Botswana and Zimbabwe Tour May 2011 1-7th Day

Bots-Zim Trip Day 1: Thursday 21^st April 2011  (Christof)

Road to Botswana

Beatrice still had to go to school until 10:00. We had hoped to leave by 10:30, but various last minute errands and packing the new kombi really for the first time, delayed us till about 12. In streaming ice-cold rain with breath condensing at 12◦C we finally left. Sky almost black – dangerous potholes on the way to the airport – visibility very limited. Before Gobabis we reached the end of the rain cloud cover, but while we’re filling up with diesel in Gobabis there is a tremendous wind and then the rain is catching up with us again. But we’re faster than the wind driving the rain and soon we have outpaced the rain again – angry grey clouds in the rear mirror serve as a reminder.

The Namibian border post is fast and efficient as expected. We are fearing the Botswana part as the Botswana civil servants are on strike. As it happens it was a fast and efficient affair too. We’re changing the clock back by an hour to be on RSA, Bots & Zim time. About an hour into Bots it is getting dark and we’re looking into Marlis’ clever book – lo and behold there should be a San ‘community camp site’ 60 km before Ghanzi. Just after dark we find it, but it is a dilapidated, without water …. the donor did not send any more money …. . Reluctantly we have to drive to Ghanzi in the dark. Just before Ghanzi we find a more upmarket lodge as described in Marlis’ book. After a celebratory drink and spring roll at the bar we set up camp. Heavy dew, but no rain. At 6 in the morning I hear a lion in the distance.

22^nd April Day 2 Good Friday - Cathy

It was quite a light morning after a damp but not really rainy second half to the night. In the first part of the night the stars were out and Marlis enjoyed finding the Southern Cross  and looking at the Milky Way. Beatrice, seeing the light shining through her tent in the morning leapt eagerly from her bed and put on shorts and T shirt only to find that the sky was clouded with white cloud and the mist was mizzling quite heavily – disappointment!!

First Camp

Once we had breakfasted and washed up and showered in tepid water but in a jolly washroom with landscape decoration, we piled back into the car and trundled over a quite dreadful rocky, sandy road and left Taukanda??? Camp for the road to Maun. The road is excellent, no pot holes just the wandering cows and kamikaze goats that Botswana is famous for. At one point there is a diversion and we take a wrong turn for a while realising our mistake once it peters out into a dust road. For the rest of the journey to Maun we drive smoothly through a landscape that shades from deep green to drier green. Here the rain has not been quite so enthusiastic as in Namibia thank goodness.

The road is quite long but the drive is quite easy, Beatrice and I while away our time checking the birds on the telephone wires when there are telephone wires. It takes 3 hours or so to reach Maun which neither Chris nor I recognise so much has it changed in the 22 years since we were last here.

We shop and refuel and head out of town towards the Island Safari Lodge where we had stayed before. After a couple of diversions in which we wrongly interprete the instructions and drive rather further than needed, we find the lodge. Happily NOT much changed although now instead of a long sandy drive, all but the last two kilometres are on paved road.

The lodge is on the banks of a river that is sprinkled with water lilies and still peopled with hippos. The cows still swim across to better pasture dodging the crocodiles. The campsite is the same but the trees are much taller; in 20 odd years what do you expect! The place has smartened up quite a bit but the prices are still very reasonable; 40 Pula per person per night for camping! We decide to take a boat trip into the swamp tomorrow. As night falls bats start to flit around in the trees. The night, while cloudy, is cool and dry – hopefully it will continue so tomorrow! Chris cooks chicken poitje instead of the planned camping soup. Same ingredients but somehow nicer, must be the cast iron and the braai wood! Hippos grunt in the background and a big party hums, calls and thumps from Crocodile Camp across the water.

23^rd April Day 3 Saturday– Beatrice

Happy Birthday Paleni & Manne.

Canoe Trip (Christof & Marlis)

Today I woke up early and was awake when Mummy came at 6.30 to wake us up, since we had to be at the reception at 8 for our mokoro trip. We all had breakfast, put everything valuable in the car and generally got ready. So at 8 we were there and as daddy said it was a hurry-up-and-wait story. We sat there waiting for a while and met a very nice finish couple, who turned out to be going on the exact same trip. Finally we were off! We were told to get onto the first boat to the left, so we eagerly set off and clambered on what we thought was the first boat to the left, except it turned out we were to go on the (from our point of view) the last boat. Once we were all on boat the trip began!

First we went on to a motor boat, which was a pleasant experience yet a bit chilli and saw loads absolutely loads of birds, like the egret, or marabou stalks and of course the famous fish eagle. (I thought it was daddy’s cell phone ringing!)

 Painted Frog

After about an hour we reached our destination, a little bank with a bunch of mokoros and a group of people. We transferred to the mokoros, two in one and after Daddy and Marlis found a suitable boat we were off once more! Our poler was called Tsaba, which we later found out meant scared. I thought at first what an odd thing to be called but mummy explained that in hi culture you call your child the opposite of what it is/ what you want it to be. It was a really enjoyable 3 hour ride, except that the chairs were really…well let’s just call it flexible, as in if you lean back the chair back would just continue to go with, in other words it did not hold you at all!

When we arrived at our destination we were all quite hot but happy nevertheless, since we saw tons of beautiful water lilies and a few birds but most importantly had the adventure of gliding  through the reeds and listening to the water flowing past the mokoros!!

After we had a short breather we began our walk. It was by that time quite hot, but we continued anyway. It was an okay 2 and a bit hour walk, not eventful but nice views (so the parents loved it). (We saw Lechwe, marabou storks, saddle bill storks, open billed storks, malachite kingfishers, pied kingfishers and elephant and hippo poo – not so bad! Cathy)

When we came back to the coolness of the trees we had lunch: an apple, a bread roll, a biscuit, a packet of chips and a bottle of water. Nothing particularly exciting but filling. We rested a bit and headed back in the mokoros. On the way back mummy and I swopped places, so she sat in front and started to count the painted frogs, tiny frogs with a white back that had a brown pattern ‘painted’ on it, we counted up until a hundred or so and then just gave up.

Water Lillies

When we got off the motor boat that had brought us back from the mokoro place we had a drink at the bar followed by a plate of chips, in honour of Manne’s memory. Mummy and I had a quick swim and then we sat around the table, lit two candles and Daddy read out a really heart-warming letter from the god child of Manne that had been read out at his funeral. Tears were shed and we shared a box of chocolates that Manne had given Marlis shortly before he passed away.

Later we went to the restaurant and I ordered this chicken noodle that tasted like blue cheese!! So I finished mummy’s chips and the salad while the others shared my noodles amongst themselves. We had interesting conversation and eventually went back to the camp, where we promptly went to bed, read a bit and fall asleep.

Day 4: Easter Sunday 24^th April  (Christof)

Baobab

Today we had a lazy day. Getting up late. After breakfast, about 11ish we went to nearby Maun for some shopping. Beef prices were very low in the supermarket (goulash = P15/kg; fillet = P59/kg). Afternoon reading, swimming in the pool – we must have the camping spot with the best view: some 15m from the river under shady trees – wonderful view.

Starting the potjie nice and early: the goulash is succulently soft after the obligatory 2 hrs. Marlis made a nice salad. I think, we’ll go to bed quite early tonight. For cost reasons we have decided to give Baines’ Baobabs a miss, but go to Gweta tomorrow and spend 2 nights (outside the exorbitantly priced National Parks) on the camping place there, doing day trips into the pan. Weather today perfect here.

25^th Monday day 5- Cathy

Okavango

Easter Monday but like Namibia most of the shops are open. We pack up the camp – we are already becoming quite efficient. The packing ideas that worked have been continued; those that were less successful have been adapted and speed is increasing. Sadly it appears that two of the air mattresses have died and so we have to buy at least one foam mattress in Francistown. We leave Island Safari Lodge quite reluctantly. The campsite was pleasant, the view was lovely and everything was peaceful with perhaps the exception of the speeding motorboats and the thumping music from Crocodile Camp in the evenings. In the night we had heard a massive thump as one of the motor boats crashed into another or possibly into Crocodile Camp which would have been some kind of retribution I suppose.

