October 24, 2000 Caribbea Bay Resort, Kariba, Zimbabwe
Well, as you can see, we made it, not only to Kariba, but also our time share here. We still have not talked to RCI, we seem to be getting on fine without actual contact, although, we were pleasantly surprised when we got here to find that a, we were booked in, and b, it was for a full week too.
On October 19th, back at Sinamatella, the Brits are leaving, and I discover they have two jerry cans for fuel. As they are off to Vic Falls, and back through Botswana, they have no more use for the cans, so I buy them. We move into a lodge (better facilities) and spend most of the day with schoolwork. Fractions, trig, reading, English & French. God it's hot! But we have a constant supply of water and shandy's.
We have this glorious plain immediately below us, but apart from a few elephant, and two black rhino, it's pretty bare.
Friday, 20th. We booked up to stay at Masuma Dam for the night. A few more calls to RCI to confirm our week at Kariba are just that. Still no confirmation, but the news is that Harare has quietened down now.
The Zim locals told us that, it's a little known fact outside of Zim, but you can actually stay at the platforms, and sites inside the park. These are always booked up, but as it's open season on booking, we try, and get the night at a pretty dam, about 20 Km from Sinamatella.
When we arrive, we find that we have a full time attendant here to clean, keep the fire going etc. We settle down for a view of the dam. This is just a viewing area, with a long concreted area covered by thatch with a wide view of the dam. This is another artificial water hole, supported by a diesel water pump, half a kilometre away. We have the exclusive use of this camp for the night. Once again, for the fifth time, we get our camping gear out of the top box. This must be an early November camp.
As there is no power here, unless we bring it ourselves, we have to survive on candles and our camping lights..It's been a long day, and we expect an equally long night, we all have a solar power shower at the camp, and make for an early dinner (flavoured rice on our gas burner). Time to do some more schoolwork, and sunset finds us washing up and brushing our teeth.
The light fades, there are no spotlights on this dam, so it's starlight until the moon rises at midnight. There are only huge shadows around a faint sheen of water - the hippo's come out and a few larger shadows, elephants, come closer. We can see nothing distinctly. We can hear everything - bellows, grunts, screams. Which is what animal, we have very little idea.
The hide is literally crawling with bugs, we were thinking of sleeping on the ground, but a quick look down there shows just how unrealistic this idea is. Back in TO, we bought a bug killing impregnated mosquito net. It's finally time to dig it out and we hang it from a beam over our Price Club chairs.
The hide is only about 2 metres wide, but at one spot it widens to 3 metres. It's now pitch black and the tent in the top box. Somehow, we get the tent up, and the mattresses and bags inside. There is a great deal of snorting going on just outside the platform. The kids simply go to sleep, fitfully. We stay up and watch the shadows moving around, many no more that 15 metres away.
Eventually, we too go to bed in the tent. It is a fitful night. Throughout the night, there are ear splitting roars and bellows, which we know must be on the other side of the wall. Several of them are right next to us, and we vibrate occasionally. Kayla is not impressed. I must admit to being a little perturbed myself after a particularly raucous scream around 3:00AM. Ilge & I watch the animals in the slight moonlight. There is a whole herd of elephants on the other side of the dam, slowly they make their way across the water to the pipe supplying the dam. Once there, they start their trumpeting again. Quite spectacular. Ilge gets attacked by a frog, I get attacked by a very large insect. She stays till the dawn, I do not.
Next morning, Saturday, 21st. We compare notes and interpret various screams. The impregnated mosquito net is surrounded nay, inundated with insect carcasses, each of these being gently rotated and shepherded off by a few ants.
Back at Sinamatella, I fill up the jerry cans before we head to Robins camp, this is supposed to be lion and hyena central. The riots we are told have settled down, but we are still not convinced about getting to Kariba via Bulawayo / Harare. Looks like the easiest route will be through Zambia.
Our main pair of bins - our gift from Mart, have now been used so much they are actually falling apart. I make a bush fix, and hope to get some first aid to allow them to remain with us for the rest of the trip, later.
On the way to Robins, we get a huge flat - a blunt stone rips through the tire, steel belts and all. Maybe it's the extra weight of the diesel on the tires?? Aiden, Kayla and Ilge perform the lion lookout duties as I change the tire. It takes about an hour, and I'm a bundle of sweat and dust by the time I'm through. We take it easy getting to the camp.
