As usual, much has transpired since my last entry. I've recovered fully from my food poisoning, thankfully, and spent some quality time in the Bvumba Mountains enjoying the scenery, which is amazing. It is truly a beautiful part of the world that should be visited! I was worried about finding a place to stay there on the cheap as the one lodge listed in LP burned down three years ago (so much for being recently updated!), but the guesthouse in Mutare gave me the number for the Hivu Nursery/Hycroft which promised to have backpacker lodging. I called and talked to Sally who runs the place. She was heading into town that day and agreed to pick me up, so finally some luck went my way! Sally arrived on schedule and we ran some errands in town and she bought me some lunch. We then made our way up into the Bvumba Mountains, which is about 28K from Mutare. I was in awe! After living in a flat, desert for months, I was so excited to see the rolling, green mountains.
When we arrived at Hycroft, my mouth dropped. The house was situated overlooking the mountains with lots of pretty flowers, vegetation and horses. Sally used to live there with her family. I was the only guest there for three nights, enjoying quiet nights by a fire reading. I had an adorable little room upstairs and hot shower. I couldn't believe my luck - all for $10/night! That afternoon I read on the swing overlooking the valley and the next day I went out with Sally to go horseback riding. Sally has done a lot of backpacking herself in Australia, NZ and India, so we swapped stories on the ride. After that she gave me a lift down to Tony's Coffee Shop for a very decadent cake and real coffee! The owner sat with me and drank tea while we talked a lot about life changes and finding our true calling. He was an architect in Cape Town for years until he had an epiphany that lead him to quit and move to the Bvumba and open his shop, no regrets and no looking back. He was about my age when this happened, so I told him I've been waiting for my epiphany with no such luck.
From there I walked back up to Hycroft for the night, taking in the fresh air and beautiful scenery. It was so serene. I was reminded of walking near my grandmother's farm near sunset and collecting wild flowers. It really was a romantic place that would have been nice to share with someone, but I really enjoyed (and needed) the time to myself, although admittedly the first night was a bit creepy what with all the noises an old house makes at night. I did worry about things turning the way of "The Shining" if I stayed too long in this mountain retreat alone, but Sally indicated she was heading to Harare that Saturday and offered me a lift, so I was not about to stay too long.
My last day there I planned to get up leisurely and then stroll throug the botanical gardens nearby, but most plans in Africa get changed, and that morning I was awoken at 7:30 a.m. to someone rumbling up the stairs and calling my name. It turned out to be a fella I met at the Legion who had offerd me lodging at his house in town for free. I had to turn it down given I was stuck in bed, but he had hunted me down up in the mountains. It was a little early for visitors, but as I wiped the sleep from my eyes in my PJs, I basically realized he wanted some company. He invited me to breakfast at the Leopard Rock Hotel nearby, which is this fancy place visited by Queen Victoria and a host of others. It was a beautiful hotel, and in fact, a former castle as you could see remnants of it in parts of the building. After breakfast, my friend asked me to play slots in the hotel casino on his dime, so off we went. My $20 actually lasted for some time, until about 11:30 I realized I best get going to see the gardens. My friend was hesistant to bid me farewell and asked me to join him for one drink at the hotel bar. Somehow time got the best of us and soon it was four o'clock and I needed to talk to Sally about leaving for Harare before five! So much for the gardens.
I got back to Hycroft and had a bite to eat and then bed early as Sally's hubby Stu was picking me up at 7 a.m. Bvumba means drizzle, and the next morning I could see why. The fog and mist that moves in made it hard to see, and I was sad I would have to leave without a last glimpse of the beautiful mountains. Stu pulled up and off we went for the drive to Harare. Both Sally and Stu love to golf and they were headed to Harare to meet up with friends and do just that. Sally ended up leaving the night before, so I got a comfy ride in the front seat with Stu as we set off for the capital city. He invited me to visit the golf club before dropping me off at the one backpacker place in Harare, and there I met his friends who he and Sally planned to stay with. I was soon invited to stay with them as well at their home outside the city and I could not refuse such a generous offer. They are a wonderful couple, so welcoming and genuine. That night all of them went to the Canadian ambassador's house for dinner while I stayed back with a troupe of girls. They reminded me so much of my sisters.
Yesterday everyone had plans for church and golf, so Stu invited me to join him on the golf course for the day. The course if lovely, with lots of water and flowers and wildlife, so I snapped photos while Stu got increasingly frustrated with his game. We had lunch and then settled back at the house. Now I so appreciate being able to stay in this lucrative part of Harare with this wonderful family, but I was missing the city. I was anxious to get out there and explore a little, so I caught a combi outside their house and just rode into the city center, which takes about 25 minutes. This was a Sunday afternoon, so everything was closed downtown, so my visit was short-lived. I decided I best find the combi back since it was getting late in the day, and I asked around for the combi to Glen Lorne, the neighborhood I was staying in. Unfortunately I did not know there is a Glen Nora neighborhood, and with my accent, the locals thought I was saying Glen Nora. I jumped in a combi and I was off. Soon I noticed that the sun was on the wrong side of the vehicle and nothing looked right. I thought perhaps a different route back? Eventually it became clear that I was not going to Glen Lorne and finally asked the conductor about this. Many had a good laugh in the combi and we agreed that yes, there was a breakdown in communication. Yet they stopped, flagged a combi heading back into the city, and paid for me to return so I could catch the right one. I was glad for the little tour of a different part of the city and eventually found the Glen Lorne combi, but that still did not get me to where I needed to go, requiring me to call Stu to the rescue as it was dark by then.
I have continued to enjoy my time in Zimbabwe. It just might be my favorite African country. The people are wonderful and the scenery amazing. There has been so much struggle, and continues to be, but you wouldn't know it by the way you are treated as a welcomed guest. Somehow within all the chaos, things work, and people have learned to be creative and adapt. I admire that. My friend who distracted me from the botatanical gardens actually left Zim when things got bad and moved to OZ. He said he could not stand it there. It was much too orderly and so many rules. Somehow I could understand that. I find when I return to the U.S. from travels, I question so much of what we do and why we do it. It's nice to get a break from structure while on the road. Many of my friends here have chosen to stay in Zim despite all that has happened as this is where they were born, their home, and where their heart is, and I can appreciate that. I hesitate to leave myself any time soon, but as it is, I plan to head to Bulawayo tomorrow and then eventually up to Victoria Falls to be reunited with Hays who is finally off PC grounding and can travel. Before then, I plan to do some more shopping! They have lots of markets and crafts here, and I am all too happy to spend my money here rather than Botswana.
The man who goes out alone can start today; but he who travels with another must wait till that other is ready.
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