Bush Driver

You might be like the deacon and pastor I dropped off in Choma last Thursday evening 

after a full day out in the bush.

ok... so definitely not the coolest bush-mo-bile ever, but, hey...
it's a manual diesel, so that's a big plus :)

They didn't know I could drive in the bush.

Truth be told, though it’s exhausting, I actually enjoy the challenge of driving in the bush. Here are a few of my favorite parts of bush driving:

• Meeting another car is rare—maybe a motorbike or two, probably some bicycles, definitely animals and pedestrians
• People along the way are normally very friendly
• No worries about traffic—circles/jams/lights/anything—as traffic is non-existent. period.
• Amazing views (well… not that there’s much time for looking, but at least I know I’m driving through places with good views!)
• It’s always interesting. Never a dull moment behind the wheel, amplified by the fact I have no clue where I’m going, so my passengers—who don’t drive at all—are the ones giving directions. Conversation goes something like this (repeated over and over and over with slight alterations):
• me: Do I turn here or keep going straight?
• passenger: No. keep going. Keep going. Just straight.
• me: Keep going straight? How far?
• passenger: You just keep going straight. Just straight, straight.
• 500 metres up the road, as we’re almost to pass the next turn off path—passenger exclaims: Oh, turn here!

Good thing there’s no traffic and the roads/paths require low gears :)

a temporary rural BIC church structure

one of the rural BIC church buildings we visited (2.5 hours from Choma)

it was a hot day

not only was I the driver, I was also the photographer...
please note the crack in the doorway (halfway up the picture)

checking up on the progress of a rural BIC pastor's house
three of the men in the picture are BIC pastors

three building committee members