Mozambique

Thursday 11th February 2016 – Up early, today we wanted to visit Great Zimbabwe, the National Monument and World Heritage site. We also wanted to spend the night there as the town of Masvingo was very uninspiring and we didn’t really want to spend an extra night at the run down Backpackers Rest! We were lucky to get a car taxi straight away, amazingly the driver managed to squeeze 3 in the front, 4 behind in the passenger section and 3 in the boot, 10 people in all in a hatchback car! At one point he stopped to pick up a grandma and tried to get her in the boot! She vehemently refused and we left her on the side of the road none too happy. We reached Great Zimbabwe in no time at all and were delighted to be able to check into a rondavel actually on the heritage site itself. It was beautiful and we overlooked the Hilltop Enclosure where royalty would once have presided. After a much needed nap, we lunched in the heritage restaurant on fresh salads and then paid and entered Great Zimbabwe. It was surprisingly quiet and in the 5 hours we spent at the site we only saw a handful of other people. Great Zimbabwe was recognised as one of the world’s premier capitals as long ago as the 16th century. The stone walls we saw were the dominant remains of a large city inhabited between the 12th and 15th centuries by an estimated population of 11,000 to 20,000. We walked in the footsteps of the ancient Shona people, who traded in gold and Ivory, and touched the walls that would have protected them so many years ago. We walked the Hilltop enclosure with no others around. Royalty made their home here and the view was breathtaking across Zimbabwe. It was quiet, peaceful and very spiritual. Aaron stood where the King would have done so, while I took a piccie of him where the peasants would have looked up to their King! Afterwards, we descended the hilltop and entered the Great Enclosure, the largest single ancient structure in sub Saharan Africa. It is about 250m in circumference, 11m high and 6m thick in parts. It’s mammoth size and the existence of a large 10m high conical tower has led to a great deal of speculation to its function…no one really knows as regrettably it was ravaged by treasure hunters and unskilled investigators from 1890 to 1910. The soapstone Zimbabwe bird, of which 8 were found in the ruins, is now the national emblem of the country of Zimbabwe. Again it was quiet and serene as we navigated through the monument. That night we star gazed a little and then slept where once the indigenous African civilisation of the Shona people had done long before us.

Friday 12th February 2016 – Up at the crack of dawn (we rarely get up after 7am on our travels) we hoped to reach Mutare today, 10 km away from the border between Zimbabwe and Mozambique. We walked along the dusty road, laden with our bags, saying farewell to the wonderful site of Great Zimbabwe. As we trekked, a people carrier passed us loaded up with around 30 school children on their way to their studies. They waved at us and journeyed on, delightful big smiles on their faces. Little did we know that today was to bring our most uncomfortable journey yet. We were not prepared for temperatures of 42 degrees and six varying vehicles for what we thought would be a simple two vehicle journey. That day we were pushed from pillar to post, being told to change transport regularly, each vehicle more comical and dangerous than the last until we were on a taxi bus with windscreen cracks that resembled crazy paving and a boot that wouldn’t close and banged throughout the journey (we were also on the back seat)! It was like a horrendous fairground ride that just kept on and on, never ending in its jostling of our sore bodies. Finally we found safety at Anne Bruce Backpackers in Mutare. Anne, an eccentric, loveable lady born and raised in Zimbabwe, kept us entertained with stories of the land and patrons who had passed through her backpackers. She had survived it all and was still very alive and kicking. Along with her lived Emma, the larger than life housekeeper, her two dogs (Cinderella and Lexie) and best of all Chloe, the wild African cat rescued as a kitten with big, green eyes and powerful, black, velvet paws. I felt exhausted from the journey and even had mild whiplash, so went to lay down for an hour. Chloe joined me, padding in my wake and slept beside me, my feline protector and siesta companion. Meanwhile Aaron went to get provisions. We had purchased locally picked mushrooms en route so wanted to cook them with pasta. After a tasty supper I eagerly laid my weary head on my soft pillow and fell into a deep sleep while Aaron enjoyed beer and watched videos on his phone.

Saturday 13th February 2016 – After a restful night at Anne’s, we enjoyed a well earned lay in and Emma, the housekeeper, rustled us up a tasty English breakfast. Hearing about my mild whiplash, Emma massaged my shoulders expertly and with her magic fingers managed to heal my sore neck beyond belief. We said fond farewells to Anne, Emma and Chloe (my beautiful feline friend) and jumped in a car taxi with Freddie, Anne’s local driver. He took us the 10km to the border, telling us how difficult life is in Zimbabwe. There is 98% unemployment here! After the usual bribe to local police (all drivers get stopped and have to pay if they wish to proceed…we have even seen car keys taken away until bribes are paid) we arrived at the border crossing of Machipanda. We had previously decided to get our visas at the border and had heard so many conflicting stories about how difficult or easy this can be. Most people get their visas in advance at embassies, but we had decided to take our chances at the border. We possessed all the documentation needed and were pleasantly surprised when we got our visas quickly without much fuss. Our finger prints and photo were taken as well as a hefty price in dollars and we were through…or so we thought. Our 5th set of officials later, a mere stones throw from Mozambique, we were stopped again for our passports to be checked. An older, corrupt official said he and his minions were thirsty. I had water in my bag so offered it to them…but no…they wanted money. Our first bribe of 2 dollars was handed over by Aaron (no one wants to argue at a border crossing…it really isn’t wise…you are at a complete disadvantage!) and we quickly shuffled on to a waiting taxi bus that took us to Chimoio. We arrived at the Pink Papaya Backpackers around 3pm and decided to go out for dinner. Luckily, Mandi, who worked there, reminded us to take our passports with us for if you are stopped by police (who always carry firearms) without your passports you pay a hefty fine. We thanked her and set off for a delicious fish supper. On our return we chatted into the night with fellow backpackers Ben from Holland and a lovely American girl who was volunteering in a school in a rural area of Mozambique. We slept under a mosquito net that night fit for royalty.