Ted's Tours: Border Crossings

Day two brought with it the dreaded border crossing. We had ear marked this day as our most difficult as we were crossing over to Zimbabwe which (due to pesky dictatorships) is not always the most efficient. We were right. It was bleak from the outset. It seemed to be infectious as the South African side comprised of two unorganised officials sitting in a temp building, and a queue snaking back into the car park. It took us 40 minutes to get through.

But our lives were about to get a lot worse. Picture thousands (actual thousands) of people milling around a large building with no glass in the windows, 8 (at least) different queues absent of any signs or direction, men assuring you that they can help you get through the border for x amount of money, a sweltering hot (44C/112F) day, and 4 very sweaty individuals. We were ushered from queue to queue when some nice official finally decided to grant us with visas. The visas themselves took about 45 minutes – they were logging everything by hand in giant notebooks (no pictures because…Mugabe is always watching). Then after that was done – we thought we were through. We could not have been more wrong. We had to take the car through customs. Long story short – we ran between queues and Zim officials for two hours before they finally let us through. All in all the saga took a balmy 3 and a half hours.

Zimbabwe is a beautiful, beautiful country – once you actually get in. I was quite impressed when we were stopped by some police just before getting on the “highway” (a two lane tar road) and told not to litter please - part of their new anti-littering campaign. Not sure how well it was working as we drove through streets covered in rubbish - but I like the sentiment. Our three hour drive to our first Zimbabwean national park was gorgeous. On the downside, the park closed at 6pm and we arrived at about 8:10 due to our lengthy border crossing (rooooll credits). But trusty Ted called around at different campsites and we found somewhere else to stay without too much fuss. We stopped in a gas/petrol station for dinner but they only had steak pies (I don’t eat beef) so I had more cereal. This is a wonderful moment to tell you about my favourite cereal EVER. I treasure it so much because 1) it reminds me of my childhood; 2) it’s coveted (by me) because they only sell it in South Africa. It’s called Pro-nutro and it is creamy, porridge-y type goodness.

We slept under the stars that night, too lazy to get our tents out, and set off for Matopos in the morning. Matopos was described in our guide book as “domineering, spiritual, massive, and weird” – these adjectives leave something to be desired. It is an incredible place because of its unique rock structures, rather eerie due to the balance created in some of these structures - not sure I would every refer to it as "weird" though.

Matopos is also home to Cecil Rhodes’ memorial. It is an interesting place to visit because there is a mini exhibit and his story is told in a rather friendly fashion. I’ve read a few accounts of Rhodes now and he was in no way a friendly man. His story is quite a scary one, an example of mankind at its most ruthless and most ambitious. But his grave is in one of the most breathtaking places I have ever been – so…good for him? This hilltop is covered in large boulders so naturally James and I climbed a few.

After a beautiful breakfast by a dam:

We made our way out of the park and continued on a journey north to Hwange National Park. Not much game spotted in Matopos, but the geological site alone was worth it.

Details to follow xx

LINKS: Part One

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