March 1, 2011 – Church on Wheels

Traveling in Zambia is difficult and very different from travel in the Unitedd States. Each trip is different and you always come out ob the other end with a few stories. There are only a few main paved roads in Zambia going east, west, north and south with big stretches of land in between. To travel from Kasanka to Lusaka can take as little as 6 hours and as much as 20 hours and yo never know what it will be. I traveled to Lusaka for a few days this week to pick up supplies. I got a ride to the closest town, Serenje and then waited there for the PostBus that was coming form the north. Going this route you never know if there will be a seat and you never know what time the bus wil arrive. This Saturday it was 2 hours late and seemed ridiculously full. They promised me a seat and I got one. Well….half of one. I was crammed into a row of three seats with two women and three children. Fine, par for the course. Just sit back and ride it out. But it gets better. I failed to notice but half of the bus was filled with one church group. 4 ½ hours before arriving in Lusaka they broke out in gospel music that continued until the bus backed up into the station and the doors were opened. It was really quite beautiful for the first hour, at least an experience to remember fondly, then I started to think that I was riding in a church on wheels and they were out to save my soul.