As we left Johannesburg the sun we setting and I could see the hills all around the city covered in purple, blooming tree blossoms. It was strange to see since we just left Moldova as fall was turning to winter to come to Africa where spring is turning to summer. After leaving Joburg our travel was rather uneventful and we traveled through the night to arrive at the South Africa/ Zimbabwe border around 2am.
We arrived just after another tour bus so we had to wait in a little bit of a line to get stamped out of South Africa. The only warning we had about going to Zimbabwe was a sign in the bathroom telling people not to flush toilet paper, or Zimbabwe currency. We loaded the bus up and headed out around 3.
We arrived at the Zimbabwe border shortly after and were greeted by a sea of peddlers of junk and beggars. It was a surreal sight to see so many people with such and need and having nothing to give to them. We were able to talk to some and encourage the ones that were willing to listen, but most simply wanted money.
One thing to note is that Zimbabwe has faced insane inflation over recent years. The government won’t even except the money to pay for entrance into the country. Only South African Rand or USD are accepted. The gas stations we stopped at also had the same policy on currency. No wonder Zimbabwe bills are best used as a fire starter or toilet paper.
It turns out Americans need visas to get into Zimbabwe so we had to wait in line to get them. Unfortunately, there were 65 of us and only 1 guy who could fill out the extensive paperwork and issue visas. He also worked with little sense of urgency. Ironically the sign above him had the goals of this border written out. They included to show the pride of Africa and Zimbabwe and to be among the best and easiest border crossings in the world.
After 5 and a half hours, and all kinds of issues figuring out how best to pay for the visas, we made it into Zimbabwe. The country side there is unlike anything I have seen before. It is a flat dusty plain with small trees and random huge rock outcroppings all over. It looks quite a bit like the Lion King, but only more trees and more rocks. Also, the only animals I saw along the road were baboons, but there were huts throughout Zimbabwe that looked straight out of National Geographic.
We knew that the border between Zimbabwe and Mozambique closed at 6 and before the delay it would have been tight to make it in time. However, we had a chance to make it and we hurried through the country stopping only twice all day that I can remember. At our last stop we grabbed food and drink in case we were forced to stay the night at the border.
Well as it turned out we were about an hour late and had to sleep in the bus. Now the bus was cramped with 5 seats across the width of it and the seats would not lean back and there was no air conditioning. This was all fine and dandy during the day or when the bus was moving and forcing air through the small windows along the bus. However, during the night when the bus was stopped, it became a sweat box. Even more so for those of us stuck in the back behind the last window that opened.
I can honestly say I have never been so happy to see the sun come up any day as when first light came that day. It felt so good to get outside, stretch my legs and feel cool, fresh air. It was then that I first noticed that some people were having trouble putting their shoes on. Turns out if you stay in a bus too long, your ankles swell up. All of this said it takes more than this to upset our squad. The bible says give thanks in every situation and we did. What a group of people I am with!
The Zimbabwe exit border knew we stayed there all night and made a special effort to make sure we were the first to get across and made it painless and easy to get out of the country. Mozambique however, made it a pain to get in.
We arrived around 7 and lined up optimistic that we could make it out soon and get to our contacts who had been waiting for us in Malawi for days already. Well God had other plans for us. Once again we needed a visa and needed to pay for it and once again there was only one person that could write them. This time though they were kind and worked about as fast as they could.
The process was not streamlined by any means, but they were kind enough to take all our passports at once so we didn’t have to stand in line the whole time. After a while, I got curious about how long this would take and I timed how long it took to do a passport. Much to my dismay it took about 8 minutes to fill out the paperwork and get the visa on our passports. That added up to about 8 and a half hours.
Hopeful that I had been unlucky I decided to sit outside the office with my fellow racers and watch as the laid on the porch floor with their feet on the walls trying to work their swollen ankles down. After a couple hours I checked back only to see that my prediction was still holding true. We were going to be stuck there for a while. Luckily, this is probably a scene that is not too uncommon and there were people there selling everything from hard boiled eggs, to phone cards, to cold cokes and bottled water.
After another couple of hours we decided to not waste our time there and we began to worship. Some of the sales people joined in and some thought we were crazy. To be honest, at first I sided with the latter. Eventually, I decided that it was in fact a perfect time to sing to the Lord and joined in.
About 9 hours after we arrived, we walked across the border one by one and hopped back on our bus. Since everything is not nearly as simple as it should be in Africa, we had either 4 or 5 hours to make it to the Malawi border (we weren’t quite sure if it closed at 8 or 9). The trip would be about 4 hours, but there was a bridge we needed to cross that was under construction and only allowed for alternating lanes of traffic.
Back on the road for another day of rushed stops and praying for traffic to be good. We made it to the bridge and about 15 minutes after we arrived, traffic switched and we got to go across. We were in decent shape to make it even if it closed at 8. We pulled up to the border crossing at 7:50 which is about 30 minutes after dark only to be told that the power went out and the border had been closed since 6.
After a sleepless night the previous night we decided that something needed to be done to make the second night sleeping at the border better than the first, so the guys volunteered to sleep outside the bus and take turns keeping watch. I grabbed a nice piece of dirt under the bus where I would be protected from the suddenly chilly wind and drizzle that had just started.
Two things about sleeping under the buss. One, its the first time I have ever been jealous of someone sleeping on cardboard. Two, it is by far the best nights sleep I have had in at least 5 years. I was completely out of it until 2am when my hour of watch started. I got the rundown from the guys we took over for and we were told about the cool Mozambique guard that was strolling around and that the best way to spend the time was by praying for our squad while they slept.
It was a great time I got to spend watching and praying and I was a little sad when my shift ended, but I was ready to resume my totally awesome rest. In the morning when we started to line up to go through immigration, I learned one of the most epic stories on the race so far.
Apparently, I had been sleeping as soundly as I thought. When we first arrived, the guards let us use the bathrooms, but then told us as we finished that they would be locked until morning. Well sometime around midnight, one of my brothers was in need of a toilet and pooped in a grassy area nearby. The guard appeared out of no where and saw him and made him follow him. The other guys on watch called out for more guys and some of the leaders to go with him. They went to the police office about a block away and the guard woke up the officers. Thankfully all it took was about $15 worth of bribe money and an apology and they let him go.
After the border opened we got through pretty quickly and even got into Malawi in a matter of a couple hours. After being pulled over by the police twice, we pulled into Blantyre, Malawi around two or so and met our contacts. My team got on a bus with our contact and headed to Zomba. We got pulled over by the cops again and got a fine for having too many on the bus. They are really strict about buses here for some reason. They don’t seem to care how many people are in the backs of trucks though.
The journey was more than worth it and I asked my team on the second day here if they would have chosen to take a plane from South Africa given the choice. Not a single person would have give up the journey and taken the easy way. The stories are great and the conversations were amazing but something about facing such adversity and triumphing really brings people together. I’m glad I have a team that refuses to take the easy way.
