// ZAMBIA
Zambia is a lovely little country, of many languages (more than seventy) — and holds the distinction of being the only country on my travels that I walked to. I arrived to most countries on my trip by bus, quite a few by train, some by car, more than you'd expect by boat, and several by plane. But early-ish in the morning in Zimbabwe, my sister and I joined some other backpackers at the hostel, hiked through town with our backpacks on our shoulders, and crossed the Zambezi River by bridge, entering Zambia on foot. The highlight of our time here was the Tazara Railway. Something of an engineering marvel when it was completed, it's a journey of 1,160 miles from Lusaka, the capital of Zambia, to Dar Es Salaam on the Indian Ocean in Tanzania. Women and men can't be placed in the same cabin, so my sister and I had our own interesting collection of bunk mates for the many days it takes to complete the journey, watching as the African countryside passes by, as stops are made in remote villages and faraway towns, as friends are made in the dining cars. Trains are the bees knees.
LUSAKA
Zambia and Zimbabwe were both once part of British Rhodesia, though they had very different post-colonial histories. In the 1960s, Northern Rhodesia was granted independence and became the nation of Zambia. Today it is a quiet little country home to 73 ethnic groups and just as many languages.
TAZARA RAILWAY
The Tazara Train makes a three day, 1169 mile journey, connecting Zambia to Tanzania. There's a restaurant and dining car, a lounge, even showers aboard.
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