Harare to Chipinge! Road Trip

Today we travelled to Chipinge in the Eastern highlands of Zimbabwe. We packed all our things and headed out and left at about 2:20pm. The journey was long, hot and straight. The climate in Harare is very dry and the landscape is pretty much parkland. We travelled for about 3 hours past small townships and villages many of which had no more than a shop, perhaps a petrol station and only a few houses before we got to Mutare.

Mutare , the third largest city in Zimbabwe bordering Mozambique located in a valley surrounded by beautiful mountains and is know for its rich supply of diamonds and other precious minerals. The climate here is much more green and lush and is definitely more tropical, so although it is a lot cooler, it is also quite humid. We stopped at the Amber hotel to use the bathroom before popping into OK supermarket to grab some drinks and snacks.

It was about 7pm and completely dark outside making it difficult to see. Low visibility plus ridiculous potholes made the journey that bit more difficult and a tad frightening. Anyhoo, we were on the road for another 2 hours before we finally reached Chipinge *INSERTS HUGE SIGH OF RELIEF*. The temperature dropped and the air was humid. We meandered through a narrow,rough, dirt road until we arrived at the secluded lodges.

Tired, hungry and sticky, we unpacked our bags and went straight to have supper. We had brought our own pork chops and wine so we drank as one of the

cooks bbq'd our pork chops. I had rice and everyone else had sadza. Boy oh boy did that meal hit the spot.

The lodge is pretty basic but comfortable. A double bed with a side table, a chest of draws, two large cushioned chairs , a bunk-bed situated in the corner and a bathroom with a shower. I'm sharing the double bed with Sabina and her parents are in the lodge next door.

I"m off to bed now guys. Its been a long day. Chat soon.
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