Sorry I have been out of touch for so long, I have been totally absorbed in setting up my new booking office "AFRICA SPECTACULAR".  I am currently working on updating my travel blogs and will post these shortly.

Also visit my Facebook page - Africa Spectacular

Easter in Msuna

The Easter weekend saw us back at Msuna .. a favourite spot of ours !!  April / May is high water season for The River, and so it was lovely to see so much water as it was still rising.  This was a family & friends fun weekend.  I think I only got on to a boat once, maybe twice, but I till had the best time socialising with everyone, and ... of course ... bird watching, which is a favourite activity of mine at Msuna.

Not very long before we got there, a flash flood had come down the river after some serious rain in Zambia, and many of the camps and lodges upstream were damaged.  We took the boat up to Olive Beadle to take a look at the camp which was full of water.  It was amazing to see so much water !!  I remember not too many years ago when the river was just a trickle some distance away, and now here it was literally on the doorstep !!

Back at Msuna, there was quite a serious amount of fishing from the bank, which was where our champion fisherman caught most of the fish that we ate.

Lots of fun in the sun, eating and drinking and playing.

HWANGE NATIONAL PARK

In January I was invited to join my Birding friend who was conducting a water fowl survey in Hwange National Park.  I jumped at the chance to  go with and so left Bulawayo at 11 a.m. on a Friday.  The drive to Hwange was very straight forward and went by so fast, that is seemed like no time at all (actually it was 2 p.m.) before I found myself standing in the car park at Main Camp, all checked in and ready to roll.  We were to camp at Masuma Dam which is up in the Sinamatella area and we were to drive through to Park to reach there.  We started off at a leisurely pace, bird spotting on the way.  The bush was very thick as it was the middle of summer, and I was on a birding weekend, not an animal weekend, so any wildlife that I did see was a real bonus.  The birdlife was outstanding - by the end of the weekend we had reached about 150 species !!  We stopped at good old Nyamandhlovu Pan which as always provided a wonderful panorama of animals and birds coming and going.  Once leaving there we pressed on to Masuma without stopping again as we had to reach there by 6 p.m. (Parks regulations), which we managed to do with 10 minutes to spare.

I had the treat of my life along the way !!!  Roughly in the Shumba Pan area, not too far before running out of "tar" road  (Mother Nature should have claimed the road back in about another year or 2 if there is a continued lack of maintenance ... not necessarily a bad thing !!), there, in the middle of the road was a LEOPARD !!  I couldn't stop quick enough so that I could concentrate on getting a good look at this beauty !!  In all my years visiting the bush and being on the farm, I had yet to see a real "wild" leopard, so this was a first for me.  This lovely leopard was not overly concerned by our presence and after stopping to check us out continued on its way - in the middle of the road !!  Then it stopped to stalk something it has seen, smelt or heard in the bush on the side of the road and started its hunt without being the least bit concerned about us, so we watched and clicked away with our cameras.  At some point it pounced and disappeared into the bush.  My heart was thumping and I was grinning from ear to ear as I switched off my camera and put the binos down, wallowing in what I had just seen, to my complete surprise, it popped out back onto the road (without prey !!) and started walking back towards us !!!   As I fumbled to get my camera out again, which only resulted in a lot of hurried blurred photos, it veered off and disappeared into the bush.  We watched it wandering off for a few seconds, marvelling at its amazing spotty camouflage.  After that sighting, I didn't care if I saw another thing the whole weekend, because that was the show of the day and left me on a high for the rest of the day !!

And so we arrived at Masuma Dam which provided us with more treats !!  The dam had a lot of water in it and was full up with hippos and birds !!  The elephants visited, and other game came and went.  Masuma Dam "hide" is awesome as you can sit in safety and comfort and watch the wildlife world go by.  I was totally delighted to find that Masuma had running water, flush loos (complete with loo seats !!), and a shower, which, with a little coaxing at the boiler fire (firewood was chopped and stacked nearby for us !!) gave us a steamy hot shower every day.  The "main road" runs through the middle of the designated camping area, but at 6 p.m. the resident campers have to close the 2 gates so that there are no unwanted visitors in the night.  The sum total of 2 cars passed through whilst we were there, and both of them stopped so that we could have a chat with the occupants - very friendly place this !!  

  

That night was bright and starry, but I can't exactly say I slept "well" .....  man are those hippo noisy in the night !!  Splashing, sploshing, grunting and groaning !!   Earlier on we had heard lion and hyena calling in the distance, but otherwise the night did not hold any surprises for us.

ALOE FARM

Our very good friends have recently obtained a charming little property that once was the Aloe Motel, just some 24 kms out of Bulawayo.  Their initial intention in buying it was not actually to run it as a lodge, but rather to continue with their farming ways.  However, seeing as all the infrastructure is there, they decided to dust it off - or rather ... scrub it off as it has been closed for some years - and make it available to those wishing to stay there.  It's very handy for Falcon School families as it is much closer to the school than if one stayed in town !! They plan to make it available on a self-catering basis, all bedding, towels, kitchenware provided, and they will also be building some DECENT ablutions (the existing one has been destroyed before it fell over !!) and make it available for campers, seeing as there currently appears to not be a decent & secure camping site in Bulawayo.  It is convenient and easy to get to, being right on the main highway, although this can be a bit of a drawback as the noise of the traffic can get quite hectic at times.  Although I did notice that it was very noisy on one day, and very quiet the next, so I guess it's just the luck of the draw.  It didn't detract from "being in the country" though !!!  The plan is to also use it for events such as bike rides, walks, parties, conference meetings etc.

