but here I want to conclude my writing narrating only one event that took place in Livingstone on the second day of our journey. One of our tour-partners wanted to buy some mangoes form a girl who was passing by with a basket of ripe mangoes on her head. We called her and clarified our intention. We fixed the price without any bargain. Because the price she asked for was neither high nor less. When the deal was over, we received our product and paid the money. At the time of leaving the place, she offered us three more mangoes for three of us as just extra. We did not demand such favor, and the money is not a simple matter as she is a very poor school girl. She is selling mangoes to help her family, maybe to cover her educational expenses as well. So she is not supposed to do any bad deal, moreover she should try to make more money. We were ready to accept her offer by paying money, but she refused to receive any penny. We thank her for the generosity and hospitality she showed to us. I will always cherish the memory of this kind hearted girl.
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