DAY 63: Making friends at Matopos

Hello! I hope you all had a wonderful Wednesday. We have only one week left on the road. I can’t believe time has flown by so quickly! Our day at Matopos was very relaxing. The cool weather and shade allowed us to sleep until 08:30 – by far the latest we’ve slept in weeks. A few horses joined us for breakfast and were eventually difficult customers to get out of our camp. They were so tame that Ji took the opportunity to give a couple of them makeovers. It’s amazing what a bit of mane pampering can do to a horse’s look! 

Maleme Dam - the view from our campsite

One of many new friends we made today

Around 10:00 we took a drive to Cecil John Rhodes’s grave. He really chose one of the most amazing places in the world to get buried. No wonder he named it “World’s View”. From the top of the hill one has a 360-degree view of the dramatic rocky surroundings. A few massive boulders surround his grave like guards and also provide shade and shelter for literally hundreds of colourful lizards. They are so tame that they will climb right onto your body if you lie flat on the rock. The main reason being that they’re keen on catching the little flies that constantly zoom around every human’s face in search of moisture. 

Ji next to Cecil John Rhodes's grave

Only two of MANY lizards on the rocks

Villiers couldn't do it when he was 7 and he can't do it now! (World's View)

From there we went to the local curio market and met some extremely friendly, but desperate Zimbabweans who have all felt the worst effects of the political crisis. They literally struggle to survive on a day-to-day basis. We didn’t buy any carvings from them, but we left them most of the food we had left, because at Mashatu we won’t have to cook for ourselves. We also showed them some of the smaller, more practical gifts we bought in Malawi, urging them to make curios that will be easier to transport and serve as great gifts. It was wonderful, and incredibly sad, to speak with these people and to hear their stories. But the one thing is for sure – they all have faith that things will turn for the better in Zimbabwe. If you decide to visit Vic Falls or Hwange, do come past Matopos. Not only will you see one of Zimbabwe’s (and indeed the world’s) most beautiful parks, but you’ll have the opportunity to assist a community in desperate need of foreign support. Bring old clothes (that are still in a good shape), food and of course money, and buy local curios. You can change lives in the process! 

The showers in the campsite are not working so last night I took a shower under a tap and Ji boiled water from the Maleme Dam to make a proper bush shower. Today we decided to shower in the rest camp’s public ablutions so at least we’re clean again. 

Ji next to his 'bush shower' rig

Tomorrow we head for Plumtree border post and back into Botswana. I’m not 100% sure where we’ll be camping, but it will be as close to Mashatu as possible. As you would have noticed – our itinerary looks dramatically different from the one on the blog, but that was always going to happen. At least we’re still on our way south… Believe me, the urge to carry on north was massive! 

Have a great day! 

Villiers 

Highlight of the day:

Villiers: World's View

Ji: To have made a difference in people's lives

Lowlight of the day:

Villiers and Ji: To see how much the locals of Matopos are struggling