The road to the cottage is incredibly bumpy- dirt road, only for 4-wheel drive. Leslie flies over the potholes - really wide ravines. We didn't encounter traffic. Lots of people at junctions waiting for comvies- the local chicken buses. Mon and Tues are holidays, so they are heading to their home villages to visit parents and relatives.
The cottage is right across the road from World View, a viewpoint with distances of major African cities. The cottage is pink stucco- no electricity, but running water. There are scores of cottages in an association. Each cottage is assigned a caretaker from the village down in the valley. Aaron arrived after 30 min. He looks about 70, but is 50. Short, thin, few teeth, big smile. He lights the fire for the hot water boiler. He brings in firewood for the fireplace. He washes the dishes. He lives in a hut on the property- I am quite sure without water. Caretakers also build fire breaks. Some cottages have thatched roofs, but insurance is much higher on them. Many cottages are now owned by companies, of course some whites left and sold their places.
Ken is a retired DR, never married. Traveled the world. Fascinating listening to their white lives in Zim. We spend hours analyzing Sasha, Leslie's husband. He works 24/7. He's Indian, so doesn't feel he belongs in White or Black society. He supports Mugabi's party because he was the liberator. Before independence he was discrimminated against. Once Leslie married him, she could only teach in colored schools. He knows things are screwed up in the country, but wants to believe things will be right.
For lunch we dined on homemade tomato soup, facing the mountains, sitting in the warm sun. I went to climb the small mountain at World View. Got 2/3 up and lost the trail. I headed down with a nice family of 4. Bought some stone sculptures that are sold everywhere by local artists.
After enjoying some South African wine, all 3 of us watched the sunset at 6:30 at World View- a bit cloudy, but beautiful. Dinner is made by solar lamps and candles. Leslie brought everything in 2 huge coolers. There is ice, but it was so cold in the cabin, nothing really spoils.
The place reminds me of old cabins in Maine or Joe's Pond in VT. 1950's decor. There was a fire in the past, 2nd wooden floor was destroyed. As a result the bathtub is half brown inside, not too appealing.
Leslie goes to bed after supper. I kept adding wood to the fire. Finished Loving Frank- a fabulous book about Frank Lloyd Wright and the affair he had with his client- a feminist in the early 1900s.
Up at 6. We headed to the park to climb Mt. Nyangani, 2592m, highest point in Zim. Parking lot is at 2140m. Someone disappeared on the trail in FEB, so now a guide is required. We picked Paul up at the park office and then drove 15km on VERY bumpy roads. We pay him $5/hr. He was superb- young guy- thin and spry. Leslie didn't climb, Ken was slow and birding, so I hiked with Paul. The average amount of time is 3 hrs, we made it in 2 1/2! It is very rocky, but luckily the plants don't have thorns, so easy to grab on to them. It is welled marked with yellow up arrows and white down arrows. He stopped to drink from the waterfall- his comment was: "it's fine to drink here, this is national water." I only had 2 bottles, but passed up his offer. It was nice to see a large church group climbing and there was a small group of Asians. The locals don't take much interest in national parks. School groups bring kids, so hopefully nature appreciation will improve.
Dropped Paul off and bought some frozen trout from their hatchery. Saw baboons, warthogs and kudus along the way.
Although Julia and Hannah would laugh, I thought the climb was quite challenging and it was tough on the knees coming down. We threw corn, sweet potatoes and the fish in the fire for dinner- just delicious.
Now I am sitting in Troutbeck Inn, Monday morning. Leslie brought me to the trail, heading to the stream. Luck would have it- Mary had just crossed the road and was heading to Troutbeck where she catches a bus for her work in the town as a maid and cook. She looked about 18, but had 2 kids. We walked through the beautiful woods and on the road for 45 min.Hopefully I'll find my way back! I left one marker. She lives in town during the week. Today she was working just part-time due to the holiday. Her kids live with the grandmother while they go to school.
Tomorrow Lelslie will drop me off at the junction and Passmore- a Fulbrighter, lawyer and head of the Human Rights Commission will pick me up and we'll go to Mutare- still in the Eastern Highlands.
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