Blogs from Bulawayo, Zimbabwe, Africa
August 12th 2011
Dear All Greetings from Bulawayo, second city of Zimbabwe and situated in the West of the country. As has been the case on all my trip so far, I’m having a whale of a time and have seen some amazing places – it just keeps getting better! Before I continue though, I just have to say how shocked, and disgusted, I am at the news back in the UK, and I do hope everyone is ok – hoping that at last the British government and society may come to realize that this “gang culture” is just out of control and something drastic really needs to be done about it – military schools and harsher youth sentences to teach some respect and basic decency come quickly to mind. But anyway, this is not a general blog but ... read more
July 24th 2011
With a recent cholera outbreak and shortage of mortuaries a truck loaded with dead bodies heads for mass burial while you nervously cross the boarder into one of the worlds most politically unstable countries - Zimbabwe. In a country where interest rates were in excess of 231 Million Percent and local currency denominations range from $1 to $100 Trillion dollars you will not be surprised to find a country under British sanctions struggling economically while desperately sustaining its people and infrastructure. On nervously crossing the boarder immigration requests brand new United States Dollar notes to pay for a 30 day visa. With local currency now worthless, Zimbabwe has attached its self to the United States Dollar in a attempt to stabilize the country. Unfortunately a stable country needs to start with a stable police force. Paying ... read more
February 24th 2011
Greetings from near Gweru, Zimbabwe.. For the last few days we have been heading south through Zimbabwe. Our first stop was at a game lodge ($590 a night but it also provided camping ground to overland trucks and their motley crews). Here we were taken for game drives into the Hwange national park. Amongst the now common place zebra, elephant, giraffe and antelope of various kinds, we were lucky enough to see a pack of endangered Cape hunting dogs. The lodge also had its own hide and floodlit waterhole, so evenings were spent sipping a drink and watching for impala, giraffe and elephant. We then moved on to Gweru antelope park where we are camped in an idyllic situation on the shores of a lake. Around us are elephants and, as the park is now home ... read more
September 16th 2010
Tuesday (2/8/10) We enjoyed the luxury of a nine o'clock start and after a hearty breaky of scrambled eggs and baked beans we set off on our Rhino safari with our extremely enthusiastic guide Andy. After a chilly 45minute trip to the reserve we dismounted our jeep as Andy started tracking some rhino prints with rifle resting on his right shoulder. Through the rugged bush, Andy pointed out various prints, poo and plants and how to decipher their sex, age and direction. We ran out of tracks so returned to the vechicle until we came across some more and it wasn’t long until we we trecking through the bush again in single file behind Andy and his gun. Not far from the road two young male rhino’s we tucking into some lunch behind a few bushes. ... read more
August 15th 2010
Bulawayo is the second largest city in Zimbabwe and was at one time apparently the cleanest city in Africa... It is still the cleanest in Zimbabwe I'm told. We arrive on the night train from Vic Falls, the journey has been an experience. We travelled first class for $10, so we had sleeper carriages sharing with one stranger, but there are no lights let alone a dining car. Lucky we came prepared with snacks and a bottle of wine! Also most of the exits are open for the whole journey so you have to make sure you don't stumble out when going to use the delightful toilet which is just a hole to the platform, no idea why they bother with a sign asking you to flush as there is no water and the contents are ... read more
Africa 2010, South Africa,Namibia,Zimbabwe,Zambia,Swaziland and Lesotho (Zambezi canoe trip.Garden Route Hiking plus the Lion walk)
Published: January 19th 2010Africa » Zimbabwe » Bulawayo
January 3rd 2010
We have just returned from frigid Manitoba, having spent Christmas at West Hawk Lake-BRRRR. We are now into full packing/planning mode for our trip to Africa-we will leave on the 15th and expect to visit South Africa, Namibia.Zimbabwe,Zambia and Swaziland. We may also be able to visit Botswana. We have 2 organized tours with one being a 4 day canoe trip on the Zambezi and the other a 4 day hike on the Garden Route along the coast. We have lots to do before the 15th............ Countdown continues-It is now the 9th of January and we are slowly getting ready.As usual we have multi-activity considerations but are still trying to last for a month with one checked bag (MEC backpack/suitcase) and a small carry on backpack. To lower the profile I am leaving my old backpack ... read more
August 21st 2009
The bus journey from Windhoek to Livingstone was one of the smoothest, most sanitised, most organised journeys we had taken in Africa, and we hated it. Carrying 90 per cent tourists, running to an actual schedule, making toilet breaks that weren’t just pit stops by the side of a field, it was a highly efficient affair. Gap year backpackers chatted and flirted and swapped travel stories as our double-decker coach roared through tiny villages. I wrote in my notebook, ‘Good God get me of this f**king bus.’ The girl in front of me was one of those great people who fully recline their seat for the entire (24 hour) journey, occasionally readjusting it in order to catch me by surprise with a sudden recline, smashing my knees further. ‘We’re in Central Africa!’ the girl next to ... read more
January 27th 2009
I sometimes feel like we are moving to another planet, not to Australia. With Australia on the other side of the world, it won't be easy visiting friends and family in Europe and Africa. It was with that in mind that we planned an extra month in Southern Africa to spend time with old friends and family. Hiring a car in the Cape we started the 5 day trip along the southern coast of Africa. Driving along the Garden Route, which started at Oudtshoorn with its 400 Ostrich farm, we continued through to George then Widerness, an area renowned for its natural beauty. The following day we travelled throught the luxurious holiday towns of Knysna and Plettenberg Bay before continuing on to Tsitsikamma National Park and Storms River, the self appointed adventure capital of South Africa. ... read more
October 30th 2008
Because it gets so hot so quickly during the day we started early at the Gt Zimbabwe ruins. Both Camilla and I commented that the nearest thing we had seen to this site was Machu Pichu in Peru. Numerous stone walls built within a circular wall which, at its base’ was 6 metres thick, and 4 metres thick at the top. To me, the surprise was that there was so much left of a civilisation which went back to the 11 Century. Towering over the site was a wonderful kopje, itself covered in the remains of battlements and buildings. We climbed to the top and looked down on the Zimbabwe main site. Hopefully the photographs we eventually hope to attach to this will show it more clearly than I can describe. We arrived in Bulawayo after ... read more
January 15th 2008
But first a re-cap A while back, just after New Year we crossed to the Zimbabwe side of the Victoria Falls. The falls themselves were just as great from this side as the other, but the spray was stronger so the view wasn't as clear. The town of Victoria Falls was a sad sight really. We had prepared ourselves for the situation in Zim and expected to see empty shelves in shops, but what we weren't ready for was the way the whole town was falling apart. While we were there we saw a helicopter doing tours over the falls make an emergency landing with smoke pouring out of the tail, a car break down on the way to a sunset cruise (and by the way it rained constantly for 3 days) and the winch ... read more
