Extreme Experience

Meet Tony Pilcher, entrepreneur and owner/manager of Jet Extreme, his company providing exciting jet boat adventures in the rapids below Victoria Falls for tourists to Livingstone, Zambia. Tony was our Guest on the most recent edition of The Chanters Lodge Experience with the Milli Jam Ingredient featuring George da Soulchild Kaufela, our weekly Sunday night radio show airing from 20.30 to 21.30 hrs on Zambezi 107.7 fm, Livingstone’s leading local radio station. Tony kindly donated a jet boat ride for two people to add on to the weekly prize we give away on the show, of a dinner for two with drinks and a swim at Chanters Lodge. We give the prize to the first person to text us telling us who’s singing our ‘oldie of the week’ – this week’s track was Cher’s ‘Believe’ and the great prize was quickly snapped up by Mpezeni – to the consternation of others!

Tony told listeners that he’d started his company in 1999. For five years before that he had been an overland truck driver hosting trips from Cairo to Cape Town passing through Livingstone on many of his trips. He had seen an opportunity for jet boating on the Zambezi and had got himself organized. I pointed out that he and I had started up businesses at roughly the same time. Tony explained that it cost ZK500,000 (about US$100) pp to participate in the jet boat activity, the ride itself lasts about half an hour, the rest of the three and half hour activity is taken up with the transfer to the cable car which takes passengers 220 meters down to the boat launch. Tony’s two directional cable car is unique in Zambia and is a ‘must do’ for tourists. The activity includes a stop over at Chief Mukuni’s village for a spot of culture! The 800 hp boat cruises at speeds of up to 90 kmh, performing ‘jet spins’ leaving you facing the other way in a matter of seconds and generally soaking wet! “Has it put you off?” I asked George and Milli  who were angling for an invite “not at all, not at all, no!” They exclaimed in unison. The company has two boats one eight seater, one eleven seater and the minimum number for a trip is eight people.

Musically Tony expressed an interest in the Bellamy Brothers. We did not have them on the play list but we did have Olly Murs featuring Flo Rida and their number one UK smash hit ‘Troublemaker’, back to back with Bruno Mars ‘Moonshine’ – a great start to the show. George dropped Salma Dodia’s big African hit ‘Wonderful World’ together with Afunika’s ‘Free To Mingo’ and yes that is the right spelling (smh). Milli Jam spun ‘Hope We Meet Again’ from Pitbull featuring Chris Brown together with a Paris Hilton/ Lil Wayne combo. Our pick of the week was ‘Not Giving In’ from Rudimental featuring John Newman and Alex Clare.

Tony told listeners that he is married to Sue, who had been out of Zambia for some time following a family bereavement, they did not have children ‘but who knows what might happen when she comes back’ said Tony to some in studio laughter! Milli Jam wanted to know who were the best clients of the jet boat and Tony said that the Asian community were his best supporters but he really depended on agents for marketing and bookings. Sun International gave him lots of business. Being a New Zealander Tony said he loved rugby but no longer played.

Jet Extreme has expansion plans in the property market with Royal Mukuni Villa Estate. At the top of the gorge near the cable car start point the company has 22 plots already sited, as well as investors lined up including the Mukuni Development Trust. Tony hoped that in ten years time he would still be happily married, would have started a family and would still be driving jet boats as part of an expanded successful company in Zambia.

We wished him the best of luck.

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Norwegian Students On ‘The Experience’

Meet the three delightful students we have staying at Chanters Lodge, Livingstone, Zambia for a few weeks, undertaking their practicals at Libala Basic School in Livingstone. All three are in their final year at University of Tromso in Norway, studying for a degree in teaching. From left to right in the picture above, Ellen Marie Steen, Bjorn Danielsen and Lillian Ballo as they appeared last Sunday on the latest edition of the Chanters Lodge Experience with the Milli Jam Ingredient. That’s our regular Sunday night radio show airing on Zambezi 107.7 fm, Livingstone’s leading local radio station. The show airs from 20.30 to 21.30 live, and sort of streams on the internet too!

