January 21, 2005
Searching for the eighth wonder of the world
The current list of wonders include (1) the Hanging Garden of
Babylon (2) the Great Pyramids of Gaza (3) the Statue of Zeus
at Olympia (4) the Temple of Artemis at Ephesus (5) the Mausoleum
of Halicarnassus (6) the Colossus of Rhodes and (7) the Pharos
at Alexandria. But, where is number eight? For most of my adult
life, I have believed that the leaning tower of Pisa was number
eight. However, here in Central Africa it is believed that the
eighth wonder is located on the borders of Zambia and Zimbabwe.
November 30 was our wedding anniversary day, so we decide that
our gift to each other would be to locate and holiday at the African
eighth wonder of the world. We were smart enough to secure entry
and exit visas for Zambia and Zimbabwe, but we were not smart
enough to anticipate the requirements and the many questions we
would be asked by police officers at checkpoints and roadblocks.
Little did we realize that we were rookie travelers on this vast
African continent and that we could not cross the borders of sovereign
countries with the same ease we crossed state borders in the United
States.
We packed carefully everything we thought we might need for an
eight-day journey.
Day 1 We arrived in the morning at the Zambian
border and were denied entry. We were told that our proof of registration
and insurance were not enough, that we also needed all original
documents on the car and a letter authorizing me to drive my car.
We turned around drove back to Lilongwe, secured all the necessary
documents and returned to the border crossing by mid-afternoon.
We (Otis mainly) were determined to make it to Lusaka, Zambia,
where we had reservations that night at the Holiday Inn. But we
discovered at 3:00 a.m. that Lusaka was 45 kilometers too far
for our gas. We ran out of gas and spent four dark hours in the
car waiting for a gas station to open in Chongwe.
Day 2 After eight hours of straight driving
and three traffic tickets with heavy fines, we arrived in Livingstone,
Zambia. At one roadblock, we were forced to pay 54,000 Zambian
Kwacha for not having reflector tape on the front and rear bumpers.
The tape is mandatory because some (of their) cars do not have
lights. We argued that our lights were working. We paid and moved
on.
Day 3 We relaxed in Livingstone
Day 4 We took a water/land Safari at Chombe,
Botswana .
Day 5 We toured Victoria Falls on the Zambian
side.
Day 6 Was a bad decision day. Since we had experienced
so many difficulties with the police in Zambia, we decided that
we would return home through Zimbabwe and Mozambique. What a mistake.
We did not have a map of Zimbabwe and we did not have a visa for
Mozambique. We could not locate a direct route to Harare, Zimbabwe’s
capital city; we spent the whole day traveling south to Bulawayo,
250 kilometers below Harare. We arrived before dark and located
a Holiday Inn. With excitement in my voice and great expectation
in my heart I presented my Priority Card to the hotel clerk only
to be told, “Sorry sir, we filled for tonight.” We
were referred us to Guesthouse, but we never found it. We finally
located the Rainbow Hotel, spent a very restful night, and had
a delightful English breakfast the next morning.
Day 7 Saturday, we were determined to travel
through Zimbabwe and spend the night in Mozambique. Another classic
American mistake. We drove all day and were still in Zimbabwe
at 2100 hours. Our information told us that the border crossings
close at 1800 hours. We located the Nyamawere Lodge and spent
a restful night. Stopping at the lodge and having breakfast there
were God given blessings. We saw no accommodations or food when
we finally crossed the border.
Day 8 We had some unexpected trouble at the
exit border of Zimbabwe. Two officers demanded papers that we
did not have and papers no one else had ever asked for. They threatened
to impound the car until the Malawian police certified to them
that our car was not stolen. I lost my ministerial cool, but had
enough present of mind to walk away and pray while Earline took
over the debate. When I returned to the scene, the situation has
been resolved. As I publicly thanked God for answering my prayer,
Earline said, “I just told them that we did not have any
money left.”
Our delay at the border was a blessing because as we waited a
car drove up containing a man from Holland, a Canadian, and two
Malawians. They had a map of Mozambique and invited us to travel
along with them. When we stopped for food at Tete, they shared
some of their many adventures along this route. They told us,
that the two officer’s request for additional written proof
that the car was not stolen was a money-making scheme.
We drove all day, and as the sun was setting behind mountains
we crossed the border into Malawi at Dedza. My Lord, what a wonderful
feeling! I felt like I was safe at home again. The family who
works here at manse #2 was very happy to see us, and we tried
to convey to the how happy we were to finally arrive back at home.
Oh yes, did we find the eighth wonder of the world? No, but we
did see the Victoria Falls and some Africans claim that that is
the eighth wonder. However, we came away wondering why?
While awaiting reassignment we'll be at Mission Haven, 235 Inman
Drive, Decatur, GA 30030.
Otis and Earline
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