livingstone – Chanters Lodge Livingstone

Follow Livingstone!

This from ‘Bighearted Scotland‘ Participants will apparently raft the white water, trek and canoe. Tough! I think it’s not for the faint hearted!

“One of Scotland’s earliest Bighearted heroes was the missionary David Livingstone. Livingstone was a combination of missionary, doctor, explorer, scientist and anti-slavery activist who spent 30 years exploring in Africa, exploring almost a third of the continent, from its southern tip almost to the equator.

Livingstone received a gold medal from the London Royal Geographical for being the first person to cross the entire African Continent from west to east.

Bighearted Scotland is offering adventurous people the opportunity to follow in Livingstone’s footsteps. You can experience many of the sights and sounds witnessed by Livingstone in Zambia by joining our Livingstone’s Footsteps Challenge. Your 10 day adventure begins with your arrival in Livingstone, when you will have time to view the falls, acclimatise to the area and begin to take in the breathtaking scenery and exciting wildlife.
This from ‘Bighearted Scotland‘

“Like Livingstone, you will be rafting and canoeing on the Zambezi and game walking through spectacular landscapes populated by elephants, hippos, crocs, antelope and many more. You will also have the opportunity to visit the spectacular Victoria Falls.

Livingstone wasn’t just an explorer, he also gave back to the African community and you will also have the opportunity to contribute by spending one day working in a local community project in Zambia. You will also be supporting a wide range of causes back in Scotland through raising a minimum sponsorship target of £2,750. We will give you help and support to raise your sponsorship money and prepare yourself for the challenge. You will be asked to raise a guaranteed sum of sponsorship money in addition to paying a deposit of £325 to confirm your place. This will cover the costs of your challenge and includes all meals, guides and activities, flights, transportation and accommodation. It excludes alcohol & tips.

Please note that we do not enter Zimbabwe at any stage – all activities are done on the Zambian side of Victoria Falls.” Yes – even that picture of Jan, one of my sons, dangling over the edge!

16
JUL

activities, livingstone, uk, victoriafalls, Zambia

Extension Update July 15th 2009

Check the picture of Emmanuel Bwalya charged with the responsibility of constructing 2 additional rooms at Chanters Lodge, Livingstone just 10kms from the mighty Victoria Falls.

The rooms will be double accommodation and look on to the swimming pool and garden. Check the good progress!

15
JUL

accommodation, Chanters, extension, livingstone, victoriafalls

Greg & Donna Fox, Jamaica

Meet Greg and Donna Fox from Kingston, Jamaica, who guested on the Chanters Lodge Experience last Sunday, our popular radio show going out live on Zambezi Radio 107.5 fm, Livingstone’s popular local radio station, at 20.00 hrs every Sunday. We always give away a prize too, this week as usual a dinner for two with drinks at Chanters Lodge for the first person to text us the right answer to a simple question. In this instance ‘which country did this lovely couple come from?’ Junita texted ‘Jamaica’ right away and won!

Junita Hepplethwaite just happens to be the activities supremo and in charge of the Lady Livingstone sunset cruise reservations, based at the David Livingstone Safari Lodge, Livingstone’s latest upmarket 5 star hotel, with a fabulous location on the banks of the Zambezi overlooking the mile wide spray thrown up as the mighty River Zambezi plunges some 120m over the awesome Victoria Falls! We get great service from Junita and her team for our Guest activity bookings, so we were delighted she was listening, and that she won!

Greg and Donna reserved accommodation and stayed at Chanters Lodge for their visit to Livingstone. Greg was involved in a conference concerning aviation safety in Africa. This is his speciality and he holds a senior position with the Jamaica Civil Aviation Authority – formerly Director of Flight Safety now Coordinator at Regional Aviation Safety Oversight System. His roots are in England but he migrated to Jamaica via Canada where he was educated. Donna’s pure Jamaican, they’ve been together 14 years and have two sons. Before the show Greg thrust the inch thick FCTP for the Airbus A340 into my hands saying “read this!” ‘FCTP?’ I hear you ask. ‘Flight Crew Training Programme!’ would you believe! I tried and failed! Greg was to give at least two keynote addresses at the ongoing conference being held at Zambezi Sun Hotel.

Greg and Donna’s appearance on the show had been arranged by e mail a long time ago and they’d kindly brought two fantastic Jamaican CD’s for us – a double album of Beres Hammond, one of Donna’s favourite Jamaican artists, and a compilation of great reggae dancehall artists including VYBZ Kartel and Terry Linen. Some tracks were supposed to be played on the show but we had technical difficulties, so reverted to Bob Marley and Peter Tosh instead! Was it true, DJMJ wanted to know, that they’d also brought two bottles of special Jamaica rum for Richard? It was, and the 107.5 fm guys were ‘red-eyed’. Red-eyed? Jamaican slang for jealous!