We went shopping in the Spar in Maun to stock up on fresh salad stuff. A far cry from the soft cucumbers and half frozen tomatoes of two decades ago! Beatrice and I explored Mr Price – nothing exciting. Marlis tried to buy stamps for the postcards that she bought at the lodge but no luck; Post Offices closed.

After a fuel stop at Riley’s and also buying ice for the cooler we headed off towards Gweta at least that’s what we hoped we were doing because for the first half an hour there was not a road sign to be seen. Eventually a much eroded sign proclaimed a turn off to Francistown: OK we were in the right direction!

The road to Gweta was clear, good quality and fringed with green grass and bushes. Quite surprising given that this is usually rather dry and brown. It was just a question of chewing up the kilos really for a couple of hours. Beatrice and I read while Chris and Marlis chatted in the front.

Cathy in Nature

As we finished our books Chris drove into Gweta. The lodge is adequate but compares poorly to the Island Safari although the ablution block is much nicer at least to look at. We set up the tents after lunch in the shade of flamboyant trees dripping with seed pods. Before going further with the camp we decide to investigate the pans to the south of Gweta.

After a brief abortive attempt to head out that ended in someone’s back yard we returned to the lodge for directions. Chris went to one person and Beatrice and I to another and of course we got conflicting advice. Chris was told to keep bearing right. We were told to keep bearing left! Eventually it seemed that our adviser might actually have the best idea and we followed her instructions. The area was almost unrecognisable because the fabulous rain this summer had enabled deep grass to grow everywhere that usually has none. We drove through stunning savannah landscape with first mopane and then acacia trees. Fully grown, unmolested and beautifully formed. It was a stunning drive all the more so for being unexpected. We passed one beautiful baobab that had been fenced off for its own protection and a little further south we reached a pan. But the pan was green and not white! Grass everywhere and water – lots of water that eventually made the road impassable. We had seen a group of ostriches and I saw what looked like a duiker or steenbok but there were no herds of animals apart from cows. Plenty of cows, fat happy cows.

We had let down the tyres for the drive to the pan and so we stopped to refuel and get air. The garage actually had no air although it did have a large amount of Windhoek Lager and so we went to the house of a tyre dealer in the village to get ten dollars worth of air. While doing so had a chat with the local MP, a friendly soul. Once back at the lodge we finished the camp and made supper, a wonderful tender fillet of beef with salad and noodles. After a lull of silence from the village the local shebeen started to entertain us but not for long; tomorrow is a working day.

26^th April Tuesday Day 6- Beatrice

Well the day started off, by us waking up by the cockerel chorus, followed by amped up extra loud singing that indicated the beginning of some meeting - even for the deepest sleepers impossible to sleep through!

After we had breakfast and packed up camp we set off for Zimbabwe. But not before Marlis went To the post office and mummy took a quick pic of a rather amusing sign advertising cosmetics except the writer had forgotten the middle ‘s’ and added it above the word with an arrow indicating its right place.

Then off we went to Francistown and boy, it was huge. So many shops, so many cars… but did anyone think of enough parking spaces??- fat chance! So we drove round and round until we finally found a free space. But for security measures I stayed in the car, not that I particularly minded, since I was totally absorbed by my book.

Cathy & Chris's old House

After all the shopping we then set off for the border… oh gosh, what a business! We finally got to the front of the queue and had to turn straight back to fill in these forms and start queuing again. So then we made it to the front desk and they stamped mummy’s- all fine. But then my turn, no a stamp was missing and he could not let me pass. And of course he knew perfectly well that minors do not get a stamp in Botswana!! So I was freaking out and mummy was no better so he called daddy and told us two that he wanted to speak about this to daddy (indicating- daddy should give him money!). So we went away and daddy sorted it out in no time. (daddy:” what page is missing?”, guy:”page 20” and daddy handed him a 20 dollar note.). That out of the way we went to the second security post, where the guy didn’t bother packing our stuff out but asked us as a joke in a friendly tone if we had brought any worms of mass destruction with us. And the journey goes on (for about 2 ½ mins!!) till the last security post, where the man asked us (once again) as a joke if we were smuggling anyone over... nice greeting!

Finally free at last- but wait! Stop again, caught for speeding, drove 90 in an 80 zone. What can one say- welcome to Zimbabwe!

At last after a couple more security posts we made it to Ulrike and Klaus’s house. They were very nice (apart from them telling us off for not informing them that we were coming a day earlier). After we unpacked and got settled in their nice little flat we had an enjoyable evening sitting outside with candles (electricity shortage!) and having ‘a proper German Abendbrot’. They had a piano! And of course I had to play it! Nevertheless I went to bed quite early, to read my book.

27^th April Wednesday – day 7 (Cathy)

Today was a real nostalgia day! We got up reasonably early and after breakfast headed into town to look around and see who we knew. Before town we stopped off at 4a York Road to see how it was doing. Some young lads, on their way to school by the look of the bags, let us in and we were greeted at the top of the drive by the current tenant, a man who seems to make a living buying and selling cars. Andrew must have left the house to a chap who lives in Harare and a distant landlord plus careless tenants leads to a neglected house. Adam’s sculpture is still by the pool but the pool is cracked and empty and the sculpture has lost an arm. The flamboyant trees that used to shade the sculpture and the house are gone. Watering is expensive and tenants do not water gardens. The jacarandas still line the drive and grow along the bottom fence – these are hardier in a neglectful regime. Mealies still grow where Kethes grew them although they are more abundant, the tenant’s wife is a keener farmer. The inside of the house has not been decorated since Andrew died. The caved fireplace is still there and Beatrice photographed the remains of his painted patterns. The ceiling is down in places where the rain has got in but the basic structure is quite strong. It was strange walking around this unrecognisable but actually recognisable house.

Chris in Gallery

First stop in town naturally was Douslin House, the art gallery. I had not seen it smartened up before. Jairos Jiri, the disabled crafts organisation has taken over the old gallery. Douslin  House was opened on 1994, two years after I had left Bulawayo. The studios behind were in use long before it opened but the front section had been used but happily not too much abused by AGRITEX. As we went into the gallery I saw the old studios and remembered the days when I had worked with Mary Davies trying to learn to etch and failing(!) and the VAAB life drawing sessions held in the large downstairs studio, now a small cinema.

Vote is the gallery director now – wow! - he’s got important! I think that Marge Locke would have been delighted to see that his conscientiousness has taken him so far. From a messenger to the boss! I asked for him at the reception desk and he greeted me as warmly as he always has done! No hair now – maybe he started to go bald and decided to shave off the lot! His son is a musician, a grown man – time passes! He walked with me to where Chris was waiting in the car and greeted him equally warmly telling him to drive round and use the secure gallery parking.

The gallery is really beautiful; lovely wooden floors stripped and re-polished, lovely wooden doors and window frames likewise. Beautiful arched windows looking out on the flamboyants and jacarandas in the street outside. There were several exhibitions on in the galleries that were a testament to the active arts scene in Bulawayo. A further testament to the courage of the local artists was an exhibition in the basement that addressed the issue of the Matabele massacres in the 1980’s. This exhibition in the lower gallery has been closed by government decree and is the subject of a case in the high court. I managed to catch glimpses of it through the light wells of the gallery above. It looked powerful and angry but the government is trying to forget this episode in Zimbabwe’s history and so it scratched open a scar that was hoped to have healed.

The studios are populated by an enthusiastic group of young artists, most of them ex-Mzilikazi. I was told that the place is still going but many of the old lecturers have left. Adam Madebe has gone to Pretoria, David Ndlovu has gone to Mozambique, the rest have retired. The need to make money to feed the family has caused an exodus.

One face was recognisable among the artists in the studios and that was Dumisani, who used to work with Mary as a young man and is still producing etchings many of them very reminiscent of Mary’s. There is still a young woman making starch resist work very similar to Mary’s, she was not there but I suspect that she was probably also a protégé. We bought cards from a disabled artist called Nompilo Nkomo and I gave the Tulipamwe address to a painter called Stanley Sibanda. I had such fun chatting with everyone in the studios that I lost track of time and when Beatrice found me and told me off I realised that she and Marlis had been looking for me.

I spoke to a young man who had studied at the Polytechnic Art School where I used to teach and now does outreach work for the Gallery. Wendy Howell had to retire from Government service but is teaching art at a local private girl’s school. Anne Visser is farming but still involved in Art, she judged the recent child art exhibition, Chris Craven, the guy who followed me to teach textiles now teaching also in a private school. Lucy Seringwani, the Kenyan girl who used to call Brenda ‘Blenda’, has gone to work in the UK. The only person left with whom I have any connection is Japhet who is an ex student and is now the head of department. My source said that the standard at the art school is not as good as it was because it is so hard to find lecturers.

