ZimbabweGreatRuins

We stopped by Father Thomas' to pick up our official church paperwork which said we were married. The list of errands was long, I had to return makeup, Scooter had to return his tux, we had to do some shopping and try to ship all of our extra stuff home. We had been in Victoria Falls almost a week and had not seen the falls. This was not the day I imagined for my honeymoon. The falls lived up to the distinction of being a natural wonder and we managed to get most of our errands done. I, of course, started to get fussy and tired of running around town. We don't have much time left to get back to the hotel to shower and pack before catching a train. I start to take a taxi but the guy wants to charge 10 more Zimbabwe dollars than the going rate and I get in an argument. The sad part is that 10 Zim dollars works out to about 30 cents and I created a little scene for all to see. The guy put me in my place and told me to walk while giving me directions. I stormed off mad and Scooter was left shaking his head. I hope being a married woman hasn't changed me.

We are heading to Bulawayo by train a short 475 Km from Victoria Falls. We could have taken a bus and been there in five hours but an overnight train ride seemed more romantic. The train station was across the street from the Victoria Falls Hotel and was very picturesque with jacaranda trees in full bloom. The Vic Falls Hotel was a regular stop of Kings and Queens from the Cairo to Cape Town train route through Africa. We book a cabin in first class for about $5 US. The cars are vintage but the rooms are cozy, the sheets clean and we will not arrive until 8:00 AM tomorrow morning. I am not sure what speed we traveled but it took twelve hours to travel 475 Km. We were not in a hurry.

We are traveling without a guidebook and our first stop in Bulawayo is at the tourist information office in the center of town. We wanted to rent a car and keep moving to the Great Zimbabwe National Park. The tourist office lady would not hear of it. She rambled on about all the great things to do in Bulawayo and how it would take at least two days to see everything. Bulawayo is a nice medium size town but it does not have many reasons to keep a tourist for more than a day. She was a great saleswoman because after we rented our car we decided to spend the night and camp in the city campground. Scooter rented a car from Avis and we would drop it at the Zimbabwe-South Africa border in a couple of days. The car rental was not cheap but we wanted to camp and be our own bosses for the next two days. There are also not many transportation options for getting to the Great Zim ruins.

Zimbabwe is a little short on telecommunications infrastructure and it is impossible to make an international call or check e-mail. Scooter was expecting an e-mail about business and he didn't want to move on until he got some business settled back home. It turns out the library has a couple of computers for Internet access that use a satellite link up. The place was filled with travelers trying to check e-mail. Scooter got his message which meant we could move on to be tourists in Bulawayo.

We drive out to the Maputo National Park an hour outside of Bulawayo to see the Matapos, World View, and Cecil Rhodes grave. The land is very dry and brown as October is the hottest and driest month in Zimbabwe. We found the entrance to the park and paid our entrance fee quoted in US dollars. You could pay in Zimbabwe dollars but the rate to get in was $10 a person. So everyday the guard collects a different amount of money depending on the current exchange rate. The sad part of all this is that Zimbabwe is not doing well in the international markets and everyday the Zimbabwe dollar is worth less and less. The locals seem to actually enjoy this because they quote all prices in US dollars so when their nation does bad they make more money.

The Maputo National Park is large and remote with numerous hiking trails, camping sites, and game viewing. We are on a two hour mission to see the famous World View and the grave of Cecil Rhodes at the top of a large granite hill. Cecil Rhodes is a very famous guy from the turn of the century. He was a pioneer and somewhat of a rebel-a very rich rebel. He is considered the founder of Zimbabwe which, until recently, was called Rhodesia after Cecil Rhodes. He also was the founder and owner of the Kimberly mines, at one time the largest producer of diamonds in the world. He also setup the Rhodes Scholar Academic scholarship. Cecil Rhodes had also planned on going to the US, conquering it and returning it to England. The modern day Boy Scouts were started in Matapos National Park as a way of educating the youth of Rhodesia on service and surviving in the outdoors.

The park is spectacular covered with huge boulders and granite formations. It is a weird landscape because the massive round boulders are perched on top of huge granite hills, almost as if someone rolled them there on purpose. It took Mother Nature a very long time to put this landscape together. Cecil Rhodes had been so moved by this scenery he gave up hope of conquering the US, formed the country of Rhodesia and his final wish was to be buried in Matapos Park overlooking the land below. If you are not in a hurry Matapos park is worth a trip and even some overnight camping.

