Trip≉Vacation

In case you were not aware of the distinction between a trip and vacation. 

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Running to stay warm

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The power situation in Zimbabwe leaves much to be desired. My colleagues and Viv have all informed us that it has recently worsened. Fortunately, the cottage has a backup solar powered generator, but during outages, which can last up to 18 hours or longer, we cannot use the microwave, toaster, washing machine, tea kettle, oven, etc. Internet connectivity is also not great. Kyusik and I have repeatedly been dropped from our Zoom calls. There is no dryer either, so we have to hang up all of our clothes on a clothesline outside. At least we are able to use the gas stove, so we have been frying or toasting our bread in a pan and boiling water or heating up leftovers on the stove. It has also been pretty cloudy most of the time, which means that it doesn't ever warm up in the cottage. The only ways to get warm include taking a shower, getting into bed, building a fire (which only warms up the living area), and going for a run. Last week, while I was gone for 2.5 days in Mutare, a city a...
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All on my own

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Kyusik and the boys left about two hours ago, so I am all alone in the cottage now. We managed to do one last lunch at Gavas, the Zimbabwean restaurant that we really enjoyed once already.  Their slogan is "sadza with soul." They have lots of outdoor seating, and it's very family friendly. The last time we were there, there was a bouncy house that the boys used. We ordered the whole grilled bream (fish) again because we liked it so much, as well as a roadrunner (chicken) stew, and half of a grilled chicken with chips. The dishes all come with a side of sadza (maize meal similar to polenta), the equivalent of collard greens, and sugar beans. They also bring a little container of house-made spicy sauce. You only need a tiny dollop because it's so hot! Once your dishes arrive, they come by with a metal pitcher of soapy water and a bowl so that they can pour water over your hands to clean them.  Afterwards, Kyusik wanted to drive downtown. There's not a whole lot to s...
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Khami Ruins

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We just returned from an incredible overnight stay at a rhino conservancy, which is about a 2 hour drive southeast of Harare. I’m hoping the boys will write about it tomorrow. We have a lot of catching up to do with this blog on what we’ve been doing ever since we left Bulawayo, arrived in Capetown and are now Harare. In fact, I failed to document the visit we made to the 3rd of 5 UNESCO World Heritage sites here in Zim. The other two we visited were Vic Falls and Matobo National Park. The Khami ruins date back to the 15th century, rising to prominence after the fall of Great Zimbabwe (another UNESCO site). Fashioned similarly to Great Zimbabwe, the stone walls at Khami were built as retaining walls for terraces upon which huts were built. Similar to the walls in Cusco, Peru, these walls were impressive in that they were built by bricks that were carved to fit together rather than held together by mortar. The Khami walls were also decorated in layered check, chevron, herringbone, and o...
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