These young, intelligent and energetic Norwegians told listeners that Tromso, where they are at University, is a very cold place in the winter situated as it is in the furthest north of Norway near the Arctic Circle. “How are you coping with this Livingstone heat?” Milli Jam, our programme host, wondered. “We are happy to have air-conditioning and a swimming pool at Chanters Lodge” they replied with feeling! “Are you enjoying the interaction with the Zambian children at your school?” Milli Jam wondered. “Very much” they said, adding that they found the Zambian children very well disciplined even though the school classes were much larger than those in Norway.

The music on the show was right up to date as usual, featuring at the top of the show the current UK number one ‘Beneath Your Beautiful’ from Labrinth and Emeli Sande, back to back with Tyler James – Single Tear. Tracks from Judy, B-Flow, Nicki Minaj, Justin Bieber and Bastille followed. We kept a promise to make our oldie of the week very easy on this show – we give away a dinner for two every week to the first person to text us telling us who’s singing on the track – and we dropped Lionel Richie and Diana Ross with ‘Endless Love’. The prize was won in a matter of seconds! We closed the show with Bruno Mars and Young Wild Girls.

Milli Jam wanted to know if the students had had any time for tourist activities and they replied that so far they had been working very hard, although they had been to see Victoria Falls and had taken a sunset cruise on the Zambezi. Later during their stay they intended to go white water rafting, on safari to Chobe in Botswana and to swim in Devil’s Pool on Livingstone Island. Bjorn was toying with the idea of bungee jumping, the girls were not! “Are you married?” Milli Jam wondered. Giggles. “No replied Ellen but I’m dating a music student in Norway”. “My boyfriend’s a builder” said Lillian. Bjorn told listeners that he was young, single and free! “Get in girls!” Milli Jam told our audience.

“What do you think of Zambian food” Milli Jam wondered, and to our surprise these Norwegian youngsters replied “we love eating crocodile meat!” “Eish!” said I. Asked where they would like to be and what they would like to be doing in ten years’ time Lillian replied that she would like to be married with three children and a pop star! (Not so outlandish seeing she already has three singles released in Norway). Bjorn wanted to be happy, taking life one day at a time and enjoying an adventurous life. Ellen Marie said she was very bad at planning her life and felt that Bjorn’s ideas were excellent!

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Good News For Tazara

This is good news – we get a surprising number of Guests at Chanters Lodge who have travelled from Tanzania using this service and made their way down to Livingstone to see Victoria Falls.

From IPP Media

The Tanzania-Zambia Railway Authority (Tazara) and the Government of China have concluded an agreement identifying 12 new projects with the value of RMB Yuan 270 m (approximately USD42m) to be undertaken under the Protocol of the 15th Economic and Technical Cooperation (15th Protocol). The announcement follows the exchange of letters between the Managing Director of Tazara, Akashambatwa Mbikusita-Lewanika and the Chief Representative of the Economic and Commercial Representation of the People’s Republic of China in Tanzania, Lin Zhiyong.


The new projects, which are aimed at supporting and boosting the operations, include the rehabilitation of 42 passenger coaches and supply of four new mainline locomotives, two shunting locomotives, various rescue and lifting equipment, track trolleys, assorted spare parts and 30,000 pieces of wooden sleepers as well as training of staff on various railway skills and attachment of Chinese railway experts to Tazara over a specified period.

Welcoming the affirmation of the 12 new projects, whose commencement date is soon to be announced, Mbikusita-Lewanika thanked the Chinese Government for the ever-present and tangible support. “Whilst we acknowledge that the support funds under the Protocols are provided as interest free loans to the Tanzanian and Zambian governments, we are grateful to the Government and the People of China for the continuing positive association with Tazara,” he said.

He pointed out that the economic and technical support under the 15 Protocols signed so far is what has kept Tazara going while awaiting the much needed re-capitalisation, reconstruction and restructuring by the shareholding governments of Zambia and Tanzania. “The Protocols are a necessary and critical factor to sustain us in the interim period of the next three years, while the Tanzanian and Zambian governments and other organs of responsibility look for long-lasting solutions required for re-building our operating capacity,” the MD said.

Over the years, Tazara has been receiving regular financial support from the Chinese Government through what are termed as “Protocols of Economic and Technical Co-operation” signed with Tanzania and Zambia in the form of interest free loans, the 14th Protocol having been signed in December 2009, followed by the 15th protocol in March 2012. Out of the last 12 projects undertaken in the 14th Protocol, there are only three outstanding projects which are in the final phase of completion, these being the supply of six new mainline locomotives, rehabilitation of three shunting locomotives and rehabilitation of four gantry cranes.

