ZAMBIA

We both loved and hated Zambia, but we still aren't quite sure why we hated it.
The reasons for loving the country are numerous - Livingstone in the south is the capital of adventure in the country with the Zambezi River and Victoria Falls literally lapping at the town's doorstep.
White water rafting was awesome, as was simply walking out behind the Vic falls and swimming in rock pool right on the edge of the abyss. The town also has a pleasant and friendly atmostphere.
The nicest aspect of southern Zambia has to be the people of the Lozi tribe who are incredibly friendly - they make you feel at ease as soon as they greet you. We'd go back to Zambia just to see the people of this area again.
Part of the reason we didn't stay longer in Zambia was the state of the country's roads: tarred ones have more square metres of crater than they do of tarmac while the gravel roads are stricly speaking good jeep tracks than they are roads.
Entry to the national parks is charged in US dollars and you don't get much for your money. This is the first country, travelling north, where US$10 for a campsite got you a cloud of flies as an escort to the toilets, a tap and not much more.
The game also wasn't plentiful in Kafue National Park but much of the country remained unexplored by us simply because we couldn't face the roads.
There are supermarkets in most of the larger towns, police checkpoints in virtually every village - although contrary to the horror stories we'd heard, the police were all friendly and helpful and none of them asked for the bribes they are "notorious" for demanding - not a single roadsign anywhere.
The one thing the police did check was that we had small - 5 cm by 5 cm, although locals use 20 cm strips - white and red reflective stickers front and back. Ordinary reflectors aren't sufficient.
Border formalities weren't a problem but that may have been because we arrived 3 minutes before they closed for the night and they just wanted to get rid of us!
Articles on Zambia:

LIVINGSTONE
A rough day's drive, lazy border officials and we're in Zambia.

VICTORIA FALLS
A quiet day (or is that Quite a day ...) floating down the Zambezi River in the Batoka Gorge below the Victoria Falls.

LUSAKA
Let's go bouncy bouncy bounce, as the saying goes, on Zambia's roads.