Great Zimbabwe & making David happy!

Sunday- July 12

When my plans fell through for going to the national park, I contemplated how to get to Great Zimbabwe, a world UNESCO site. Anele once again came through for me. He said he would lend me his Ford Ranger truck. Then Tari, who works in the guest house, said her friend who is a NUST driver would drive me. Of course I would pay him and for the gas. On Saturday, Tari said she'd like to come along and also invite a friend.

Anele arrived at 7:45 with the truck. Tari emerged in her sparkly T-shirt, hot peach Gucci pocketbook and purple eye shadow, so that was the signal we were ready to go.

We passed villages or settlements- appeared that they had a strips of stores, but most looked empty. Houses consist of a concrete, small square structure next to a round hut with a thatched roof that serves as the kitchen. There are about 15-20 houses in a settlement.

We shared the road with goats, dogs, cattle, donkeys, cyclists and pedestrians. Women carried buckets of water on their head and others balanced loads of firewood. As we headed east, the mountain ranges came into view. Most of the land was empty.

Great Zimbabwe is one of the major attractions in the country, but it is not well marked. I've heard that M took directional signs down to prevent foreign reporters from finding their way to villages. Directions said 25 km out of town. After 20 km, Domani decided to turn around. Then we saw a sign with 15 things listed and realized we needed to take the left. We confirmed with locals that we were on the right road. They told us 2nd right - the sign said Great Zim Hotel. The park entrance was at the end of the parking lot which we discovered by asking people- again- no signs.

Great Zimbabwe is the largest stone structure ever built south of the Sahara. First structures were erected around 1100. Europeans thought Africans could never build such sophisticated structures, so it had been linked to Sheba and King Solomon. Cecil Rhodes attributed it to the Phoenicians. It was an important religious and political center, not military. In its heyday, 200,000 people lived there.

We climbed the Hill Complex noting how the masonry has been integrated with the natural granite boulders.

We proceeded to the Great Enclosure - last to be completed, most sophisticated masonry. Walking through the Parallel Passage felt like being in a refrigerator.

The Shona village was a bit disappointing. They had laminated cards hooked to the huts for explanations. They did a dance for us.

The museum was rather disappointing. At 4pm we headed back

It is dark at 6, so driving on the pitch dark roads was quite something because again we were sharing the road with dogs, donkeys, goats, cyclists in black clothing, people walking along the road carrying firewood on their heads. There were very few signs. One would just have to remember - Turn at the sacks of avocados. The police road blocks had disappeared in the evening. During the day, groups of twos and threes just stand by the road, put up cones and arbitrarily stop cars. What is really dangerous is that speed bumps are not painted. Of course I am always looking on the right side of the road. Occasionally they'll have a sign on the left side. Drivers who frequent the road know where the bumps are. I'm not sure a 4-hour drive both ways was totally worth it, but I saw an historic site, enjoyed the countryside and brought 2 young Zimbabweans to a national monument they had never seen.