We went and stayed there for a weekend and had a great time.  There is lots of space, and every day I went for a nice long walk or 2, and again did some birding and came up with a good number of birds (including another 2 "first-timers").  There is a clean swimming pool which kept the youngsters entertained for hours on end.  What is also very charming, is that early in the morning and in the late afternoons you can hear the Chipangali Lions calling .. quite unexpected at first, but I started listening out for them and it was really a pleasure hearing them, which adds to the outdoor experience !!!!

A charming little place which will grow from strength to strength under the loving care and attention it is receiving from it's new owners !!!!

MSUNA

On our return from Mozambique, we did the washing and re-packed for a few days at Msuna, where we were going to meet a friend who was celebrating a "significant" birthday.  It was a quick easy drive from Bulawayo - possibly because I slept most of the way (can't stay awake if I'm not driving !!!), and we arrived there in the early afternoon.  Most of the party was out fishing, but we found our lodgings and a friend and moved in.  The house that we stayed in is really lovely, and is available for the public to hire.  It has 5 bedrooms, 2 of them have ensuite bathrooms and are air-conditioned.  The other 3 are upstairs, where there are 2 shared bathrooms.  There are fans throughout the house.  It is fully equipped for self-catering, and there are 2 very pleasant staff to cook and clean.  With lots of space, a wonderful view of the water, a private swimming pool AND someone to cook, it's a great space for a Zambezi break.

I always enjoy getting on to the water - so long as their are no hippos in the vicinity - but as the years have passed my desire to actually fish has waned, and I prefer instead to bird watch.  This was really rewarding on this trip and I managed to notch up a few "first-timers".  I got close to spotting 40 species, which is really good for me, and excludes all those that I didn't identify.

There are some lovely houses at
Msuna, all privately owned, some are rented out and some aren't.  Recently renovated are the little lodges at "Indibiri".




These and the house we stayed in are my definate favourites at Msuna.  The Resort itself is looking magnificent, the gardens are beautifully kept and everything was green, green, green, and lovely and hot !!  The men partook of some "fishing with green stuff" and managed to bring home some good catches from the river bank fishermen !!!!  We had a wonderful few days there - as always, too short - but we had been away from home for some time altogether, so we needed to get back and knuckle down to some work (to pay for the next trips !)

MOZAMBIQUE

The Mozambique coast has to be one of the best places for a holiday !! We spent Christmas and New Year there and has a wonderful time. It was hectic ... being a busy holiday time of the year ....but a fun holiday. The drive from Bulawayo to Inhassoro is LONG .. we left Bulawayo at 0030 hrs and arrived at 1430 hours. I managed to sleep most of the way. We took the road via Chivu to Nyazura to avoid the numerous road blocks outside Mutare, and this was a good choice. The road is mostly in good condition with a few bad patches here and there, and was very very quiet in the early morning. Forbes border post was fairly busy - getting out of Zimbabwe was not much of a problem, except we had one little doggy with us which needed an International Movement Permit, but that did not cause much of a delay, only a bit of aggravation as the owner had been told before leaving that it was not required - but apparently it is ! Getting into Mozambique took a bit longer. Being unfamiliar with the Mozambique requirements we made use of an "agent", which was probably the right thing for us to do as everything is written in Portugese and the order in which to do things is confusing, but being holiday time, I do think we were over charged - our own fault. From there we head straight through without needing to stop in Manica or Chimoio. Our only stop was at Muxungune (I know I've spelt this wrong, and I'll correct it when I can !!). This is the BP garage in "Cashew Nut Country". This appears to be the only place you can buy the sought after cashew nuts. The garage has a security guard complete with rubber baton to keep the vendors at bay as they WILL surround your car and cause much stress !! In season you will also have a hundred pineapples shoved in your face before the trusty guard appears. We thought about using the loo here as the garage gives the impression of looking fairly organised, but we were stopped at the door and told we needed to pay 2 mets to use the loo. Well that is about 50 rand cents which we did not have handy seeing as we had just arrived there and were armed with 100 and 200 met notes, and I had a feeling we might not get change !!!!! I left refusing to (or being unable to) pay my 2 mets. Now the problem is that about 95% of the population of Mozambique appears to live along the only road, so stopping for a wee break is tricky. But then I remembered that on the next section of the road there appears to be a National Park area or something and there are no homesteads, so we drove on a little longer and found some thick bush where we all stopped with relief !! A little hint about this area - you don't have to buy your cashew nuts at the garage and be harrassed, if you drive a little longer you will find both cashew nuts and pineapples being sold on the side of the road, for a few kms, and you can indulge in some more peaceful shopping there. The pineapples are the BEST and sweetest ever !!

