Diary: January 2001
Monday
1st January
Chiredzi
Spent all day just lazing around, with the occasional swim to sweat of the
excesses of the previous evening.
Tuesday 2nd January
Chiredzi
Went to help my cousin Jil at the SPCA. After feeding the cats and dogs we
were called out to retrieve a Large Leguane (Lizard) from a woman’s car.
Unfortunately the Leguane had had its escape before we arrived. Would have
mad for a nice photo opportunity!
Bought some canvas and took my camping chair to an upholsterers for
repair.
Wednesday 3rd January
Chiredzi
We went round to a friend of Jill’s house. They’d left Zim when the
trouble with the war vets started. It was a sobering experience, I’d
been there last time I was in Zim. We had a great Braai in the garden, now
the house was an empty shell, and the garden completely overgrown. I’ll
give an overview and some of my impressions of the situation in Zim at the
end of my stay in the country.
Did the afternoon shift at the SPCA.
Spent rest of the day swimming and updating my diary. (You may notice that
the entries for Zim are a little brief, but I’m 3 months behind with the
diary, and I’m in a catch 22 situation, the days are going by quicker
than I can record them!)
Thursday 4th January
Chiredzi
Jill and I went to catch three wild(ish) dogs someone no longer wanted.
One dog was very placid, and he literally jumped in the back of the truck,
a wise choice for him he would be given a chance, and a new home sought
for him. The other two were unapproachable and would have to be put down,
that is if we could catch them. We were led a merry chase for ½ an hour,
and only managed to catch one. The other made a break for it through a
hole in the fence. We’d come back for him tomorrow after the owner had
drugged it hopefully!
We went straight to the vets, and he put the dog down there and then in
the back of the van, it was a sad sight, but the only option.
Jill had wanted to take me to a craft warehouse, but it was closed, so we
made do with coffee at a farmstall.
Went for a few drinks at Colin’s workplace, they have their own pub on
the premises. It’s called “The Pumphouse” (they’re an irrigation
firm.)
Friday 5th January
Chiredzi
Back to get the last dog. The owner
had drugged the dog, but it wasn’t giving up easily. It was a bloody
shity job, literally! The poor animal was so scared, and the SPCA don’t
have funds for proper equipment. We had a pair of leather gloves and a
homemade noose pole.
Eventually got it into the truck, and straight of to the vets to have it
put down. Straight home for a shower, but as usual the water was off, so
it was into the pool.
More typing and swimming before an evening at the “local” a bar called
“La Bamba” it was just like the end of week wind down in my local back
home. (Sausages and beer)
Saturday 6th January
Played golf with Dave, a British guy I’d met last time I was in Zim. It
was great fun, and I was surprised how well I played after a 6 month lay
off. I managed to par 5 holes, well pleased.
In the afternoon we took Colin’s boat to a local dam. It was great fun,
too much beer, and the men spent all day larking around and playing
practical jokes.
The afternoon ended with a relay race, using a couple of small rowing
boats. This deteriorated into a “capsize the opposition” competition.
Probably not a good idea, a 12ft Crocodile frequents the Dam!
Back home for another braai and more beer.
Sunday 7th January
Chiredzi
Jill went to SPCA and Colin to church, so I did some more typing.
Another Braai! This time combined with a game drive in one of the nearby
parks. Conversation at the braai seemed to be mostly snake stories which
was nice!
Didn’t see any of the big five, but I did get my first sighting of a
Hartebees.
Back to the ranch for more typing, swimming. Despite all the BBQ’s and
beer I’m still shedding the pounds. The swimming and 150 sit-ups and
press-ups a day seems to be doing the trick.
Monday 8th January
Chiredzi
Another day doing my chronicles. I dropped Jill off at the SPCA, then home
to thump the keyboard, interspersed with more swimming.