Back in town we checked out the campground and found it to be the best we had stayed in so far. Every thing was green and clean. The campground is located in the center of town surrounded by a large park. For $2.50 a night you can't go wrong. Based on Scooter's e-mail from this morning he had to make a phone call back to the United States. We spent close to two hours trying to find a pay phone that worked, connect to an ATT operator and place a call to Florida. It wasn't easy and we only managed a two minute phone call to my mom before we got cut off. If you are trying to escape the annoying sound of a ringing phone, Zimbabwe is the place for you.

We packed up early after awaking at 6:00 AM. Our next stop is the Great Zimbabwe Ruins which is considered to be an archeological oddity in Africa. The ruins date back to 1200 AD and represent the second oldest ruins in Africa after the Pyramids in Egypt. The problem is nobody knows who built them. The British and Dutch did not formally arrive until the 1500's which meant somebody built a large and advanced stone fort. The white ruling class used the ruins to show that Europeans had arrived in Africa over 800 years ago and therefore the land belonged to them. The Africans argued that it proved that ancient African civilizations were as advanced as the Europeans. Everyone has a theory but no one knows for sure. The ruins are impressive but not much to look at - high walls, narrow walkways and small structures inside. The entire fort was built by stacking up rectangular stone rocks from the area. The walls in some places are four feet thick and have remained standing for over 800 years without any cement or mortar.

The campground inside the park is again first rate and inexpensive. We drove over to the Great Zimbabwe Hotel for a nice relaxing dinner. The hospitality industry is working hard in Zimbabwe because everywhere we go service is excellent. They are also big on customer satisfaction forms that you are asked to fill out almost everywhere you go. We had no problem putting checks in all the excellent boxes. We returned back to camp fairly late and the security guard asked if we would mind moving our tent to a better lighted spot. They have been having theft problems and our tent was located in a dark spot on the edge of the woods. The thieves sneak up in the middle of the night and cut the tent with a razor and grab your luggage. I think they had this happen one time and they are not taking any chances. The guard informs us that there will be no problems because he will be watching the camp all night while we sleep.

Our days in Zimbabwe are done and it is time to make our way to South Africa. Our plan is to drop our car off at the border and find a ride to Pretoria, South Africa. We checked the bus schedules and it seems they all depart from Beitbridge (Zimbabwe border town) at 6:00 AM. We will not make this because we still have a three hour drive ahead of us. We are hoping to get lucky. Worst case, we walk across the border and catch an African taxi for a long six hour ride with the locals. We don't mind riding with the locals but they pack in twenty people in a van designed to seat eight. Please let us get lucky!

We arrive in Beitbridge about 10:30 and we find a busy town that's only purpose is for border crossings. It is not a place to hang out in or to spend a quite afternoon. We find the hotel that Avis wants us to drop the car off in and inquire about a bus to South Africa. They look at all the schedules and inform us they all depart in the morning at 6:00 AM. We drive around town looking for other options, finding none. We head back to the car drop off point resigned to the fact that we will be traveling south with the locals. This is not our first choice.

I am not sure if the Parking Gods ( A theory Scooter has about getting lucky) were looking out for us but something weird happened. We are about to turn in and return our car when out of nowhere a Greyhound bus appears. It is just driving down the road heading towards the main road. Scooter and I look at each other and yell, "Follow that bus." The moment of truth is ahead left hand blinker means he is heading to South Africa, right hand blinker he is heading north further into Zimbabwe. We have scored because baby the left hand blinker is on. Scooter pulls around traffic and manages to get the driver's attention before entering customs. We still aren't sure if we can get a ride but things are looking up. Scooter asks the guy if they are heading to South Africa, the driver replies, "Yes." Our actual destination was Pretoria but according to the bus schedules you had to go to Johannesburg first and then catch another bus to Pretoria. This added an extra three hours to the trip. Scooter asks, "Are you going to Pretoria and can we get a ride?" The driver replies, "Yes." Our prayers have been answered and I believe in the Parking Gods. Scooter unloads our gear and I take care of paying for our tickets. Scooter still has to return the car and somehow get back to the border. Scooter explains the problem to the hotel manager and he happily gives him a ride.



The last hour of our time in Zimbabwe was entirely too weird and should be remembered for further study and consideration. We had faith that somehow we would get to Pretoria, South Africa but we had no idea how. An unscheduled Greyhound bus appears out of nowhere two minutes after we had given up hope. This is where it really starts to get unusual. When we asked the drivers of the bus why they are running an unscheduled route they did not give an answer, it was almost as if they didn't know. Scooter's dad worked for Greyhound for 25 years and it is now owned by a company in South Africa. Are you ready for the next bit of weirdness because, yes, it gets weirder. We are the only two passengers on the bus. We have a big huge new air-conditioned bus all to ourselves. Three days into our marriage and luck and good fortune continue to smile upon us. Thank you Zimbabwe we will never forget you and the wonderful memories you have provided.