Today was a much later start. I only crawled out of bed at 09h00 and after a shower in my cute little flatlet, I spent a few hours languishing on the couch in the outside living area of Barbara’s house. We chatted about our travels (she’s a travelling soul too) and she told me amusing stories about the Botswana police roadblocks (which I had luckily gone straight through), including how they give you a speech on safe driving and safe sex, complete with a pamphlet on driving rules in Botswana and a condom! She also whipped up a yummy breakfast of bacon and eggs with croissants! Barabara says she’s “only a cook”, but she’s a very good one! The outside living area of her house was delightful with comfy couches, a huge dining table, a bar and a blue-lit swimming pool surrounded by beautiful Flamboyant trees. It was starting to feel like relaxed Zimbabwe living already and we weren’t even there yet!
We popped into her restaurant, Barbara’s Bistro (+267 2413737), on the way out. It’s closed on Sundays, but all the tables were set and ready for customers. Christmas decorations made it all quite festive and it seemed like a cosy little spot (it also has a fireplace which must be great in winter). I have been told that her meals are delicious and seem reasonably priced. Hot starters include Soup of the Day (P33), Chicken Livers Creole (P38.50) and Thai Prawns (P59.50). Cold starters include Norwegian Smoked Salmon (P59.50), Beef Carpaccio (P55.50) and salad dishes from P39.50. There’s a wide choice of mains, including Chicken Strogonoff a La Provencale(P79.50), Sole fried in lemon butter (P98.50), Kingklip Portogeso (P105.50), Kasseler Chops a la Moutarde (P82.50), Botswana Rump Steak with chips and veggies (P85.50) and Fillet Cordon Bleu – a fillet steak stuffed with ham and cheese and crumbed (P98.50). If you fancy a dessert, there’s also plenty to choose from, including Top Deck Chocolate Mousse Cake (P25) and one of my favourites, good old ice cream and chocolate sauce (P21.50). There’s also a well-stocked bar and a fairly impressive wine list. Seems like a good place to have a meal to me and I was most disappointed that I arrived so late the night before, otherwise I would’ve certainly tucked into a meal there!
Trevor and I finally left Francistown for the border post at 14h00. Despite rumours, I reckoned we only had about two hours at the border and then an hour drive to Bulawayo where we were due to stay for the night at Nesbitt Castle. I had visions of a leisurely drive into Zimbabwe, admiring the acacia trees and having High Tea at the castle. However, it turned out that the rumours were true…
The queue at Ramokgwebana border post almost made me cry. It snaked out of the building and more and more people were arriving by the minute. It was clear this was not going to take two hours! Luckily they provide shade under tin roofing and there is a well-used tap for water. The queue actually moved quite quickly and while a man in army uniform came down the queues handing out Arrival/Departure forms I handed out refreshing wet wipes to grateful women behind me. Everything was strictly controlled by members of the army who carried threatening sjamboks. No one was going to mess with these guys so it was all quite orderly! There were only two people at Customs (we worked out this equated to approximately one person to 1 000 cars!) so this part took the longest. The whole process took about one and a half hours and then it was over to the Plumtree side for Zimbabwe. If I thought the Botswana side was a long process, nothing had prepared me for what waited on the other side!
There were three queues to get through at the Plumtree border post on the Zimbabwe side – one for immigration, one for people with cars (to get your Temporary Import Permit) and then another for payment. Each queue had thousands of people in it and once you got through one, you had to join the next one. It was no fun at all and not quite what I had expected for a “quiet border post”. In all fairness I was going through just before Christmas and I am sure it is not like this at other times (they stay open for 24 hours over the festive period). But perhaps a few more officials to handle all the passports and paperwork would help. There were only three Customs/Immigration officers, two TIP officers and about four people to take your money. Once you got to each of the counters the officials were pleasant and helpful, but it sure took a long time to get there!
They did have an interesting means of crowd control though. In the TIP queue you got a number written onto your forms (I was 34) and once you got into the “payment” queue they periodically checked these numbers. I was taken to near the front as that was where I should’ve been – behind someone who was number 31. Anyone who didn’t have a number was put to the back as it was clear they were pushing in. So there was some control in the madness!
To pass the time I chatted to fellow people in the queue, watched touts selling SIM cards and foreign currency, laughed at children playing and catching the flying ants (I was so excited to see those!) and marveled at the orange sunset. My first sunset in Zimbabwe was not at Nesbitt Castle drinking a Gin and Tonic, but rather in a queue at the border post! Finally, six hours later, at 21h00, I had all the necessary paperwork and stamps and was free to go. Yippee!
I paid P80 for Road Access Fund and P50 for Carbon Tax. I already had Third Party Insurance from the AA (R225) and there was no cost for the Temporary Import Permit. Zimbabwe also charges an import tax on items like laptops, iPads and cameras! If you are carrying these items and they are worth more than US$300, you are going to pay. I think the US$300 allowance is a bit low, but I wasn’t charged (perhaps they were too busy to notice), so perhaps this amount is now higher. But something to be aware of!
It is only 10 kilometres to Plumtree from the border post and a further 100 kilomtres to Bulawayo. Needless to say, this journey (in the dark, again) did not take me an hour! The road was in a good condition and there were no cows to worry about, but I only got to Nesbitt Castle at 23h00, two hours later. I did get lost in Bulawayo trying to find the castle, but again people were very helpful. Most of them had never heard of Nesbitt Castle, but as soon as I mentioned the road, they pointed me in the right direction. The potholes en-route were like craters, but we eventually arrived outside the gates.
What an impressive entrance to this boutique hotel! As I drove through the giant steel gates and up the driveway I audibly gasped (and I swear I even hear Trevor say “Wow!”) There was a gothic castle of mammoth proportions, all lit up. It was a sight to behold and as I walked up the stairs I half expected Morticia Addams to open the door to welcome me in. Nothing can describe the grandeur of this place, it’s almost overwhelming. I was shown to my room (by the guard from the gate, not a member of the Addams family) and was quite delighted to see that it was The Princess Room. How fitting!!
I dumped my bags and went to explore. It was quite spooky in a way, but I loved all the red-carpeted passageways, interesting antiques and armoury. There were swords on the walls, knights in armour in the corners, cellars, a dungeon room and all sorts of interesting nooks and crannies. It was a REAL castle!! It was all quite enchanting.
No one was about this late at night (in fact I wondered if I was the only one in the hotel) so I made myself a cup of tea in the Trophy Room, watched over by a giant elephant and various other animals on the walls. There was also a huge crocodile that was caught on Mr Nesbitt’s farm that is chained to the wall – the staff like to tell people that it comes alive at night so they have to chain it otherwise it will eat you in a passageway. It almost seems believable when you are roaming the hotel alone at midnight!
I had a hot bath in my Victorian bath and finally clambered (and I mean clambered – the bed was so high) into my bed well after midnight, vowing to wake up early to explore this magnificent place before heading to Harare. But before I went to sleep I noticed a small plaque on the headboard. It read “Cecil John Rhodes”. Turns out I was sleeping in his bed! Not many people can claim to have slept in his bed, but I did…
Follow me on Twitter, @Rachel_CapeTown (#ZimPilgrim), email me at [email protected], or keep an eye on my blogs on the Getaway website.
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