[Today's post comes from our guest blogger and fellow surfer Simon McKean, on his way to the airport to leave us tomorrow morning]
Two days – Three countries!
The decision came to up sticks and start on a road trip, leaving Malawi, cutting through Mozambique and entering the infamous Zimbabwe. We spent a pleasant night in Mozam (at the very least we had to justify our $75 dollar visa entry fee) and crossed into Zim all full of hope a excitement at the prospect of experiencing a country so reviled by many but revered by most.
I met a former Zimbabwean before departing from the UK. Her response to my plan of travelling in the former Rhodesian nation was , “Oh, please be careful!”. Needless to say, I was determined to dis-pell any preconceptions about Zim. Anyhoo, Sir Ranalph Finnes himself wrote a cracking foreword in the Zim Bradt guide, so if he says it’s safe, then i’m in…..mind you he did climb the north face of the Eiger with 2 missing fingers that he’d previously amputated, so maybe not the most cautious of travellers to be referencing.
After a routine border crossing, we started to see signs of a nation with a colonial past. Massive intensive farms and old tarred roads flagged by well ordered European trees. We entered Harare full of anticipation and pulled into a very swanky eatery which had traces of old British.
After an amazing steak, we rolled on our way to find camp for the night. We pulled into a hotel compound to unsuccessfully find a campsite. When leaving, there was a small numberplate-less Toyota parked in between Ben and Finn that I had previously noticed tailing us. All manor of exciting scenarios filtered through my mind, were they government officials keeping an eye on us or were they common criminals out for our loot. I put my over-active imagination to rest and we moved on. It was only at the next stop when I became worried. The three men in this car were obviously tailing us with intent! We moved on again in our search for accommodation, unsure of the streets we were turning and weaving looking for different camping sites, this helped to put them off the scent. We eventually pulled a sharp left and headed down a dirt track which brought us into the secure compound of a small game park. It was only then that I spotted that my rear left tyre had been slashed and within seconds was totally flat!
We explained our ordeal to the park manager and he and his colleagues were shocked and embarrassed by what had happened. They very kindly let us camp inside their armed compound and assured us that this type of activity was not a common occurrence. We were lucky, if the puncture had happened on the open road we could have been making a very scary taxi ride to the embassy, or maybe worse. After a tense night in Harare we upped and left first thing to get out of the city.
Glad to be on the open road again, we decided that we didn’t want our lasting impression of Zim to be negative. So we stocked up on Steak, Billtong and Boerewors (Beef sausage) and entered the national Park of Manna Pools. This park is located in the far north of Zim right along the mighty Zambezi river. We were not disappointed! Our campsite was literally right on the banks of the river, with hippos and crocs passing by without a care in the world. The campsite was not fenced and all manner of wildlife rolled in after lights out. Note to self – if a Hyena turns his nose up at your home baking, then maybe best just retire your copy of Delia Smith (Sorry Louise!). We had a fantastic time by the Zambezi – one I won’t forget for a while.
The people we met and talked to were some of the most welcoming and professional we’ve come across. All of them glad to see tourists back in their country. I was annoyed that for us Zimbabwe lived up to its stereotype, for many other visitors I’m sure it doesn’t. Moral of the story = thank the Lord for spare tyres!
While camped out at Cape Maclear, on Lake Malawi, our plan was to drive back north slightly in Malawi and cross the border directly into Zambia, towards Lusaka, the capital. Lusaka is where the current leg, with Ruth and Simon, ends and the next, with Aaron and Katharine, is due to begin. From there, we were thinking of taking a week to explore Zimbabwe. When we got the map out and had a look, it turned out it wasn’t much further to Lusaka via Mozambique and Zimbabwe, killing 3 birds with one stone. A good road led from where we were straight through to Harare, the capital of Zimbabwe.
Our restful few days at Lake Malawi was cut short as we jumped in the trucks the next morning and ran to the border. We spent only one night in Mozambique, in transit to Zimbabwe. However, a beautiful night it was, and our first view of the Zambezi River.
There is only one bridge over the river in the whole of Mozambique, and it’s in the bustling, sprawling city of Tete. For the first time on the trip a river through a city wasn’t bustling with people washing their cars, bikes, laundry and themselves – it soon became clear at sunset as the sounds of hippos emerging from the water became louder and louder. They may look cute and kind of comedy, but they kill more people than any other animal in Africa – they’re one to avoid.
