A Grand Day Out

On a whim we packed a picnic lunch today and drove with the Hiltys west of Makeni into the bush. Rolling along the dirt road (which would be murder in the rainy season) we passed several well-kept villages. We also tried to visit the Christian Voice school and learned they have great security. After turning around at their gate (we have to make an appointment) we drove down the road to picnic under a baobob tree. As we munched on our lunch a man with a walkie-talkie stopped his bicycle and basically asked what we were doing there. Being Zambian, he was very polite about it. After explaining who we were and handing him an orange, we seemed to assuage his fears.

Following lunch we traveled further into the country, passing a copper mine and a huge grove of baobob trees. We have never seen so many of them in one place~usually we only see single trees. Baobobs this large are thought to be thousands of years old. They are truly amazing!