Monday, December 31 I started from Matobo as of the daybreak to go Hwange NP by stopping in Bulawayo with three objectives. The first to publish the pages of my website, which I did without difficulty. Then I sought a gas station to fill the tank with diesel fuel. I had noticed the long queues since my trip from Harare. All the station visited did not have diesel fuel. Finally around 8:00 I found one of them with, of course, a queue. I reached the pump around 10:30 with a maximum of 80 liters. After a few minutes of palaver with the person in charge I obtained the full of the two additional tanks, i.e. 110 liters; but it missed approximately 40 liters in the main tank to go to Hwange NP, here, to visit the park then to rejoin Kariba at the border with Zambia. On the 292 km from Bulawayo to Hwange NP I stopped at three stations announced by GPS, they were closed and/or destroyed. I was to find diesel fuel to go to distant Kariba of almost 900 km from Hwange NP! Finally I went to the Spar supermarket to do supply in food for one week. But there was no water in 5 liters can.
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| File d'attente à la station-service, queue at gas-station | |
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| Accueil à Hwange Main Camp, Welcome to Hwange Main Camp | |
Tuesday, January 1 I left again drive out photographs of the wild animals of them. To tell the truth I do not see much of it during the 157 km of the trip in 7:00. I think that they were to make the sleep in after the drinkings of the end of the year 2018!
Wednesday, January 2 I was at the entrance gate in Hwange NP as of 6:00. To go to Sinamatella Camp I traversed a track of cross-piece going along of the ponds where the wild animals water themselves. I visited four to five ponds while stationing to expect the animals. Nothing, that birds splashing in the duck pond. In the Robert Mugabe's country under Chinese and North Korean perfusion, visible by the plethora of trucks of all Chinese marks furrowing the roads, the animals in the national parks do not respect the trade-union hour of presence to the feeding trough. Nothing goes any more in this country! I arrived at Sinamatella, overhanging the Hwange Park, shortly after midday for two days. Tomorrow will be another day.
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Thursday, January 3 I left in search of untraceable wild animals. In
6:00 I traversed 91 km of corrugated tracks while having seen only one
impala far in the foliage of the forest. The ponds are the biotope of
the birds of all species. The third national park as both precedent will
not leave a great memory; moreover written Lonely-Planet: “Hwange has
ridiculous amount of wildlife.” I returned to the bivouac to think
following my journey in Zimbabwe.
Indeed the shortage and the rationing
of the fuels pay problematic the visit of this country. I calculated the
routing by Victoria Falls, Zimbabwe, and Livingstone, Zambia, the road
was shorter and, I was sure to find diesel fuel if not in Victoria Falls
at least in Livingstone. I remade my road plan without visiting the
falls again which I had seen in July 2018,
here. The season of the large rains start in January; it is exact,
it rains abundantly since 16:00 and the temperature gets cooler
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Friday, January 4 I started from Sinamatella for Victoria Falls by stopping at Hwange with the hope finding diesel fuel. at the first Engen gas station there was not, but 100 meters further I filled up the empty additional tank. Then at the entrance of Victoria I thus supplemented the main tank by leaving Zimbabwe my three tanks were full. At the end of the morning I established my bivouac in Victoria Falls Rest Camp as in July 2018 for a night.
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Saturday, January 5 I entered Zambia for three weeks approximate duration, if weather allows it.