Once fully executed, the projects of the 14th and 15th Protocols are collectively expected to greatly enhance Tazara’s capacity, doubling the number of locomotives in operation by the year 2015. Currently there are, on average, only 10 mainline locomotives available daily, for mainline activities covering the entire 1860km railway.

 

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Lucas and Liz Messick

“What a happy loving couple!” I hear you say about the picture (above) of Lucas and Liz Messick, and you’d be right! This young duo from Pennsylvania, USA appeared on the latest edition of our Sunday night radio show – The Chanters Lodge Experience with the Milli Jam Ingredient featuring George da Soulchild Kaufela. The show airs every Sunday night on Zambezi 107.7 fm, Livingstone’s firmly established local radio station and streams live on the internet too! Lucas and Liz were hoping their families back in the States would be tuned in! “How long have you been married?” Milli Jam wanted to know at the top of the show, “just eight months” they replied. “Awwwww”! We said!

Lucas and Liz told listeners that they’d been in Zambia for the past five weeks volunteering at Macha Mission Hospital – Macha Mission is a mission station in the Choma District of the Southern Province of Zambia. The hospital has 200 beds and is a vital service in this rural area. Liz is training to be a physician’s assistant and is doing a two year Masters course at Lock Haven University for her qualification – this stint at Macha formed part of her course. Lucas is an accountant in the family business back home, the family has five stores selling ‘farming implements’ – he admitted that Bruce Springsteen, who has a ranch in Pennsylvania, buys tractors from his company – farming implements indeed! Nothing like hoes and rakes! Whilst in Macha Lucas had been helping with the books at the Mission.

The music on the show was the usual great mix. Tracks from The Wanted and Amelia Lily started us off, then George played Ozzy’s ‘You’re The Reason’  and Ty2’s ‘Spotlight’ as his local Zambian choices. The latter was the oldie of the week, and the prize we give each week to the first person to text us telling us who’s singing our oldie, was quickly snapped up! Great! Milli Jam dropped Chris Brown’s smash ‘Don’t Wake Me Up’ and we followed with latest tracks from Carly Rae Jepsen as well as Psy’s Gangnam Style – over 200 million hits on YouTube for Korean Psy!

Liz and Lucas told listeners they’d loved their trip to Chobe in Botswana that day and had been lucky to see lions, as well as hundreds and hundreds of elephant. They had enjoyed Victoria Falls and had been to see them from the Zimbabwe side as well. Liz was rather disappointed that there was not more water going over, due to it being the dry season, but thought it a good reason to come back to Zambia again after the rainy season. She had learned some Tonga while in Zambia and she and Milli Jam started chatting away in his language. He loved it!

Lucas expressed a great love of TV show Top Gear and sport – especially American Football – he had even been following a game between Philadelphia Eagles and Baltimore Ravens that day on the internet at Chanters! He also revealed that he plays the french horn in an orchestra back in America and is into classical music. Liz is more into Christian music and was happy when I told her that Lecrae’s new album ‘Gravity’ was high in the US album charts as we went on air. We give listeners chart and social media news every week on our show.

Saying that they were flying back to America the following day, and asked where they would like to be and what they would like to be doing in ten years’ time, they said they hoped to have two children, to be following the Lord and to have great jobs! We wished them well.

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Zambia Meets UK For Children With Special Needs

Meet Chris Bentley, Cynthia Chisangano and Doug Staff, our Guests on the most recent edition of The Chanters Lodge Experience with the Milli Jam Ingredient, featuring George da Soulchild Kaufela. The show is sponsored by Chanters Lodge and airs every Sunday between 20.30 and 21.30 hrs on Zambezi 107.7 fm, Livingstone’s leading local radio station – ‘Let The Waves Flow’ is their motto, and they certainly did last Sunday night!

