THAT IMMENSE AND BROODING SPIRIT          - 30/ 4/ 2013      <--Prev : Next-->


Yay ! Its winter woolie time again !!

Time to dig the old winter boots, the toasty socks, and the aromatic moth-balled winter jerseys, out of the cupboard.

People move away from HeeHoo and I at the start of winter because of our olfactory mothball scent, I really must invest in one of those contraptions that shrink wraps your woolies during summer.

ZITF has come and gone, always of great benefit to the city coffers and indeed potentially to the country's coffers.

Trade Fair is also always welcome because we have a week free from power cuts and water shortages, but we will not miss the visiting drivers who treat our city with such disdain, and bring such ugly Road Rage to disrupt our serenity!

Have you not noticed that we Bulawegians are a sedate lot? Are we not, as the city of Kings, calm and unruffled, tranquil and delicate?

We do not enjoy big bullies from the North and South invading our peace with vehicular agitation and hullabaloo. Remember next year please to leave us as insouciant and as imperturbable as you found us!!

HeeHoo and I decided to leave the flurry and fluster of the city to seek the magical peace and enchantment of the Matopos.

The Matopos is always there, its always unflappable and unhurried and time can be made to stand still for those of us who know where to find that immense and brooding spirit.

Those great, grey, granite ghosts carry secrets they will never relinquish, and the enchantment of the brilliantly colored kopjes can always sooth the savage beast.

We managed to secure a last minute booking at the Matobo Hills Lodge and set off with hats and bird books to inspect the recently reopened and restored Lodge.

It was absolutely magical. Set amidst a magnificent 360 degree panoramic heaven and surrounded by colossal boulders and whaleback dwalas in every dramatic color combination. The base of each dwala suffused in the densely rich orange, scarlet and green branches of the mountain acacia, wild pear and the paperbark tree.

We set off for an afternoon walk to the small dam and encountered a pair of shy klipspringer and a tiny hairy caterpillar that resembled a miniature porcupine! The estate also has giraffe and kudu but they were well concealed in the dense bush and corn colored long grass surrounding the lodge.

Resting precariously above us on a giant boulder were four weary storks, on their way to or from some enchanted clime, while a pair of black eagles circled territorially over head.

The camp staff were fabulous, as anxious to pamper us as we were in need of pampering, and the food and wines were superb too.

Central Reservations: Travel Afrika Tel: 67449 Mobile: 0772 104 028 /29 or 0775876661

Face book: Matobo Hills Lodge / Skype: Matobo.Hills.Lodge