Mozambique and Zimbabwe, 30/12/2004
the day before new years eve, we had a very long drive day, going through two borders in one day and passing into Mozambique and then into Zimbabwe, so we didnt actually see anything of Mozambique. The zim border was the most difficult wed encountered, wanting to see everything we owned but we managed to convince them thta a daypack each was all we had which saved some time. They didnt seem to likebritain much and our visas were double the price of everyone elses, and I thought they werent going to let me thgrough when I didnt say hello to one of the many customs officials and he took offence. Zimbabwe was in economic turmoil with something like 5000% inflation. the most recent Lonely planet said thered be 50 ZIM$ to the US$ but there was anywhere between 6000(bank rate) and 8500(high black market rate) when we got there and everything was really expensive whereas wed been told it would be the cheapest country on our route, so we wished wed bought souvenirs in Malawi. The souvenirs changed though, from the wooden carvings in the more northern countries, to soapstone carvings (some of which are winging there way home now) and we did manage to pick those up quite cheaply.
We went to the capital Harare, and spent the first night in a relally nice backpacakers that gave us dorm beds for the price of camping! The next day(new years eve) we were driving to Kariba, and people were understandably drinking in the back of the truck(I was sleeping) as it was Kiwi new Year at about 2pm. However, when we stopped for a toilet stop, Dave somehow fell out of the truck onto his head, hence ending our new years plans.. Having fallen two or three metres(apparently he was climbing round to the charcoal on the cab roof- dont ask me why) and been knocked out cold for 7 minutes, we were all understandably scared. However he did come to and had somehow not broken anything, just had a nasty cut on his head and concussion. So we then had to keep him awake for the whole journey back to Harare where he went to hospital and spent around four hundred pounds on cat scans etc and we had a very sobering new year waiting for them to get back.
1/1/05 So we drove to Kariba again on New Years day. Unfortunately since we were a day late our booking had expired and we had to stay at a rather scummy campsite for a night before getting on the houseboat. however when we saw the boat theyd kept for us, which was tiny and even stated the max passengers was less than us, we unanimously decided we had better things to spend our money on and cancelled. Fortunately, this did mean that it took the agent (who was obviously pushing his luck) about an hour to miraculously produce the boat wed originally been promised which was infintely nicer, twice the size with a splash pool on the front deck, so we were able to go on that one instead and were a lot happier. We had a good time on the boat- with two guides to take us for uneventful game walks on the mainland and fishing trips where the motor stopped working about 10 metres from a hippo so they had to paddle with one oar and one cool box lid!. We did see hippos and crocs and some rhinos though, but the walks were more about animal tracks, plants and dung! We also stopped in the middle of the lake wher it was safe so the more kamikaze(not Dave obviously) could jump off the roof of the boat, nad we could go swimming. We also had a cook to provide our meals for us and another crew to make our beds- we slept on the top deck cos it was so hot but had a bed made up under a mossie net.
7/1/05 We then headed back to Harare yet again to take the road down to Gweru, to a place called antelope park where they have a lion breeding program and you can walk with lions and ride elephants. Our driver used to work there and encouraged us to stay longer than the two days usually allowed, which we did and were glad of as the lions were amazing. Since our driver had worked there and knew the lions we were able to do our first lion walk with the oldest lions there- about 18 months old and not usually allowed to walk with visitors anymore. This proved to be interesting but scary! The lions were almost fully grown and the male was absolutely beautiful as he was beginning to grow tufts of a mane. They instantly recognised Milo and jumped on him, in an affectionate way but with three fully grown lions, he was forced to the ground and smothered! This meant that we were not able to get very close to the lions and whenever one came close to us in affectionate way the keepers would shout at it and chase it off. Therefore the whole experience was a bit artificial, with occasional posed photo opportunities but the lions werent free to do what they liked(which is supposed to be the idea) as they were just too big. However it was very interesting experience to be with the bigger lions but we decided to go again(for half price) with smaller ones the next day.
the next day we went with the smallest set- only six months old- Casper and Cleo and they were absolutely adorable, although already the size of a largish dog. They were able to walk freely and ran around chasing each outher, climbing trees and rolling around like kittens in the long grass. Casper made my day by willingly befriending me and coming and sitting on my lap as much as such a large cat could and licking my arm. There will probably be lots of photos of him. The second time we stoped he again came to nuzzle against me and took me by surprise when he bit my neck! It was only in affection and when we watched the two together they bite each other a lot but their skin is very thick and they cant feel it! The keepers described it as a love bite, but I was a bit concerned that he went for the jugular. A few minutes later the pair of them started chowing down on a pile of horse manure and after that I was less keen for him to nuzzle me!
