Flying to Zimbabwe

Flying on African airlines is significantly different from flying in Canada or the US or Europe. Everything is on Africa time. 

The airport at Johannesburg is very nice and modern; the airport at Victoria Falls - not so much. I mean it's not a rathole, but you get a sense that everything is dodgy. You walk from the plane to the airport, the border control people are efficient but there's just a very anxious vibe. 

Our flight was late boarding. They borrowed some other airline's plane, picked up some random staff hanging around the airport, and put us on a bus that took us across the tarmac to board the plane.

One wing on our fastjet plane looked like it was going to shake off. The snacks on board were one size fits all; a juice box, bottled water, sour cream and onion Pringles, beef jerky with a toothpick in the package, and a crunchy Kit Kat made in Poland or somewhere. That Kit Kat didn't last five seconds.

But we made it to Victoria Falls!

Arrive at our hotel with Patience (guide) and Smart (driver)

Lunched at the hotel restaurant

Shopped at the Chinotimba market for chocolate (aka iron rich rocks you chew on). They look like chocolate but don't be fooled, they taste like dirt covered rocks. 

Check out the weird fruit that you let melt in your mouth until you get to the seed and then spit that out. A lot of spitting going on lately.

We sampled matohwe, or the snot apple, too. Crack it open and get rid of the seeds, then chew. It's kinda like bubble gum.

Later, at the home of Flatter Mcube, we were greeted with a sweet maize drink, we crushed maize, toured her garden, and had supper along with lovely conversation about ancestral vs Christian religions, her family, etc.

She showed us how they crush maize to make flour. It takes about three hours of pounding the maize to make flour.

For supper there was chicken, a maize thing with a kind of peanut butter, sadza (like grits), and worms.

Yes. Worms. Ruth and I ate deep fried worms for supper. Yum! Tasted like salty peanuts. And a bit like worms. Caterpillars, actually.

She showed us a beautiful tapestry she had made; it's a pictorial representation of a story her grandmother had told her.

We love you Flatter!