Stanley Mpofu was behind the counter in the gallery shop. We watched each other for a while both thinking ‘I know that face’. I told him that we still were the proud owners of one of his sandstone carvings. He said that Jabulani was also working at the gallery on another shift. Marge Locke had finally published her book on Zimbabwe baskets but died just before the publication date. At least she had the satisfaction of knowing that her wisdom had made it into print although wouldn’t you know the edition was sold out!

We has lunch in the Gallery restaurant, very nice, the whole place is so lovely and welcoming that I could have stayed the whole day. Steve Williams would be so delighted to see that his dream is still going strong. It was nice to see a painting of his at the top of the stairs.

Beatrice & Chris in Cafe

We walked around town reacquainting ourselves with Bulawayo. Haddon and Sly is there in form only, the content is now a series of small boutiques renting space and the supermarket a shadow of its former self. Meikles is kind of at half mast, very low in stock. Gee’s greengrocer is still there, opposite the town hall, still with fresh coriander, now being run by the son more than the father but little changed. Most of the shops were dim due to a power cut, an ongoing problem here. There are more street traders that ever before. Markets have tucked themselves into odd corners of the town or are spilling over from the usual market places. Women with a few sweets sprinkled on a blanket sit hopefully in the sun trying to make a dollar or two. Everyone is trying but life is not easy. We are told by many people that moving to the American dollar has made things more expensive but nobody wants to return to the hyperinflation days of 2008. A young man is making wire coat hangers and chains in the street – I watch for a moment enjoying the enterprise that was ever a characteristic of the people of Bulawayo.

We visit Rashid at 144 Fort Street. He has not changed; painting, carving stone, living in chaos, remembering past days when he and Steve and Berry Bickle were the pivots of the art world in Bulawayo. Steve is gone, Berry is mostly away and Rashid sits with his memories and mourns the death of his mother. He asked to be remembered to Herklaas but he has no passport and so cannot even apply for a Tulipamwe. He seems to be lonely and says that if not for Derek Huggins in Harare he would not be painting any more but he has promised Derek a work for his next exhibition at the Delta Gallery.

We pass by the Art school, of course, I should have realised, it is school holiday time and there are no classes. The young lecturer that I speak to there is the fashion lecturer and like all fashion lecturers she has to put in overtime with her students because fashion students usually do not have machinery at home. She confirms that Japhet is HOD and is working at the Trade Fair during recess, ever an income generator for staff and students at the art school. She says that Japhet teaches the textiles class and that nowadays they teach the students to be entrepreneurs since there is not much of an industry to employ them. What a change from my time when all of the students found jobs. She says that there are employers that take students for work experience. I wonder who they are? I wonder how many of them are ex-students? Shame we missed the Trade Fair, it would be nice to see if any of them are exhibiting.

We go to TM’s to do our shopping. Not changed at all over the past 20 years, a huge warehouse of a building with a section devoted to enormous sacks of mealie meal and sugar. We have invited Klaus and Ulrike for supper and Chris plans to cook chicken poitjie.

Before we go home we make one more stop at the Babara Borrel home for the adult blind. Ulrike had found out for us that June Davis is living there. Poor June, for an Artist to go blind is truly a tragedy. She is being wheeled out to sit in the porch for some fresh air as we arrive to see her. I hope that we diverted her for a while. June says that she has not heard from Mary for a long time, which is strange because they were such good friends and Mary even lived with June for a while. Could it be that Mary, who seemed so indestructible, is dead?

We had a jolly evening with Klaus and Ulrike and the Chicken poitjie was delicious. I was very tired at the end of the day. So many people, so little time!! Next time we must stay here longer!

Botswana and Zimbabwe Tour May 2011 8-14th Day

Day 8: Thursday 28^th April – Cathy again

Today we decided to go to the Matopos (or Matobo) National Park. A place where we spent a lot of time when we lived in Zim. Amazingly enough the landscape was unchanged, except it was extraordinarily green given the extraordinary rainy season this year. The place seems to be very efficiently run but with two ministries in charge which rather complicates things. The cave paintings and Rhode’s Grave are now under Monuments And Culture while the rest of the park is under Nature Conservation etc.

Matopos National Park

The entrance fees are very high and of course being under two ministries we have to pay two lots of entrance fees. The curio sellers are still there by the turning to Rhode’s Grave selling very similar curios to the ones that they sold 20 years ago. Chris buys a mealie cob picture of people cultivating the land for his office and a wood carving of a fish for next to the swimming pool.

The view from Rhode’s Grave is enhanced by the clouds in the sky that cast shadows on the landscape, dappling the rocky outcrops with light and shade. ‘World’s View’ is as beautiful as it ever was. Marlis lies on the grave; not sure why. We all take copious photos of the view and of each other looking at the view and of each other taking photos of each other looking at the view. Technology can take you too far sometimes.

A picture of all UNESCO world heritage sites in Zimbabwe.

We are proud to proclaim that we visited 4 out of the five sites.

Another group is taking the same tour as us. The two daughters make baboon noises, calling to the baboons over the valley. A dialogue develops.

We are invited to write comments in the visitor’s book. We write that the view is lovely but far too expensive!

We have a picnic lunch at Maleme dam accompanied by baboons and warthogs that thankfully keep a respectful distance. Beatrice and I go for a walk towards the end of the dam but are overwhelmed by the long grass and turn back after a kilometre or so. The dam is really lovely and nice and full. Overlooking the dam is the Eagle’s Nest Lodge, now renamed but I can’t remember what! We used to call it the Honeymoon Cottage, beautiful view and secluded from the rest of the rest camp. It was unoccupied – next time!

After a suitable pause for digestion we inspect the Honeymoon Cottage and then drive to the game park: the other family as well in their silver bakkie. We try to work out where they are from. The game park entrance is mercifully free. The grass is so high that it is quite difficult to see any game that might be mooching around. There are also fierce anti-poaching notices that show that poaching must be a real problem; ‘do not leave your vehicle, you may be mistaken for a poacher’, ‘poachers will be shot on sight’ etc. This is not really surprising given the very lean years that people have lived through recently, but despite the grass and the poachers we do see some animals, although they are understandably very shy apart from the baboons. We see a pair of klipspringers, a small herd of zebra, I see an impala slipping away through the trees and from a viewpoint as the sun is starting to set we see a giraffe, not so bad. At the viewpoint we start chatting to the other family, the man is from Romania, the woman is from Bulawayo but they all live in London. The two girls are on their first visit to Zimbabwe and obviously having a good time. They have taken advantage of a school holiday given in honour of the Royal Wedding.

Rhode's Grave

We have to hurry back to the gate before sunset and make it with 6 minutes to spare. Shucks, we could have spent another 6 minutes in the park. We drive home in the sunset and arrive as it is getting dark.

Klaus and Ulrike are having a film evening, this is the continuation of the film club that Chris helped to start. The film is ‘Commitment’ but is almost incidental to the social part of the event. Bill is there, but not Tish who is in the UK dealing with her mother’s death. Bill and Tish’s youngest child Will is also there; Bill and Will, it sounds like a double act. Will is twelve and very quiet. It sounds as if Bill and Tish are living rather a hand to mouth existence. Tish has given up the leather business because it was not paying much more than the worker’s salaries. She now spends a lot of time working for the church. I did not ask if she was paid. Bill, having lived for a while on a small inheritance following his parents’ demise, is now selling and renovating antiques, a fragile business in Zimbabwe. But he seems very much his old laid back self and seems hardly to have aged in the 20 odd years since we saw him. I get the feeling that he and Tish live in a kind of time warp. There are other people there. Mostly ex-pats although there is one Zimbabwean man with a German wife who seems to be more permanent. It is hard to pick up much information in a jokey film club evening.

The film is rather good, about a woman working to free an unjustly imprisoned brother. Ulrike is not terribly impressed. Marlis, Ulrike and Beatrice enter into a pact to watch the royal wedding on the TV tomorrow so any further excursion to the Motopos is unlikely. Chris and I will probably make other plans.

