Maggie's Rambles

Date: 25 February 2023 Sleeping location: SleepOver Hotel, Beitbridge, South Africa Distance (km today/total/total Part 2): 165  / 19733 / 4896 Estimated climb ( m  today/total/ total Part  2): 400  / 170900 / 52900 Most emotional river: Limpopo   Day in three words: Hundred mile headwind Despite time lost to vigorously scrubbing the pan that I had burned the previous evening I was on the road by 7.15, aiming for a big day to keep ahead of Freddy. Initially things looked good; the newly built road was again lovely and wide and smooth (including for a short time my own private section which hadn’t officially been opened yet), the terrain was more endless gently undulating savannah, and conditions were cool and dry. But the wind had evil plans afoot. A gentle headwind soon became a lot less gentle and across the empty terrain it was relentless. My speed dropped to an average of around 15kph and riding became a total slog.  The day passed in a sort of fever dream. I wanted to get to Louis

Date: 24 February 2023 Sleeping location: Woodland  21.1106S 30.7486E , Zimbabwe Distance (km today/total/total Part 2): 140  / 19568 / 4731 Estimated climb ( m  today/total/total Part  2): 600  / 170500 / 52500 Road: variable   Day in three words:  Desperately Fleeing Freddy  The kitchen at the hostel was confusing, and I attempted to boil water on the knackered old hob before one of the staff members saw and brought me an electric kettle. I don’t know where or why this was being hidden away in the first place. I packed up and got away by 9ish, saying goodbye to Oliver and Pauline who are heading towards Chimanimani. They were good fun and I hope to go to Belgium and see them (and Sarah) for some delicious beers once we are all back in Europe.  Outside town the road went back into empty savannah and became fairly quiet aside from the occasional truck*, which was good because the road was pretty crap and narrow. It was a pleasant temperature with a very light headwind, and with the roa

Date: 23 February 2023 Sleeping location: Backpackers Rest, Masvingo, Zimbabwe Distance (km today/total/total Part 2): 38  / 19428 / 4591 Estimated climb ( m  today/total/total Part  2): 300  / 169900 / 51900 Pizzas: 2, large  Day in three words: Great  Great Zimbabwe It was cold, actually cold, in the early morning and I had to get my quilt out for a snuggle. Once suitably warmed up with some coffee I packed up and went back into the Agatha Christie lounge for another big fried breakfast, which this time came with minced beef instead of chicken. I’d arranged to meet Oliver and Pauline, who were attempting to hitch from near Clevers, at Great Zimbabwe at 10, but of course as the only one with my arrival time in my own hands I managed to leave late and had to rush. I was worried they’d be waiting but as I arrived at the gates Pauline was jogging down the road. They had managed to find a car with space only for one person and two rucksacks, so Pauline had run 10km and Oliver had been dro

Date: 22 February 2023 Sleeping location: Clevers Resort, Lake Mutirikwi, Zimbabwe Distance (km today/total/total Part 2): 0  / 19390 / 4553 Estimated climb ( m  today/total/total Part  2): 0  / 169600 / 51600 Monkeys: cheeky Day in three words: Rain stops play I was woken up by heavy but intermittent rain and unzipped my tent to see very low cloud and dim light in every direction. Making coffee from the tent* proved difficult as the water wouldn't boil because the pan was being constantly rained into. I lounged around and had breakfast with O&P in the little kitchen area, but the weather showed no sign of changing and seemed really set in. They had camped under the shelter of the kitchen area but somehow something wet had got into their tent; after deducting all possible alternative explanations and conducting a series of smell tests Oliver concluded that a monkey had pissed on them in the morning. Disgusting yet hilarious. I had planned to head to Great Zimbabwe this morning

