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Published: August 28th 2012
Bush Mechanic
Happy mechanic or grease monkey after the vehicle started againSome more photos and a couple of stories about our Zimbabwe trip in June this year.
Bush mechanics:
One of the vehicles broke down at Mana pools -
in the middle of nowhere - the starter motor stopped working. Luckily we had a couple of knowledgable men in our group who put their heads together, my husband amongst them. They set to work, heads stuck into the engine, legs sticking out of the bottom of the car and bystanders giving advice. Soon it was dark and they were working with headlamps and torches, in the dust of the campsite. It is pitch black in the bush at night, no surrounding lights, so quite difficult to see and work in the dark. They dismantled what was necessary, fiddled, cleaned, tweaked here and there and managed to get a spark. Then they put it all back together again and the vehicle started. There were cheers throughout the whole campsite. The owner just managed to get to Harare the next day, with the engine running continuously, (about 350 km to Harare) and managed to have it repaired so he could continue his journey with us. If the vehicle couldn't start at Mana
pools it would have been a major issue to tow it to Harare to have it repaired. Towing on a long stretch of gravel road, then uphill on a steep road, where too many heavy trucks and busses come speeding downhill only to end up in a wrecked heap halfway down or at the bottom, would not have been fun.
Baboon escapade:
When we arrived at one of the water holes in Hwange Game Reserve, we spotted a baboon who didn't look too good. He was possibly sick, or more than likely drunk from eating some fruit that was possibly fermented. Either way it was rather funny to watch. He drank some water, took a few staggering steps, then flopped down and took a rest. He then took a few more steps and proceeded to collapse again, rolling over, hugging his knee. So he continued, walking and lying down at intervals in a none too straight path to the next place where he could drink water in the prone position. We were in hysterics watching him move around. Eventually he disappeared in the distance.
Dust everywhere!
Visiting Zimbabwe in the
Hwange elephants
Weary elephant resting its limbs dry season is better for getting from one place to another and to be able to see the animals. Travelling on the gravel roads we picked up quite a bit of dust. It got in everywhere! Our vehicle needed a good wash and clean after this trip.
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