Tuesday 9th January
Chiredzi – Triangle - Chiredzi
It was Colin’s birthday. Nattelie arrived with Amy to wish him happy
birthday, but he was still at work. Not having a present I went into town
with Nattelie to “got the beers in”
Went to work with Colin in the afternoon. We went to a cane farm in
Triangle to install an electric motor for a water pump. It was interesting
work, but very hot and humid. Thankfully the pump was in a pumphouse, not
out in the open. We installed the motor, a switch box and a circuit breaker.
Back to Chiredzi for the birthday bash. It was supposed to be a pool
party, but all the guys were glued to the TV. The cricket was on!
Wednesday 10th January
Chiredzi
Swimming, sunbathing and more typing.
Thursday 11th January
Chiredzi
I’ve come up with a plan for creating a bit more storage room in Maggie.
By turning the tent around and shifting it forwards I hope to make enough
room to store the jerry cans and water containers on the roof. It works,
and very well. All I have to do is get a cradle made for the cans, turn
the tent round and do a few modifications to one off the sandladders,
using it as my “staircase” to the tent.
Friday 12th January
Chiredzi
We’re off to a gamepark (Gonerazu) at the weekend for a spot of “bundu
bashing” apparently it’s a really extreme place. No facilities, un-maintained roads and lots of poaching.
I serviced Maggie in readiness, and did the provisions shopping with
Colin. It seems the most important supplies is beer! (30 bottles)
Watched “Notting Hill” in the evening, god I laughed. Missed the
British sense of humour.
Saturday 13th January
Chiredzi – Gonerazu
Up at 4 o’clock to pack the meat and beers and we were off. We did
approx 60 km’s on the tarmac, then it was gravel roads towards the park.
Saw a few Elephants and impala, but nothing else of note. The park
reception was in the middle of the park! We registered there and got our
fishing permits, then off to find a campsite by the river. It took us 3
hours to cover the 14 kms to our site, interspersed with a couple of beer
stops! I really enjoyed the drive, we crossed several rivers/streams on
rock causeways which was tough on our tyres.
The site we chose was on the Save river below Chilo cliffs, a truly
stunning backdrop. A late brunch, relax and then it was time to do some
fishing. We caught 4 good sized bream and drunk far too many beers. The
sunset over the river was beautiful, and as the last rays disappeared over
the horizon the cliffs came alive as hundreds of bats set out on their
evenings foraging. Colin filleted the fish and I started the fire in
readiness our potje (cast iron cooking pot)
Just as I put my head on the pillow I heard a hyena chuckling away
somewhere in the bush.
Sunday 14th January
Gonerazu – Chiredzi
Breakfast, and a bit more fishing. No luck this time apart from a small
Tigerfish. We did however spot a few crocs cruising up and down the river
looking for lunch.
The drive back was pretty uneventful apart from Colin getting a puncture.
A hidden stump of an iron wood tree was to blame. I hit it too, and more
severely than Colin. Maggie’s back end was launched in the air it did
some serious damage to the tyre, but it held together. (see photo, a
testament to the strength of Michelin XZL’s)
Back to Chiredzi to plunge in the pool. It had been very hot in the park,
but not as bad as I’d been led to expect. I was also told the mozzies
would be bad (Colin got malaria on his last trip there) but we escaped
without a single bite.
Some of you may have heard on the news that the police had picked up ten
opposition supporters (MDC) and dropped them of at 6 mile intervals in a
park. That park was Gonerazu, and we were there that weekend. We knew
about it before anyone else as the police had decided to do a spot of
fishing in the park before returning home!
Monday 15th January – Thursday 18th January
Chiredzi
Four days of typing and swimming.
Friday 19th January
Chiredzi – Inhassoro (Mozabique)
Jill and I had decided to go to Mozambique for a week or so. A friend of
Jill’s Paula was also coming along. She had a friend with a camp on the
coast that we were going to use.
We set off at 5 o’clock heading towards the border post at Espungabera,
it was the quickest formalities to date (½ an hour). It would have been
quicker, but the Zim guys hadn’t filled out the carnet properly and I
had to wander back to get them to change it.
The road down of the mountains was wonderful. A red gravel track through
the rainforest. I didn’t realise til it was too late, but I hadn’t
taken any photos. Shame as it was beautiful stuff.