Date: 21 February 2023 Sleeping location: Clevers Resort, Lake Mutirikwi, Zimbabwe Distance (km today/total/total Part 2): 82  / 19390 / 4553 Estimated climb (m  today/total/total Part  2): 600  / 169600 / 51600 Stubbornness discount: $5 Day in three words: The rainbow machine Cuthbert came back to his room at 5.30 in the morning so I was away from the mine before 7. After the previous evening’s difficulty there were, of course, countless ideal camp spots almost immediately and for the next 35km. But at least I can now say I camped in a lithium mine. The wind was light and the road gently undulating so progress was easy until I stopped for a break a couple of hours in. Here I met a nice man called Junior and a group of farmers who were meeting to discuss collective crop strategy for the local area. Zim really feels like a collaborative society*.  To get around the south side of Lake Mutirikwi I had to turn off onto 15km of dirt road, which was thankfully in good condition, if a little

Date: 20 February 2023 Sleeping location: Bikita lithium mine, Glencova, Zimbabwe Distance (km today/total/total Part 2): 124  / 19308 / 4471 Estimated climb (m  today/total/total Part  2): 1200  / 169000 / 51000 Nirvana song of the day:  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pkcJEvMcnEg Day in three words: Rest is change I slept badly, which I realised late in the night was my own fault as I’d put my pillow in the wrong place (off my sleeping mat, rather than on it). In the morning the guys building the shop appeared before 6 but were very tolerant and respectful of the strange man stumbling around in their workspace and just worked in a different room for a bit. The local children, on the other hand, were fascinated and seemingly all came one by one to have a good look at me. I should have charged them for the privilege. On setting off, into swirling winds which looked like they would be problematic later on, I saw Birchenough Bridge almost immediately and assumed I was only a few km away.

Date: 19 February 2023 Sleeping location: Half finished shop 20.0053S 32.4295E, Zimbabwe Distance (km today/total/total Part 2): 97  / 19184 / 4347 Estimated climb (m  today/total/total Part  2): 1400  / 167800 / 49800 Wind direction: undecided Day in three words: Gravity vs time On waking (quite late) it was raining heavily, which encouraged an excessively relaxed morning to the extent that by the time it cleared I was already well behind a normal schedule. In a sense I was also trying to extract some extra niceness from the nice place. Eventually I left at 10.45, a little after Sarah, confident that I could still make some big distance as there was a net height loss of close to 1000m to around where I’d end the day. This started with a 10km descent back down the river valley, which was nice but frustrated a bit by a headwind. The wind was mischievous all day, blustering at me from every angle with no apparent consistency of direction. From the bottom I had a 10km climb back out to th

Date: 18 February 2023 Sleeping location: The Farmhouse, Chimanimani, Zimbabwe Distance (km today/total/total Part 2): 0  / 19087 / 4250 Estimated climb (m  today/total/total Part  2): 0  / 166400 / 48400 River crossings: 6 (two wading, two scrambling, two swimming) Day in three words: Whole lotta action The day before a huge (and I mean HUGE) truck had appeared at the Farmhouse so after breakfast we went to check it out. It was an enormous ex military truck being driven around Africa by a German family; Alex, his wife whose name I forgot, and three young kids who did not introduce themselves. The thing was massive, too big even for shipping container, and had a ridiculously luxurious interior. They had converted it and fitted it themselves and it must have cost an absolute fortune. This is a very different way of overlanding to mine.   Sarah planned to leave at lunchtime but decided to come with me to another waterfall, Tessa's Pools, which as great for me as it meant I could get

Date: 17 February 2023 Sleeping location: The Farmhouse, Chimanimani, Zimbabwe Distance (km today/total/total Part 2): 55  / 19087 / 4250 Estimated climb (m  today/total/total Part  2): 1300  / 166400 / 48400 Sarah: not Kevin Day in three words: Mountaineering and exploration I slept pretty well and set off in good time into a short section of up and downy bits before the mountains proper began - a 750m climb, then a 500m descent, then a 400m climb. The first climb kicked off with a long gradual section up a steep sided green river valley thick with acacia trees. It was beautiful and quiet and my progress was slow but pleasant. Mid morning I stopped to buy a drink and was asked by the woman running the shop if I had found my wallet yesterday. This confused me greatly and I texted the Africa cycling group to ask if there were any other cyclists in the area. Then I saw a message from Sarah saying that she had lost her wallet the other day, followed shortly by seeing Sarah herself coming