Day 9: Friday 29^th April (Chris)

We had a laid-back morning, with the intention of going back to the Matobos. After breakfast I had a chance finally to read the e-mails of the past week – still have to learn how to send now. Beatrice and Marlis are quite keen to watch the royal wedding on TV, so I decide to go to my old workplace to see who might still be there. Cathy decides to join me. At the old office (Nguboyenja) there is a different organisation, but a bit around the corner it seems to be Bulawayo City Council territory still. A young girl behind the counter knows nothing about what happened there 20 years ago, but on asking her whether there is not somebody older, she opens another door and indeed there is an older man Kabo, who I recognise, but did not work with directly. We exchange news on various people of my era and finally I go to the Head Office to speak to Nyoni, who turns out a different Nyoni I thought I would meet (the other one had died of AIDS). But Nyoni put me in touch with Mkosana’s daughter Vusi (Mkosana was my old ‘boss’:

Mkosana & Chris

Head of Division of Co-operatives, retired for over 15 years, I had no idea whether he would still be alive) who organised her sister Rosemary’s daughter Lorraine in turn to show us to the residence on the far flung outskirts of town. While waiting for Lorraine, Martha, Mkosana’s ex-secretary came to greet us. She had heard that we were in town and especially come to find us, so nice of her. We were given a hearty welcome by Mkosana and his wife Agnes, both still sprightly at 80 years or so. He proudly served me Castle beer in a silver mug engraved: “To Baba Mkosana, in appreciation of the good years 1987 – 1991, yours Chris Brock”. I had long forgotten about this mug. Very moving. Mkosana, at 81, is still very involved with the Anglican Church and is still preaching actively – thus he is financially supported by the church and not suffering (like many others).

Driving back in the early dark with torrential cold rain, with no street lighting and many badly adjusted oncoming headlights, water camouflaged potholes and pedestrians behaving like chickens was a good adrenalin pump for me – ghastly!!

The Leuschners were invited out, so Cathy made a quick butternut and corned beef dinner. No ZESA, so by candle-light and head-torches.

Tomorrow we intend moving on to Masvingo.

Day 10  Saturday 30^th April (Beatrice)

We all woke up and started packing. When we had relocated everything and put it all on the terrace, we went up to Ulrike and Klaus’s house for breakfast, since we had been invited so kindly the day before.

It was a luxurious breakfast with poached eggs in these adorable little china egg pots with silver lids, toast, broetchen you name it, they’ve got it!! Delicious! But everything has to end sometime and so we took a few more pics, said our last goodbyes and set off after finishing packing.

Willem & Fieke's Place

On our way out of Bulawayo we had to tank up. The first garage we went to looked awfully run down and when we asked for Diesel, the man just said:” well we are supposed to have it”. So that didn’t go so well. Next stop was easy and fast, even though daddy had to show the attendant how to open the fuel cap. Making our way to Masvingo, we went through a town called Esigodini, which translates as ‘in the hole’.  It was only a 3 and a bit hour drive to Fieke and Willem’s house, but was made harder, because loads of signs were missing. Nevertheless we made it in the end!

When we went out of the car, we were greeted by wo lumbering dogs! Bijou was the calm female and Thaba was a huge puppy, who was just mad! Couldn’t sit still for 10 seconds! Anyway, we were offered coffee and home-made mango juice and while drinking found out that almost everything that we saw was made by Willem himself!!

After we had had a nice chat, we did a spot of shopping and met up with Willem and Fieke in their beaten up old bakkie to show us where the cottage was.

The cottage was beautiful and once again designed and made by Willem! We were very impressed! And the view was brilliant!! The road to get there was bumpy, but worth it! The cottage we stayed in had a view over the lake, with fish eagles and hippos and what not.

We settled in and had a nice evening, having supper on the balcony and finally getting into our beds.

Day 11: Sunday 1^st May (Chris)

Great Zimbabwe

Beautiful morning in the luxury cottage. What a view! Fish eagle catching live fish not far away – and its shrill sound! Very relaxed morning, but later we are leaving for Great Zimbabwe. Great Zim is as impressive as ever. Must be at least my 5^th time. Very green, but the grass neatly cut. Entrance fee a hefty R105 p.p., but for that half the light bulbs in the on-site museum needed replacement. We do the full circuit, starting at the great enclosure in the valley and later moving on to the fortress on the hill. Picnic lunch under huge shady trees on site – careful of the stealing vervet monkeys.

Back to the cottage later – we invited Willem and Fieke out there for dinner. We had a pleasant early dinner with them. Beatrice even made a tasty pud for afters. By 9:00 p.m. warm farewells from them as they want to go back to their urban dwelling. Early night.

Day 12 Monday 2^nd May – (Cathy)

Another moving on day, low grey cloud reflected in the water of the river, Beatrice and I sit on the deck and look out for the hippos. They are definitely there, we see pools of disturbed water and occasionally a double spout of water from hippo nostrils but they have probably been hunted in the past years and are very shy. We are not sure if the hippo noises are coming from Chris or not. The fish eagle is hunting elsewhere today.

Breakfast mostly involves toast, taking advantage of Fieke and Willem’s Zimbabwe toaster. Everywhere in this cottage are examples of Willem’s enterprise and creativity from the hand-made French style station clock to the door locks made from bent nails but with such style that they look good as well as being functional. We are delighted by his use of appropriate materials and technology. Concrete examples of his philosophy.

Packing gets more and more efficient. Beatrice rearranges the white boxes since we have used up a fair amount of their contents by now. Marlis and I clear the house and Chris stows everything in the car in its allotted place. We cast a last look at the blossoming Cassia trees with their fruit salad scented blooms, take a last photo at the hills covered with the texture of Msasa trees and collect Ishmael the handyman to see us through the two gates on the road. We bump along past the pond with the water lilies and the little dam where people wash their clothes, say farewell to Ishmael and hit the main road back to Masvingo to do some shopping. Finding ice is the first challenge, finding diesel is the second. Neither are straightforward. After somewhat of a wild goose chase we find a garage selling diesel, the fourth one we visited. After another wild goose chase we find ice at the third place we visited. In the meantime we bought some more bread and then hit the trail for Chimanimani and the Eastern Highlands (sounds like a pop group). We hit the wrong trail at first and found ourselves on the Harare road – nope - so we tried again and got it right second time.

The road to Chimanimani becomes more and more beautiful the further you drive. Firstly the road descends into the Save valley lowlands. Baobabs are scattered and grouped around the small huts and fields of this quite densely populated area. It is very dry here, the grass is very grazed and brown. Many of the baobabs have no leaves. We cross the bridge at Birchenough, the same design as the Save river bridge that we crossed in Mozambique. We pass some commercial crops looking very successful and in full production which in Zimbabwe begs a great many questions. There are nut trees and fruit trees and maize fields all looking very efficient and organised. As the road rises out of the lowlands the air cools and we start to see tree plantations, mostly pine and wattle and some eucalyptus also looking very managed and cared for.

We have an unintended diversion to Chipinge because the relevant road signs had been stolen, this includes an unnecessary stop at a police checkpoint which we have to go through twice due to our not needing to be in Chipinge. At least the second time the cops gave us directions to Chimanimani.

The turning to Chimanimani was marked by a small colourful market place where people were offering fruit and vegetables. The road wound higher and higher, in and out of plantations, offering more and more beautiful views until we saw the town nestled in a high valley. Our first mission was to find a good place to camp. In the end we settled for a campsite slightly out of town on a hill near to the inevitably named Bridal Veil Falls. The other option was the hotel, centrally placed with lovely gardens but next door to the local shebeen. As it was we could even hear the party noises from out chosen campsite at the Frog and Fern, whose name, the owner, Jane says was inspired by the Slug and Lettuce pub in London.

The Frog and Fern is friendly, had indigenous forest, has a helper called Constance, has hot water and has a little hut to sit in when it rains. We put up the tarpaulin and Gazebo with amazing efficiency considering the chore it can be, put up the tents, have an argument about supper and settle down to a chilly evening of noodles and sauce and castle beer (not Beatrice) before snuggling into bed. I do not want to have to go to the loo in the night – too cold!!!!

Day 13 Monday 3^nd May (Beatrice)

We all woke up fairly early and started making tea as soon as possible, to try and warm us up. It is still 11 degrees, but feels like it is below freezing!! After having breakfast, clearing up  and locking away precious things we headed to Tessa’s pool.

