Road Trip to Zimbabwe and Mozambique

“Adventures are all very well in their place, but there's a lot to be said for regular meals and freedom from pain.” ― Neil Gaiman, Stardust

 

OK.  So here's my Facebook post from the beginning of our roadtrip from Zambia through Zimbabwe and to Mozambique.  (It's like traveling from Seattle to Denver but on crummier roads.)

Ahh... Zimbabwe immigration. They asked for a bribe because we didn't have a certified copy of our vehicle's registration, and they didn't even notice that Alex and Isaac's passports had expired. (Thank heaven, because that was an unexpected surprise for me, too.)

The Mozambique border was a breeze both entering and exiting.  Our problem came when we tried to get back into Zimbabwe.  This time the electricity worked, and the passport machine alerted the officer about the problem. Then he noticed that we'd fudged the expiration date on the immigration forms.

That was an awkward moment.  The officer glared at us and said that he couldn't let us in.  We begged, pleaded, and apologized.  We asked to speak with the supervisor.  "I am the supervisor," he said.  He said the cost for a temporary permit was $2000.  We explained that we didn't have the money.  He replied, "That's not my problem."

Finally he said, "Go to your car and wait until my supervisor comes in."

How Oliver felt when we couldn't get back into Zim.

Oliver and Isaac pulled out a soccer ball and kicked it around the parking lot.  As I considered our dwindling food supplies (a box of crackers and one bottle of water), irrational ideas swirled through my head.  The border would close in a few hours, and we'd have to sleep in our car.  I eyed a family of blondes and figured that Isaac and Alex could hop in their car, get over the border, then ask the nice family to wait for us until we arrived.    

Fortunately I didn't attempt any of my hair-brained ideas.  We waited for three hours in that dusty parking lot between Mozambique and Zimbabwe.  At one point Eric turned to me and said, "We. Are. Idiots." 

But God had mercy on our wretched souls--as did the Zimbabwe immigration.  They let us in with no penalty and asked us to resolve our passports within three days.

Zimbabwe is a fantastic country.  Highlights included.. feeding day-old lambs and...

Oliver feeding a day-old lamb

...hiking in the Chimanimani mountains with the Outward Bound School.  The kids scaled the side of a cliff that dropped straight down into an ice cold pool.  The guide told us that this is the point where many adults start crying.

Alexandra

The tooth fairy made a special trip to Zimbabwe

We met many wonderful people from Zimbabwe.  One of my favorite people owned our chalet.  Most of her family and friends fled the country a few years ago.  She considered moving, but couldn't.  She loved Zimbabwe way too much to say goodbye.  "All the normal people left, and only the 'nutters' remained."  She loves to camp in the middle of game parks.  "But if we have relatives from Europe come and visit us, we don't let them collect the water from the river.  They don't know how to spot the crocodiles (called 'Flat Dogs' in Zimbabwe)."    Nutty, indeed.

Over and over people told us to spread the word:  Zimbabwe is a wonderful place.  Please come and visit.  We found that to be true.

Even the Zimbabwe police greeted us with frequent stops to make sure we had the proper documents, licenses, and equipment.  

I will say though that Zimbabwe dollars have seen better days.  Yes, they use American dollars.  Correct change is a challenge, and at one store I was given Botswana Pula instead of quarters.  Most places just ask you to buy something so it rounds up to the next dollar.

Guess which one is from Zimbabwe?

Mozambique was our final destination.  Here are a few observations about this country:

1)  People in Mozambique like to strap goats to trucks.

See?

Don't worry.  He's attached with a rope.

Another photo in case you doubted me

2) Headless coconut trees are sad.  Apparently rhinos do this to the trees.  Rhinoceros Beetles, that is. Those little devils not only destroy my picturesque vacation landscape, they shatter a Mozambican's nest egg.

Decapitated Coconut Tree

3) August is burn season.  Farmers do controlled burns to clear out brush and weeds.  Tons of smoke.

Controlled burns on the side of the road.

Cool Fish #1

Cool Fish #2

We spent our days collecting hundreds of shells on the beaches.  Eric rolled his eyes when we packed them into the truck to take back to Zambia.  Ha!  The joke was on him.  Our good little capitalist kids came back to Lusaka and sold each and every one of those shells to friends and made about $50.

Such cute kids.  I'm so glad we didn't have to leave them in Zimbabwe.