On Sunday morning I slept in until 6:30. That’s the latest I’ve slept in since coming here (I typically wake up at 5:30). Jake and Dave went for a run but since I didn’t bring my stuff I had a relaxing time walking around the beautiful gardens taking pictures then reading on the veranda.
We enjoyed a hardy breakfast of eggs, bacon and toast (the hotel is very British) then packed up, ready for more adventures.
Brian and I heard from the hotel owner that the dam at the end of the lake was worth looking at so we headed there first. And he was right; it was pretty cool. It’s bigger than Hetch Hetchy, which is the dam I’ve been to most recently but I’m not sure how it compares to Hoover dam or any others. We walked across half of it and took some pictures then headed back the way we came.
This was Brian’s first trip to Africa and he hadn’t had the chance to see much, so we went to the Kyle Game reserve to try to see some animals. We got there in the mid afternoon and it rained a bit so the timing was not good but we saw a lot of warthogs and monkeys, some zebras and kudu and one giraffe. Plus a lot of beautiful scenery and amazing clouds.
Around 3:30 we started the long drive back to Harare to get home before it got too dark.
It was a lot of time in the car and my butt started to get sore.
We stopped a few times along the way to stretch and get gas (petrol here) and we even got ice cream at the Creamy Slice. The Slice is a chain of fast food joints in Zimbabwe and there are several: Creamy Slice (soft serve ice cream, watch out Jacob!), Pizza Slice, Chicken Slice (fried chicken and fried) and Express Slice (a convenience store with chips and sodas). With food like that it won’t be long until Zimbabweans catch up to Americans and Europeans in terms of waistline.
It was a long drive and it started to get dark early as the clouds rolled in. Then it started to rain, thunder and lightning. Despite the inclement weather, there were still many people walking and biking along the streets of Harare. I hope they found shelter quickly. We saw a lot of poor people in the backs of pick-up trucks, trying to huddle under some tarps. I felt very sorry for them and was very glad at how fortunate I am.
We got home around 8:30 and I had a quiet evening putting things away and reading (pictures to come later).