We played Zikomu by Ty2 his latest smash, to give Greg and Donna a taste of Zambian music, and Cascada’s ‘Evacuate the Dancefloor’ which had successfully held off the Michael Jackson challenge at the top of the UK singles pop charts the previous week. ‘Strangers’ from Leona Lewis and ‘Obsession’ from Mariah Carey showed how right up to date we are at 107.5 fm! ‘Heartbreak Make Me A Dancer’ by Freemasons ft Sophie Ellis Bexter and Emergency 911 by Jordin Sparks are pretty hot songs and artistes and we featured them too on the show!

‘What’s happening on Twitter?’ DJMJ asked me. I took some time to explain #followfriday #traveltuesday #unacceptable, #ihavetoadmit and other trending topics on that site. I also pointed out that Greg and I had contact on Twitter where he’d been reporting on the bbq he’s been building at home. Talking of which, I was happy to report good progress on the construction of our new rooms to the listeners.

Donna and Greg told our audience about their one day safari to the Chobe National Park they’d been on that very day with friends Jorge and Felicia Vargas from Costa Rica also in Livingstone for the conference and staying at Chanters, and the group had been lucky enough to see lion and lots of other game as well. It really is a great one day trip. ‘Where would you like to be and what would you like to be doing ten years’ from now?” was the closing question. Greg said he’d like to be retired and relaxing somewhere nice with Donna, and Donna said she hoped to still be the family co-pilot! Cute, just like her! Don’t believe me? Check the photo!

14
JUL

accommodation, Chanters, guests, livingstone, radioshow, victoriafalls

Megan and Catherine Bloemker

“How come you two are sisters?” MJ (Milli Jam) asked Megan Bloemker when she and her sister Catherine appeared as guests on the latest edition of The Chanters Lodge Experience with the MJ Ingredient ft Soulchild last Sunday, the weekly radio show sponsored by Chanters Lodge on Zambezi Radio 107.5 fm, Livingstone’s popular local radio station. When you see Megan and Catherine in the cute photo above, you can understand why MJ was intrigued by the relationship! Megan explained to listeners that Catherine, a little Lozi orphan girl was adopted by Megan’s parents Betty and Bob in Zambia and taken home to Dixon, Illinois USA in 2004. She’s now turned 7 and has come back to Zambia for a visit with friends and relatives, and to see the mighty Victoria Falls. The family and friends Lyla, Cindy and Lianne Tjoelker were staying in accommodation reserved at Chanters Lodge (of course).

Megan works for Action Zambia as a missionary in Lusaka, although she holds a degree in opera studies from Roosevelt University in Chicago and studied further at the prestigious American Academy of Dramatic Arts in New York. She’s been in Lusaka for 3 years training teachers and organizing feeding programmes at Streams of Living Waters School in Mtendere and Emmanuel Christian School in Kanyama both high density housing areas in Lusaka. “Why missionary work and not acting or singing?” We asked and Megan explained that she’d first visited Africa when she was 16, involved in building a church in Zimbabwe. Africa had called her back – as it does – people say it ‘gets in your blood’! Megan’s also involved in an adoption programme in Lusaka.

“We hear you went to Chobe National Park on a 1 day safari today” MJ said to little Catherine “did you have a nice time and what animals did you see?” Catherine answered shyly that she’d seen Lulu The Giraffe, lions and elephants. “Why Lulu?” we asked and Megan explained that Catherine had a book by Carol Harvey called Lulu the Friendly Giraffe. “What’s you favourite animal in the whole world?” We asked Catherine. “A baby elephant” she answered. “And who’s your best friend back in America?” “Amanda” Catherine answered.

The play list was hot this week. “You Are Not Alone” by the other MJ was a natural choice and so too was “Better On The Other Side” The Game’s new song featuring Chris Brown, P.Diddy, Polow Da Don, Mario Winans, Usher & Boyz II Men – a tribute to the late Michael Jackson. Drake’s sizzling right now and we featured “A Night Off” something the assembled company were all looking forward to soon! Ne-Yo’s “Round and Round” and Ciara’s “Never Never” are two of my favourite tracks and we also featured two K’Millian numbers (he’d been our guest on last week’s show) “Give You My Love” and “Mukati Kamutima”. Lady Gaga and Asa topped off the list.

