Friday, February 7, 2014

On top of the world

Its Friday in Bulawayo and In the pitch black pre-dawn I'm lying in bed listening to the soft, steady rain falling. The ground-shaking rumblings of tropical scale thunder first woke me, like the sound of someone trundling a huge wooden cart down the bumpy road, and the light bulb flashes on the palm trees seemed to go on for hours before the first, gentle drops of rain finally splashed onto the tiles outside my window. 

This, I'm told, is how it's been for weeks here, since the drought broke, with torrential rain falling day after day. 

Until Wednesday when I arrived to this glorious dawn in Johannesburg.

My first full day here in Bulawayo was the same, sunny and warm, perfect for a bit of bush-bashing in the Matopo hills.

So off we went, my quilting friend Wendi and I, a couple of chicks in a 4 wheel drive, with our cameras, a picnic lunch and a healthy sense of adventure. Wendi is a local so I was in good hands.

This wasn't quite the adventure I had in mind, but roadblocks are a fact if life in this country. We were stopped three times in my first 24 hours here.


The rains have greened up the countryside and filled the dams, but made some of the dirt roads impassable, so there was a fair bit of backing up.



We eventually made to the Rhodes Matopos National Park where we climbed the huge granite outcrop of World's View.

Wendi tells me those grasses have sprung up from the crevices in the rock just since the rains.


The view from the top was spectacular and well worth the climb.

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Cecil Rhodes is buried here, his grave surrounded by nature's own sentinels, huge marble shaped rocks that seem to balance precariously.


I haven't edited the colours in these photos so the rich, warm tones of the splashes of bright yellow and orange lichen that you can see covering the rock are true to life.



World's View is home to these amazingly coloured lizards too! I think he's known as platysaurus intermedius rhodesianus, the Matopo Lizard.


Later we sat under a shady tree by the overflowing Maleme Dam and ate cold chicken in our fingers.


Heavenly!


We were blessed to have such perfect weather for going bush yesterday, but now the rain is back. Never mind, it's all part of the rich African experience and I'm relishing every moment.

Have I seen any wild animals yet? Of yes! But that will have to wait for another day 😊



9 comments:

  1. Enjoy Di!! A great place to visit. Look forward to reading more posts about your trip! Dee

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  2. Love your adventures in the African continent!

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  3. Can you bring some of that rain back with you please? Sounds as though your trip has gotten off to a wonderful start!

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  4. it looks like you are having fun - thanks for sharing the photos, it is so nice to see the photos

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  5. What a fabulous day with Wendi!! The view, the rocks and the wildlife - how amazing! I'm so glad you are having a great start to your adventure! The roadblocks are a bit scary though...stay safe whilst exploring South Africa :) Thank you for sharing your adventure with us through pictures!!!

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  6. What an experience!! You are so brave to travel so far by yourself!! You did it!! Can't wait to see more pics and hear more of your adventures. I'm very envious of your courage.

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  7. You sound happy and content; I'm so pleased for you.

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  8. I'm just beginning to catch up on your adventures. What a wonderful, perhaps once-in-a-lifetime sort of trip! You know you won't be quite the same once you return home. Sure enjoy your pictures, as I am living vicariously. No doubt I will never visit there, so thank you for sharing.

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