Zambian flavor II

Some more thoughts from the trip, again in no particular order!

• Water in Lusaka is clean, no problems using city water. Bottled everywhere else, unless the house is on a well. That said, beware the salads, just be smart!
• Did I mention the coffee?
• Currency is Kwatcha, at my visit, 3800 per dollar. KW1 million sounds like a lot until you make the conversion.
• Meals are as high-calorie as possible, since there are so few of them. This is NOT the place to be on a diet, unless you are actively skipping mealtimes. The food is heavy, take-away is often fried, and chips (French fries) are everywhere ...
• To that end, being heavier and with more children is a sign of prosperity.
• Power is on the British system, sort of, with a mix of British and Continental outlets. Each switch must be turned on and off. That said, there are no ground wires in the homes, so fire is a constant threat.
• The "Zambian handshake" is similar to the "cool kids" handshake of my youth -- straight on, then twist at the thumb, then back to straight on. Cool. (Alternatively, the "Zambian handshake" refers to the small extra you may pay a police official for say, stopping you with a traffic violation ...)
• Corruption is here, but it's not too horrible. The Dutch embassy gave the police radar guns a while back, and it's been hell for the muzunu ever since! (see above)
• Blue is the color of worker's outfits here -- they're everywhere, a short jacket and pants. I'll have the World Bicycle Relief version back in the States soon, or you can see it in my photos from the distribution
• License plates and insurance are sold with the car (and is the main thing police are checking for at checkpoints); the license number is etched into the glass all around the car, and elsewhere on easy-to-steal parts
• Last, but certainly not least, this is a wonderful, safe, beautiful country, and I encourage everyone who reads this to come over and see it for yourself!!