Date: 16 February 2023 Sleeping location: Woodland  19.6838S,32.6363E , Zimbabwe Distance (km today/total/total Part 2): 104  / 19032 / 4195 Estimated climb (m  today/total/total Part  2): 1100  / 165100 / 47100 Liaisons: dangerous  Day in three words: The rain evader  I had a relaxed pack up whilst chatting with the others in the hostel and making another proper breakfast, which meant I wasn’t ready until after 10, however I didn’t actually leave until after 11 because Taku had gone out and I still needed to pay him and say goodbye (my own fault - I said I’d be there when he got back, thought he’d be ten minutes, forgot about Africa Time). On setting off I went about 200m before realising that my front wheel was on the wrong way round, then slunk back to Ubuntu to request help rotating it. Still, it was a great place to stay and hang out - Taku and Hannah are building a special little home from home there. Once out of town the landscape was more empty rolling savannah with big impress

Date: 13 - 15 February 2023 Sleeping location: Al’s flat, Harare (Day 1 and 2); Ubuntu Hostel, Mutare (Day 3), Zimbabwe Distance (km today/total/total Part 2): 0  / 18928 / 4091 Estimated climb (m  today/total/total Part  2): 0  / 164000 / 46000 Legs: Old Day in three words: Harare social seniors  In the morning I had a very relaxed pack up and go. Hannah Taku and some others were all doing a tour guide course together, around which I made a proper breakfast of spicy beans and fried eggs with lots of coffee, then put Maggie and my stuff in the garage and walked off to the bus station to go to Harare, where I planned to stay with Al who (with Craig) I had met by the side of the road in Mozambique. The bus actually left within 20 minutes and when not actually full, which was an unexpected bonus but meant I would arrive in the city well before Al and Craig who were driving back from Vic Falls. On the way Debbie offered the use of her townhouse via whatsapp, so in total I had the option of

Date: 12 February 2023 Sleeping location: Ubuntu Hostel, Mutare, Zimbabwe Distance (km today/total/total Part 2): 106  / 18928 / 4091 Estimated climb (m  today/total/total Part  2): 1100  / 164000 / 46000 Mario character of the day: Boo Day in three words: Road to recovery  Whilst packing up it became clear that half of my kit was either misbehaving, sodden or mud-caked and that my body was aching from the efforts of getting through the quagmire and gulleys yesterday. Maggie and I limped along the road to Juliasdale, then went 6km out of our way up and down lots of hills to a nice cafe. The detour was justified by this being a great decompression spot, and over some nice coffee, a bacon and egg roll, a milkshake and a pot of tea I set to restoring things. This mainly involved cleaning and re-lubing my chain - the cleaning was carried out by putting it in an empty beef and onion soup powder packet with some petrol - reinstalling my cleat and drying things out on the grass. Whilst here I

Date: 11 February 2023 Sleeping location: Scrubland 18.3216S 32.6892E, Zimbabwe Distance (km today/total/total Part 2): 63  / 18822 / 3985 Estimated climb (m  today/total/total Part  2): 1100  / 162900 / 44900 Rain and dirt: pain and hurt Day in three words: Heaven and hell  For breakfast I had local coffee with some more bits from the tearoom. I was glad I got to put some money back in to the farm given how generous Debbie had been, especially as in the morning she also gave me a few dollars’ worth of “bonds”. This is the Zimbabwean dollar, a currency which in theory can be used to buy anything, but in practice usually can’t because there are around 900 to the USD and they only come in denominations of 100, 50 and 20, so anything of value requires a massive stack of notes. They can be used as small change in USD purchases, but the rate per USD appears to be randomly anything between 800 and 1,000, depending on who you’re getting them from or giving them to. The whole thing is extremel

Date: 10 February 2023 Sleeping location: Nyamoro Dairy Farm, nr Nyanga, Zimbabwe Distance (km today/total/total Part 2): 0  / 18759 / 3922 Estimated climb (m  today/total/total Part  2): 0  / 161800 / 43800 Cows: mumbi Day in three words: Debbie’s dear dairy  In the morning I had some “fresh from cow” milk alongside my morning coffee and fruit salad, followed by a milkshake and a cream scone from the onsite tearoom. All was delicious. When I first went outside I was set upon by two very friendly labradors called Sadie and Bunga, and they sat near me as I spent the morning figuring out a plan for the Nyanga Highlands over the next couple of days, then doing lots of blogging. Debbie returned from Harare at lunchtime and we spent much of the rest of the day chatting as she showed me around the farm, grounds and house, regaling me with tales of the past.  Her story is quite something. She was born a couple of hours away and moved here as a kid alongside her three sisters. Her dad built th