Two of our Guests – Chris and Doug hail from UK and were visiting Zambia as part of a reciprocal partnership between Zambia and the UK, of schools, or departments in schools, catering for children with special needs. Cynthia is in charge of the department of children with special needs at David Livingstone High School in Livingstone, while Chris and Doug are teachers at Crowdy’s Hill School in Swindon, UK. That school has some 130 students with special and complex needs, some with mental health issues. The original contact was made by Cynthia who in 2010, perusing Facebook as we in Zambia often do, came across the page for the British Council and a feature about possible reciprocal arrangements between schools worldwide with departments of special needs. She was on to it in a flash and the link between David Livingstone High School and Crowdy’s Hill was established. Cynthia visited UK earlier this year and Doug and Chris told listeners they were much enjoying meeting the staff and children involved in Cynthia’s department at David Livingstone High School.
This music on the show was the usual rich mixture that Milli Jam, George and I create each week! Tracks were from Misha B, Angel, Paulina Rubio and Far East Movement ft Cover Drive. Others were from Danny and Slap Dee, with tracks from Sean Paul ft Kelly Rowland as well as Usher. Our oldie of the week, chosen by Milli Jam, was by Destiny’s Child. Worried about the poor response in recent weeks to our offer of a dinner for two at the lodge to the first person to text us the name of the artist featured in our oldie of the week, we came in half way through the track telling listeners to ‘come on and text’ and the response improved immediately and the prize was won. A lesson learned.
Doug told listeners that he was married with two sons, Chris is engaged to be married and Cynthia’s single. The group’s main aim at the moment is to ensure the sustainability of their project – to this end they are interested in David Livingstone High School becoming a British Council ‘Learning Hub’ attracting new sponsored finance and more importantly new computers and internet connectivity for the school and, out of hours, for the community. We wished them the best of luck in their endeavors.
 
Milli Jam wondered whether Doug and Chris would have time for any tourist activities during their visit to Livingstone and the guys explained that they would go white water rafting and later on the sunset cruise the following Tuesday. They were much looking forward to their day off – granted them by Cynthia who was their boss for the week! She would stay at the school and work! Asked where they would like to be and what they would like to be doing ten years from now, Chris said he hoped still to be teaching children with special needs, maintaining his links with Zambia, Doug wanted to be coaching canoeing and kayaking in Canada. Cynthia wanted to have her doctorate and to be a national advocate for children with special needs in Zambia.

We rounded off the show with greetings for Guests and staff at the lodge, news from the Chanters Lodge blog, our Twitter account as well as our weekly contributions on Facebook and Pinterest. Chart news from the US and UK latest pop charts is standard on the show too!

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Whitney & Dave DeCamp

 
Meet Whitney and David DeCamp (above) from the USA. Whitney is a strategic planning analyst with the American Red Cross and Dave is a business system manager with the Elizabeth Glaser Pediatric Aids Foundation, both based in Washington DC. Dave’s job involves the implementation of the Smartcare programme in conjunction with the Centre for Disease Control.

Whitney and Dave met about 11 years ago and in 2005 got married. They have recently been enjoying a short vacation at Chanters Lodge in Livingstone, so we took the opportunity to invite them to guest on our regular Sunday night radio show – The Chanters Lodge Experience with the Milli Jam Ingredient featuring George da Soulchild Kaufela – airing live at 20.30 hrs on Zambezi 107.7 fm, Livingstone’s leading local radio station. On this occasion the ‘Milli Jam Ingredient’ was not feeling well so it was the ‘Kaufela Ingredient’ featuring Richard! Whitney and Dave were a little apprehensive but in the end happy to accept our invitation and they were great Guests!

“What have you been doing since you arrived in Livingstone?” George wondered early on in the set. Whitney and Dave explained that they had only arrived from Lusaka the day before, but had already managed to fit in a sunset cruise on Lady Livingstone, which they had loved, especially as they saw quite a lot of game during the trip. They had, they explained, that very morning been on the rhino walk with Bwaato Adventures, and considered the activity to be really good value for money. They had seen six rhino, including one of the babies as well as loads of other game, including cape buffalo, giraffe and zebra. Dave told listeners that he’d been attending a conference in Lusaka before they arrived in Livingstone, Whitney had, on this occasion, been able to join him for a holiday and had persuaded him to come and see Victoria Falls and he was delighted she had. They had seen the Falls and got soaking wet in the process! “All part of the fun!” They said.