“Have prize winners been taking up their prizes?” MJ asked, and I replied that for some reason they had not in the past two weeks, perhaps because I’d stopped texting them that they’d won. So we asked listeners what public holiday Zambia was celebrating this weekend and the messages started streaming on to my phone. Winnie won a dinner for two and I sent her an sms right away telling her so!

7
JUL

accommodation, Chanters, livingstone, radioshow, victoriafalls

Drake

Is Drake the next sensation in hip-hop music? Some people certainly think so! Here’s about him from Wikipedia:

“Aubrey Drake Graham (born October 24, 1986) is a Canadian actor and recording artist. He originally became known for playing Jimmy Brooks, the basketball star that became physically disabled after he was shot by a classmate on Degrassi: The Next Generation.

As a rapper, he performs under the mononym Drake, and is often billed as the new version of The Fresh Prince. Drake continued to recognize a close affiliation with Lil Wayne’s Young Money Entertainment, before officially signing with the record label in June, 2009.

His first studio album, Thank Me Later is expected to be released later this year on Young Money Entertainment.”

I have a couple of tracks, ‘Take You Down’ and ‘A Night Off’. The latter we’ll play on Sunday’s Chanters Lodge Experience radio show on Zambezi Radio 107.5 fm and we’ll see what the Livingstone public in general and the Chanters Girls in particular think about Drake!

1
JUL

Chanters, livingstone, music, radioshow, staff, Zambia

K’Millian & Masi

Meet Leo Moyo and Masiyaleti Nyambe, (pictured above), better known to Zambians, and followers of Zambian music outside the country as K’Millian and Masi. K’Millian is a big star and has so far released 5 albums. Masi is up and coming and his first album is due out soon. They work together. K’Millian’s ‘Triumph’ is currently number 2 in the Zambian album charts.

These two bright young musicians featured on the latest edition of The Chanters Lodge Experience with the MJ Ingredient ft Soulchild, the popular radio show we sponsor on Zambezi Radio 107.5 fm, every Sunday night. “How did you end up with the name K’Millian?” We wanted to know, and Leo explained that when he first started in music he played and sang a variety of styles – soul, blues, reggae, jazz etc, so they thought of ‘Chameleon’ only to find there was already a band somewhere else with that name, so they changed the spelling to ‘K’Millian’. “It wasn’t about money!” He said. “Of course not!” We replied…

We played ‘Alema’ by K’Millian and for once I had an accurate translation (seeing he wrote the song!) It means ‘she’s tired of asking the same question and she needs a proper answer’! We also played ‘Waona Nawama’ from K’Millian’s ‘True Colors’ album meaning ‘now I make sense to you when before, you thought I was a waste of time!’ Both very well produced tracks and guaranteed to make you get up and dance! (And laugh at the words, I guess!). K’Millian has a great voice!

We were lucky to get these two on the show – we were scheduled to have Ty2 and Haamoba as well but their show at Taonga’s River Shack had a time overrun (surprise surprise!) As it was K’Millian and Masi arrived after MJ (Milli Jam in this case) and I had already been on air for half an hour. Of course apart from the blog, Twitter, Facebook etc we discussed the other MJ’s death, and Milimo explained to listeners that if it hadn’t been for the late Michael Jackson he’d never have ended up in the entertainment business. I’m reliably informed (by Brad Chingobe) that Milimo used to do an amazing take off of the late MJ on stage, with all the moves. (Still can’t picture Milli Jam as a dancer but they say he was great when he was a bit younger – and thinner I guess!) Talking of which, a lot of people on Facebook commented on how much weight K’Millian, Ty2 and Haamoba had put on in recent years, after I’d featured their photo on my Facebook status. ‘Suga Daddies’ said Bronah down in Perth, Australia. One bright spark wondered if they were going to make a ‘gangster movie’!

K’Millian explained to listeners that he holds a degree in computer engineering from the University of Port Elizabeth in South Africa. That was a surprise to the assembled company, who wanted to know what he was doing singing when he had that kind of training. He said he could always fall back on IT if the music industry no longer sustained his career. “Not much worry about that right now”, I commented, “seeing you’re one of Zambia’s most popular musicians and so much in demand.”