Tessa's Pool

It was a really bumpy ride! But definitely worth it!! Even when we were walking to Tessa’s pool, the surroundings were beautifully green with the odd bit of bright colour here and there. Mummy tried to get me to smell a specific kind of leaf…(braken) but that didn’t turn out great, since mummy failed ..dismally (sorry mummy). When we heard the sound of rapidly falling water, we sped up but not too much for the rocks were quite slippery and wet, until we finally emerged from the greenery and saw a beautiful waterfall. It was awfully pretty. We spent a fair amount of time sitting on the rocks, but could not go swimming because it was freezing!! We walked back a different way, which brought us to a few buildings and then to an amazing play ground (which would definitely be illegal in Europe!!). it was a type of adventure course but mostly in amongst the tree tops..but without safety nets- Alex would have loved it!!!

Then back to the car, down the bumpy road a bit, picked some guavas (Marlis had never seen one on a tree before!!), drove some more down the bumpy road and finally entered the village.

We went to a restaurant that specialises in sadza … not for me, thank you! But they said the would take a while so we walked a bit through town. When we came back they served us the meals, Marlis and Mummy sadza and chicken, daddy rice and chicken… and I (not a great choice) took chips. After we ate till our hearts desired, we went to the market.

Man mending Chris's shorts

First to the tailor, a man sitting on the side of the path with a little table and old self powered sewing machine, for daddy’s trousers and then to buy tomatoes and cabbage and and and. On the way to the main market a little child called out to us saying hello and when mummy answered he ran away laughing calling out mummy! Meanwhile my mother was almost crying from laughter. Then the child came to us, for we had not answered his second calling, and proceeded to shake our hands. More and more little children came too, probably thinking this was a great game! So we had an entire group of children all wanting handshakes and high fives. It was terribly funny! After finding some castle for the adults and finding all ingredients we had hoped for we headed back to camp. Marlis cooked a nice meal and daddy made a cabbage salad, but it was absolutely freezing!!! Daddy even said that the beer was actually getting colder outside than in the cooler box!!

So I was relieved when after washing the dishes with mummy, I finally made it to my warm and comfy bed!

Day 14, 4^th May, Cathy

Another moving on day. Jane charged us 15 dollars a night which was very reasonable bearing in mind the caring way that we were treated. We took our camp apart very efficiently after breakfast, getting into the harmonious way of working that one does when one has been camping for a while. Our point of destination today was Vumba or Bvumba depending on which sign you read, when of course there are signs to look at. The road is wonderfully devoid of signs and so one must be very aware of the direction one is travelling in.

We travel first down to a lower altitude to Mutare. The baobabs reappear and the countryside becomes rather drier. All of the land we pass through is being cultivated by subsistence farmers. It looks mostly like old communal area because there are large mango trees shading the houses. People are cultivating mealies, cabbages, beans, tomatoes in small fields, most of the fields are terraced really nicely using the rocks removed from the cultivable area.

We pass a small town called Hot Springs. The houses that used to belong to the white middle class have been abandoned it seems and taken over by the local Shona people. There are lots of people about, many trying to sell locally produced vegetables and fruits.

We continue to Mutare, the land rising somewhat and the hills looking more and more like the Matobo granite outcrops. Mutare town has sprouted many markets, mostly full of people selling the same things, lots of tomatoes, lots of cabbages, lots of onions, lots of kale but not much else apart from peanuts and mealies. There is a new Spar supermarket under construction, very swanky, and a new Nando’s begging to be explored. The streets are very crowded and its is not even lunchtime. What are all of the people doing? Are they all trying to sell tomatoes to each other? Are they all unemployed? Surely not? If so who is actually working for a salary in Mutare apart from the people in the government offices and the shops? We buy fuel and Chris, Marlis and Beatrice go shopping while I find out about camping near Harare on the internet. I find a good sounding place called Boulder something and give Chris the contact details. We cross the road to Nando’s for lunch. There are beggars here, outside what is probably the smartest lunch place in Mutare.

We leave the town heading southwards to Vumba, skirting the Mozambique border. From every viewpoint on the road we can see into Mozambique. It’s quite exciting to look into another country like this and Beatrice begs to be allowed to go snorkelling in the Indian ocean – sorry – not this holiday.

The road rises offering increasingly lovely views over the mountains. We are not sure how to find the place that Jane recommended, Hi Vu. As we enter Vumba we start to pass through what looks like proper jungle. The trees meet over the road and are bound with creepers and vines and small rivers tumble over rocky beds. We stop first at the White Horse Inn, a hymn to the colonial past with faded chinz covered armchairs, polished wood side tables, lots of shining silver and brass and an aging but smiling factotum who comes to greet us. The owner of the place is rather faded and crumpled, a bit like the furniture. The place has seen better days as has the owner but they are both putting a brave face on things. The garden is really lovely, again beautifully kept. Manicured lawns and overflowing flowerbeds, a crystal clear pool, old garden furniture but well maintained. Like an old actress all done up and waiting for a part the hotel sits waiting for paying guests, stuck in its heyday in the 1970’s. I am somehow strongly reminded of Gordon and Pamela’s house in Harare, Chris feels it too.

We are given directions to Hi Vu and are met there by the owner, Sally, another horsey woman like Jane. Its name, despite the ghastly spelling, is self explanatory when we see the view from where we are to camp. It is stunning! From here you can see far into Mozambique. Horses graze in a field at the bottom of the garden. Sunbirds bounce around among the flowering shrubs and on the lawn. Beatrice goes to greet the horses. Marlis explores the garden and plant nursery, Chris finally gets to grips with his GPS and we experience a rapid drop in temperature as the sun sets, making the mountains glow and the stars come out. We watch the thermometer drop to below 8 degrees and our beds start to look increasingly attractive!

Botswana and Zimbabwe Tour May 2011 15-23rd Day

Day 15, Thursday 5^th May, Cathy and Beatrice

What a cold night!!!! Sally’s mother had told us that at 4am we could see the space station and by coincidence around 4 both Marlis and I checked and saw nothing – try tomorrow a bit later?? Perhaps??

As soon as the sun gets up, the morning starts to warm and by breakfast the thermometer has risen to a more respectable level. Beatrice and I have fried bread with cheese and onion and feel happier about things. Meanwhile Marlis was having Avocado and muesli- together!!! As mummy says: you gotta do what you gotta do!

Botanical Garden

Sally had told us that we could walk very nicely up to the top of leopard rock but we could not find the path and so we continued on to the leopard rock hotel and golf course and had a wonderful walk there. First we went up to the hotel itself to ask for permission to walk on the golf course. We asked the receptionist who owned the hotel and he said Lonzim but the place is managed by Lonrho. Obviously Lonzim is at least in part Lonrho. Interesting to see that Tiny Rowland’s organisation is still going strong in Zimbabwe. The place is superbly furnished, leather sofas and chandeliers adorn the foyer which is dominated by a huge window giving on to the jungle-like hill behind. It all looks fantastic, really classy! But there are no guests..at all!

A fed up looking golf professional drives around the course on a golf cart, trying probably to drive over pedestrians and gardeners trim the fairways and tend to the flowers. The place is like something out of a fairy story, waiting for the handsome prince to arrive.

The views from the golf course over to the mountains are really lovely, the aloes are in flower and being visited by sunbirds, we see a monkey that is not a vervet, a s…. and we sit in the sun enjoying coffee and cake served by a sweet but rather confused trainee waiter. Daddy was not making the trainee’s life any easier, since he was being daddy aka joking around and using sarcasm… which not very many people understand.

The cake is quite filling and we decide that we don’t need lunch particularly since we intend going to Tony’s coffee house in the afternoon for more coffee and cake!

We decide to visit the Botanical Garden next, it is very close to Hi Vu (gosh I hate that spelling) and so Beatrice and I walk down to the entrance while Marlis and Chris drive down in the car. We two have to wait a bit, actually quite a while, for them to arrive, I think that they thought we would walk more slowly. The entrance fees are the usual high parks charges even though Marlis is by now an honorary Namibian. We leave the car outside since to take the car in costs ten dollars!!!

