The heading is where we are now and not a reflection of the country. However having said that we have enjoyed our stay here so far and in spite of having a few police stops as expected we have parted with no money. We are hoping to get a flight here before leaving but the weather is not being kind: wet and windy today.
I should have made a blog post before leaving Mozambique where we had a SIM card for internet, but we arrived in Zimbabwe sooner than expected. Going back a few days to our entry to Mozambique where our application for a single entry visa (not double entry as hoped) took the immigration official nearly 2 hours. He was part way through entering the details onto the computer ready to take Chris's photo and fingerprints when the power failed and they had to start a generator and begin again!
Once on our way the temperature rose and by the time we reached Tete it was 44 degrees. We found the only campsite on the edge of the fast flowing Zambezi and I took advantage of their swimming pool for a cooling dip. Chris chatted to Conus from Maputo who was a mine of information about places to visit and roads. We had met an Oasis Overland truck at the border and they turned up late at the same campsite so Chris again chatted to the driver about places to stay in Zimbabwe. At 5am the next day we woke to see 3 hippos bobbing their heads in and out of the Zambezi close to the bank- hippos for breakfast!
We had intended staying in Mozambique that night, close to the border but we made better time than expected and decided to get into Zimbabwe while the going was good. This was at the 2nd border post into Mutare. We were slow through town following several learner drivers! Once out onto the dual carriageway through the hills shrouded in low cloud, it was a pleasant drive to our night's stop at a beautiful lodge. We had the campsite to ourselves again. A sunny start the next morning later turned to rain for our arrival in Masvingo. By the time we reached Great Zimbabwe, the National Monument and World Heritage Centre site it was dry. We were surprised to see an old Bedford truck with a box on the back and a white man emerging. It turned out to be Martin, a builder from London. He and his wife have been visiting Africa for the last 30+ years. This time he had 2 of his sons along with their girlfriends, a novel experience for the girls. We had an entertaining evening hearing amazing stories. Yesterday we spent the morning climbing the ancient steep path to the ruins on the rocks above and then explored the Great Enclosure with its maze of walls in Great Zimbabwe, the biggest medieval cultural site south of the Sahara.
I should have made a blog post before leaving Mozambique where we had a SIM card for internet, but we arrived in Zimbabwe sooner than expected. Going back a few days to our entry to Mozambique where our application for a single entry visa (not double entry as hoped) took the immigration official nearly 2 hours. He was part way through entering the details onto the computer ready to take Chris's photo and fingerprints when the power failed and they had to start a generator and begin again!
Once on our way the temperature rose and by the time we reached Tete it was 44 degrees. We found the only campsite on the edge of the fast flowing Zambezi and I took advantage of their swimming pool for a cooling dip. Chris chatted to Conus from Maputo who was a mine of information about places to visit and roads. We had met an Oasis Overland truck at the border and they turned up late at the same campsite so Chris again chatted to the driver about places to stay in Zimbabwe. At 5am the next day we woke to see 3 hippos bobbing their heads in and out of the Zambezi close to the bank- hippos for breakfast!
We had intended staying in Mozambique that night, close to the border but we made better time than expected and decided to get into Zimbabwe while the going was good. This was at the 2nd border post into Mutare. We were slow through town following several learner drivers! Once out onto the dual carriageway through the hills shrouded in low cloud, it was a pleasant drive to our night's stop at a beautiful lodge. We had the campsite to ourselves again. A sunny start the next morning later turned to rain for our arrival in Masvingo. By the time we reached Great Zimbabwe, the National Monument and World Heritage Centre site it was dry. We were surprised to see an old Bedford truck with a box on the back and a white man emerging. It turned out to be Martin, a builder from London. He and his wife have been visiting Africa for the last 30+ years. This time he had 2 of his sons along with their girlfriends, a novel experience for the girls. We had an entertaining evening hearing amazing stories. Yesterday we spent the morning climbing the ancient steep path to the ruins on the rocks above and then explored the Great Enclosure with its maze of walls in Great Zimbabwe, the biggest medieval cultural site south of the Sahara.
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