Zimbabwe – Page 5

Journey from Malawi to Zimbabwe via Mozambique (Part I)

My journey from Malawi to Harare, Zimbabwe on May 2 was nothing short of amazing. I started off early from Cape Maclear on the shores of Lake Malawi. I got lost in the small town and asked for directions. A young, half drunk man I discerned was named “Philemon” pointed me in the right direction but then asked for a ride to a hospital in Monkey Bay, a town about 25 kilometers from Cape Maclear. I normally am not so brash as to let a stranger in my car but had had a good experience with the locals, who were quite friendly and generally of the honest sort. Philemon showed me the way out of town – but not before he tried to pursuade me to help a couple friends carry their buckets of water to some unknown destination elsewhere in town. I declined because I needed to hit the road. We left town and drove the rough road from Cape Maclear to the main highway. I drove a bit fast and caught air a couple of times with my SUV, especially when I misjudged the dip of a culvert and went over it too fast. Philemon’s personal story changed several times during the trip. First he was sick and needed to go to the hospital, then the mother of his child in Mangochi, another town an hour from Cape Maclear, was disgruntled because Philemon never visited his son. I ultimately convinced him to disembark when we reached the highway junction a few miles south of Monkey Bay. Philemon was a tragic figure. Young, unemployed and apparently penniless, it was obvious that he had a good heart but was emboldened to frivolity. He seemed to prefer the bottle to facing responsibility and making a better life for himself. As is so often the case, he seemed the type who blamed his circumstance on his surroundings, rarely owning up to the fact that he had a brain, two hands, and the physical wherewithal to change his life.

Juxtapose Philemon with a kindly youth named “Absent” I met in Cape Maclear who was anything but. I befriended Absent, a worker at the lodge where I stayed. He told me that he earns a pittance, $50 per month, and yet supports his parents and six siblings. He lives with his parents, who grow corn and set aside some for the family to turn into corn (mealie) meal and nshima (corn porridge). Absent gave me a tour of Cape Maclear and bought me a carton of Chibuku, an African corn-based home brew alcohol that most foreigners shun and locals drink because it’s the cheapest indulgence available. Absent took me to his home and offered me a beverage. Declining to drink anything made from local water so as not to fall ill from whatever might have infested the water, I asked for a Coca-Cola guessing that his family might have some. A bottle of Coke is four times more expensive than Chibuku, but for about 75 cents you can buy a 500ml glass bottle and then return the bottle to the store or kiosk. Absent’s family did not have any, so he sent his half sister to buy some. I was shocked. I was trying to avoid inconveniencing him, and he went out of his way to make me happy. After we returned to the lodge, I gave Absent ten dollars to cover the cost of the Coke, Chibuku, and supplement his family’s income. He initially declined my money and said that it was his pleasure, convincing me that he was sincere and was not simply spending time with me to make a quick buck.

Journey from Malawi to Zimbabwe via Mozambique

Victoria Falls and Iguaçu Falls

Click here to read a follow-on article about Victoria Falls and Iguaçu Falls with photos.

I’ve had the rare opportunity over the past year to visit two of the world’s largest waterfalls. I visited Iguaçu Falls on the Argentine-Brazilian border in February 2009 prior to leaving South America, where I had lived for two years. I just returned from a short weekend trip to Victoria Falls on the Zambian-Zimbabwean border, which is a six-hour trip from Lusaka, Zambia by car. As measured by water volume, these two waterfalls are two of the largest and arguably most spectacular waterfalls in the world.

It’s easy to make comparisons between the two. In truth, both waterfalls are equally impressive. They’re different, so it’s difficult to say whether one is “better” than the other. Iguaçu Falls is larger by volume and longer. It comprises numerous waterfalls that give it a layered effect, and it stretches over a longer distance than Victoria Falls. The Parana River above Iguaçu Falls collects at the top of the falls and cascades down over what must be a stretch of five miles or longer. At the same time, Iguaçu features a boardwalk on the Brazil side that puts you near the heart of the waterfall, the “Devil’s Throat” (La Garganta del Diablo).

Victoria Falls appears visually larger than its Latino counterpart. The sheer “in your face” effect it offers you while the Zambezi River spills over is incredible. The pathway on the Zambian side puts you very close to a massive wall of water that drops at least a couple hundred feet in front of you. Although I wore rain gear, I was soaking wet when I passed close to the falls – wetter than I was at Iguaçu.

Although I left Iguaçu Falls convinced that it is unsurpassed in its grandeur, Victoria Falls rivals it in intensely. Of course, visitors to either locale would undoubtedly insist that each waterfall is more impressive than the other. As an objective outsider, I believe that these two falls collectively rank as two of the more beautiful and awe inspiring natural wonders of the world. If you ever have a chance to visit either one, don’t miss out. You won’t be sorry spending the money and time to behold two of God’s greatest creations. In this respect, I feel blessed to have experienced both.

Flat Stanley’s Adventure on the Zambezi River

Flat Stanley traveled half way around the world from his home in North Idaho to Zambia, a country in southern Africa. He joined us on an adventure this weekend on the lower Zambezi River, an area north of Victoria Falls. We had a memorable time staying at Zambezi Breezers, a camp located near Chirindu on the Zambian-Zimbabwean border.

Flat Stanley enjoyed his very first safari river boat cruise down the Zambezi River. Flanked on one side of the river by Zambia and the other by Zimbabwe, he cruised down the river and encountered beautiful terrain and exotic wildlife. He passed several islands as we navigated the river. Mountains rose in the distance on each side of the river valley. Subtropical plants and trees dotted the landscape, and long wild grasses covered the land except where the earth crumbled along the river bank, exposing the rich red soil.

During the river cruise, Flat Stanley saw all sorts of wild animals, from elephants that grazed along the river and crocodiles lounging on the river banks to hippos soaking themselves in the water like a chain of floating islands. Flat Stanley observed many types of birds, including eagles and cranes, and he even saw an impala in a distant meadow. His favorite moment was taking a photo with a young elephant watching our boat curiously from the river bank.

Flat Stanley saw storm clouds brewing in all directions, a common occurrence during the rainy season. He saw brilliant lightning flashes, heard bellowing thunder roar and surveyed the beautiful and volatile cloud formations painting the sky. He saw a couple of particularly dark storm clouds brewing not far from us. One of the storms barreled toward us quickly from the south. Although we had turned around and were heading back to our camp, we met the storm with our boat in the middle of the river. We battled fierce winds, hail, and lightning. We were soaking wet but made it back to the camp safely.

Flat Stanley survived but was discolored from our memorable experience. He enjoyed his adventure on the Zambezi River and will never forget it. It changed his life forever.

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