The garden is very lovely, a bit strangely tended, the lawns are well cut and cared for and the azalea and camellia bushed are trimmed as closely as in a tea plantation, not really useful since they are trying to flower. (mummy’s going crazy about all of this…of course) A few have been overlooked by the super-keen gardeners and are loaded with blossoms. I have visions of a gardener armed with a mechanised bush cutter, carried away by his cutting power. I think mummy’s thinking of something like Edward Scissor-hands.

The best bit of the garden is the cycad forest, green and damp and moss covered and smelling deliciously of leaf mould. We wind along between the trees and bushes, the sunlight filters greenly through the leaves and the occasional flash of red (mummy stopping every 2 seconds to take a photo!!) brightens up the view. Very beautiful especially for us normally green starved Namibians (although of course this year…. Is very different!!).

We sit for while by the lake, Beatrice and I taking photos of everything that moves or does not move. After a while we feel that Tony’s coffee shop is calling and we leave the gardens to find out what Tony has to offer.

Cake!!!

Well!!! What can we say??? Tony’s coffee shop must have been made for Beatrice. We park in a shady car park that gives us no idea of the place that we are shortly to experience. The building is quite new and set in an orchard with a sunlit lawn in front. The large glass windows are set into stone surrounds and all of the paintwork is white. The effect is very light and bright and the windows are framed by gold coloured curtains. The furniture is dark wood and there is a lovely arrangement of proteas under a pale coloured oil landscape but the cakes, the cakes ……..

We looked at the menu and the waiter told us what everything is (in detail!) and my stomach is definitely awaiting the onslaught of chocolate. We finally decided after long contemplation on (don’t worry I won’t go into detail..that much..) a piece of orange and coconut cake (sounds odd but just ask mummy, since it was her nr 1, that it was fabulous!), a piece of chocolate, marzipan and apricot cake (Marlis’s favourite by far!) and the complete best, so fantastic it was like a chocolate lovers dream all in one mouthful…yes I’m talking about myself. The chocolatiest chocolate cake ever (also known as rebirth by chocolate)- all served with fresh cream and served with an edible flower and a beautiful chocolate decoration… and that’s just the cakes! Mummy had a Prince of Wales tea- apparently very nice, Marlis had a coffee cardamom (an Arabian speciality), daddy had a normal but very nice filter coffee and I had a…..(pause for dramatic effect) …  truffle hot chocolate!!- basically melted chocolate and cream- a firework in your mouth- it was like liquid pudding, but nicer! Delicious! No delectable!

After that… I died. No not quite but I was definitely full and content with life and I was not the only one!.. but I do think I was the worst off- don’t worry I didn’t mind!

Tony himself is wonderfully camp and has become something of a Vumba institution! He is very companiable and charming and tells us stories about his favourite customers. We have a lovely time, as do a table of Muslim girls tucking into Tony’s creations.

The rest of the evening is rather an anticlimax. We are no longer hungry but have some salad to offset the richness of the cake. We sit in the house and chat, enjoying not being frozen outside as we were last night. 15 degrees is a lot better that 7!!

Day 16, Friday 6^th May 2011 Chris

At 05:00 Cathy and me have to go to the loo and we finally see the international space station above the horizon in the east, that we have been looking for for days – we were told to look for it at 04:00. Very bright. Anyway, it’s a cloudless morning. Zesa is on and I’m the first to take a hot shower in the house at 06:30. When I’m back at the camp, just before 07:00 the sun is already giving a welcoming warm glow – so I don’t need a jacket anymore – even though it is 12◦C in the shade. The view over Mocambique is glorious – when Sally comes by over breakfast I tell her that no 12-star hotel can beat this view. She agrees.

Nyanga

After drying the heavy dew off the tents we pack and leave around 09:30. Down from 1700m to 1000 (in Mutare) within 20 minutes. I’ve finally got Eckart’s GPS operational – therefore I’m now finally accurate regarding altitude – Danke, Eckart! We pass through Mutare, but we need nothing in terms of shopping.

Pungwe gorge

We reach Nyanga around  noon and we treat ourselves to tea and scones (ever so posh!) at the Troutbeck Inn. Under ownership (or mere ‘management’?) of the Sun Hotel chain, we have to assume that they are taking a long-term view. The place is virtually empty and with everything in perfect shape, they must be financially loosing heavily at the moment. Later we drive up to the National Parks Office, and in view of another ice-cold night at almost 2000m we decide to take a chalet at Mare Dam at US$20 each at SADC rates. Here the old world is still intact: the attendant is with us within minutes and lights the donkey for hot water. Zesa is on and hence the electrical appliances: kettle and lights and battery charging. Very few people come here: the last ones a month ago.

On the spur of the moment we decide to stay here one night only and to drive to Harare on Saturday already. Meeting Alex at the airport lunchtime Sunday. Cathy has identified an economical camping outfit in Harare (Hatfield). The Regional Arts Festival should still be on over the weekend in Harare – Cathy got sponsored to go there a year ago and wouldn’t mind having a brief look at it this year.

We don’t unpack but decide to drive down to the Pungwe gorge without delay. The track is quite rough in many places so the 30 odd kms take over an hour. On the way back, my 3 women have to walk short steep bits: the Kombi would have done well with low ratio here. But it works out without having to burn the clutch. The highest mts of Zim, Inyangani, are  towering to the east spectacularly.

Back at the chalet we light the fireplace in the lounge and the wooden stove in the kitchen immediately. Abundant firewood! Cooking on the wooden stove, but it takes a fair while to heat up the oven itself. A pleasant warm evening indoors. Luxury!

Day 17, Saturday 7^th May 2011 Beatrice

We almost slept in today, well in comparison to all the other mornings!

Inyamgombe

Everyone said that they saw this fantastic fog over the lake, but I rather stayed in bed, funny that isn’t it? Anyway so when I finally did get up, mummy and I went to the car and surprised an entire herd of about 6 Waterbuck. It was a very nice surprise for us and a nice start to the morning. Afterwards we had breakfast we decided to take a bath in turns, so we let Marlis have a bath first, but only cold water!! I didn’t quite want to believe it and tried, and hey-presto hot water!! So I had a luxurious bath and slowly packed up. Once we were all clean and packed up, we set off for yet another water fall, but this time not quite such a terrible road, but that does not mean it was great!

We parked the car at the top and began to wend our way to the bottom. Marlis stayed in the car, because of the steepness of the walk. And yes it was … fun. I helped mummy a bit and we eventually made it to the bottom. What a waterfall! I thought it was very spectacular, with its steps and tiers. After we made it to the top again we set off for a fairly long drive to Harare.

We stopped en route at a garage that was as mummy called it ‘a whited sepulchre’- aka it looked great on the outside, real posh, but inside… Anyway, we continued and stopped at the roadside to buy some roasted mealies. After we had munched our way through them, Marlis and I made some sandwiches for the rest, which was a bit hard, since cutting avo on a bumpy road is not exactly easy.

Harare

We made it! Harare at last… but now we had to find the camping site. Did I mention? There are absolutely NO street signs!! Mummy was going ballistic, basically losing her mind, Daddy getting more and more frustrated and getting really annoyed, me frantically looking for a map on the internet and the car (with all of us in, not to mention!) driving around and around in circles…. What joy!

After asking various and copious people we at least found the street- but wrong we were! The street Twentydales rd exists twice, the ends quite far from each other! Luckily we asked a guy and he pointed us in the right direction. But I did wonder how they made any business the place says it’s for Backpackers- but how on earth one should get there? Especially after the last bit of road..if one can call it that?!

Nevertheless we made it and were greeted warmly by the helper Laz. Once we set up camp and relaxed a bit Mummy and I went swimming. The pool itself was very nice but the water was rather bracing… mummy learnt not to jump in while breathing and we spent the rest of the sunlit hours relaxing.

Afterwards we had a very nice meal made by Laz, with a fabulous salad and no bones in the fish, very tasty. Too bad about the décor, it looked a bit like (I’m sorry to say) an awfully cheap Mexican restaurant.

Soon after we went to bed and one heard daddy’s snoring mins later.

Day 18, Sunday 8^th May 2011 Cathy

Today was the day that we picked up Alex from the airport. We got up, breakfasted, struck camp and hit the trail with our by now, customary efficiency. The shower was a bit scruffy but hot so nobody complained.

