Zambia. A first visit to a country I’ve never seen before. Under normal circumstances, this would be a momentous occasion for me. It would occupy my thoughts and writing for weeks. This trip has been different, not because Zambia is not a fascinating and exciting place to visit but because so much is going on that there is limited space in my brain to celebrate the experience. I haven’t even used the free time I’ve had to explore the country. In fact, I have barely left the hotel. It’s a nice hotel, one of the nicest places I’ve stayed in a while, but I’m fairly certain I’m not getting to see the real Zambia. I keep wishing there was more time, less stuff happening, so that I could get a proper sense of the place.

Instead, I seem to be spending all my time working and stressing and worrying about the next adventure. Work has occupied an awful lot of time this week – being at a workshop always seems to result in things that simply cannot wait until I get home. I’ve also been trying to write a piece that refused to get written. And sneaking in a little time to catch up with an old friend I haven’t seen properly in years.

So, it seems, sadly, that Zambia will have to wait until next time. Yet, knowing how way leads on to way (with apologies to Robert Frost), I wonder if there will be a ‘next time’. With so many places to see, so much amazing continent to explore, will I be back here any time soon? Am I sacrificing the chance to see this amazing country because I am too caught up in anticipating the next one – in this case Uganda. Is Zambia any less worthy of my attention and time and awe than Uganda or the DRC? Or is this just the way life goes – that some places are fleeting moments without ever really understanding, so that other places can be true experiences of wonder?

I’ll be visiting rural Zambia over the next two days and I plan to do my best to focus on Zambia and understanding this place but it’s really quite hard to focus with the Uganda and DRC trip looming so large. Three weeks from today, I’ll be at the airport in Johannesburg, checking in for a flight to Uganda.