The Lounge

The Lounge is an extremely popular club here in Lusaka. You can hear the music from around the corner and as soon as you walk in you are stopped by a wall of people. It is easy for me to get overwhelmed here as the music is so incredible loud and they pack so many people inside it can be suffocating in more ways than one. If I am not in the right mind frame, this is not the place for me; when I am in the right mood though nothing compares, I can count on having a fun dance-filled night. There are two bars, one along the left wall and the other in the back right corner. There is soft lounge seating in a raised area in the front right corner and high-top cocktail tables on the left side. The middle is left open and in the back there is a small dance floor with floor-to-ceiling mirrored walls, although dancing often happens all throughout the small club.

Farm Photo of the Week

Gum Boots

Betty Is Finally All Mine

Last week I finally completed the transfer of ownership of my car, Betty. After a couple weeks if running around town and standing in queue after queue she is officially mine and fully insured. It took us four trips to the RTSA (Road transportation something authority - basically the DMV here) to pick up forms and then return them and pay the fees. Next time you are sitting at the DMV waiting for you number to be called know that it could be worse... you could be at RTSA. 

There are about 30 counters... you get your forms from one, find out you need to pay with another, submit your forms with someone else, and that is all if you get in the right line in the first place. There is basically no seating and no air conditioning, the fans they have don't do much except push around the hot sweaty air. Everything takes so long and people move so slow, but when you are sitting in that heat you know why, your body just partially shuts down and can't possibly process that much at once. If you moved at normal speed you could go for about 20 minutes and then me done for the day, in order to last all day everyone moves at tortoise speed. At least that is my theory as to why Zambians and people who live in warmer climates live life at an easier pace where as back home in the northeast you have to keep moving to stay warm.

In addition to RTSA we had to visit the police station (twice), the seller of the car (twice), ZRA - Zambia Revenue Authority (three times), car insurance agency (twice), and a separate RTSA office to get the car inspected. Most of these trips involved going once to get the proper forms, then returning to wait in a queue to pay the fees and another queue to submit the forms. I had to take four days off from work just to complete everything. We could have paid someone to take care of everything for us but it would have cost us 3 times as much. Although standing in all those lines made me kinda wish we had paid them to do it. Thankfully Katongo had gone with me and helped me through everything because I would have given up by myself. 

I still have to go back to RTSA to update my drivers license so I have a proper Zambian one but we decided I deserved a week off from them and will maybe head back next week. This process seems a bit more simple, but we shall see. They say all I need to do is get the medical clearance form filled out by a doctor (already picked up the form) and bring it with a copy of my American drivers license and then take the road test and pay the fee and an official Zambian drivers license will be mine.

Polo Grill

The second social venue review  I have is of Polo Grill. It is located in the Rhodes Park area of Lusaka and is extremely popular. Parking is tough and most often the lot is full so you have to park on the street down the block. The main building is a large wooden and thatched structure in an oval-ish shape. You enter at the top of the oval and directly to your right is a bar. In the opposite end you will find a second bar and a grill area. The DJ booth is almost halfway down on the left side and the middle is filled with large round tables and chairs leaving room to dance in between sections. That is one thing I appreciate about this place, there is always ample seating. Sometimes the siding is removed on half of the building to reveal a half-wall with – you guessed it – a Polo field. This high ceilings and open concept (in addition to it being one huge room) makes it hard to feel claustrophobic no matter how many people are there. On the weekends the DJ plays all the top international hits as well as the many popular local tracks. The drink prices are reasonable and the food selection is geared for the intoxicated. Most nights you will find yourself there at some point in the evening. Even on a slower night you can usually count on a fairly decent crowd being there. Also, across the Polo field you can find Portico’s, a popular Italian restaurant/lounge. I have not eaten there yet however it is a great place to head for a drink and some conversation – the food I noticed at other tables did look tasty, I hope to head there soon and try out some dishes.

Farm Photo of the Week

A lone tomato crate

Food Lover's Market

Food Lover's Market, Levy Junction Mall, Lusaka

The Olive Tap at FLM

They have recently opened a new boutique grocery store in the mall that one of my offices is at… and I am in love. They have a great prepared food section with affordable options for lunch; along with great fresh fruit, vegetables, meats and more. Possibly my favorite part of the entire store is the olive oil tap. You can buy one bottle and get unlimited refills from their various olive oil drums. I haven’t tried them all yet but I am already a fan. They also have an eat-in restaurant/café section with fresh sushi. I have mentioned my feelings toward eating fish here earlier and I haven’t become desperate enough for a sushi fix yet to eat sushi here in this landlocked country prepared by a local Zambian (I might change my mind a few months down the line, and if I do you will be the first to know).

Fruit Section at FLM

Meat/Butchery at FLM

This is a South African chain and it is their first location here in Zambia. I don’t foresee them opening another anytime soon even though it seems wildly popular now. I just don’t think it is the kind of place that has a solid base of clients. It seems that lots of people will go there, but mostly to be seen shopping there not to actually go grocery shopping. Because of that they will only make a couple purchases and spend the better chunk of their money someplace else. While the quality is good and the store is clean and organized now I hope that they keep it up, but know it probably won’t last. Things here in Zambia have a tendency to get a bit sloppy when they realize people will still come and spend money there even after the standards have dropped. The overall expectations have gone up a bit in the recent years however due to the lack of variety and options for customers here stores are able to get away with much more here.

The Cafe at FLM

The Cafe at FLM

Smuggler's Inn

To give you an idea of what I do outside of work (which isn’t much) I thought I would give some reviews of the places I frequent when I go out. The first on the list is Smuggler’s Inn. This lodge’s restaurant and bar is probably my most frequented spot in Lusaka, mostly because they are guaranteed to have the game on (whichever match is playing). 

Smuggler's Inn - inside bar

They have both indoor and outdoor seating options and a large number of televisions. The inside seating is at small high-top tables with bar stools while the outside seating is picnic tables. The bar is inside however it is predominantly waitress-service. The food is good enough to enjoy while watching the game and is fairly standard pub-food. Late in the evening, especially when there is a big game on the projector, they have a large braai (grill) going where you can pick up some chicken, boerwars (sausages), and gizzards. 

Occasionally they will host concerts with top local artists or have promotional events with the game on a huge projector screen and close off half the parking-lot for seating. In addition they have a few pool tables; pool is very popular here (and yes I am still terrible at it but I also avoid playing because of how terrible I actually am). There is also a small swimming pool although I have never seen anyone actually in it before. While this place can get extremely busy it can be a hit-or-miss on an off night although we can usually count on running into someone you know at some point in the evening.