Robins Camp, is quite sad, it has probably not seen any visitors for weeks. But, there is a restaurant, and we get a room easily (of course). Showered and changed, and it's time for a few beers. There are signs everywhere telling us that hyenas will eat ANYTHING, so do not leave shoes, pots walking sticks etc outside at night.
Aiden & I have steak, and Ilge and Kayla have curry. We all agree it's all awful, and Aiden feels nauseous. Sad really, everyone is only too willing to try.
Come morning, Sunday Oct 22nd, I'm up at 5:00, checking for hyena's etc. There is none.
Despite the lack of visitors, the camp continues operating, the admin office opens at 5:55 by running up the flag. Everyone immaculately cleaned and pressed. I hope that things change for them soon.
Looking around, Robins was obviously very well run and attended....... some time in the past. What was a swimming pool and playground, is now just a wasteland. The kitchen has smoke marks above the windows, they must cook on open fires now.
There is a mechanic on duty, even on a Sunday. He seems optimistic about repairing the tire. I'm not. After an hour, he shows me the result. Totally useless, not even a tube can fix this. We will have to be lucky to get to Vic Falls to replace this!
We decide that maybe we should just go, and try for breakfast in Vic Falls.
It's a long, bumpy, sharp road to Vic Falls from here. About 70Km of dirt, and 30 of tar. It takes us 2 hours, but we have no flats. Just as well.
A quick change of US$ in $Zim, and we celebrate at the Vic Falls hotel with lunch. Prices are fully westernised - about 4 - 6 times "normal" Zim rates. We smile and pay for a couple of beers and a salad each for what was a full days accommodations complete with food and drinks in the park! It was not as good as the Sinamatella food either. Although it's been high summer for quite a few weeks, I suddenly notice that we are standing on our shadows at 12:00AM.
We have a family conference, now it's my turn to feel woozy - shall we make a run and chance it through Zambia, or wait here for a spare tire? We run.
The bridge is driven by me, and walked by the family. View from bridge. View from bridge without railing.
The border to Zambia could have been easy if the carnet had been made out for this country. It was not. Never thought to look and check. I knew Zim was missing, but Zambia - they actually checked the fine print. After an hour, they gave us a temporary import licence for the car, (for which we were genuinely thankful), and, pausing only to be ripped off for $US12.00 by the local money changers (I still can't believe I let them get away with it!!), we are of to Choma, 215 Km up the road.
We are immediately stopped by a border guard, complete with an AK47, who asks for our insurance.
"What have you brought me from Canada?" This is guard talk for "What are you going to give me to let you through?" I tell him that we have brought the kids from Canada and he's welcome to them, he laughs and waves us through.
Last time I came to Zambia, it was quite poor, and very basic. It looks exactly as I remember it. Very African. The only difference now, is that the towns are packed with people, everywhere in the towns, they take up all the sides, and most of the road to walk. There are very few road signs here, so we hope to get through as this is the only tarred road for 100Km around.
The Lonely Planet tells us that there is really only one option for the night on the way to Kariba. It is in Choma at Gwembi Safaris. The road is pretty good, with occasional potholes, but we make it by 17:00. On the way into town, a young boy flags us down for a lift, we are obviously full, but as we pass, he gives us a good old fashioned North American finger. Obviously, US cultural hegemony, plus a need for freebies is at work here.
Ian welcomes us, at the farm and it's like being at home. We are too late for an organised meal, but we work out a scratch barbeque, and after a few beers and shandy's, we are well settled in. The farm also works as a tourist viewing area for a few crocs. We see them in the pit. The guide tells us that we would last 3 - 4 seconds if we fell in.... The fence is a few bamboo poles. We retreat.
Before dinner, we discuss Zim, Zambia, how he lives and makes a living, the state of various economies, and where Zambia is going. He tells us why there are no road signs here - the local population take them to make pots. Wow! This is still a desperately poor area.
We have a great time, dine well and pass a restful night.
Monday, Oct 23rd, the day our time share starts, and after breakfast, we pay with VISA and head out. There is a stretch of about 20Km of dirt road, which makes me twitchy, and the rest of the road is at best, variable, with occasional areas where you suddenly run into half a kilometre of potholes
Just before Mazabuku, the road turns South again. I tell everyone that this is as far North as we are going to get before we leave Jo'burg, Nairobi now simply being a fading idea. Maybe next year, or soonish.....