Dugong in Inhassoro is a great place to stay. There are 4 lodges, (3 bedrooms, 2 bathrooms, living area, air conditioned), and 6 chalets (open plan sleeping/living area, bathroom

and kitchenette, air conditioned), set in beautiful gardens. The complex is set on the beachfront with direct access on to the beach. There are boats available to excurions to the islands, snorkelling and fishing. The men went fishing quite a few times and always came back with something decent in the bag. The snorkelling at Paradise Island and/or 2 Mile Reef is a must. I went snorkelling with Mikey at Paradise and it was truely beautiful. The beach and water there is so clean and clear, and we saw just hundreds and hundreds of brightly coloured tropical fish. It was a lovely experience to share with Mike who wanted to keep going for ever !!!

We had piles and piles and food, and the outstanding managers, Martin and Caron, had stocked up on the seafood for us, so we ate to our fill. ALL of the meals were outstanding, and Caron & Ann, chef Jean-Paul and assistant Stuart, all worked like trojans to satisfy our appetites. There was also an endless supply of ice cold drinks for us to help ourselves to.

The sea water was very warm, warmer even than the swimming pool, which was warm, but cooler than the sun which was HOT ! At that time of year we could have had rain every day, but we were blessed with outstanding sunshine the whole time we were there. No trip to Inhassoro would be complete without a visit or 2 to Johnson's Bar, the proverbial beach bar, owned and run by a Mozambican by the name of Johnson. I just love the atmosphere there, the beach "floor" and although we did not eat there this time, the food being served up looked really good !! The only downfall of Johnsons is that if they are busy, they run out of certain drinks, and their refrigeration cannot keep up with demand and the drinks get warmer. But if you are there on a not-too-busy day, it's a wonderful spot to wile away a few hours.

New Year's Eve was something else !!! Firstly the moonrise was a sight to witness, the Full Moon, complete with small partial eclipse, all over the wide sea vista. The closer to midnight, the more people arrived for the beach party, and soon there were hundreds of people there. I did not go through to sunrise, but I believe most of them stayed until the sun was up (which is early ... about 4.30), and the music went all night.

A good party - not much dancing, but lots of drinking !!! I was glad not to have stayed up too late otherwise I probably would have slept most of New Year's Day, which was a beautiful bright sunny

day. Unfortunately I was inflicted with some ugly infection in my foot, caused, I believe, by an allergic reaction to something, so I wasn't too mobile, but it was a good day too !!

The holiday came to an end all to quickly. We were at Dugong for 10 full days, with 2 days travelling on either side, but it just doesn't feel long enough. Next time I am going to try and be there for a full 2 weeks AT LEAST, if not a little longer ($$$$ permitting), and it will have to be in the month of April, which I am reliably told is the best month to visit there.

We left Dugong at 0430 on our last day, by which time the sun had just risen and it was daylight already !! Our trip back was uneventful, and the cashew nut and pineapple sellers were already on the road at 6 a.m., so we could have bought fresh stuff on the way back, but we didn't. We stopped again to refuel and the BP garage, and this time the girls (excluding me) braved the 2 met loo. They came back with the comment that it was not worth the money !! It was disgusting !! So don't stop there, rather use the bush loo in both directions !! We again passed through Chimoio and Manica without stopping. Manica is a surprising little place. In contrast to the rest of Mozambique it looks very clean and neat and quite interesting ... perhaps one day I shall stopover and explore there a little. The border post on both sides was very quiet - in fact we were the only people there - and we were through in a few minutes. We also stopped at the garage in Mutare to refuel the other vehicles and to wait for one lost vehicle, and the boys used that loo, and they also came back with the comment that it was not a pleasant experience. We pressed on to Musangano Lodge about 20 kms outside of Mutare - I had spotted the sign on our way to Moz. We found the place and what a delight ...!!! I was very glad that I had waited some 7 hours to use the loo, because these had to be the cleanest ever and the only decent loo between Bulawayo and Inhassoro !! Musangano was a great little find. We had a nice snack there, and I snooped around a little. It was very quiet, we didn't see any other people except for the smart and obliging staff. The accommodation (self-catering chalets) look very nice, and I was sorry not to have asked for a key to look inside. I would certainly recommend to others to use this as a stopover.

And so, we returned home safe and sound at about 7 that night, to some very happy little dogs. It was good to be home, but I was already missing the sights and sounds of the Mozambique sea. It was about 3 and a half years ago that we were last in Mozambique, and I have to say that I could see some subtle changes. Last time, the people there appeared to have NOTHING !! This time, I noticed a lot of them had bicycles, and that they were better dressed.

They still have very little, but it's more than they had before. There are a few new buildings in the Inhassoro village, including a garage and a bank. Now they need a slightly better organised supermarket !! The market place appeared quieter, but there were roadside curio sellers that weren't there before, and they had some lovely little artifacts for sale, and they are still cheap, compared to the equivalent in neighbouring countries.

Can't wait for my next visit there .....