Harare

We have reached Harare after cycling through pressure cooker like heat
in the Tete corridor. We are so glad to be out of that place. Your
body feels like its melting especially when climbing out of the
Zambezi valley. The temperature in Harare is far more civilized (as
the colonists would say). We have wild camped every night since
leaving Cape Maclear and luckily escaped any landmines in Mozam
although I was wary when I rolled over in my tent!

Crossing into Zim was great, we got pushed to the front of the
immigration queue despite looking like a pair of dirty mercenaries.
And we are loving Zim (well accept for the hills and headwind...).
With the US Dollar (drawing USD from an ATM feels weird!) as the new
currency there is good food in the shops including good old South
African staples like pronutro and castle lager (no we will not drink
it!). The scenery and landscapes are amazing and the people are also
super friendly. Harare is so different to what we expected and unlike
no other African city we have been to. For one thing its clean and
the road we came in on did not go through squatter camps which tend to
develop around other African cities although I'm sure it was just this
road! We are taking a rest day here to eat and recover a bit and then
will head north east towards Lake Kariba and Zambia before heading
down to Livingstone and the Vic Falls. After the bungee cord failed
recently we are having second thoughts about jumping off the bridge!
Marks birthday did involve beer... a Manica just before the Zim
border. The birthday cake was a large watermelon that was white
inside. We ate the whole thing while escaping from the heat under a
bush.

There have been reports of a Typhoid outbreak in Harare. It has not
reached the local newspapers although as these are state controlled
this information may be kept back. We are treating all our water with
strong stuff from Boots and using bottled water despite the assurances
from the guesthouse owner that the water is fine! Are vaccinations for
Typhoid and half a dozen other nasties are also up to date.

James