We also saw the lions get fed and had a viewing with the really baby cubs too young for walking, who at three months were very sleepy and playful and very photogenic.
The elephant swim was something I regreted after two seconds! Me and Mark climbed on this huge african elephant who took us in the water and essentially tried to drown us!!! It was quite unpleasant as the water was dirty river water and the elephant insisted on pooing in it while we were there and then pulling us down in it so we got it in our hair and mouths! Especially bad was the fact that mark pulled me off the first time we went under and then we had to walk out through waist deep sludge just to get back on again-yuck! I should have stayed off then because the rest was a white knuckle ride only comparable to white water rfting in the nile! There were two elephants going at the same time but ours was definitely worse- theirs actually let them stay above water level- so all our photos feature ben and maya on an elephant and our heads if anything, just above the water! It was also extremely painful as they didnt put a sadle on cos of the water and the spine was extremely prominent and hard- needed a gel saddle!, plus its skin was rough as anything and like wire wool on the legs! The day after we all felt like we had groin strain injuries from sitting with our legs so far apart and Mark had signed up for a package of activities so he also had to go horse riding and ride an elephant on land which was apparently extremely painful!
10/1/04 After antelpoe park we went to Bulawayo where we spent some time in the town and were sent on a game drive through Rhodes Matopos NP and went for a Rhino walk which some found quite scary as our guide kept leading us rather close to a rhino that looked decidedly like it was going to charge!! We also went for a quick walk aka climbed the nearest mountain to see some cave paintings which were very interesting.
Milo and Kristy drove off in the truck while we were there and our guide left us at the train station in the evening to catch the overnight train to Vic Falls. It looked to be almost identical to the Kenya one at first glance but unfortunately it was nowhere near as nice- it was very shabby, and worn, there were actually 6 bunks in a cabin as there were three bunks up on each wall, and it led to a very hot unpleasant, bug-ridden journey. there were no meals provided nad a trip to the dining car was a scary experience with the lights not working and lots of scary men drinking local skuds in the darkness!
13/1/04 We spent five days at Vic Falls, which was interesting since we were actually staying miles away from the falls themselves which were in a national park and you had to pay to get in. We actually went to see them on the Zambian side as we were taking a flight of the angels helicopter ride from that side which included our visas. The helicopter was an interesting experience but woefully short and the falls looked tiny from up there, although it allowed us to see the path of the falls- the gorge was a zigzag in front of the falls and we could see where a new line was starting to form at one side behing- the devils crack where the new falls would eventually be as they have moved back over the centuries as the Zambezi formed a new gorge- something Id never realised, so in a few hundred years the falls wont be in the same place they are now!
After the flight we walked to the falls themselves and saw some amazing views, especially with the rainbows formed by the mist in collaboration with the sunshine! This made for some beautiful photos which will hopefully be posted here soon! We also got absolutely drenched as the mist actually falls like rain on the paths opposite and they hire ponchos out to the tourists. I was wearing my swimming costume so we just got wet which was actually quite nice in the baking sun, but we were really glad wed invested in a waterproof surfsafe for our camera!
Mark went for an Adrenaline day which consisted of a gorge swing(basically like a bungee jump- the cord is attached to a rope across the gorge 100 metres deep- and you jump off, with a couple of seconds of freefall before you start swing back and forth. I wussed out and decided it wasnt worth paying to stand on the edge shaking but mark did it twice! He also did a flying fox slide across the gorge and some abseiling and rap jumping(like abseiling but you face downwards!) He thoroughly enjoyed himself and came back tipsy from the free lunch and beer!
We went out to dinner to a restaurant called Boma's which served game meat like carnivores in Nairobi. It was quite expensive at 25$ each but was an amazing experience- we went to the nearby hotel first in there free shuttle bus and had a drink overlooking the wateringhole, then they provided us with a free shuttle to the restaurant and the driver recited the menu on the way! We pretty much ignored the soup, starters and salad as it was all you could eat on the meat! They cooked it for you to taste and we had warthog which was divine!, crocodile stir fry, impala stew, buffalo stew, kudu steaks, ostrich as well as sirloin, chicken and lamb on a spit! Mark also stupidly ate some chargrilled worms which was a gimmick with a certificate. We ate way too much and luckily Iwas unimpressed with the desserts as I had no room! The atmosphere was great, with live singing and dancing african style- they even had a barbershop quartet going around singing to each table( I laughed when they broke into the lion king song!) and everyone was given a large drum to join in the drumming session! And amazing service- the hotel manager, where we werent even staying rang to remind us when we needed to leave for the last free shuttle home!!
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