Joel and his family suggested that the two of us cycle to their favourite holiday spot Isanga Bay Lodge on Lake Tanganyika (run by family friends Nicoline and Dirk – both ex-pats originally from Klein Mont). The road we would travel was mostly off-road and a total distance of 59 Km and in fact the only way to the Lodge. I was stoked, but I had no idea just how challenging and rewarding the experience would be!!
I was able to borrow a friends’ bike. Unfortunately the front suspension was totally locked and useless. We woke at 6 o-clock Monday morning, ate the usual cooked farm brekkie, packed light and started off by 09:00.
We followed the main road to town (about 9 Km) with the wind at our backs where we bought some strawberry drinking yoghurt and puncture repair glue.
By this time I was already puffed out and aching and wondering if I was at all able to go any further at all! Fortunately my muscles soon warmed up.
Cruising straight through the tarred town high-street, we soon hit sand and deflated or tyres significantly for grip and weight distribution. Our first off-road down hill section was very dusty and we skidded through the thick drifts at high speed, I nearly lost control once.
We passed our first villages and were always met with waves and children constantly shouted ‘msungu’ (meaning white-man), sometimes running after us in groups wanting sweets or money.
We hit a long smooth down hill section about 2 Km long and ate some homemade biltong Joel brought as we went, eating with one hand and avoiding scary potholes at speed with the other.
It was about 12:30 when we stopped for our first proper break and ate Simba chips and more biltong. We were sweating like mad and attracting flies. I’d applied sun cream twice before now so this time I caked myself with it! I wanted to avoid sunburn at all costs. This did not help the fly problem so we quickly finished and continued on, pushing up the biggest hill we’d encountered so far. The landscape was becoming more hilly and forested.
We arrived at the top, both seriously exhausted, where I got my first view of the lake. Unfortunately we couldn't see much of it because of all the smoke in the atmosphere from the bush fires below in the valley. Bush fires are very common in Zambia (we passed many on the drive from Lusaka to Mbala).
Cycling down was a real challenge because it was so steep. We had to pressure both brakes constantly. By this time after cycling for about 4 1/2 hours on bumpy roads with heavy packs, our bums were feeling it (well, mine definitely was)!
I looked down for the hundredth time to check my tires and noticed that my back tire was totally flat. unfortunately Joel’s Leatherman pyre's didn't grip onto the wheel nut as we tried to take the wheel off. We were still about 15 Km away from the Lodge. We half-heartedly decided to walk the rest and hopefully use some tools from the next village we came to. Joel soon remembered how the Zambians didn’t even take the wheel off but did the repair by just taking out the tube.
We soon had the repair finished and swapped bikes for the last bit putting the lighter Joel on the damaged bike.
By this time we could see the Lodge on the point in the distance.
After traveling through two more very large villages situated on the banks of the lake, we arrived at Isanga Bay Lodge at 15:00. We were both too relieved and exhausted to speak I think and collapsed into bamboo benches in the dining area. A lodge waiter brought us water that we gladly drank (we’d finished ours long before) and we ordered a coke each - the best coke I’ve ever had!!
After rehydrating we took all our gear to the far end of the beach and set up camp under a tree.
The Lodge is an absolutely amazing place of relaxation and tranquillity. It was difficult to remember that I was in an extremely remote corner of Africa’s second largest lake and not in Hawaii or the Seychelles.
I went for a walk to explore the rocky point that stretched out into the lake. There was such contrast between the black and white rocks, the glassy water and the awesome green of the plants! Wildlife at the Lodge include a small wild cat that patrols the point after dark, a fish eagle just moved into a dead tree and many fish and snakes (aquatic snakes too!). Only one crocodile has every been seen by those at the Lodge – thankfully.
My first and possibly last sunset over Lake Tanganyika – a very special time for me.
Diner that night was a feast! We both headed straight to bed afterwards.
From our tent that night we saw the lights of local fishermen as they went night fishing, shouting very loudly to each other!
The next day I went snorkelling just off-shore and saw loads blue a yellow tropical fish (tropical fish in lake Tanganyika?!). The family joined us and we had a Birthday feast at lunch complete with awesome locally caught fish! Dirk and Nicoline also arranged for the kitchen to bake a cake for me – baked in a coal oven!
It was a truly special 21st!