“Are you guys married” MJ wanted to know. Hoots of laughter all round, and George Soulchild on technical actually fell off his chair! K’Millian professed his undying love for his fiancee Angela Chipalo. “When will you be married?” I wanted to know. K’Millian replied that he was “busy with traditional issues with the family”. “How many cows?” I asked. “A jackal” he replied laughing “now where do I find one of those?” We couldn’t help on that one. “What about you Masi?” We asked. Well, Masi couldn’t actually find words with which to answer us. All I can tell you is that the tall, well built girl who got in the car with these two after the show was very pretty……

Music? Well apart from the K’Millian tracks mentioned above, we featured ‘Thriller’ by Michael Jackson. While we were waiting for the stars, we played ‘Missing You’ and ‘Boom Boom Pow’ from the new Black Eyed Peas album currently topping the charts, though I guess Michael Jackson’s recordings will top most charts next week. We also played ‘Paparazzi’ by Lady Gaga. Love that one! Papa Papa – razzi! “Your music was funky last night on radio” someone nice said to me the next morning. “Respect!”

How about that then?

30
JUN

Chanters, livingstone, music, radioshow, Zambia

Down Memory Lane

Check Uncle Jumbo from Zambezi Radio 107.5 fm ‘in the zone’ when he hosted ‘Down Memory Lane’ last Tuesday night! He’d kindly asked me to produce the play list and appear as the guest. It was great fun! I chose tracks that Jumbo hadn’t heard for a long time. My problem was getting a decent photo. He had his eyes closed most of the time as he swayed and rocked to the music of his youth. That pic was the best I could manage!

Jumbo opened and closed his nice show with ‘Imagine’ by John Lennon. There were some Charley Pride numbers in there too, those that I’d swapped for a Zain sim card not so long ago with an unknown friend in USA! ‘Tell Laura I Love Her’ caused some controversy (as it had when it was first released in the late 50’s) as listeners phoned in trying to name the artist. ‘Route 66’ is one of the best early Rolling Stones tracks. The Bellamy Brothers and the Supremes contributed to a great oldies play list. ‘She Loves You’ by the Fab 4 had Uncle singing!

‘Down Memory Lane’ goes out on 107.5 fm every Tuesday night and is one of the stations’s most popular shows, especially amongst the oldies. Jumbo gives some timely advice to the youngsters too! On this show he said ‘you see, in our day, songs had words, and you should listen to them!’

Rock on Jumbo!

28
JUN

livingstone, music, radioshow, Zambia

Blogs For Hotels

I’ve been blogging from Chanters Lodge for more than 3 years, but have only recently discovered the marketing possibilities of sites like Twitter and Facebook. This piece from Caryn Eve Murray on HotelInteractive interested me as it seems opposite from the way I’ve been going! Anyway, this is what she says:

“It is no longer sufficient for hotels to have a presence on Twitter, Facebook and MySpace, three popular but somewhat different means of social networking. Now some hospitality scribes have begun making dutiful entries online, “Dear Diary” style. But in this case their diary is not just an open book but – in keeping with the computer age – an open blog.

Formerly viewed largely as a vehicle for individuals’ indulgent self-absorption or revelations, blogs are now maturing as the next big marketing tool in the social networking portfolio.The call to blog was so strong, in fact, for Embassy Suites that earlier this year the Hilton brand took its pre-existing Web site, businessbalance.com, and gave it a makeover. Businessbalance.com debuted in blog format this past spring, harnessing the talents of freelance bloggers who, each in their own way, address work-life issues that often challenge Embassy Suites’ business travelers: fitness and health, food, family life, managing stress and travel strategies.

“The perception has been in the past, and rightly so, 20 percent of the people on blogs account for 80 percent of the content”, said John Lee, vice president of marketing for Embassy Suites. “They were always talking about themselves and there wasn’t much real content folks could really use. We see that changing. And if it is managed correctly, we can see a lot of benefit.” Having third-party experts “gives the brand a little credibility, some third-party endorsement. It is not that Embassy Suites is saying you should be doing this. It is people like Jane and Michael Stern [the authors of ‘Roadfood’] who are updating the content for us.”

Most importantly, said Lee, “we don’t try to sell anyone anything. They are smarter than that. If they have a relationship with the brand because of this cool Web site, the bookings will take care of themselves. If we can grow share of heart, share of wallet will follow.” Blogs are, for the most part, still uncharted territory in the hospitality industry, even though they predate the now-well-trod other social media now crammed with hotels and motels among their ranks. Unlike the realtime interactivity of Twitter, blogs can offer shelf (or screen) life, with the posts archiving for reference again later.

“There are more or less only a handful of blogs from hotels,” said Kent Lewis, whose Anvil Media is the marketing consultant for the Provenance group of boutique hotels. Marriott International’s chairman and CEO Bill Marriott was something of a pioneer when he launched his interactive blog about two years ago, said Lewis, “and then only the big guys were the ones doing it.” But Provenance was already getting its blog act together offline with the goal of establishing a blog foothold for three of the brand’s five properties.

