Opportunity Knocks.....When a friend who drives an expedition overland truck in Africa phones up and says she's got 3 weeks with no clients to get from Victoria falls through Zimbabwe, Mozambique, Malawi and Tanzania to Zanzibar and did I fancy a ride, then it would be rude to say no.
So there I was, on the famously snowy 2nd of February, looking at 20cm of fresh snow on the lawn wondering how long Heathrow would be shut for - "until 5pm and then longhaul flights will depart as usual" apparently. After almost 4 hours I managed to arrive at terminal 5 (in chaos) and left for Jo'burg, missed my connection to Victoria Falls and then my luggage didn't arrive for another day - but I was in Africa only 4 days after leaving NZ!
Vic falls in rainy season - awesome, powerful and very very wet!Zimbabwe was amazing and quiet. Very Quiet. Most people aren't going there any more because of the many issues and everyone was very happy to see us. We stalked Rhinos in Hwange Nat Park with crazy Ian, stayed in a hut on stilts overlooking a watering hole, paddled as the sun set, walked with lions, played with the cubs and saw lots of game.
White Rhino with her cub
I try not to write too much on this blog but I sort of feel that I should write about two particular moments. The first was riding an elephant and going swimming on it's back. Hilarious (they dive and try and drown you!) However, it was chatting with the elephant handler that sticks in my mind. We talked about this and that and the fact he was still being paid in Zimbabwean dollars which was a nightmare etc etc, but then, when I asked him where he lived, he said that he came from a village 12km away and walked to work and back 6 days a week. That's 15 miles a day, or 90 miles a week. And all to work a ten hour day for a the equivalent of less than a pound. Sort of made me think a little.Secondly, on an epic 5 1/2 hour walk with some local dude in Malawi to try and find a spot to paraglide from (long story) I came to a village in the mountains only accessible by foot and a long way up. I was told that they had never seen a european visiting up there which was pretty amazing, but there was a school of 149 pupils on the side of this mountain in what seemed like the middle of nowhere. I was introduced to the headmaster and he told me all about the merits of his school, and then pointed out that the kids weren't really any good at writing as they couldn't afford books and pens. But the maddest thing was that they had a very scraggly football pitch but hadn't been able to buy any footballs. That was bonkers. I am heading to Decathlon this week to get a couple and a pump and get them in the post hoping they'll arrive. Crazy world we live in, and we really don't realise how lucky we are sometimes. At least I don't. Anyway, back to business...
It's not quite the same when the cub does it...
This is at Antelope Game Park, near Gweru in Zimbabwe. They have a Lion Rehab programme (like the priory perhaps?) and you get a chance to walk with them (and if you're travelling with someone who knows the owners to go and play with the cubs!) which is quite an experience.
You don't want to do this in a few months time...
Feeding time at the Zoo. Slightly nasty but had to put it in..
Rainy season in Zimbabwe - some amazing clouds (and amazing rain to go with them!)
This wicked area in NE Zimbabwe would be perfect for some granite climbing and paragliding - shame we had no time to stop, places to go and all that.
Oscar el Toro - our faithful truck. 22yrs old and still going strong! Carries up to 22 people, run by Dragoman Overland Expeditions. Self sufficient for long periods of time (food, fuel and water) and didn't break down once while I was there (since then the gearbox has blown up!)
Travels continued on the road spending some time on and around Lake Malawi and then driving through Tanzania to a very sweaty Dar es Salaam to get some work done on the truck. So finally a few days on Zanzibar - spice island - to polish the amazing trip off.
The streets of Zanzibar remind me a little of Marrakesh. A crazy mix here of African, Islamic and Indian all in one place. Beautiful beaches, snorkelling, wandering and eating good food.
Isn't it funny how we don't know where some foods and spices come from - both places and types of plants. A spice tour on Zanzibar showed us many common spices being grown including others used for dyes (this red one above - great short term lipstick apparently!)
And the end was nigh for me as another Dragoman leader came out to Dar and joined Helen and Denford the amazing cook to complete the team driving Oscar el Toro around Africa,Emily and Helen in all their truckers glory! The looks you get when people see a girl driving a truck anywhere in the world are always amusing, but a white girl driving a truck in Africa seems to cause no end of amusement to people, stopping many in their tracks. It kept me amused for many hours of our journey, and now there's two of them!Africa was amazing, and now it's back to work in the UK for a few months. Hopefully the spring weather will inspire me after such an amazing few months.
