Zimbabwe has turned out to be the easiest country to travel by road; the roads are in good condition, the traffic is not a problem and drivers are courteous. We are also finding the distance between destinations of places to visit is short. Due to this we are able to take it easy in the mornings, we are able to lie in, have a leisurely breakfast and pack up slowly before heading off to our next destination.
Today was no exception and after to chatting to Norma Jeanne and some of the other guests we set off for the 260km trip to Gweu. Gweru was not prettiest town we have passed through but was pretty busy with weekend shoppers.
Once out of town we headed a few kilometres along to the Antelope Park, where we were camping tonight. We saw giraffe on the way in and I was expecting a small reserve with a few buck and general game. On entering the reception/camp/entertainment/dining/chalet area, I was surprised to see how commercialised and busy the place was.
We were given a personal guide and shown to our camp site, overlooking a pretty dam, teaming with birds. The buffet lunch, in an open thatch covered area, was clearly popular and the area was packed with people.
We soon discovered that far from this being a little game park, it was more of a glorified zoo. We could go on elephant rides, swims, training sessions, lion walks, lion feeds, horse rides and so on and so on – each one costing more than the next in US$. Although we are not in agreement with this unnatural way to keep animals, it didn’t stop Ga, Robs and I booking a slot to interact with the lion cubs. We spent an hour playing with 2 adorable, 4 month old cubs – Robs thought she had died and gone to heaven.
The Antelope Park, is assisted by ‘volunteers; people, mainly from America who pay huge fees to come over and stay at the park, while helping - feed, walk and play with the lions, horses and elephants. There were plenty of these volunteers around, someone has stumbled on a great business plan and is making lots of money.
We had been warned that Gweu is can be very cold at night, this was an understatement, it was bloody freezing. We hurried through our braai, made hot chocolate (with marshmallows) and headed for our tents, duvets, fleeces and sleeping bags.
How cute !!!!!
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