Health, wealth, and wheels

Here we are in Harare, halfway through our journey both in time and mileage – 49 days and 5000 miles (that’s right, MILES not kilometers). We have been in five countries, with only two to go (we only just entered Zimbabwe, so it’s more like three to go).

Healthwise, we are doing pretty well. There have been a few minor bouts of runny tummy which seemed to subside rather quickly. We’ve dipped into the first aid kit a couple of times for small ailments that come with age and kicking around. With the exception of my visit to the doctor six weeks ago in South Africa to get a topical ointment, we have steered clear of medical care.

Financially, we are also on a good track. With the exceptions of Mozambique and Zimbabwe, all the currencies have been tied to the South African rand, which is about equal to the Botswana pula making it extremely convenient as all of our money is in pula. Mozambique kept us on our toes constantly in figuring out the pula/metical exchange.

Now in Zimbabwe the currency is the US dollar, which although nice to see prices listed in our own currency, is a little unsettling because again we have to convert back to the pula. The other thing about the money situation here is that small bills are rare and coins are non-existent. So if our grocery bill ends up costing $12.60, they will round up to $13, but if we only have a $20 and they don’t have change, then our $12.60 bill puts us out $20 or we find other things to put in the basket or the cashier gives change in small candies. The dollar did stabilize things here tremendously, putting to rest the trillions of Zim dollars that brought the country to a standstill a few years ago. (Russ found a 10,000 million bill on the side of the road yesterday)

We have averaged about US $80 a day, with our biggest expense definitely being petrol at US $6+ a gallon. Lodging and food are fairly inexpensive, so what raises the daily average are expenses like visas, car services, and things we could not have possibly planned.

Speaking of fuel, there are only two choices here in Zimbabwe, petrol and diesel. Meaning, there is no unleaded fuel. I was shocked to learn that we could put leaded fuel in an unleaded car, but I guess the only thing it hurts is emissions (and ultimately then, the planet, right?!)

We love our Rav4. It has been on some rather challenging roads and handled them beautifully. Before we left Gaborone, it went in for a big job, and here in Harare the car got a major tune-up. We have had a couple of leaky tires along the way, but able to get them patched. The air-con is holding up and the engine seems to be running smoothly. We might even buy a Rav4 once we get back home, that’s how impressed we’ve been with this car.

The worst road by far has been from Ramabanta to Semonkong, Lesotho, but that was an off-road four wheel drive trek. It’s remarkable that we still have pads on our brakes (and that was spending the whole time in first gear). Granted, the view of the waterfall was worth it, but not something I would do again. Russ enjoyed the driving more than I did. Mozambique had its share of poor highways, although surprisingly also some of the best. I have been doing most of the driving, unless we calculate that the chances of Russ being stopped at a police roadblock are minimal. It has now a long-running joke that I can breeze right through roadblocks, but he gets stopped more often than not. Only once have we had to pay a “fine” though, and that was in Lesotho.

So, there it is! Moving right along and still enjoying being on the road. More later on our wonderful time in Harare.