A Norwegian fella we met told me about a riverside camp called Croc Valley. But I'm next door at Tracks n Trails on the opposite side of the National Park.
More or less due north of Chipata. About 130 kms, its the first open camp I have been in. Elephants and hippo roam around the grounds. Earlier, I was confronted by a mother of a baby. She turned towards me and extended her trunk , a back off warning I didn't need. Earlier we were shining a bright torch at a , apparently, small hippo. Not sure I'd like to be close to a bigger one. Loads of monkeys and baboons about and some really beautiful antelope. No need to go into the park, its good enough right here.
Likely I will stay a couple of nights, then get my tail end over to Lusaka pronto. Time is getting short if I'm to reach Jhb by December beginning.
Last night I stayed with a family whose father is a retired civil servant and has continued on a 3 year contract as a district admin chief.  He had apparently been to visit, last weekend, the former long standing president Kaunda who is now in his 90s. Still going strong and quite independent I gather.
He and his wife invited me into there home along with cats, a dog and several mice in the bedroom I slept in having been piled high with bags of maize. Had some really good fish from lake Kariba last night and good breakfast offered this morning.
Frogs are croaking and baboons barking. Pretty wild here, glad my tent is at the top of a platform.
This didn't stop a cheeky ape nicking my leftover chips from last night. Caught a glimpse of the blighter as he pinched the sealed plastic bag with chips in a polystyrene box. Only evidence left below were bits of the box scattered about.
As it happens, I stayed just one night at the riverside camp. Joined 5 others including our knowledgeable driver and experienced spotter on an afternoon and evening game drive into the park. 75 US but glad I went. Not seem a leopard before till yesterday late afternoon. List seen is..
Giraffe, Elephant, Kudu, Hippo, a Croc, Impala, Water buck and other, shrews and larger spotted versions. A male lion who roared dramatically several times while in the spotlight. Eagles,Bats,Starlings, Ox peckers and others. Finally a chameleon which was plucked from a bush then returned after being held and photographed.
After the drive I was dropped of at a village restaurant where I had earlier arranged to leave my bike and bag. Then I had to dose a bit before joining this coach along some very bumpy so far, roads to Lusaka. It started out at 3am and its now after 8 and I have had some shut eye between the jerks. The journey will take at least 9 hours. Lusaka here I come. Glad not to cycling really as this road is very narrow, at many times gravel, and no hard shoulder. Seems all cyclists have to use the sandy edge. Hope Garry and Urs have got on ok. Bet Garry is past the Capital by now. He and Urs have more time and feel obliged to cover all by crank. Though Urs did say that he will find alternatives at appropriate times as opposed to Garry's purest intentions. Until today, I've estimated covering around 80 percent of my journey by bike, or around 1000 miles maybe a bit more. % is dropping today however with this, the longest hop so far. Oh well, spending more time lakeside in Malawi has been well worth it. Glad too for the brief detour to the Game reserve these last couple of days. A quick 100 dollar spend distorts the frugal budget all round, but that cost was relatively small compared to some game fees I have been aware of in other parks along the way. Okavango has always appealed but may be over the top this time. We'll see, it may also be too far off track with time ever shortening.
0830 21/11/14 ..Had a good night's sleep but suddenly well pissed off this morning. A juicy fat orange that I had saved for breakfast is now being enjoyed by a manky monkey. Little b..rt nicked it within the 30 seconds it took for me to leave it on the chair, reach into my tent to grab a knife with which to cut it.  Subsequent view of the little blighter still busy munching same confirmed this atrocity and a brief chase and frantic search for an appropriate monkey missile produced nada while it skipped nonchalantly with my orange out of reach into a thicket of trees. Manager here has organised a pot of coffee to offset my misery. Gaud give me a gun!
I am at the Eureka Camping Park about 10km south of Lusaka on the Livingstone rd. Really nice place apart from the idiots who leave stuff for the monkeys to pinch. There are also zebras I have seen but many others to find on walking trails around.  The camp is set back a good way from the road so only stars and wildlife apart from the pub music last night which didn't stop me going straight off. Yesterday my journey to Lusaka was a long one. I boarded a coach at 3 am and arrived at Lusaka bus station at around 3 pm. Last hour was most frustrating in heavy traffic where I could have cycled far quicker from earlier stops.
Today I'm gonna go and have some a late breakfast along the way somewhere after
trying to find a hotspot .