The holiday is almost over now. After an early breakfast a car arrives for the Males to take them to Lusaka Airport for flights to Chobe in Botwana for another couple of days game viewing.
We say our goodbyes.
Durbers make arrangements to get the next available car and wait around for it to arrive.
Paul phones Kevin to confirm pick up from Heathrow the next day.
Males say goodbye..................................................................................................Paul phones home.
The Voyagers car driven by Humphrey arrives. Its goodbye to the friendly staff.
Dining Room staff...................................................................................Frank, Paul, Goodson and Sue.
Humphrey drives at one speed - fast - and one braking method - hard. Two shut-your-eyes hours later we are in the middle of Lusaka. He drops us at the Holiday Inn just before lunch.
This is a good hotel. Good rooms, restaurant, McGintys pub, big, pool, gym, etc. The staff are first class and go out of their way to help.
Paul goes to the British Airways office next door to confirm the next morning flights and then spends thirty minutes in the 'internet' cafe printing off three boarding cards.
The hotel is built around an open air pond. In this live fish and half a dozen small crocs. The Husseys use this hotel frequently and Rob had told us that when he was there last year there had been very heavy rains which - unbeknown to anyone - raised the level of the water in the pond high enough for the crocs to get out. Rob was sitting in McGintys Bar that evening when there was a god-almighty commotion and a croc stalked into the bar. He said that the bar cleared in seconds and the funniest sight he's ever seen was the bar manager trying to push the croc out with broom.
We have a good lunch by this pool and then Dave and Sue buy most of the contents of the gift shop.
We meet again later in McGintys for a couple of drinks on our last night. At seven pm we go into the restaurant. This has a really top buffet and Sue is ready to eat. However, we've laid on a little surprise. When we overnighted here last week Paul had mentioned to Rob that Sue used to like Lobster Thermidor in our previous life in Zambia and that he hoped to get one on this trip. He wrote a note for the general manager and that afternoon Paul had been approached by a chef who confirmed that she would produce it.
So it is that Maina the chef marches down the restaurant bearing a silver platter and lays it in front of a delighted Sue. It has to be said that the lobster did not last long.
Dave and Paul settle for the buffet and steaks cooked to order by the Louis Armstrong lookalike.
A few more drinks by the pool then Sue and Paul go to bed.
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