Hi guys, well while this has nothing to do with blasters, I thought some of you may be interested in seeing what ive been up to.
I work for a geotechnical engineering consultancy and material testing laboratory, we do field investigations looking at the soil and rock conditions required for founding houses, dams, pipelines, powerlines, roads, railways etc etc. We also test material to see if it conforms to necessary standards. Etc.
Now a big project landed on my desk from the Zambian government where they were looking to rebuild a road in the northwest corner of Zambia (I live in South Africa, but we have a satellite lab in Lusaka, Zambia.) We had to test the existing road every 1km, dig a 1.5m hole and take samples back to Lusaka (2 days drive!) We also had to identify sources of material that can be used in the road building process nearby, so we looked at Borrow pits. (Gravel/dirt road, not surfaced)
So after months of planning, having had my Yellow Fever injection and malaria tablets on hand, I boarded the plane with my bag filled with all sorts of things you need to survive in Africa. I was pretty nervous! (Our South African "Africa" is very tame compared to up there!). I caught a connecting flight from Johannesberg, SA to Lusaka, Zambia and was amazed at how small the airport was. I got picked up by a random dude I didnt know, but being a white guy, he was easy to find in a crowd!
I spent the next two days in Lusaka gearing up with stuff I couldnt take on the plane from home.
Lusaka is the capital of Zambia and is a pretty civilized place, in many ways but not so im many more ways. Things are expensive, like crazy expensive as everything is imported, except beef and maize.
I then loaded my brand new Toyota Hilux 4x4 and headed out for a 2 day trip to site.
Along the way I met some interesting people and saw some more interesting things! One thing that struck me instantly is the level of education of the people. everyone can speak english, even in the middle of nowhere and everyone is courteous, polite and friendly. Zambia was a english colony and the best way to describe the way the people speak and act is colonial, very British.
Lusaka:
Along the way...
I work for a geotechnical engineering consultancy and material testing laboratory, we do field investigations looking at the soil and rock conditions required for founding houses, dams, pipelines, powerlines, roads, railways etc etc. We also test material to see if it conforms to necessary standards. Etc.
Now a big project landed on my desk from the Zambian government where they were looking to rebuild a road in the northwest corner of Zambia (I live in South Africa, but we have a satellite lab in Lusaka, Zambia.) We had to test the existing road every 1km, dig a 1.5m hole and take samples back to Lusaka (2 days drive!) We also had to identify sources of material that can be used in the road building process nearby, so we looked at Borrow pits. (Gravel/dirt road, not surfaced)
So after months of planning, having had my Yellow Fever injection and malaria tablets on hand, I boarded the plane with my bag filled with all sorts of things you need to survive in Africa. I was pretty nervous! (Our South African "Africa" is very tame compared to up there!). I caught a connecting flight from Johannesberg, SA to Lusaka, Zambia and was amazed at how small the airport was. I got picked up by a random dude I didnt know, but being a white guy, he was easy to find in a crowd!
I spent the next two days in Lusaka gearing up with stuff I couldnt take on the plane from home.
Lusaka is the capital of Zambia and is a pretty civilized place, in many ways but not so im many more ways. Things are expensive, like crazy expensive as everything is imported, except beef and maize.
I then loaded my brand new Toyota Hilux 4x4 and headed out for a 2 day trip to site.
Along the way I met some interesting people and saw some more interesting things! One thing that struck me instantly is the level of education of the people. everyone can speak english, even in the middle of nowhere and everyone is courteous, polite and friendly. Zambia was a english colony and the best way to describe the way the people speak and act is colonial, very British.
Lusaka:
Along the way...