My mattress, bought in Francistown, collapsed in the night leaving me sleeping on uncushioned concrete. Chris gave me the foam mattress that he was using over his air mattress but this is not a long term solution, a new mattress was needed but on a Sunday? We also needed milk and various sundries and Beatrice needed a long sleeved shirt for Mana Pools to discourage mosquitos.

Alex's Arrival

We were kind of getting used to a certain amount of driving around in circles although Chris had remarkably memorised some of the routes, which helped a great deal. We located the Braeside Spar which was recommended by Marileen the owner of Boulder Creek but before we settled to shopping we drove a few times through the city centre to have a look at the place. Lots of new building, signs of investment but also signs of the problems people are experiencing. Lots of people walking around on the street mid morning with no clear sense of purpose. Lots of other people trying to sell airtime, or tomatoes to each other. The taxi rank was packed with taxis and customers. We spotted a Nando’s a lunch possibility. We bought our shopping at Spar but found no Chinese shops open for mattresses, darn! However as we drove through Hillside we passed an OK Mart, newly opened and amazingly it had a camping section and in the camping section amazingly there was a selection of mattresses, the fold-up variety! We bought two in case of either Marlis or Chris’ air mattress failing. Not only that but they had long sleeved shirts for Beatrice – luxury!

We celebrated our purchases with lunch at Nando’s, saving some for Alex. Chris even found a parking place outside and an obliging security man to keep an eye on the car. The building had no water so we did not eat off plates and I mistakenly ordered lemon and herb which Chris and Marlis did not like. Oh dear, maybe I should leave ordering up to them in future.

We drove to the airport with about half an hour to spare before Alex’ plane was due. I was rather worried about him having a problem with immigration, following the Beatrice debacle, but we could watch the arrivals hall from the restaurant and to my relief he got through immigration OK and his bag arrived as well – what joy!!! We waved at him enthusiastically from the restaurant and he waved back! It was lovely to be able to greet him and find out how much he had enjoyed Germany (a lot).

We immediately hit the trail for Chinoyi on the road to Mana Pools, at least we thought that we had, but with the chronic absence of road signs we discovered as we passed Mazowe that we were actually on the road to Bindura – aaargh!!! Somewhere we had missed a turn. The only workable option was to return to Harare and start again, an 80km detour.

Chinovi Camp

Eventually we did reach Chinoyi just before nightfall and were directed to the Orange Grove Motel which also has camping, just outside the town. What a nice place, a lovely camping ground on lawns in amongst tall mature trees, the cassias in flower, hot water in the taps and a very enthusiastic and charming manager (with three missing front teeth – we speculated about this) who introduced us to his security guards and assured us of a safe night.

We were quite full after our Nando’s and so we ate only Abendbrot and tucked into the Castle beer (Alex has developed a taste for beer in Germany) and Mazoe.

In the night an Afrikaner couple from South Africa came to camp but they moved on in the very early morning, Vilanculos to Chinoi to Victoria Falls and back to South Africa for next Thursday. Chris says that the wife looked a bit fed up. With 14 hours driving a day I would too.

Day 19: Monday 9^th May 2011 (Chris)

Chinoyi Caves
very blue!

Chinoyi at 1200m altitude this was probably our last cold night, with the possible exception of our time in Hwange. By the time we got going from the lovely campsite, it was after 9 o’clock. We still needed ice blocks, diesel, and general shopping, which took a lot longer than expected, being sent from pillar to post. Finally we got off to the blue Chinoyi caves, just out of town. Unfortunately we were in a bit of a hurry by now, especially because we were told that it would take some hours of bad gravel road after the turnoff from the tar road.

The caves are fantastically iridescently blue. The kids and Cathy were well rewarded by an even better view, when they rushed ahead to see the dark cave.

The trunk road to Chirundu (leading on to Lusaka)  is quite full of big trucks: fuel, copper, etc. part of the Beira corridor. Not many places to overtake safely, so it is quite time consuming. Finally we reach the escarpment down to the Zambesi valley – some 500m down. I recognise the lay-by concrete table and bench (now somewhat demolished) that we sat on 39 years ago, on our July ’72 Zimbabwe trip with Mutti, Max & Eckart.

The gravel track is seriously corrugated, with potholes, so you can’t even use speed to lessen the punishment. No choice but to grit your teeth and think of the time it will be over. After 30km we get through the 2^nd gate and we are told that the track is now getting better, which it generally true. But lulled into a false sense of speed (security) I hit a pothole, obscured by the long late afternoon shadows, but it’s not too bad. As we are getting closer to the river, the mopane bush is turning into a massive park landscape and we are starting to see more and more animals. The ubiquitous impalas, but also waterbuck, zebra, kudu, warthogs. No elis or buffalo yet.

Sundown at Mana Pools

The camp is, as in ’72, directly on the banks of the Zambesi with a beautiful view over the high mountains on the Zambian side. As expected, the campsite is less than 10% full, but well-cared for, without money to replace un-repairable items. As it is getting dark the sounds of the “jungle” are increasing, some quite close. The hyenas and hippos are the most audible. As Beatrice is cooking (bolognaise sauce in the potjie over the fire) I spot the reflecting eyes of a hyena some 10m away (reflected from my head lamp), but when we are all looking, it has disappeared already.

Lovely mild evening (first in a long time), but astonishingly no discernible mozzies. No need to rush to the tents for some warmth. We even hear the ‘roaring’ of lions throughout the night.

Day 20: Monday 10^th May 2011 (Beatrice)

Mana Pools Camp

We all woke up early, really early. . except for Alex and went for a game drive.

It was the perfect time! We saw loads of elephants, more than enough Impalas, a few herds of Kudus, quite a lot of Warthogs and dozens of birds. Fantastic!! Later we found out that the Impalas were in the mating season, which would explain why the Impala males were fighting a lot- if you can call it fighting. It was more like tug of war but without string. When the one moved forwards the other moved back and so on and so on until one gave up and eventually ran away. And the elephants were as big and yet graceful as always. Took loads of photos! And mummy took even more!

After the leisurely drive, we came back to camp and had breakfast, by this time Alex had made an appearance. Today in general was a very relaxed day, so up until about mid afternoon we sat around camp, read a bit, slept a bit, strolled a bit down the river bank and in general were rather happy.

So when mid afternoon did come, we went on another viewing tour and this time Alex included. But at that time of the day, they weren’t quite as active. Yet it was still very nice! At the end of the day (including the trip in the morning) we had a complete count of 15 elephants!!! 4 buffalos and to our surprise 3 hyenas! And the rest were just too many to count.

Elephant

The sun set was really beautiful and so Alex started on cooking potjie. – what joy watching someone cook and one does not (well to some extent) need to move a finger.

 When we were having our dinner, the most extraordinary thing happened. We were all eating the potjie when Marlis said she heard a rustle.. no one took it that seriously, since rustles are plentiful in the ‘wild’. But we turned around and what we saw…..(tension is building)… an elephant came walking past our camp, about 3m away from where I was sitting! Just trying to get to where ever he had to be. I think that, that was just the cherry on top of a very nice day.

 

Day 21: Wednesday 11^th May 2011 (Alex)

So hi firstly, it’s me first time writing the dairy these holidays. Well anyway today I tore myself out of bed this morning, to go with the rest of the family for a game drive through a part of the park. We saw buffalo, tons of Impala, Hippos, Zebra and Elephants not to forget the Waterbuck. It was a wonderful drive and we drove through a forest of dead trees, mummy’s theory is that they all died because of flooding. Then after returning to camp and having breakfast we, Marlis, Beatrice and I, got ready for a canoe ride on the Zambezi.

Dead Trees at Mana Pools

Once the guide, Vincent, arrived we all got into the canoes. Beatrice and I in one, Vincent and Marlis in the other and guess what, Beatrice and I as we always do had a fight. We started bickering a bit and so our paddling was not as good as possible. So in the end we all got into one boat and Vincent was the only one paddling, as we were crossing the river three hippos decided to have a look at us and came up a bit close to the canoe. There were also another four hippos closing in from the other side and so Vincent got a bit uneasy and paddled to an Island. There we got out and took a walk hoping that the hippos would move away and that the wind that had come up would settle. So after waiting for about 40mins we decided it was not going to get better and so all got back into the boat and made our way back towards the other shore.

On the way over we were suspicious because we could not see the hippos at all. The river was streaming quite strongly and the wind was causing the water to form waves. It was a challenge but Vincent powered the boat further and further over the torrent. As we reached the centre Vincent stopped the canoe for he was not sure where the hippos had gone.