This area had been badly hit by the cyclone last year, but unlike in Zim
they had been busy repairing the roads and bridges. We did however have to
cross one river on a barge. The barge wasn’t running, so Paula and I
crossed the river in small boats made from a single piece of bark. We were
looking for the barge operator. The barge owners claimed the river was too
high to cross, and despite the offer of a hefty incentive they weren’t
prepared to do anything. The truth was that they were all too busy getting
drunk in the nearby beer hall.
Four and a half hours later we were over and on our way, but running very
late. I tried to make up some time, but there was a stretch of the road
for about 100 kms where the potholes made rapid progress an impossibility.
Real axle breakers, and very difficult to negotiate easily.
We eventually pulled into camp at 7 o’clock. It had been a long day at
the wheel and the concentration required for the pothole section had taken
its toll on me. A couple of beers and a swim before bed.
Saturday 20th January
Inhassoro
Set up my hammock between a pistacho tree and the landy. Spent nearly all
day just reading and watching the fishermen bringing their nets in. It’s
a beautiful spot, real picture postcard stuff, aquamarine waters, a
seemingly endless white sandy beach edged by green palm trees.
Jill had the first of her holiday hazards! She spilt some of the hot oil
from the skottle on her hand. I’ve named Jill and Paula the
“MASHies” (Middle Aged Suburban Houswives)
We bought some crayfish from the local fishermen for supper. Excellent and
good value for money at £1.50 a kg!
Sunday 21st January
Inhassoro
Being Sunday there wasn’t a lot to do, but laze around. What a shame!
Jill had incident number two when she nearly knocked herself out on a low
hanging branch.
We’ve been trading cigarettes for prawns. Two cigarettes for a large
handful, by the weeks end we should have a bucket load!
Lamb stew in the potjie I’d bought in Zim. It turned out very well. One
of the garden boys showed us how to get the Pistacios nuts out of their
cases by cooking them on the fire. Needless to say we ate roasted nuts all
evening.
Monday 22nd January
Inhasorro
Jill and I went for a stroll along the beach. Collecting shells and taking
photos. We came across an abandoned fishing trawler, it looked superb on
the beach and I went through ½ a roll of film photographing it. It really
needs black and white film, will come back later.
More crayfish for supper!
Jill had the next episode in her week of trauma. She went to pick up a
hair band from a chair and nearly put her hand on a banded cobra! It was
coiled up on the chair hissing away. Paula called the gardener and he
dispatched it.
Tuesday 23rd January
Inhasorro
On the way to Inhasorro I’d heard a clunking noise from Maggies
underside, on inspection I noticed the front fuel tank bracket had broken.
Judging by the welding on it, it appears to have broken before. The
potholed roads had taken their toll. A bit of bush repairs was called for.
I found a piece of 8mm steel bar, and after a couple of very tiring hours
on the hand drill I managed to brace it sufficiently to get us home, I
hope!
Wednesday 24th January
Inhasorro – Vilankulos
With Maggie up and running again Jill and I headed off to Vilakulos for a
look around. Changed some money in the market and went for a drink in a
local bar. There are lots of aid workers in town, esp save the children.
Took a drive along the waterfront, quite exquisite (see photos). Back to
the market for a look around and buy some local cigarettes. We tried a
couple of different brands before finding some that didn’t have us
coughing too much. The market was a wonderful sight, but I was stopped
from taking photos by one of the market guards, don’t know why, but I
wasn’t going to argue.
Thursday 25th January
Inhassoro – Bartholomew Diaz point
A 40 km drive along the beach to Bartholomew Diaz point. Great fun driving
along the beach, but we had to keep an eye on the time as we would be cut
off if we miss judged the tide. I did a spot of fishing while the MASHies
did some sunbathing. After an hour I abandoned the fishing and picked up
the camera instead. There’s some wonderful dead trees on the beach, and
a section of very eerie looking mangroves at the back of the beach. I put
in some B&W film so I could take some shots of the fishing trawler on
the way back.
