TRAVEL DIARIES: OUR FIRST TRIP TO MASVINGO AND BIRCHENEOUGH BRIDGE EASTER 2004

Easter 2004 we decided to visit Masvingo for the first time. We drove from Harare and looked for accommodation and booked a room at Flamboyant Hotel. At that time Flamboyant hotel had an association with Protea Hotel group from South Africa. Our room was very modern and comfortable. I saw E-TV channel from South Africa for the very first time. Later that year we bought Fortec decorders that enabled us to watch SABC 1 to 3 and ETV👌🏿

We drove around Masvingo and we stopped at the then Wimpy Restaurant on the petrol station on the way to Beitbridge, we then turned left towards Morgenster Teachers’ College and stopped at a Spar Supermarket. The following morning we then drove to Great Zimbabwe. I had seen ruins before when we had visited Tsindi Ruins closer to Theydon in Marondera. It was around 1993 at Nyameni Secondary when the school trip was organized.

Great Zimbabwe is huge and it is mind boggling how they could have built such a massive structure without cement. At great Zimbabwe I got the same feeling I felt when I later visited Matopo National Park as well as the grave of Cecil John Rhodes. After spending an hour or so we moved on to Lake Mutirikwi. For me this lake appears to be a smaller version of Lake Kariba.

After spending 3 days in Masvingo we decided to drive past Mutare. We took the road past Nyika Growth Point and stopped at Birchenough Bridge and marveled at the giant steel structure. We proceeded along Mutare Road and I almost had an accident at Nyanyadzi when a cow just ran across the road, I struggled to stop my double cab bakkie which did not have ABS. We proceeded on the way to Mutare. I think Mutare is the most beautiful city in Zimbabwe.

After stopping a bit in Mutare we proceeded to Harare and arrived home around 7pm🙏🏿