Suddenly there was a huge splash as humungous hippo bull launched himself at the canoe and all I could hear was the crunch as his massive jaws closed in upon the centre of the canoe. It all happened so fast one moment I was outside the other I was soaked and flung into the deep water of the Zambezi. I could not see any of the others all I was focused on was getting to the other side safely. As I reached the riverbank I looked back and saw that all the others had survived and were swimming towards me. I cried for help, but then saw that a couple of long logs were close to them. It seemed to Beatrice that they were logs and was about to grab hold when I realised  that it was a CROCODILE. So without so much as a second thought I pulled out my Swiss army knife and stabbed the crocodile. After taking the other three under my arm swam to safety,  yet as I was getting out another crocodile grabbed my leg and pulled me back into the water and as I just managed to resurface I glimpsed to my horror that there were about 5 crocodiles around me. I grabbed my knife and singlehandedly managed to fight my way out of the River……. Well I think this tale has got a bit out of hand and by now you can tell that it’s not the truth. I probably got you up to the part with me fighting of the 6 crocodiles singlehandedly.

Ale, Beatrice & Marlis in canoes,
before being eaten by crocodiles.

Now the truth is that a hippo did come up quite close to us on the way back to the other bank, but Vincent paddled us over fast enough to avoid the happenings that I went into so full of detail. After the near death experience we needed time to recover so the rest of the day was spent reading and eating Haribo. Later in the day we went for another game drive and saw tons of elephants (we scared a young one who visibly jumped nd then trumpeted at us) along with all the previously mentioned animals in all we saw 28 elephants that day along with the previous days count. In the evening mummy cooked a scrumptious meal of spaghetti, onions, cheese and bacon. That night I slept well. =)

Love Alex

Day 22: Thusday 12^th May 2011 Mana Pools to Kariba (Cathy)

This holiday is rapidly becoming the holiday of the hippos. Particularly after the children and Marlis’ near death experience yesterday and the serenade that has accompanied many of our camping evenings. This evening at Kariba the hippos are around us grazing like dangerous cows as we eat our supper.

We packed quite reluctantly, at least I did. I really enjoyed this stay at Mana Pools. I even liked the visits that the animals made to our camp, the elephant racing past our dinner table on the way to the river, trying not to be noticed; the hyenas rootling around looking for left overs, the monkeys and baboons, like troops of social misfits loitering with intent and of course the hippos, noisy when in the river and almost silent when on land.

Lake Kariba Damm Wall

We drive away from the camp through the mopane forest, so beautiful with the sunlight glancing through the leaves and the grass growing thickly between the trees. Beatrice tries to spot one more elephant, her tally so far is 29 and she would like to make it a round number.

The road to the gate is quite dreadful, we discover that there are though, degrees of dreadful; the first section to the first control gate is simply dreadful while the second section to the final gate is dreadful almost beyond description considering that is the main road to the park. We stop a couple of times to photograph particularly nice Baobab trees and I notice the elephant highways that have been worn through the thick bush, but despite the odd rest by the time we get to the end of the gravel road we have shot the rear shock absorbers. So much for Dakar quality.

We turn onto the road for Kariba, the car rocking gently like a boat, slightly retracing our tracks into the hills and see voluminous smoke in the distance. By the colour and quality and burnt toast smell we can tell that it’s a bush fire. As the smoke intensifies and we can see flames, we come across three disconsolate figures standing in the road. Are they looking guilty or am I projecting with hindsight? They smile sheepishly and wave us on. Are they sure? The drop down the mountainside by this time is precipitous, visibility is very bad and flames leap on either side of the road. It is very hot, particularly on Beatrice’s side of the car. We drive on gingerly. There is a lull in the fire for a while and the smoke clears but ahead of us we can see that it is even worse. Now I know how those Australians felt as they made their desperate escapes last year. We decide to carry on since by now we have fire behind us and fire in front of us so there is no choice. As we emerge from the smoke for the last time we pass three petrol tankers on the way to the Zambian border – good luck chaps. Possibly the three protagonists were burning the verges and the fire got out of hand. We see that the verges have all been burned at the side of the road as we drive towards Makuti. We pass a couple of old burned out vehicles on the way. One of them is a petrol tanker.

We stop for a drink at the Makuti Hotel and as always are treated with the friendly respectfulness that one comes to expect in Zimbabwe. I had forgotten how delightful people are here and how very well spoken. Returning to Namibia will be a bit of a shock.

Alex & Chris enjoying a sundowner on Lake Kariba

The road to Kariba is very lovely, winding through forested hills and offering occasional views of the blue mountainous distance. We eat lunch in the car and eventually see the blue of the lake between the hill tops. Kariba town is strung along the lake shore and we are not entirely clear which road to take. We see a group of ground hornbills mooching along with total disregard for cars or people. I think of dodos. Zebras are grazing along the side of the road like goats do in Botswana.

We continue downhill towards the harbour and see a sign ‘viewpoint and information’. At the end of a short road we find said information office manned by a very helpful young woman and also said viewpoint where we can see the dam wall. It looks quite small to be holding back such a huge volume of water. The young woman tells us where to find a nice camping place, which is the best supermarket and she also tells us that on Sunday they will open the sluice gates to lower the dam level – exciting! Apparently Mana Pools is not taking bookings beyond Sunday because of the danger of flooding.

On the way to the camp site we pass Beatrice’s 30^th elephant, busy picking through a rubbish dump for titbits. The animals here are definitely urbanised, just a bit larger than most urban animals. The camp site, Lomagundi Lakeside, is fine, belonging to a local boat club, a bit overwatered and therefore damp under foot but with lots of trees and best of all a floating deck where, having bought a drink from the bar, we can sit enjoying the ultimate sundowner view of the lake. Not too bad really! Another ‘Life’s Tough in Africa’ moment! As we drink the hippos lurk in the water grunting, preparing for their evening’s grazing next to our tents.

 

 Day 23: Friday 13^th May 2011 Kariba (Christof)

The night was filled with the sounds of hippos next to us, in the far distance a township disco. Till about 03 a.m. when ZESA packed up – the hippos , in the darkness got bolder and soon a staff member drove past us to the lake shore to switch on the generator for the whole camp – then the hippos disappeared, but the mechanical thud of the generator dominated.

Map of Kariba

Otherwise a relaxed morning in the camp – shifting the table occasionally to stay in the shade. We know that we’re here till Monday morning (to catch the ferry to Mlibizi) – 4 days!  So there is really no need to rush anything. Much later we’re driving into ‘town’ (a very elongated affair spread over various bays over 10 km of shoreline). Bit of shopping at Spar: selection is modest, but at least Beatrice can stock up on her coveted ‘hot chocolate’ again.

Then on the hunt to find the place where the ferry is supposed to leave on Monday. Not easy: as seemingly anywhere in Zim all metal signboards get/got stolen. Fieke told us ‘to melt them down to make coffin handles’. It takes us a fair while and asking at least 5 times until we find the place. Although the office is shut, an old crusty Rhodie suddenly appears, being most helpful. We’re lucky, only 24 people (and their cars) are booked for Monday – the ferry is built for 72. So it should be quite uncrowded: the promised hot showers should be fairly accessible and there should be enough room on the floor to spread the mattresses. We’re given a guided tour of the ferry. Good! That is sorted out then.

I ask the old crusty where we might get fresh kapenta (those tiny fish that get salted and dried in the sun) and by luck that is just next door. By further luck they still have some that is not on the drying nets and we buy a bag full for US$2. Back at the camp we shallow-fry them, after rinsing the salt out: a perfect bar snack a la scampi, goes down well with a fresh ‘African’ cabbage salad.

Kapenta

I’ve got an irritation in my right eye: Cathy applies eye drops and a pirate’s eye-band.

Later in the afternoon we go swimming in the nice big swimming pool in the grounds. By 4:30 we start meandering to the floating bar, some 75m from our tents (the effort!!). Marlis and Cathy are very conscious of the mosquitos and apply gin&tonic liberally as prophylactic. It gets dark early: by 6 o’clock its really dark. All the lights go on and boats come and go, I find it very mediterranean.  Later we still watch the BBC world news on the big flat screen in the bar – they’ve got the full bouquet!