Hidden in Chinhoyi Caves | Zimzygirl Diaries

Date 25/10/2017 Time: 04:00 Feelings-Shocked

Action: Scratching my head Temperature: 9 degrees celsius

"Nivukenjani grandpa." 

He'd already been up since goodness knows when.

This had to be the earliest I'd ever woken up. I knew this place wasn't going to run away in the next few hours, but I knew, what ever grandpa said, I had to follow suit. I literally was dependent on him to make this day possible, so with that being said, my day had already began. 

It was still pitch black outside, not even Tombo the chicken was awake. It felt as if I was back in England. Those cunning winter mornings that presented a layer of crystal frost. It was as if it wanted me to fall into its trap. Luring me to stepping bare footed on the grass which I would usually do, given a sunny day. The cold had already taken control of me by sending shivers up my spine. So what more, if I dared to step outside.

I needed the sun! However, in the terms of grandpa, there was no time for that, not even time to be thinking. He'd given me a small gap between waking up, getting ready, making breakfast and jumping into the taxi. Of course, with just a few blinks, I found us both with our satchels in the taxi. 

Some roads were busy and some roads were quiet, however by the time we had gotten into town, it had already began its day. The market stalls were filling with vendors, men and women already coming out of their first combie and into the next and for others, balancing groceries both on their heads and both hands. 

No one would have guessed we were just on a casual day out, even harder with the suit my grandpa had picked for himself with of course his favourite leopard print hat. Luckily, this made him easier to spot especially since he loved doing his own thing half of the time or walking ahead while my eyes got distracted.

It's a little different in Zimbabwe especially with the coach/bus.

Once you arrive, hours before it departs (which was our case) you pay on the door aka 'The Conductor'. However, for the coach to go through the gates, an additional departure fee is needed. This usually is paid for and given as a ticket by the coach office. $7 in total each, I presume it would be more the further out you go or take it to its final stop.

He made sure I was aware of this and even directed me to purchase the tickets.I guess now I know what to do, so if any of you come with me next time, I'll have it all covered.

Taking that as a way to speed up time, the busy feeling amused with how many people were on now, it was time to depart. Most of the passengers were off to Zambia and as for us destination Chinhoyi.

"We would have been there by now, it's 800 hours, Chinhoyi isn't that far." 

Unfortunately, there had been a delay. This was due to diesel being out in quite a few major petrol stations. Thank goodness, after trying quite a few gas stations we found one. It wasn't just us that found it, judging by the long queue, others found it too. For me, I took this opportunity to see the same spots twice or even three times but also take a note of the big changes that happened since I was a little girl. Reality defiantly kicked in.

One thing I would say, was our journey had been blessed.

 Taking off our hats, my grandpa told me, this is usually what happens. A passenger always gets up and says a prayer for the journey. I took a slight peek and found the whole coach with their heads down and it was amazing to see the respect shown and the willingness to care for others from members of the community.

The further out of town we went, the more I got to see Zimbabwe and mother nature take it's course. It got hotter and hotter, and the grass got drier and drier. There were quite a few spots where the open fields of grass had caught on fire. Such a dramatic change from the early morning to mid morning.

My viewing pallet had changed, more grey tones and brown tones were given out. Knowing that today was one of the hotter days of the month, it was certainly bound to happen. 

It was a quiet day and we were given a guide who'd helped my grandpa walk down the stairs. Surprisingly my grandpa had recalled his days when he used to work building the dams, bridges and industrial sites. He'd told me of a day, where they used to walk freely through the caves, where there were no gates. Only the cheeky baboons used to walk around owning the area.I guess grandpa should have been the one giving the tour instead.

As a little girl, I remember visiting this place. Hearing and seeing a few bats, seeing a big blob of blue, and at some points being in darkness. Luckily, I wasn't the one having to walk as most of the time I had been carried.

This time, Chinhoyi Caves was certainly a place to have worn tackies. Maybe even incorporate a work out before hand so I would be ready to tackle the next level. The steps were so steep. No wonder, grandpa had to stop half way to rest. I guess beautiful places are the hardest to find or reach. But once you've found it, then the rest is history. 

Some say, the reason why the water's so blue colour is because of how deep the cave is. I don't think throwing a stone or brick with a camera, seeing how far it goes would be your answer. I mean if divers haven't reached the bottom then it must still be unknown about the depth and how many other caves deeper down there are. That's the beauty of nature. Some of its secrets are treasured away.

Have you ever experienced something new in a different country ?

Photography

@zimzygirl  

Location

 Chinhoyi Caves ~ Mashonaland West

Camera

iPhone 6
Nikon 3200

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Have a wonderful blessed day everyone. I hope you enjoyed getting to know a little and seeing Zimbabwe from my perspective so far. There are more Zimzygirl Diaries Posts and pictures to come during this week so be sure to visit my blog everyday.