De Bvumba 'mistige' bergen in Zimbabwe

We reisden naar Zimbabwe voor mijn 50e verjaardag, het land waar ik zulke dierbare herinneringen aan heb. Ik kwam er voor het eerst in 2000 en bezocht er de Victoria watervallen. Ik ontmoette er, behalve de meest vriendelijke en liefste mensen op aarde, ook de Amerikaanse Cathy en via haar Gerry, alweer 22 jaar mijn levensgezel.

Ik wilde graag terug naar de Bvumba bergen, - also known as the ‘mistige bergen'’ because usually, like Table Mountain in South Africa, they sit in the clouds. We visited this area in 2017 and I had so many nice memories of this area. It is actually just across the border with Mozambique. So from Vilanculos it's not all that far in terms of distance, but the road is incredibly bad and full of potholes, waardoor je er lang over doet. Door de hoge ligging heeft het een ander klimaat dan Mozambique, koel en droog, met een bijzondere biodiversiteit.Mensen uit de hele wereld komen hier speciaal voor de bijzondere vogels.

Right after the border crossing, a sense of melancholy came over me as we arrived into Mutare across the other side. The atmosphere was different than in 2017 - poorer, more restless, and more agitated in terms of atmosphere.Zimbabwe has been struggling with hyperinflation for years, purchasing power has plummeted and you clearly see that locals are visibly struggling to survive, even though there are also a many Zimbabweans with a lot of money - that too is very visible.

The 100-year-old English-style hotel where we stayed, complete with flower curtains, classic style white tablecloths and beautiful flower gardens, suited my melancholic mood. It turns out that a 'big' birthday like this is full of moments when you just let life pass you by while also contemplating many moments in your own life. We had a drink in the garden and I saw a beautiful bouquet of flowers on the compost heap. I thought, "there you go”, we humans, as well as our memories, are equally as impermanent.

Gerry surprised with video messages from family and friends from all over the world - and I felt rich with so many people around me, far away and yet so close. We ate a celebratory cake at Tony's coffee shop - famous throughout Zimbabwe and beyond. I met the owner of our hotel who had just been back from a visit to celebrate his sister's 99th birthday party in England. We met nice guests who told me about areas in Zimbabwe I didn't know yet and I thought how fun would it be to organize a (small-scale) group trip from Mozambique to Zimbabwe with Unique Mozambique! I got very excited about it!

Na mijn verjaardag kampeerden we nog 2 nachtjes. Het voormalig woonhuis met de douche en WC ademde een staat van verval met boeken en posters op de muur uit betere tijden. De plek was prachtig en vol bloemen en geuren.

We kwamen een aardig jong Nederlands stel tegen die al twee jaar met een Landrover door Afrika trekken en onderweg digitaal werken.

A short despairing thought went through my mind - I am not very good with social media, we are no digital nomads and we have no pensions. Your mind is always playing tricks on you! I decided to make a Gin Tonic. The nice staff in the kitchen gave me a lemon which seemed just as old as I was.

Na twee koude nachten onder een  kristalheldere sterrenhemel, trakteerden we onszelf nog maar eens op een nachtje in hetzelfde hotel om lekker bij het haardvuur te zitten en alles te laten bezinken.

There is no going back, we can only keep going forward. Everyone has a different path in life - maybe hard, maybe easier, but still unique for everyone. Not better not worse, just different. Make the most of it, if you can.

Happy 50!!