Date: 9 February 2023 Sleeping location: Nyamoro Dairy Farm, nr Nyanga, Zimbabwe Distance (km today/total/total Part 2): 93  / 18759 / 3922 Estimated climb (m  today/total/total Part  2): 1800  / 161800 / 43800 Highlands: high Day in three words: A wonderful welcome Rain in the night had firmed up the sand and the road became less rocky, so progress was a lot less difficult in the morning. The terrain gradually got more and more beautiful as big rocky hills started to pop up around me. I was cheered along (I think) by a big flat bed truck acting as "school bus", with kids in uniforms in the back all singing and waving. I got back to tarmac mid morning after about 100km of dirt which had been tough in places, but overall pretty nice. In a village I stopped for snacks and more cleat adjustment fun,* where a man asked me for money to cure his "dry mouth". He did not get any money but I sincerely expressed my wish that his dry mouth cleared up, perhaps via a visit to t

Date: 8 February 2023 Sleeping location: Field 17.5150S 32.8672E, Zimbabwe Distance (km today/total/total Part 2): 77  / 18666 / 3829 Estimated climb (m  today/total/total Part  2): 900  / 160000 / 42000 Keenan and: Kevin* Day in three words: Señor Puff’s revenge * https://thekenanandkel.fandom.com/wiki/Who_loves_orange_soda%3F With no fear of being discovered and no storms in the night I slept pretty well, then had a leisurely pack up so the sun could dry the dew off all my stuff. I continued on the dirt road, which was in decent nick; progress was slow and occasionally bumpy but serene. Not long into the morning I came across mine clearance team at work. This is some serious stuff, they had stretchers, body armour and blast shields, but they were a friendly bunch. One lady saw me taking a picture of the sign and then asked me to take a picture of her posing with her metal detector, which I loved because it’s great #content.   After 40km was a big river where the bridge across was all

Date: 7 February 2023 Sleeping location: Abandoned quarry 16.9909S 32.8791E, Zimbabwe Distance (km today/total/total Part 2): 82  / 18589 / 3752 Estimated climb (m  today/total/total Part  2): 700  / 159100 / 41100 Camping considerations: hidden spot, level pitch, prevalence of landmines Day in three words: It’s a Zim After a storm-interrupted and sweaty night’s sleep I was tired in the morning. I made some coffee and had a strange breakfast of bread and bananas dipped in a can of condensed milk which, despite being me, with this appetite, I couldn’t actually finish as it was so aggressively rich*. Once back on the road it was more very hot, very boring, very quiet savannah punctuated by the occasional village and the occasional truck clanking past. Mid-morning stopped in a cafe one of these villages to hide from the sun, filter some more water, make some more coffee (they didn’t serve it) and use their surprisingly nice toilet.  After this I turned off the main north/south Moz road on

Date: 6 February 2023 Sleeping location: Under power lines  16.6387S 33.3431E , Mozambique Distance (km today/total/total Part 2): 73  / 18507 / 3670 Estimated climb (m  today/total/total Part  2): 700  / 158400 / 40400 Wild camping: back on Day in three words: Riches to rags I woke early and continued to extract luxury from the hotel until the checkout time of noon, which I even overshot by about ten minutes. In total a full 24hrs of relaxation, which actually works out at less than $4 an hour, plus a free breakfast. Worth it. Straight after setting off I crossed the Zambezi, which appropriately enough for day 300 was a big landmark as (to me) it signified that I was now officially in Southern Africa. It’s a big old river this far downstream and it basically splits Moz into two pieces, with only three road bridges and one rail bridge across it. The o ther side of the river was more ramshackle and busy and had Latin American vibes. After a b rief stop at Tete’s other Shoprite I headed