Wow. We then visited Hwange Park…while lots of it is falling into disrepair because there are not many tourists or visitors…the camp in the middle of the park—Sinamatella—is amazing…not impressed on first getting there because there is trash all over the campsite but after making a complaint it gets cleaned up. We are on an escarpment overlooking miles and miles of field and forest…beautiful and as you sit there you realize that those gray rocks you’ve seen aren’t actually rocks but elephants. And once you see one they start appearing everywhere…went for a drive and found giraffe, elephants, and warthogs…then back to camp for sunset. We found another couple at the campground and actually felt a little affronted that there were others there…but then they invited us to dinner (they’d cooked for 10 at least)…so we couldn’t stay upset for long…
A beautiful drive the next day…woke for sun rise and then took off…had breakfast at one of the lookout points—watching hippos, zebra, and dessies (still not sure what these are—rodent looking animal of some sort)…also more giraffe, amazing birds…and a patrol of wild painted dogs across the road…and elephants in plenty…that night we went on a night safari and found a lioness who didn’t care at all that we were there—she was thirsty and was going to drink out of the puddle she found…and buffalo…the freedom in the park…well signposted and you are completely on your own…and there is so much of the park that no one ever explores because it is so vast…
Then to Harare where we stayed with Tom who we met on New Year’s Eve. Harare is a real city…even has a Holiday Inn…Tom’s got a beautiful house with an amazing garden and his own rock garden (mini-Matopos). His mother was also visiting and so we got even more of the Zimbabwe perspective—someone who left before it all fell apart (retired to Cape Town) but still loves to visit and would love to spend more time there…Thanks so much for a great visit!!
And then back to Malawi in 2 days…we stopped for the night at Caborra Bassa (a hydro dam for lots of Mozambique’s power) which was pretty but extremely over priced for the rooms (food was wonderful and cheap) and then it rained and leaked on our beds…not impressed and ready to get home…no real problems with the border crossings (as I have the correct stamps now) though the semi trucks had the whole thing blocked and we had to detour in the mud and around everything…but back in one piece with great memories…
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