Thursday 4 October 2012

Zimbabwe - into Harare


At the boarder the heat is nearly unbearable. We start climbing up towards Harare and quick enough the temperatures drop and we are able to cycle all day long without drinking 6 liters of water.
Zimbabwe is a wonderful unexpected surprise. Nothing to do with all the bad news we know from western newspapers. People are very friendly, very respectful and often speak much better English than we do.

it's not a leaf, it's a ...??




ups...




Rock climbing in Zimbabwe?


Zimbabwe has an ancient culture of soap stone sculpture.
Driving out to the rock paintings.


Lovely stone age rock paintings.




People are very welcoming and  it's never been a problem  to sleep beside someone's hut and have some water for the night.

For once, Ruedi sleeps later than we do...


Girls going to school in their uniforms. School starts at 10 am until 4 pm.

More rock paintings in an other cave.



A little spider in withe and pink.

Single trail in the bush.



Nature art.

WATER! We have to stop and spend the night here.

Hiding place for a lizard.

While sleeping after lunch, this snake crawls out of the bush onto Yann's belly. Panic! but no-one moves. The snake hesitates, turns around and disappears into the bush. Lovely!




Sentinel-baboon on the watch. What are these people doing on our hill? 


Our camp at the river side.




Before entering Harare we look for a place to sleep and meet a Swiss guy who's been in Zimbabwe for nearly 30 years. He offers us to sleep in his cottage at his farm and invites us to stay at his house in Harare.
Sunday baptism
Hand made tractors, all out of wood an recycled material.
Sunday mass under the trees.



Größere Kartenansicht

Mozambique - a shortcut through a big country

On our way to Zimbabwe, there is a small stretch of Mozambique that we have to cross. It's hot and dry. We cross this part in 4 days. In Tete we cross the mighty Zambezi river and sleep in a very run down hotel for 60 US Dollars a night. Nevertheless the people of Mozambique are extraordinary friendly and helpful. The landscape is barren and water is scarce in this region, at least now during the dry season. 
Dry, dry...

Luckily we can get through with Yann's spanish. English is not very wide spread in this part of Mozambique.



The people are extremely friendly.
Different hairstyles...
..are in fashion here. 
Some kids are shy...
....but warm hearted.
Embracing trees. 
Collecting water is a heavy task in this region. 
Do they call it "topo" like in Lesotho?
Future supermodels are posing for the camera.
Overheating bus, probably on the way to Johannesburg. Luckily no one was hurt. 


Obedi, 20 years old, moved away from home to come to Maotize. Sells phone cards  to make a living, goes to school in the evenings. His parents can't help him. Wants to do nursing school which will take him 3.5 years and cost 25'000 MZN ( 900 US$)
This regions is big in mining, here a coal mining company.





Improvised mosquito/tent creation. It is too hot to sleep in the tent. 



This one is for you, Katrin!!!!

This girl is probably 8 years old, she is carrying a jerrycan of 25 liters!