Living the Dream Solo Around the World Trip

[schalk vd merwe]

Day 3 Monday-day 4 Tuesday
The next day I went through the border in to Zimbabwe. It took me 2 hours to get through. Thousands of Zimbabweans going home and I belief it is not the Xenophobia but it is like this every day. I arrived at Masvingo after dark too late for camping and stayed at an African guest house for R300-00. The next morning I made my way to Mutare and met up with Elias the Creek guy who is traveling around the world. He came with me and I pitched my tent at the municipal camp site. I was the only visitor there and the cost was R120-00. From there Elias and I went to the Portuguese club and had a chat. He is a very interesting young guy. He had been traveling the Asian countries for 2 years and then went home to make some more money. Then he started this trip and came down Africa on the west side all the way to RSA. He is now on his way back up in Africa on the East side.
Photo 1 Beautiful Zim
          2 Bike fell over while loading
          3 It seems scrap metal has no value in Zim as they just leave all their recks next to the road

 

[schalk vd merwe]

Photo 1 Had a nice chat with Amos while filling up
          2 South Africa can learn from Zim no toll money for bikes
          3 Toll gate

 

[schalk vd merwe]

Photo 1 Mutare is really clean
          2 Elias the Creek guy who is traveling around the world
          3 My last Wimpy for the trip
          4 Coffee ala Zim Wimpy

 

[schalk vd merwe]

Day 5 Wednesday
I got up early at 6 am and went for a shower. In true African tradition only the cold water worked and I had to go to the ladies as the men’s facilities was not operational any more. The camp site is really beautiful but I think the wash facilities stopped after independence (see photos). I then went  for probably my last Wimpy breakfast as Africa don’t have fast food out lets, only spaza shops next to the road. I got to the border and cleared customs and everything only to find out that the bridge had been blocked since 6 O’clock that morning after a truck was parked on an uphill and ran down by itself and jacked knifed right across the bridge between Zimbabwe and Mozambique. I crawled through under the truck and went and cleared everything on the Mozambique side. I then came back and wanted to ride down a very steep down slope to the riverbed and cross that way to Mozambique but the border officials would have none of that. Needless to say it was a 4 hour wait before a huge crane and tow truck cleared the way. More is nog ‘n dag in Africa and by now it was 2 pm. I then pushed a bit on the 300km and got to Parque Nacional de  Gorongosa  at sunset. The last stretch was just potholes and I scraped my bash plate in one pothole in the town of Chmoio. The thumper handled the potholes very well as long as you had bit of speed.  Some of the holes were really deep and the problem is that oncoming traffic sometimes swerves in to your lane in order to avoid potholes in their lane. So you have to watch for potholes as well as oncoming traffic and what makes it worse is that the shade of the trees in the late afternoon makes the potholes even more invisible. I remember the same road 5 years back was in perfect condition. I arrived at van Zyl’s and booked into one of their tents and private bath room for R200-00 per knight. I had a nice braai that knight by myself and went to bed at about 11pm.

Photo  1 The truck that jacked knifed right across the bridge between Zim and Moz
           2 The truck that jacked knifed right across the bridge between Zim and Moz
           3 Bike waiting for me for more than 4 hours while border is closed
           4 My company for 4 hours

 

[schalk vd merwe]

Photo 1 A bridge on the way to Corongosa
          2 In the middle of no where on our 3 km walk this little spaza shop
          3 Thick grass that we had to walk through in order to get to the mountain and forest
          4 Forest where the bird was

 

[TornadoF5]

Schalk keep it coming dude! This is lekker glad you back online and safe  :thumleft:

 

[schalk vd merwe]

Day 7 Friday
I left early for the 624km trip to the Cahora Bassa Dam. It was very hot sometimes 38 c and I poured cold water on my back tyre every time I stopped for petrol as I am running knobblies. I saw the 4th truck accident in 3 days with this one the driver being killed, I did not check at the other one’s if the driver made it. I made it to the Ugezi Tiger Lodge just before sunset. What a beautiful area. Tomorrow I will explore the area a bit. The road coming here again was heavily potholed and it is quite tiring to dodge them over long distances.

Photo 1 I stopped here for a chicken breakfast
        2  Beautiful moz
        3 4th truck accident this one fatal
        4 38 degrees on the bike

 

[schalk vd merwe]

Day 8 and 9 Saturday and Sunday
Saturday I took a rest and caught up on Face Book and the Wilddog forum as it was the first time that I had internet since leaving home.
Today Sunday I had a nice breakfast as it is included in the rate of R300/day here at Ungezi Tiger Lodge on the banks of the Cohora Bassa Dam. Breakfast consisted of boere wors, bacon, eggs and Portuguese rolls and jam. I used my own Rooibos tea bags as they only have the normal Ricoffee. After breakfast I went to draw money on top of the mountain at a small shopping centre. From there I went to see the Dam wall. The surrounding area is just too beautiful with literally thousands of Boab trees. I have already reserved the TV on the veranda for 2 O’clock when the Moto GP will be broadcast live. Tomorrow it will be off to Malawi.


Photo 1 Beautiful Boabs by the 1000
         2 More Boabs
         3 Some monument and it is already painted but not like ours
         4 Cohoro Bassa dam

 

[schalk vd merwe]

Photo 1  Yours truly
         2  Dam
         3  Dam wall
         4  Kids crossing the dam by dug out

 

[T Rex]

Thanks Schalk .

Safe riding  :thumleft: :thumleft:

 

[cheesy]

God speed and keep safe, Tx for the reports.

 

[SchalkL]

Dankie vir die deel Schalk, ek volg elke post met 'n hunkering na waar jy is  :thumleft:
Vir interesantheid, watse "tegnologie" gebruik jy om fotos te neem en te post?

 

[schalk vd merwe]

Dankie vir die deel Schalk, ek volg elke post met 'n hunkering na waar jy is  :thumleft:
Vir interesantheid, watse "tegnologie" gebruik jy om fotos te neem en te post?

Geen tegnologie nie ek laai dit net op my rekenaar af en maak dit kleiner en pos dit op WD

 

[oldmannorman]

:sip: Thanks

 

[schalk vd merwe]

Hi Guys and Girls I am off to Malawi tomorrow wil answer al questions when I have internet again. Hope you guys enjoy the phodies and write up.
Till next time

 

[Crossed-up]

Keep in touch. All the best.

 

[Coxwain]

Lekker  Schalk ...keep it coming  :thumleft:

 

[Ilan-san]

Sub

 

[Dragonfly-XC]

:sip: Ek ry saam.

 

[frans1]

Thank for sharing!  Enjoy and be safe