In Nashville, the Hotel Preston has been blogging its heart out since the autumn of 2007. “The Sounding Board” is a music-centric collection of posts. “It is what is unique to the vibe of the Preston,” said Lewis. The blog embraces the Grand Ole Opry, the CMA Music Festival and the Country Music Hall of Fame, and mixes its posts with specifics about the Preston, a hotel in the center of that music mix. “You’re talking about adding value to the community,” said Lewis. “We treat it like a publication, somewhere between news stories and anecdotes, fun things, interesting things.”

Good writing has a particularly long history at the Newagen Seaside Inn near Maine’s Boothbay Harbor. Jason Schlosser, innkeeper, is quick to point out that writer and ecologist Rachel Carson was a summer guest there in the 1960s, and wrote portions of her landmark works, “Silent Spring” and “The Edge of the Sea”, while seeking respite and inspiration on the Maine coast. “We are committed to this process,” said Schlosser, who said the blog went online 18 months ago. It now boasts videos and photos (some sent in by guests) and lots of tips about vacation-planning, wedding-planning and sightseeing, in Maine and in general.

The inn, then, is a starting point for the blog, rather than an endpoint. “And it is continuing to evolve. I don’t know if we have arrived yet.”

Here here! The picture? Nashville, Tennessee

27
JUN

blog, Chanters, hotels, livingstone, management

Setting Out

Finally, we’re setting out the foundations for the new 2 rooomed poolside extension at
Chanters Lodge, Livingstone, and now fully intend to go ahead with the project to increase our accomodation capacity as quickly as possible. The picture shows Mr Albert Chikuta and his team undertaking the expert work. Mr Chikuta is a full time Livingstone City Council worker kindly helping us on his day off. “Is there enough space Mr Chikuta” I asked. “Touch and go…” the answer!

As you’ll see, the weather is bright, sunny and warm even though tomorrow is our shortest day June 21st and technically ‘mid-winter’.

Q. How long will the project take and how much will it cost?
A. How long’s a piece of string, and probably more than I’ve estimated!

Have a nice weekend!

20
JUN

accommodation, Chanters, innovation, livingstone, Zambia

The Best Of Zambia

After months of dithering I’ve decided Chanters Lodge should appear on the Best of Zambia site. They have a good idea, energy and skills and although it will cost I’d rather be in than out.
Here’s what they say about themselves:

“The Best of Zambia presents a rich resource of everything you need for a great Zambian experience. It showcases Zambia and the finest services available in Zambia against a backdrop of enlightening gems of information. It’s for visitors and residents. It’s for individuals, for those in business and for those in development.

Considered to be one of the safest places on earth, Zambia is beautiful, friendly and an increasingly popular choice for an African holiday and adventure travel. Home of the Victoria Falls, locally known as Mosi-oa-Tunya, acknowledged as one of the most spectacular natural wonders of the world.

But what you’ll discover in Zambia is more than the mighty Victoria Falls. “If you’re out to experience the ‘real’ Africa, Zambia is that diamond in the rough. The country boasts some of the continent’s best wildlife parks, and shares (with Zimbabwe) some of the region’s major highlights …. if you enjoy a raw edge and an Africa with few tourists, Zambia is the place you’re looking for.” (The Lonely Planet website) Zambia is the dream location for the Africa safari and adventure travel.

There is a lot of information about Zambia on the internet but it is scattered and tends to come from travel agents promoting regular Africa holiday packages and adventure travel. The Best of Zambia is different, giving you the tools to create a tailor made experience for yourself whether you’re a resident, diplomat, Africa holiday maker or business person.

Not just for those looking for an Africa safari.There are four main sections to the site. There’s everything the discerning tourist needs to begin their Africa safari journey. Many also come to Zambia as country representatives and international development workers and the Best of Zambia accommodates their needs too. It also caters for residents (local and from overseas) and local and international investors and businesses.

We believe the internet is a great leveller and Zambia can now compete globally. Our vision is to put Zambia on the map by creating a strong internet presence, successfully promoting Zambia and those operating in Zambia. Our mission is to create the best resource for entrepreneurs and organisations to effectively showcase their services to visitors and residents alike.”

With costs rapidly rising and competition in Livingstone in the lodging industry as robust as ever, the only answer is increased occupancy. Anything that gives us a better chance of achieving this has value – I strongly anticipate that Best of Zambia, though a relatively new project will. Let’s hope I’m right!

12
JUN

internet, livingstone, victoriafalls, Zambia

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