Took the “MASHies” into the local market so they could do some clothes
shopping. One of my pet hates is shopping with women. I found it hard to
believe that there I was in a market in Mozambique being asked for advice
on what colour looked best, and was it too big, too small. The clothes
come from bales of aid agency clothes, to be fair to the girls if you
looked hard enough there was some good quality stuff to be found.
Friday 26th January
Inhassoro
A
cyclone passed us by in the night, and it hammered down. There was another
one on the way later in the day apparently, so we decided it would be a
good time to take a dhow trip!! Quite some experience. The same rig as the
Felucas on the Nile, but a little different in open seas. And no where
near as comfortable.
We had
prawns for our last supper, hundreds of them!
We reckoned it had cost us one packet of cigarettes for approx 200
prawns, not bad value at 20p a packet! Also had fresh coconut milk with
whisky and ice. Very drinkable!
Saturday 27th January
Inhassoro – Mutare
We were up early for the journey back to Zim. An 8 hour drive which was
pretty uneventful apart from the 70 km pothole section.
Border formalities were even quicker than Espungabera. 10 mins and we were
off.
We’d arranged to stay at Colin’s sister’s house in Mutare. She was
away for the weekend and we arrived to discover she’d been burgled the
night before! We hadn’t notice anything out of place until Jill opened
the TV cupboard to find it empty. The rest of the house was untouched
thankfully and one of the neighbours had arranged for new locks to be
fitted and put a security guard on the premises.
Sunday 28th January
Mutare – Chiredzi
We broke up the drive to Chiredzi with a quick look at Birchenough bridge,
the only suspension bridge in Zimbabwe. And a look around a few curio
stalls. I bought a small picnic basket for my fruit and veg, and Jill got
a nice fish carving.
Back to meet up with Colin at the cricket club, then off home from a much
needed dip in the pool
Monday 29th – Tuesday 30th January
Chiredzi
Swimming and typing!
Wednesday 31st January
Chiredzi – Bullawayo
Jill needs to go to the dentist and optician, so we decided to head of to
Bullawayo for a day or two. Arrived in Bullawayo, and after a quick run
around the shops and various clinics we had time to visit the natural
history museum. Lots of stuffed animals and birds. Sad to say, but the
first lion I saw in Africa was packed with straw! Still it was quite
educational. Shame the place is so poorly lit and the exhibits so dusty.
Off to Colin’s parents house. They were going to put us up for a night
or two. Had a few beers with Billy, watched the cricket and bed.
Thursdsay 1st February
Bullawayo - Matopos
Took Jill to the dentist and opticians, then a quick trip down the road to
Matopos. They charged me Z$500 to enter the park and Jill being a resident
Z$20. Bit of a bloody rip off if you ask me. Went to see Cecil Rhodes
grave, where they then charged me again Z$100 to climb the hill! Jill went
balistic when they wanted to charge her the same. I left her to a shouting
match with the parks officials and set off up the hill. Jill caught me up
after she’d shamed them into letting her go for free.
Cecil had chosen a beautiful spot to be laid to rest. Atop a hill among a
circle of giant boulders. The view wasn’t bad either!
To be fair to the parks people the entrance fee did include entrance to
the game park as well. Matopos was a volcanic area and the whole park is
full of wonderful rock formations and balancing boulders. I think the
formations in the game park were some of the best, which was just as well
as the game spotting was pretty poor, Giraffe and zebra, but we couldn’t
find the Rino anywhere.
Maggie was making some strange noises again, but I thought I’d found the
problem when I spotted one of the rear springs was not seated in its
mounting properly. Got back to Bullawayo and set it back in place thinking
I’d cured the problem.
Friday 2nd February
Bullawayo
Maggie still sounding like a “bag of nails”. As soon as I said that to
myself I knew what the problem was, another UJ had gone. This time on the
rear prop shaft. I’d been a bit silly and left all my spare parts in
Chiredzi. (wont do that again!) Two options, one hunt around Bullawayo for
a new UJ or take the prop shaft off and head back to Chiredzi in 2 wheel
drive. I opted for the last.