HONEYMOON, Part 3. ZIMBABWE

My final honeymoon blog installment was delayed as Glen and I met up with my sis in Cape Town who headed there after a dream trip to Namibia. After the heat and dust, we treated her to the sights of this lush city as well as a day in the winelands (which surely are the most gorgeous in the world!). Time in my favourite African city was marred by the fact that my furnace back in Toronto kacked while we were in Zimbabwe and my lovely tenants were without heat for 9 days!!! I tried to remedy the situation via phone and email and even called in dear friend Boyd to help—seems it all had to do with locating a part. EISH!! Well, the heat is back on (finally!), my tenants endured with amazing patience and grace and my sis began the long trek home to the US two nights ago.

Time for life to get back to normal and for this newly married couple to settle in! Long awaited good news arrived Friday: my South African Residency Visa has been approved! It is being sent from Pretoria to Johannesburg and hopefully will arrive soon. I remain here with fingers crossed until it is actually in my hands.

But, back to Zimbabwe…… Glen and I were transported overland the short distance from Kasane, Botswana, to the Zimbabwe border where I learned that the visa for my three day visit would be $75 US! Visas for South Africans are free and nationals of most other countries pay $30 US, but evidently this is what Zimbabweans are charged for a Canadian visa. I was not happy handing over $75 to that tyrant Mugabe. But, once the formalities were sorted and we were dropped off at Imbabala Lodge, my anger disappeared. From the moment we arrived at the thatched roof lodge, I knew we had arrived at someplace very special.

At Imbabala, there are only 8 thatched roof chalets spread out over the grounds—they were spacious , tasteful without being pretentious, and comfy. I particularly liked that each one had its own hammock.

Meals were taken communally—all 16 guests sat at one large table under the trees, weather permitting, giving US a chance to chat with visitors from all over the world. Some of the most interesting were white Zimbabweans—I didn’t think there were any left! Chris, a school principal from Bulawayo, told us of how the Mugabe government outlawed school fees a couple of years ago. When we asked what he did to keep the school open, he said he simply asked parents for a “donation” equivalent to tuition—and with a 98% success rate, he added. Now there’s someone to admire!

One cannot be in Zim without being aware of and talking about politics. Glen was reading Peter Godwin’s damning new book about Mugabe (may his days as dictator end soon), but this was our honeymoon after all…. so back to enjoying this Zimbabwean oasis.

There we were on the mighty Zambezi, close to the corner where Zimbabwe, Zambia, Namibia and Botswana meet—staying at the best location of the trip and treated to the BEST wildlife sightings ever!

On our first night, we went out on a small pontoon boat with an excellent guide, Abie. But before one heads out for the early evening activity at Imbabala, afternoon tea is provided in the garden. Freshly baked goodies are served—talk about the life of colonials! The only problem is that the local troop of monkeys also know that tea is served at 4pm—they are so fast they do manage to grab a slice or two of cake before being chased away.

Although elephants are rare on the Zambezi in December and January, Abie had a hunch we just might see some. As we headed around a bend in the river, there they were. Herds of elephants travelling in neat rows down to the river! Abie cut the motor and let the boat bank itself while we just watched and watched as about 75 elephants drank and bathed in the river. Cameras clicked non-stop. It was a wondrous sight that no one, not even the Zimbabweans, had seen before.

That night as we dined under the trees, an elephant wandered into the garden. She seemed only concerned with munching the grass, completely unconcerned with us diners who were fascinated by her presence. Evidently, during the night, she was joined by four others.

A herd of impala have learned that the Imbabala grounds are a safe place to spend the night and appear after dark each evening. They rest while one member of the herd keeps watch.

After the amazing luck of our first river cruise, Glen and I decided to do it again the following night but knew nothing could surpass what we had seen. We cruised quietly for an hour or so, seeing crocs, hippos and amazing bird life. And then we spotted them in the distance—a row of elephants heading to the river. Abie gunned the motor and one of the guests began counting—50, no 100, no—about 150 elephants of all sizes and ages! Need I say more???????? It is a site I will never forget.

Our honeymoon could not have ended on a higher note—yet we managed to squeeze in one more amazing experience. We were flying back to Joburg via Victoria Falls Airport, so we left early asking the driver to make a detour to the Falls—and we were so glad we did. The Falls are over a kilometre wide and descend into a narrow deep chasm. The intensity of water gushing into this narrow gorge causes great clouds of mist and in some places, there is so much mist falling that it seems it’s raining! Despite having rented large umbrellas, we were soaked after a couple hours of viewing, but it was well worth it.

It’s our first quiet weekend without visitors in a month. Time for Glen to get back to work and for me to find some work!