I’m a Jollyboy in Zambia!

The Zambian people don’t stop their hospitality at random conversations on street corners and in front of the entrance of the Victoria Falls.  Not even the lime transporting truck driver that was from Congo could resist being hospitable once he crossed the Zimbambwe border into Zambia (he gave us a ride into the city).

Google Democratic Republic of Congo and then click on news at the top, chaos!

Travelers from around the world come to Zambia and become just as nice and hospitable as the Zambians.  The hostel I stayed at in Livingstone was called Jollyboys Backpackers and it’s probably one of the best hostels I have been to.  With my love of Colombian (and now Israeli & Zambian) people, I have seriously debated opening up a hostel in Medellin, Colombia.

After seeing how the Jollyboys hostel is laid out I know exactly how I am going to design my hostel in Colombia.

You generally have the same feeling anytime you walk into a hostel.  I’m sure many of you (not you rich boy) have said to each other “I hope the beds are comfortable”.  I still remember the time I slept in a hostel in Rosario, Argentina, only to eaten by the mattress. I don’t know if it is how I swivel my hips or how my breathe smells like cafe con leche but this thing loved Latin men.  I have slept in the back of a Toyota 4×4 pickup driving through the rough and pot hole infested terrain (not roads) of Bolivia.

I’m talking about the seat in the very back of the Toyota 4runner (meant for 2 people or one very fat person).  The one meant for the reject kids where they convert the trunk into a 3rd row of seats.  That gives you an idea of how I can sleep anywhere, I couldn’t sleep at the hostel in Rosario.  It felt like my bum was in quick sand.

The pool at Jollyboys in Livingstone

The pillows at Jollyboy felt like Martha Stewart came in and gave them her blessing.  I swindled an additional pillow from the bed that no one was sleeping in but I returned in the next morning afternoon, no harm no foul.  What I loved about this place is the showers.  I am the kind of person that will not take a shower unless I have hot water.  I am traveling through Africa, read that statement again.

I stay fresh longer like the Energizer bunny, I keep on going and going.

I reluctantly turned on the shower like an inmate at a prison only to be greeted by shower pressure that rivals the thrust of the nearby Victoria Falls.  I didn’t drop the soap, I stayed in the shower forever.  They have everything from private rooms to camping and a private shower in the dorm.  For you lazy backpackers, they have laundry that they charge by the kilo or a place where you can do laundry on your own near the camping site.  They even have cute employees that work at the shop and internet center!

One of the things that I haven’t liked about hostels in Africa is the fact that they have a restaurant on the premises but no kitchen, convenient for them right?  Jollyboys had a restaurant, bar, and a kitchen where travelers can cook their own food.  Did I mention the pool?

The only downside that I found was the fact that you had to pay for the internet by the hour.  The trend in Africa is to charge for internet access and in Zambia I can’t really blame them.  Being a land locked country I can imagine the cost of the internet.  The internet speed even at the nearby cafe is nothing compared to high speed internet in most western countries.

A big shout out to John and Kim and Jollyboys backpackers for all their hospitality!  I really appreciate it!