The music on the show was good. We played tracks by Jeremy Greene featuring Usher as well as from Miley Cyrus, Roberto and Kaufela, moving on to Pitbull featuring Shakira – or was it the other way round? Newton Faulkner featured too. Our oldie of the week was by Shabba Ranks. We give away a dinner for two to the first person to text us telling us who’s the artist on our weekly oldie and this week a certain Albert win the prize. Our pick of the week was Call My Name – Florence and The Machine’s first every UK number one, featuring Calvin Harris and we closed with Taio Cruz’a latest ‘Fast Car’.

Dave told listeners that he loves country music and baseball, while Whitney likes alternative rock and American football. Their favourite teams are both from Baltimore. Asked how they had found out about Chanters Lodge Whitney explained that they had found the lodge well reviewed on TripAdvisor and that they were more than happy that they had made the lodge their choice.

Asked where they would like to be and what they would like to be doing in ten years’ time, this lively and loving couple expressed an interest in coming back to live in Zambia with their, as yet, unborn children. We wondered if it was hard for Whitney with Dave travelling so much in his job, but they explained that the internet, Skype and things made it much easier than it used to be! Were the guys on Facebook or Twitter? Yes both, but Dave claimed he had no followers on Twitter! We determined to do something about that!

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Handleys Rock Zambezi 107.7 fm

There are three generations of Handleys in the photo above – patriarch Len on the right, daughter Jenna next left, and grandson Jobe on his mum’s left. Completing the picture, replete in his Springbok shirt, is family friend Greg Mortimer. The shot was taken in the studios of Zambezi 107.7 fm, Livingstone’s leading local radio station, when the guys appeared on the latest edition of our weekly Sunday night radio show – The Chanters Lodge Experience. The show was hosted by George da Soulchild Kaufela on this occasion, due to Milli Jam’s absence on business. Great job Kaufela did too, at short notice.

The Handleys hail from Bendigo in Australia and were visiting Zambia and Livingstone for the first time. Len told listeners that he was a semi-retired solicitor, but that he still does occasional work for government funded legal aid. Jenna explained that she was working for a local council in facilities for the aged and disabled. Lively Jobe – the star of the show – said he was 11 years old, in grade 6 and that that very afternoon he had been riding elephants out at Mukuni Big 5 Conservation Park! Had he been scared? Not a bit of it! Had he ridden the same beast as his mum? Not at all – they had each had their own jumbo! Greg told us that he is a South African who had been living in Australia but was now domiciled back in South Africa. He works in a business consulting company dealing in patents and trademarks.
The music on the show was good. We opened with Maroon 5’s latest ‘Wipe Your Eyes’ just as their smash ‘Payphone’ featuring Wiz Khalifa, debuted at number one on the UK singles chart – the group’s first UK number one. We coupled that back to back with Eric Church’s US number one country track ‘Springsteen’. Local selections were from Ruff Kid and Slap Dee. Our oldie of the week was a local track ‘Dyress’ from Amayenge. We give a prize of a dinner for two at Chanters Lodge on every show to the first person to text us telling us who’s singing the oldie of the week, and this time the prize was quickly snapped up. Other tracks were from Paloma Faith and Train.
The group told listeners that they had enjoyed seeing Victoria Falls and were excited about seeing the Falls from the air the next day when they were scheduled for helicopter and microlight flights. They had loved the sunset cruise on the Zambezi and were looking forward to a one day safari to Chobe National Park in Botswana during their holiday. While Jobe and Jenna had been riding elephants, Greg and the rest of the group, including Len’s daughter Tatum and grandson Caleb, had ridden the white water rapids on the Zambezi from rapid 10-25 that very afternoon. “Did you spill?” We wondered and they told us theirs was the only boat on the river which did not! Had they enjoyed the experience? You bet they had! Were they tired and sore? Errr…..yes!

Asked where they would like to be and what they would like to be doing in ten years’ time Len said he hoped to still be playing lawn bowls and travelling, Greg that he hoped he would still be travelling but with his children who would then be old enough to enjoy it, and Jenna hoped also still to be seeing the world. Jobe gave the impression that he would like to be married by then! We laughed! 

Great show with lovely people!

