Crickets and Roosters

The sounds heard at the hostel in Livingstone, Zambia make each morning a new adventure. I have very few complaints regarding the accommodations. The place is clean, reasonably priced, food is good, and staff are helpful. The hostel is constructed of traditional materials and design - thatched roofs, cement floors, and mud walls. The acoustics in the hostel are also amazing, however, not in a good way.

Everything that goes on in the hostel sounds like it came from behind the mud wall even if it occurred a couple rooms down. Crickets and the zapping sound of insects flying into the electric fence dominate the evenings. The morning brings a symphony of undesired sounds - roosters (starting around 4 AM and squawking every 10 minutes or so), cleaning staff, patrons praying to the porcelain gods (hostel is home to a lot of under 20 youth here to party), and people departing for day trips. Given the circumstances I have been up by 7 AM every day in Livingstone. I am looking forward to an opportunity to sleep past 8 AM.