Zimbabwe

Trip Start May 02, 2010

Trip End Jul 07, 2010

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Flag of Zimbabwe Harare, Zimbabwe
Thursday, July 1, 2010

We began to see a lot of tourists in Livingstone but we were prepared for that so it was cool. The night was spent with other travelers inside the empty swimming pool of our camp with some drinks and all in all it was pretty nice. I was getting real nervous because we had booked to do the Flying Fox the next day. It's a long cable that goes from one side of the gorge to the other. You're then attached to it and run as fast as you can to fly over the gorge. The goal is to touch the other side and if you do, you get your money back. Waiting for the event was eating my nerves the whole day and finally the car came to pick us up. Seeing the gorge was crazy, man and my fear of heights suddenly kicked in. Mari went first, sitting down style but I had been strapped in superman style so I guess I'd be facing down on my first run. I've to say that once you start running the fear just vanishes. It was freaking FUN! the glide was cool and the view just nuttso but the worst part is when you stop in the middle of the gorge and wait for them to start pulling you back. You're just hovering over the gorge, hearing some weird noises the cables are making and all these thoughts start flowing through your head. I did have a hard time getting sleep the following night because of these thoughts but still, it was totally worth it.

Seeing Victoria Falls was something I wont forget soon. You see the falls from up close on the Zambian side so there's no escaping the massive amounts of water spraying all over. It was the night of the full moon and we heard that you can see a lunar rainbow at night time so we stayed there to check it out. It was quite a magnificent sight and all in all well worth the wait. We also met Sam who has been staying in Zimbabwe for a few months and convinced us to hit up Harare for a couple of days after Zambia. So after a couple of days in Livingstone the three of us packed our bags to cross the border to Zimbabwe.

We crossed the border without trouble and headed towards Victoria Falls town which was a surreal experience. It's a town built just for tourists and that's all you see there. That and a million people hassling you, trying to sell you this and that. I would have probably lost my cool if we had to stay there for any longer than we did. We booked a train to Bulawayo and climbed aboard in the evening after the England - Germany game. It was a really run down Rolls Royce train but to my surprise it wasn't hard to fall asleep in it. We didn't get blankets or nothing so I was in full clothing with my hammock over me. It's winter here at the moment and although the days can get pretty hot, the nights are freaking freezing.

We've read countless warnings about public transportation in Zimbabwe and how the cars and trains are in such bad shape that you shouldn't use them at all. What a load of bullshit. The minibuses we've seen have been in better (or at least the same) shape as every other country's we've visited. Zimbabwe's another country like any. At least for a traveler. No, He-who-shall-not-be-named was not waiting for us at the border crossing with his cronies to beat us to death. No, we haven't been mugged by desperate and depressed locals who would kill for a dollar. The fact is that he's very unpopular and there are graffiti all over town to prove it.

We reached Harare which has been an interesting experience. We even saw a caravan of black cars escorted by police cars, ambulances and trucks loaded with hard-core looking soldiers wearing motorcycle helmet. It was intense and I wonder if it was carrying the big guy.

Today we leave to head down towards South Africa. We haven't made a final decision yet but we might stop by at the Great Zimbabwe National Monument but we'll see what happens. Our plan is to reach Johannesburg by the weekend and... well... do what they do on the weekends. My flight back home is leaving in 6 days and the thought of going back to the mouse wheel is beginning to get a bit depressing. The good news however is that I've still got money left so I can probably start planning my next trip right when I reach Finland. I hear India's cheap. Sri Lanka perhaps?

Harare hotels

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