This was a weeks trip with Keith and Kalene. We headed up with the golf and boat, spending our first night at Matopo Hills National Park, a week at Olive Beadle Fishing Camp, a night at the Messina Campsite and then home.

We headed up to Zim in the peak of school holidays (me being a teacher and all). Our stop at the Matopo reception made us the last car in a queue with 10 cars cram packed with screaming children, we did not take long to decide that we would go to the remotest child free campsite in the place (little did we know that we would soon be walking the parenting path). We froze out butts off and were not sad to be heading to warmer weather along the Zambezi.

Our time at Olive Beadle was spent riding in the boat, we finally caught a tiger on the last day to compensate for the fact that I had dropped Vaughn’s boat rode and my new reel into crocodile infested waters (boo hoo). The rest of our time was spent playing Magic duels, lounging on the couch outside or sleeping on the lawn. There was the little incident of the bat that hit the fan and landed up in my bed – luckily Keith and Penguin woman were there to take it outside.

The homeward journey resulted in a flat on the boat which meant unpacking everything and therefore once again I got the suicide hours to drive in, nothing like the sun setting in your eyes as you try to avoid all the people and animals that migrate towards the road as the sun sets. We also got to avoid Kudu, cows, people, a car with no lights that was parked in the middle of the road, and finally the car that had hit a cow after a sharp bend that had not bothered to put up any warnings. Luckily we reached Messina Campsite in one piece if not late at night and got to sleep. The morning brought us the sight of the Tanie in the caravan next door in her pink feathered pj’s and gown, quite a sight I can tell you.