Zimbabwe

Zimbabwe

We headed into Zimbabwe from Botswana. The border crossing was hectic, but that was mostly our fault. Brian had left his wallet in the tent, so he had to open it in the parking lot because Zimbabwe requires US dollar to enter and I didn't have enough in my purse. I think I only had to go back into the immigration office once, which was much better than our exit out of Zimbabwe.  

As we headed into Zimbabwe, we experienced our first police stop within a mile. Oh, what fun! It was the start of questions like "do you have your paperwork, fire extinguisher, traffic triangles, and life jackets (a.k.a. reflective vests)?" As we heard from locals this was a ploy to find something wrong so the cops could earn their tax free income. Luckily the company we rented the truck from knew all of this was coming, so we never had to pay the toll. After the first couple of stops we slowly started to get in the groove "I see your flashers work, could you turn on your headlights?" By the end we learned the most efficient method was for the driver to turn on the flashers and headlights and the passenger would grab the fire extinguisher to hold up for the officer.

A few of my favorite requests. "May we see your tire spinner?" A what? Finally, after we figured out the combinations of words he was saying we knew he was asking for a tire iron. Or, "Sir, it is illegal to drive with your headlights on". This happened because Brian was doing the efficiency thing and turned them as he pulled up to the officer. Brian shut them off, and the officer called his supervisor over. The supervisor looked confused because they weren't on. Luckily, they had a friend pull up and they flagged us through at that point. That was the only hard time we caught, but it sounds like they often give the locals and other Africans the shakedown.

It seemed that police stops were just outside the communities and the police walked to the road and made a "road block". Most stops had signs, but not all. The police would stand in the roadway, with their life jacket on, and wave their arms in a flagging manner. By the end of the trip, I still couldn't tell the difference between stop and go. We only hit the military stops twice. They hung with the local police and would check your vehicles with weapons in hand.

Funniest part to me was, we never saw a police car anywhere. The closest we got was a police motorcycle in the capital city. The driver was wobbly and his passenger looked terrified. 

In one day we drove over 500km and had 15 police stops and an additional 6 on lunch break. It really slows down travel time. I can't imagine having to deal with that every day. On a more positive note, the drive was beautiful. Zimbabwe has so much potential.

During our time in Zimbabwe, we visited Victoria Falls. The falls were such a treat after being in the desert for a week. The water was fast moving and gave off mist and spray. So much so that the we wore long rain coats to stay dry. As the wind would shift the amount of spray would change. It could go from a little sprinkle to buckets of rain in seconds. Visibility would be clear one second and be gone the next. In the park, we walked along the massive falls. Loud, rushing water to the left, jungle like serenity to the right. We had a nice time, but $60 USD seemed steep. We walked the length of the park 4 times in a couple of hours. The peace of the park was only interrupted by the steady stream of helicopters flying overhead. I enjoyed the rainbows made by the mist, sound of rushing water, and the few boards of information to read about the history of the falls.

The town of Victoria Falls offered many restaurants, shops, and hotels. To be budget friendly we didn't eat out much, just occasionally at the fast food places like Chicken Inn and Creamery Inn. Brian loved Pizza Inn because he had been missing pizza from the states. Most stores were touristy, but I enjoyed the Elephant Shops (strip mall). They offered many local arts, handmade gifts, and specialty items. Plus, hawkers weren't allowed in so I was free to look around without being harassed. There are many hotels in Victoria Falls, but we chose N1 Hotel, again to be budget friendly. The first night we stayed in the hotel. It was nice, especially for the price because most were 2 or 3 times more expensive. Slightly outdated, but the room was clean and large compared to camping the last 10 days. The following night we camped on N1's property, which I preferred. The ablutions (bathrooms/showers) were really nice and the tent felt like home by this point. The location was perfect for shopping, the falls, and dining.

Next we headed to Hwange National Park. The park was massive. You could really get your monies ($52 USD) worth. One could easily drive hundreds of kilometers on paved, potholed roads, and four wheel drive trails. So large, the ranger at the gate asked us to take sugar to his camp host, since we planned on passing his location. Of course, we obliged and the host was very happy.

We almost stopped a few kilometers short of the camp host, because of a pesky elephant. He and his family were eating in the roadway. As I drove toward them, they became uneasy which made me uncomfortable. I had images of elephant dents and tusk holes in the side of the truck. I'm guessing the rental people would have been upset. I don't think elephant damage would have been covered by the insurance. We sat and discussed what to do for a minute or so. Finally, a tour group come from the other direction and pushed them slightly off the roadway. I quickly followed suit. The elephants were mad! Luckily, they seemed to only fake charge. The mom elephant ran out on the roadway as we passed in the truck. She raised her trunk, trumpeted, and stamped her feet. By then I was hitting 3rd gear and was out of there.

We looked all day for lions or any cats with no luck.  We did find lion tracks, but we were too impatient to wait by a watering hole for hours to see one.