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The Calgary Crowd on Zambezi 107.7 fm

Actually this wasn’t the whole ‘Calgary Crowd’ who’d been staying at Chanters Lodge, Livingstone, Zambia, there were a couple more back at the lodge! They are big people and it’s quite a small studio! Meet (left to right) Julie and Dallas Mauck with Hobie Schmautz. All hail from Alberta, Canada and were visiting Zambia – and for that matter Africa – for the first time. They were a little hesitant about appearing on our regular Sunday evening radio show on Zambezi 107.7 fm – The Chanters Lodge Experience with the Milli Jam Ingredient, featuring George da Soulchild Kaufela – but I twisted their arms and I believe they enjoyed ‘The Experience’ – though it was, perhaps, one of the last things they expected to do while they were visiting Livingstone and Victoria Falls!

During their visit to Zambia, apart from appearing on the radio, Julie and Dallas, married for 20 years this year and celebrating the anniversary with their stunning trip to Africa, as well as Hobie and the rest of the crowd, had taken a 30 minute helicopter flight over the Falls which they described as ‘amazing’. On their second day they’d rafted the famous Zambezi white water rapids – numbers 14-25 which are those open while there’s ‘high water’ – as it is at the moment. I asked Hobie on air if he’d enjoyed the ride and he said ‘well, yes, I did seeing I can’t swim’! The group had also ‘zip lined’ from the famous railway bridge between Zambia and Zimbabwe but had, apparently, drawn the line at bungee jumping!
 
The music on the show was good, we dropped Cheryl Cole’s UK number one hit ‘Call My Name’ back to back with Flo Rida’s ‘Whistle’ at the top of the show. For the Zambian part of our play list we chose Dandy Krazy’s ‘Dangana Nkupule’ as well as B’Flow’s ‘Efyo Waba featuring P-Jay. Jennifer Hudson’s ‘Spotlight’ was our ‘oldie of the week’ – listeners have to text us telling us who’s singing the track if they want to win a dinner for two with drinks at Chanters Lodge – they do and they did, so the prize was quickly won. Milli Jam featured Camp Mulla’s ‘Party Don’t Stop’ – they’re a Kenyan outfit – and for our Canadian Guests we played ‘As Long As You Love Me’ Justin Bieber’s dubstep smash, featuring Big Sean.
 

Julie and Dallas told listeners that they run their own business back in Calgary – it’s a quick service garage that offers complete oil and filter changes in 20 minutes for US$60. We believed them!! And so too did we believe that you can get used to -45C degree temperatures though I’m not sure I’d want to! The group also told us they’d had a great time in South Africa on safari for almost three weeks before they arrived in Zambia, and that they would be headed back for Canada the day after the show. Asked where they would like to be and what they would like to be doing in ten years’ time Julie said she and Dallas would like still to be healthy, wealthy and travelling! Hobie was ‘hoping for the best’.

Great show!

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From Oklahoma, USA to Livingstone, Zambia

Meet Staci and Lance Norton (standing, left to right) as well as Mackenzie and Madison Gillham (seated left to right) from Oklahoma, USA, our recent Guests at Chanters Lodge as well as on the most recent edition of The Chanters Lodge Experience with the Milli Jam Ingredient, featuring George da Soulchild Kaufela. That’s our regular Sunday night radio show on Zambezi 107.7 fm, Livingstone’s popular local radio station. The lodge sponsors the show, which is a mixture of music and chat – popular locally due to the fact that we give away a weekly dinner for two at the lodge to the first person to text us telling us who’s singing our ‘oldie of the week’. This week George chose a track from Zambia’s popular Sakala Brothers and the prize was quickly snapped up by a lucky listener!

The Nortons and Gillhams told listeners that they’d arrived in Zambia on May 23rd primarily to visit and participate for a while in the running of The New Day Orphanage in Mpanza in the Southern Province of Zambia, some one and a half hours from Choma. Lance is Youth Minister at Union Hill Baptist Church in Oklahoma and New Day Orphanage is sponsored and run by the Baptist Mission in Zambia. The orphanage is still small with about 14 children aged between 4 and 8 years. They had enjoyed their time in the ‘bush’ helping to teach the children religious studies, as well as basic reading, writing and arithmetic skills. Staci and Lance Norton had visited Zambia last year, but for the girls it was their first visit. Milli Jam was delighted to be able to talk briefly to Lance in the Tonga language!

Madison, the older of the two sisters explained that she was a third year student of early childhood education at South Western Oklahoma State University, and Mackenzie that she is at the same college as her sister studying first year pre-veterinary medicine. For once, when we had girls on the programme, Milli Jam forgot to ask them if they had boyfriends waiting for them back home! The girls told listeners that their dad was a farmer and their mum a beautician back in the USA.

