Tag Archives: Zimbabwe

Lunch Nando’s Zimbabwe Africa

This is where I had lunch in one of the cities we stopped at in Zimbabwe. The name of the restaurant is Nando’s. I had never heard of the restaurant before I came to Zimbabwe. However, Almog, the fellow in the orange shirt, is from Israel and said that they have had them in Israel at one time and that they have locations in different places in Europe. Simi, the fellow in the blue and white striped shirt that is clowning for the camera, lives in Switzerland and says that they have them in his home country but not in his hometown. Note that the largest dimension available for this picture is 1024 X 768 as it was uploaded at a very slow bandwidth from a remote location in Africa.

Hot Springs Zimbabwe Africa

This is one of my great pictures. Not so much because of the picture itself, but because of the commentary I will make about it. We stopped at the hot springs because the tour leader suggested it would be a good idea. I, however, thought it was a very bad idea. What stopping at the hot springs meant was that we would be cutting our visit to the Great Zimbabwe short by the amount that we spent at the hot springs. Now for those who have no idea what the Great Zimbabwe is, it’s one of the great archeological sites in the south of Africa. It’s a UNESCO World Heritage site. I wanted to see it. I’m sure I’ll get to see it. I just won’t get to spend as much time there as I wanted. This is the second time we’ve shortchanged a UNESCO site to go to a location where we could indulge in water activities such as swimming and lots of alcohol. There has been more than one occasion when I have been disappointed with the selection of places to stop and the style of the trip. What I’ve learned is to never book a trip with a group where the average age of the rest of the group is under twenty-five. The primary cultural awareness of such a group can be, on occasion, to simply find the next bar where they can get a beer. Note that the largest dimension available for this picture is 1024 X 768 as it was uploaded at a very slow bandwidth from a remote location in Africa.

Great Views Zimbabwe Africa

One of our group is a geologist by trade. He told me that Zimbabwe is one of the most mineral-rich countries in Africa. It also has had a lot of geologic activity in the recent past, meaning that it has a lot of mountains. These aren’t really serious mountains, most are 4,000 to 8,000 feet, but it does make for some nice views. One the day after this picture was taken most of the group went for a 12 mile hike in the hills. I opted for the 2.5 mile trek with some females who thought a 12 mile hike in the mountains was a little too strenuous. Good, choice, I thought. Note that the largest dimension available for this picture is 1024 X 768 as it was uploaded at a very slow bandwidth from a remote location in Africa.

Zimbabwe Tourism Africa

I went to downtown Harare and visited the Zimbabwe Tourism office. They had a real nice brochure about the country but not a lot of information on Harare. That was okay because there wasn’t a whole lot to do in Harare. I went to the National Art Gallery, the only museum in the city. It was closed on Monday, which was the day I went. I walked around the downtown section for about 2 hours, stopping periodically for a soda. I think I saw a total of twenty white folks during that period and about 50,000 black folks. Someone said that Zimbabwe is not very prosperous but downtown Harare looked like it was doing pretty well. There were lots of men in suits walking around with briefcases. Note that the largest dimension available for this picture is 1024 X 768 as it was uploaded at a very slow bandwidth from a remote location in Africa.

Toilet Break Zimbabwe Africa

Well, actually, there were no toilets. While we’re rolling down the road there is a buzzer that we can push to alert the driver that we need to stop. Males head one way and females head another. This is also a good shot of the road. This is one of the major roads in Zimbabwe. Notice it isn’t very wide. Some roads we’ve been on have been so narrow that when two large vehicles pass each other, both have to be gripping that shoulder fairly closely. Other roads we’ve been on have been reasonably wide with three foot shoulders so people could use them to walk down. Note that the largest dimension available for this picture is 1024 X 768 as it was uploaded at a very slow bandwidth from a remote location in Africa.

Proper Breakfast Zimbabwe Africa

This is a proper breakfast. A proper breakfast is what the English refer to when they talk about a breakfast with eggs, meat, and all the other things that go with a substantive meal in the morning. How much did a proper breakfast at the restaurant we stopped at in Zimbabwe cost? It cost $10 American. Did I have a proper breakfast? No, I had two bowls of corn flakes and a cup of coffee off of the truck which cost me nothing extra. Most people opted for the restaurant. Note that the largest dimension available for this picture is 1024 X 768 as it was uploaded at a very slow bandwidth from a remote location in Africa.

Pool Tents Harare Zimbabwe Africa

Yes, we had pool tents. We stopped at a hotel that was also a hostel and had camping. It was located in Harare, Zimbabwe close to the center of town. It was fairly nice, but we had to put the tents really close together. There was hot showers and we got to watch soccer on a big screen TV. But, the truck could not fit in the parking lot and we had to share a communal kitchen and I was on the cooking crew the first day we were here. Note that the largest dimension available for this picture is 1024 X 768 as it was uploaded at a very slow bandwidth from a remote location in Africa.

Big Window Views Zimbabwe Africa

The truck had some really big windows. The views were simply really good. When there was something interesting to see, people would get in the seats that lined the big windows to get a good look. I spent my share of time there. The big windows were one of the best parts of the truck. They were also one of the worst on cold days when they were open. Note that the largest dimension available for this picture is 1024 X 768 as it was uploaded at a very slow bandwidth from a remote location in Africa.

Rolling Okie

Travel, Adventure, and more…