At Mazabuku, we stop for a fill up - diesel is US$1.25 here - much more expensive than Zim. There is also a supermarket, good fresh produce included. It's strange to pay Kw2500 for a bag of apples, but this is only $C1.00, and milk at Kw1800 per 2 litres is cheaper than North America. The tills are manual, and have the tell tale chicken wire covers. We assume petty theft must be big here, and adjust our lifestyle accordingly.
It's lunch time, but we eat on the road (again). Fruit (peeled as we go), pies - really dreadful, juices and milk being our main intake. I have Kw9000 left (about $C3.50), which I give to the kids. They are collecting currency from each country we visit.
Once again, there are police stops, which usually wave us through, and Africa, wild, untamed, unused, corrupt and desperate stretches away. All along the roads there are bags of charcoal, or reed thatching for sale. This is about it for commerce in the bush.
The missus & I are both caught short with some gut problems, as the kids are ok, we assume it's from last nights food that the kids did not eat. This is quite a first for us - gut problems are rare for us!
The road toward Kariba is very busy, mostly laden truck going north into Zambia, and empty ones heading south. Quite a few of them are broken down on the road, on hills, nasty bends etc.
Money changers come out of the bush waving notes at us. It starts to heat up as we once again descend in altitude toward the river.
We leave Zambia at 15:30, over the Kariba dam - it's VERY big by the way, 500 metres across and 125 metres high - thats a long way down on the outflow side. Kayla and Aiden do not want to hang around in the middle.
Immigration give us a harder time getting back into Zim. Not exactly hard, but they actually ask us to fill in forms, and how much money we have. He gives me 30 days visa, but I tell him we need more, and I then get 90 days.
Once in, it's time to fill up with fuel - easy to get here it seems, and head off to Carribbea Bay. It's a beautiful place, right on the lake, and we are expected. Bonus!
It's still early enough to get to the supermarket, so its unpack and go.
It's quite large, but once again, the selection is fairly basic. However, we stack up for a few days, and take the rest of the day off.
The lodge is large (again), with 3 bedrooms, very private; surrounded by trees and bushes. There are large (1 metre long) water lizards everywhere - relax they have legs, so will not bite us. The braai area is almost a building. Everything is finished in a garish pink adobe style. We can live with it.
The "Kingfisher" time share is tacked onto the Carribbea Bar resort and Casino, which has a full restaurant, pool (two actually, but one is green), first aid centre with a full time nurse on duty. The grounds are green (no shit with a trillion cubic kilometres of water at your beck and call) and well looked after.
In the time share, there is also satellite TV so we tune into BBC World quite often. The best part (again) is that apart from a family from Zambia next door, we have the entire place to ourselves.
Lake Kariba is just 30 metres away, but its full of crocs and bilharzia, there is also an electric fence around the area to dissuade the keen aquatic life forms to stay away. We will simply have to get used to the two pools.
It's hot - bloody hot, and we sup away our G&T's in the pool as the sun sets over the lake. More Magic.
Tuesday, 24th. and I can locate a 4 x 4 techy via the phone book, and talk directly to him. It's 5000 Km service time, and if we are lucky, a replacement tire for the crap one. I take it in, passing a few elephants on the road as I drive into his garage. This guy specialises in Land Cruisers - he imports dead ones from Australia, and uses them for spares! Perfect. I leave the machine there, and will get it tomorrow. Yes, he has a "get by" spare for me, and it's a done deal. Pick up tomorrow. I'm grateful that, so far, we've always managed to get through some how.
Africa can be like that, you see incredible things here that could not possibly be allowed to work, by authorities, or nature in the west, but here, things appear to carry on regardless of facts and probabilities like vehicles seem to simply carry on working, Having said that, Africa can also be merciless. The wrong move, and you can be meat on the road, or an object a puff adder takes a dislike to. This is not a continent for those who cannot adapt, or take the initiative to make sure what you need to happen, happens.
Once again, we settle into vacation mode.
More rough times ahead.
Distance travelled this entry: 740 Km.
Distance moved on trip this entry: 910 Km
