Rest day 6 at Dave (Scruff) and Jan in Harare
Distance 8461
Total from Amsterdam 13861
Our final day of R+R at Scruff and Jan’s. Peter was plotting routes while I read in bed. Late morning took us to an Econet store and we got our pin number to use Ecocash to buy groceries, in fact to pay for anything, even stuff like chillies or bananas on the side of the road. Vendors all have their own Ecocash code one can transfer money to using a cell phone. Scruff and friends Inky and Nobby have transferred US$200 each into our Ecocash account giving us a total of 680 in Zim currency. This ought to see us through to Vic Falls.
We bought some groceries at Bon Marché supermarket which Jan refused to take money for ?? They plan to come to CT early December for Shay’s graduation of the Interior Design course she’s doing and we hope they are able to visit us in Knysna or we get to see them in CT. We got our bags packed, Peter’s are already on his bike (in the garage). I carry jungle oats, cereal bowls, long life milk etc so I’ll pack my bags tomorrow. We hope to be away by 07h30, latest 08h00.
Between Scruff and Jan they’ve arranged accommodation for us at three towns en route to Bulawayo, so far. Conversation goes something like this … Hello Jack, Scruff here .. how ya doing ? I’ve got these two cyclists staying with us and heading your way tomorrow… they’re pensioners and are cycling from Amsterdam to Cape Town and need a bed for tomorrow night …. he listens then says, that’s great man, thanks. All Zimbabweans we’ve met so far are incredibly friendly and generous and sorry to hear we’re not staying longer as they want us to join them when they plan to go to Gonarezhou game reserve, Kariba, Mana Pools, amazing hospitality. We would never reach Cape Town at this rate. I made macaroni cheese for supper. Priscilla, the friendly, always smiling cook cum cleaning lady made salad. Jan told me that Priscilla takes home all the pips from avos, lemons oranges, chillies, apples, granadillas and cuttings from flowers and plants them at her house she goes to from time to time and has brought her harvest of fresh fruit and vegetables to Jan’s – an enterprising lady.
– When Jan was in her early 20’s she assisted on a movie ‘shoot’ in Kariba with the actors hair requirements AND look who she met ????
– Priscilla, always friendly and good at growing fruit and vegetables
– The children who live with their parents at Jan and Scruff’s home
– The man who ousted Mugabe and could possibly win the election. They go to the polls on Monday 30 July