Near the park we stayed at Tusker's Campsites which was part of Ivory Lodge. Camping here was wonderful, as we could use the hide which was on the posh side of the lodge's property. This part of the lodge had a huge fence keeping animals out.  No such luck for campers sleeping outside. I loved everything about it, especially knowing people were paying over a hundred times more for less of an experience. Camping cost around $15 a night and included a magical campfire that was started by magical Ivory Lodge elves. There was a large elevated observation deck right outside of our campsite overlooking the waterhole. It was so relaxing to cook dinner while watching animals come for their evening drink of water. 

We spent much time in the evening's at the hide, as well as our campsite. The hide was about twice as close to the water and the animals would come all the way up to the shelter. When you are close enough to feel an elephant breath, you feel so small and defenseless.

I could bore you to death for hours about watching elephants eat, drink, and interact, but I'll try to not put you to sleep. While we were visiting the hide we were lucky enough to watch families of elephants parade down the hill, just behind the water. One by one you could see their gigantic wrinkled bodies appear on the trail. While observing it was easy to pick who was in charge of the family and who gave the commands,  including the 'time to go' trumpet. Equally as lucky, we saw a baby elephant. It was still covered in hair, which doesn't last more then a few months. Watching him try to feed himself, was similar to watching a child learn to feed. It was uncoordinated and sloppy. You could tell he was frustrated at times because the trunk wouldn't go where he wanted and he would miss his mouth. Sometimes, he would give up and put his face directly to the soil, instead of bringing it to his mouth.

I enjoyed figuring out if the elephant was right or left 'tusked', just as we are right or left handed. They wear down unevenly and can become more pointed. I also enjoyed watching them interact, especially in tight quarters. If they all wanted to eat or drink from the same place, it made me think of a busy city street. They would all brush up against and bump into one other.  Occasionally, one of them would get upset for pushing too hard. It would warrant an ear puff, trumpet, or shove. 

The cape buffalo appeared after the elephant. By this time it was dark so it was hard to tell but it seemed like 60-100 buffalo at a time came through to drink and graze. They were even less excited than the elephants about humans being so close and so was I. They were more aggressive with each other, head butting and wrestling. Everything we had read talked about the cape buffalo being extremely territorial and aggressive towards humans. Brian thought it was great to be so close to a large, aggressive animal. I was just creeped out by their horns covering their entire head. 

That night, we left the hide to walk back to our tent with flashlight in hand. We had left the cape buffalo to finish their nightcap without us. About 30 minutes later, just after we had crawled into our tent, we heard them push through our camp. "Like a herd of buffalo" definitely is accurate. They were loud and made the ground rumble as they trampled through. They passed by for about 5 minutes. One actually hit our ladder to our tent on the way by. A little close for my comfort.

I would stay at Tusker's again. The showers were nice. The bathrooms were modern and clean. Even the scully (dish/clothes washing station) was decent because you were surrounded by the great outdoors.

Ok, so more about the tent, I loved that tent! It was great to be up off the ground, away from elephants, lions, hyenas, cape buffalo, and whatever  nature could throw our way. It was attached to the cap of the truck bed. It would unfold out toward the rear of the truck, doubling it in length. The tent had a mat inside that would fold in half for storage. It was thick foam and made for a great night's sleep. There was a ladder that supported the rear half of the tent and allowed for access. Once popped up, we could open the windows and use the screens to keep bugs out. The window's outside were canvas that could be held up with poles, which offered great airflow. Most nights this was not necessary for us, because it was winter time and temperatures were perfect for sleeping. The truck also came with sheets, blanket, comforter, pillows, and bath towels. So handy, we had everything we needed and more.

We rented the truck with safari tent from Bush Trackers in Pretoria, South Africa. We were impressed with everything (with the exception of transport to and from their place. Everyone they hired was great, just too expensive for our taste). The truck, ooh the truck. I wished it could come home with me, minus the steering wheel being on the right side of the vehicle. We had a 3L diesel 2015 Toyota Hilux with a double cab. The cab was great, because it offered space we used to keep our clothes organized. It came with 4WD, rear locking differentials, full length skid plates, steel bumpers, and rock sliders, which were all useful. Without them we would still be somewhere just outside of Chobe National Park. The air conditioning worked well. Thankfully because I ended up with sun poisoning. Life can be tough being this pale! I believe the "wind screen" (or windshield) had been replaced at some point, but without any UV protection. My hands were fried, because I did the majority of the driving. 

Bush Trackers also included everything one would need to camp. Just add food and clothes! The truck bed had a refrigerator. How have I camped for weeks at a time without one? I want! It was run off an extra car battery. Also included were table and camp chairs. Three boxes with supplies. The first had 2 pots with lids, a pan, a cutting board, a teapot, and kitchen towels. The second had place setting for 4. Plus, grilling and cooking utensils and a table cloth (the only thing we never used). The third was empty so we stored our dry goods there. We were also given a crate with two propane tanks and burners, grilling basket, and pot stand. They filled a 5 gallon jug with water for us. We also had our FIRE EXTINGUISHER, TRAFFIC TRIANGLE, and LIFE JACKETS. Set and ready to go!

We had a nice time in Zimbabwe, but I hope things continue to trend upward for them. Things felt despite at times and that was challenging on many levels. Zimbabwe was a beautiful country and has so much potential waiting to be realized!