As usual on The Chanters Lodge Experience with the Milli Jam Ingredient, our regular one hour Sunday night radio show on Zambezi Radio 107.5 fm, Livingstone's best loved local radio station, we featured two Zambian tracks last Sunday. (Our show comprises music and chat with a guest or guests, and normally we play about 10 numbers altogether, two back-to-back numbers, chat, and then another two back-to-back numbers, chat etc.)

Our local tracks this week were General Kanene's 'Boasting Nanjala' - the General sings in Chinyanja 'don't boast if you don't have any money, don't tell your girlfriend you live in Rhodes Park if you live in Kalingalinga!' You'll have guessed that Rhodes Park is a relatively upmarket part of Lusaka and Kalingalinga isn't! Brilliant! We also featured Judy, a Zambian singer, with her locally popular number 'Even If'.

Our Guests on this week's show were Shane and Samantha McBride (pictured above) who hail from Newcastle, Australia and who chose poolside accommodation at Chanters Lodge for the Livingstone part of their African honeymoon. "Why Africa?" Asked Milimo. "We've always wanted to see the continent" this chirpy, lovely couple replied."Why Chanters?" Asked Milli Jam, and Samantha explained that they'd wanted to stay somewhere small and personal, and had, as usual when they travelled, turned to TripAdvisor to see what other people said about accommodation in Livingstone. Seeing the good reviews about Chanters, they made the booking by e mail. "Pleased with your choice?" Milli Jam continued. "Yes" replied Samantha. "Where are you going next?" We asked. "Overland through Botswana and Namibia" they replied. Super!
"Has the lodge been busy?" Milli Jam wanted to know. "Nyambe Katakula at Zambezi Airlines says so." I replied. I'd been busy during the weekend booking various Clients on this airline and Nyambe had commented "Chanters seems busy". When I first came to Zambia in 1979, Nyambe's grandfather (Lord help us!) was Inspector General of Police in Zambia, promising to 'clean up' Lusaka. I'd promised to clean up Ridgeway Hotel (now Southern Sun Ridgeway) where I was the newly appointed General Manager - the staff gave me the nickname "Katakula" and it stuck! Not a lot of people know that, and Nyambe didn't!

Shane told listeners that he's an aero engineer in Newcastle and Samantha an accountant with her own small company. They've known each other 9 years. "What took you so long?" Asked Milli Jam. "Better late than never!" Replied Shane! The couple had received two unusual wedding presents, a lion encounter and an elephant ride which they were looking forward to enjoying with Safpar, on the banks of the Zambezi, later in the week.

Shane's an avid fisherman back home and goes fishing in a kayak on the Pacific Ocean. "Do you go with him?" We asked Samantha. "He goes when I'm asleep" she replied laughing. "Aren't there sharks out there?" I asked, turning to Milimo "You've seen Jaws, Milli Jam haven't you?" He had! "We even catch them sometimes!" Shane told listeners as Milimo looked aghast, "but mostly we catch snapper and tuna". Only in Australia?! This lively couple didn't want to talk about cricket. "We're no good at the moment" they said. Musically they told us they're into 'blues and roots' and go to lots of festivals. They like 'Pink' too. They're into running (soon to complete a half marathon) and told listeners they love the big outdoors that Australia has to offer.

"What's Twitter?" Milli Jam asked me, "and does it mean you've stopped blogging?" I explained Twitter as best I could to listeners (no, it wasn't some of the less talented Arsenal players like Eboue, Diaby and Bendtner). And no, it didn't mean I'd stopped blogging! (As if...) And no, I didn't know if Arsenal would beat Man U on Tuesday night but I certainly hoped so!

Our music wasn't 'totally organised' this week (!) but we played two fine Lionel Richie tracks 'Ballerina Girl' and 'All Night Long', plus tracks from Brandy and the Killers, as well as Kelly Clarkson. As usual we also gave away a dinner for two with drinks at Chanters Lodge. "Did Queen Bee turn up for her free dinner?" Asked Milli Jam, looking slightly envious. "You bet!" I replied. "With her husband!"

We greeted Guests at the lodge, wished Henry Kondwane Chanter a belated happy 7th birthday which had passed on April 30th, and also wished Lunia Banda, assistant head cook at Chanters, a safe delivery and happy holiday as she started her two months' maternity leave.

"Where would you like to be and what would you like to be doing 10 years from now?" Milli Jam asked Shane and Sam at the end of the show. "I don't know about me" replied Sam quickly "but Shane would like to be fishing!" Nice one Sammy!



Posted: 5 May 2009 at 05:35