Norma Jeanes Lakeview Resort, Zimbabwe

After leaving Kruger yesterday we repeated the shopping trip drive we had made a couple of days previously, through the Venda villages and small communities. Once again, it felt very odd to be out of the Park, not driving at 40 kph, although we had to be careful about cows and donkeys crossing the roads. Once we were through Louis Trichard (Makhado) and on the N1 road away from the area occupied mostly by Venda people it was noticeable that the women were no longer in traditional dress but in westernised clothes.
Mussina was a hustling, bustling African town. It was a Saturday lunchtime and the remains of a market was being cleared away, loads of rubbish and debris. The small mini-buses. which provide the main form of transport in all the African countries we have visited, buzzing all around, often laded not just with passengers, but also all their purchases. We had a problem finding the Old Mine Guesthouse, where we had booked in, as the turning from the main road was closed off for road works. In the end John followed another vehicle and drove over the pavement. After tortuous twists and turns on bumpy and uneven dirt roads we found it. Although close to the centre of the town, once inside the compound it was a totally different environment, leafy gardens and trees, a real ex-colonial feel to it. We had a large room, with bathroom and small kitchen area. We went out to eat at a nearby Steak House chain and had fairly typical food, a bit too heavy for me as I had indigestion and an unpredictable bottom for most of the night. The owner warned us about the malarial mosquitoes, but the window screens had holes in them. John mended those with parcel tape and I stuffed the gap at the bottom of the doors with toilet paper. We sat outside until after 20,00, but didn't see or hear any mosquitoes. Neither were we aware of any in the night, although we did have two anti-mosquito devices going.
So we left at 07.00 this morning for the dreaded Beitbridge Border crossing. It was so much better than we expected. By 09.00 we were into Zimbabwe heading up the N4 towards Mashvingo, two hours. The exit from S.A. was so much easier than we remember it being three years ago, when it took us longer to complete all the paper work to get out of S.A than it did to enter Swaziland. At the Zimbabwe border the worst part was the touts, who were all over us like ants as we drew up. These are people who offer to fast track you through the laborious system for a fee, which in effect they cannot do. Some off them very cleverly string what looks like an ID card around their necks to give the impression that they are legal. I made a quick inspection of one, and I could have done better myself. We fended them off, an official told us to avoid them as they were touts. What I don't understand is why, if the authorities know that these touts are operating, once inside the building there were numerous signs to say that touts would not be served, only the bearers of current passports, they aren't rounded up and moved out. We found all the actual officials to be pleasant and helpful, responding to our requests for help and advice, and almost just waving us through. It could be that our age is an asset, but we would like to think that the maturity which comes with age and the 'African' interpersonal skills we have developed in our travels assists us. We find that following the traditional greetings process, punctuated with humour and cultural appreciation, smooths our path on most occasions. We have since been told by Zimbabweans that two hours must be a record, some Canadians staying here took over four.
Once in Zimbabwe we drove for a long time through the ubiquitous mopane scrub. The landscape was flat and barren, the sky heavy and overcast, it was dismal. We saw a few people with donkey-drawn carts, there were few signs of agriculture. Then after about 200 kms every thing changed, the landscape became dramatic, with huge boulders jutting upwards, some bare rock scoriated where rain had poured over them, others gently rounded and tree-clad. We saw more evidence of agriculture, crops cultivated, grazing animals. All the time, however the clouds thickened and grew blacker and more menacing. We turned off towards Norma-Jeanes, close to Great Zimbabwe, where we had booked a campsite. As we drove into the camping area the rain started, at first quite lightly, we decided to hang on a bit before putting the tent up. Within 15 minutes we were surrounded by another terrible storm. Thunder and lightening all around us and very close, torrential rain. We decided to upgrade to a cabin and drove back to Reception. We sat in the car for at least 30 minutes before making the two-metre dash to the Reception door, waiting for a let-up in the force of the rain and the cracks of thunder and lightening. So we are now in a neat little 2 bed room, we have to make a dash for the ablutions and a kitchen annex, but we are dry. The storm has passed, but it is still raining steadily. In a lighter rain moment we took a look at the campsite and it appears to be draining well, but is very wet. We will have to see what tomorrow brings.