The music on the show had a distinct African flavour with tracks by Exile and Judy from Zambia, Diamond from Tanzania and Naeto C from Nigeria. We also played Loreen’s Eurovision Song Contest winning ‘Euphoria’, as well as Philip Phillips’ ‘Home’ – the girls were happy to hear that Philip had recently won the American Idol show – news they had missed while they were deep in Southern Province, Zambia!

Lance and Staci told listeners that they’d been able to fit in quite a lot of tourist activities since they’d arrived in Livingstone. They had taken the one day safari to Chobe in Botswana, and had been delighted to see a wide range of animals including lion, giraffe and elephant as well as a whole host of birds. They’d taken the helicopter flight over Victoria Falls – the girls admitted to being ‘a little bit scared’. They had seen the Falls from the Zimbabwe side as well as from here in Zambia. They had ridden elephants, walked with lions, encountered cheetahs and the next day were scheduled for a game drive to try and see rhino. They had not done the bungee jump – ‘not brave enough’ they said! Quite a package anyway! They described Victoria Falls as ‘amazing;.

Asked where they would like to be and what they would like to be doing ten years from now, Mackenzie calculated that at that stage she would be two years out of vet school and practicing her profession. Madison hoped to be pre-school teaching and raising a family. We wished them luck with their ambitions.

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The Peace Corps and The Experience

Meet Jenni Kuker (above right) and her mum Jan who were Guests on the most recent edition of the Chanters Lodge Experience with the Milli Jam Ingredient featuring George da Soulchild Kaufela. That’s our regular Sunday night radio show on Zambezi 107.7 fm, Livingstone’s leading local radio station. The programme is a relaxing mixture of music and chat. Jenni and her parents, who come from the USA, were staying at Chanters Lodge on a visit to see Victoria Falls. When Milli Jam asked Jenni “what brought you to Zambia?” She exclaimed “adventure!” And went on to tell listeners that she is a Peace Corps volunteer and that she’d been based in Zambia since July 2010, stationed 200 kms east of Lusaka in Luangwa. Her parents were on a visit to see her, as well as to do some sight seeing.

Jenni explained that she held two degrees, one in psychology and one in nursing from University of Portland in Oregon, USA. She told listeners that in Luangwa she stayed in a mud hut without electricity, and had been mostly living on a diet of village chickens and bananas. That part of Eastern Zambia is famous for the production of the latter, and Jenni told listeners she was now expert in the production of banana bread, banana fritters and banana pancakes! She was involved with health care education in a rural clinic and would finish her stint in Zambia in September this year. She was looking forward to showing her parents ‘the village’ and then taking them on Safari in the South Luangwa National Park staying at Flatdogs.
The music on the show was right up to date as usual. We opened with Rihanna’s ‘Where Have You Been’ – her upcoming single release, back to back with Conor Maynard’s ‘Can’t Say No’. Conor’s single was number two in the UK charts as the show went on air. Hailing from Brighton Conor is billed as ‘Britain’s answer to Justin Bieber’. The mind boggles – but it’s a good single. For his Zambian pick George dropped one of his own great tracks ‘Your Love’ featuring Jay Fantasy back to back with JK’s smash featuring Salma ‘Kapilipili’. Milli Jam chose the ‘oldie of the week’ Charice’s ‘Pyramid’ and my phone was hot with folks texting in to tell us the name of the artist, in order to win a dinner for two at the lodge. Jacque won. We closed with Maroon 5 ft Wiz Khalifa and ‘Payphone’.
Jan told listeners that she and husband David (listening to the show back at the lodge) had been married 43 years and were both retired. They had both worked in human resources prior to retirement. They were thoroughly enjoying their first visit to Zambia. Jenni told us that a lack of privacy in the village had been the hardest thing to accept when she arrived in Luangwa, and said she had overcome the problem by building a fence. She wanted to work in specialized surgical nursing when she returned to the USA, and mum wanted her to find a husband. ‘No need to return to the States for that’ texted one bright spark ‘plenty of eligible men in Zambia’. We laughed.

Asked where she would like to be and what she would like to be doing in ten years’ time, Jenni replied that she would like to be nursing somewhere in the world with Medecins Sans Frontiers. I’m sure it will happen!

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