Day 152: Romelda Lakeside Retreat – Royal Gardens Camp (Chiredzi)

The trail takes us through very rural Zimbabwe. Sugarcane, cotton, corn. Small gardens. Donkey carts, wheelbarrows, manual labor. A real tractor.

It's dry and hot. The temperature differences between the mountains and the so-called lowfeld are enormous. At Debbie (thanks again for the fresh vegetables, by the way!) and in Great Zimbabwe, we had less than 10 degrees Celsius at night. Today, it's 35 degrees Celsius during the day. The wind is more like a hot hairdryer and doesn't provide any cooling.

Our tire is still losing air, but during the course of the day, we decide to attempt the drive to Gonarezhou anyway. It'll work out somehow...

And we're looking forward to the park. And we're excited. Our last destination before re-entering South Africa. We've come full circle. We set out on this adventure 23 months ago.

Chiredzi is a curious place. A clearly defined triangle on the map. More like a settlement. A Pick 'n' Pay with the essentials (USD 24 for a few basics...). Royal Gardens Hotel and Camp is our spot for today. Another somewhat indifferent location. "Royal Gardens" is a bit of a euphemism. But okay for one night.

And it's Friday. So we'll need earplugs again. How people can stand the volume of the music remains a mystery to us.

The menu is (South) African – meat is the main thing. And somehow West African too, because there are actually only two things available: T-bone steak with chips. Chicken with chips. We're looking forward to home cooking again. Both in terms of the range of goods and more comfortable conditions for cooking.