Holiday the third

Ok going to try and finish this thing today, so antelope park. It is absolutely beautiful. The main capsite and facilities place is on the edge of the river, and the dining room has open sides and thereare big old barbeques where they cook your breakfast as you wait, its great. We didnt do anything on the monday when we got there, just chilled in the DVD room and watched white water rafting and bungee jumping. We then went all Dof E and put up our tents, complete with rain covers this time. Polly and I got ours up in record time thanks to much exerience, and were then called on to help Amber and Wizz do theirs! The next day we had an early start, surprise surprise, to go walking with Lions. It was amazing, they were (I think) 3 eight month old cubs, two guys and a girl, so quite big alrewady and at one opointy they all ran after a horse they had spotted so the keepers were trying to tackle them to the ground. We have really posey pictures of us stroking alion perched on a grassy africa style mound. Then we had an elephant ride(it was too cold to do the elephant swim as they wouldnt get in the water, dont really blame them) it was fun trotting on an elephant, they are surprisingly comfy! In the afternoon we went and played with ickle lion cubs, they were really sleepy and ended up snoozing in a big cuddly pile, soooo cute. When I grow up I am going to have an elephant and a lion cub.
The newxt morning we went and watched the elephant training, turning round kneeling down and playing football. It ffelt a bit fake but showed how amazingly intelligent they are, and we got to feed them and sit on their laps so it wasnt all bad. Then we went on a horseback safari which was totally amazing. My first horse (shasha) was very impatient and kept trying to get to the front so i wasnt too upset when my stirrup fell off as i was trotting and had to switch toi the slightly calmer Petal. It was great we rode through a herd of Zebra and past a family of giraffe, and saw wildebest and water buck as well. I also learnt to trot properly rather than just bounce all over the place which was really good fun.Wizz even said that i looked quite professional(though to be fair it was only the second time she had been on a horse herself).
In the afternoon we went canoeing down the river with mark as well. we had three canoes between the nnine of us and only four oars so it was rather slow but very nice and relaxing., i was in a boat with Amber and Emma(zimn not moz) and we had two oars, but still managed to be the last boat back. We had much fun trying to get into where the boats were supposed to go as we kept getting stuck in the reeds so teried going backwards and ended up miles away, we gave up and just sat there in absolute hysterics as the others watched and wondered what on earth was going on.
While we were at Antelope park loads of preparations were going on for the bosses daughter's wedding that was on the thursday(day that we left). There were huge marquees going up all over the place for the ceremony(that one was on top of a specially built hill, which you got too over a specially built bridge, designed to carry the bride and groom on elephants) the reception(right on the bank) and for the 200 gusts to sleep in(complete with beds wiuth preoper matresses). It looked like it was going to be absolutel amazing, too bad we couldnt hanbg around and watch. But thursday was the end of our tour(we bought special tshirts with our route on) and we headed back to Harare. In the afternoon we took the Zim girls to the flea market and spent even more money. I completely fell in love with a huge giraffe batique but as we had to eat that evening i dragged myself away and we got takeaway pizza (again). But the next morning we pooled the reat of our money and went back and I got it, it is sooooo beautiful, my room at Aberdeen s going to look stunning. That weekend we went to Lake Mazvikadei(i think its a dam) with soem friends of the Zim girls, there were about 22 of us over all and we had a gorgeous house with a pool over looking the lake, really lovely relaxing weekend, and we really proved the power of prayer when the power went off. Highlights included B (bryony) holiding a baby crodile and Amer and Emma eating a flying ant (deliberately and still alive). Just realised that I am very fond of using brackets.
So we got back to Harare on the sunday night, and realised that we had spent all of our Zim dollara andf had nothing to eat, bar half a loaf of bread that smelt slightly supect, pasta carrots and a tin of tomatoes. Dinner tasted alright,.and then we watched Chocolat and drank ghot chocolate, a nice way to get over the fact that we were missing our Zimbos. In the morning though the bread was completely inedible so we decided to get creatiuve with oats rasins and the last of the milk. Sadly what we thought was sugar was salt and so the last of our miolk went in the bin and we ended up having oats raisis and water for breakfast, incredibly staisfying as you can imagine. Jill picked us up about 9 after finally getting the borrowed van to start( a promising beginning) and we dropped her friend off at the airport and carried on towards the border. About ten minutes from border we stopped for lunch in Mutare (lovely cafe with a crazy waiter but stunning chocolate and coffee milkshakes) However Mutare was where we stayed until about half 6 as the vanb wouldnt sart again and it turned out that the entire fuel pump needed replacing. But God was in control as we were literally across the road from a mechanics who sorted it all out and we got to go back and have another choccocino.
So we crossed the border as it was getting dark, very smoothly thanbks we think to a large bag of sweets, and then stopped for petrol( a luxury- back in a country with fuel and mobile phones). We got to Chimoio about an hour into Mozambique when the sky opened and the combination of rain and night made it nearly impossible for Jill to see the road, we surviverd by closely following a truck with good head light. BUT we losat the truch in Gondola, and without her guide Jill drove sraight through a massive puddle, filling the engine with water,We stopped. At the top of a hill. In the dark. Still pouring. In GONDOLA, the middle of nowhere, joy! Jill ad I got thouroughkly soaked trying to push the van to the sidfe of the road and then she stuck her head in the engine and tried sucking fuel, apparently it doesnt taste nice! The car still didn't start. But God was still looking after us(he must have been having quite a day trying to keep us with everything) and Jill rang up a friend that lived atthe bottom of the hill, what are the chances. He was a pastor who had studied at teh bible school where she iused to work and had moved to Gondola because of his wifes job. He had a car and a houe so towed us there ( rope only snapped twice- wheres the excitement in that) and let us sleep in his spare room ( again chances of a Mozambican having a spare room?!) We didnt sleep much as it was a choice between roasting in a sleeping bag or havong cockroaces crawl all over you but we were safe and dry and the car just needed a chance to dry out. The next morning we heard that lovely sound of an engine starting up, Jill left it running while we were eating breakfast as she was scared it wouldnt start again) and finally we completed the supposedly 9 hour journey. Only 27 hours, not too bad, but I think it must have put Jill off ever drining back form Zimbabwe again!
So there you have it our hliday finally completed for you reading delight. It was an awesome holiday sepite the rain, wet clothes and various transport issues, God was cmpletely in control and batted back whatever was thrown our way. Do thank you^.
But back to Beira, interesting development this weekend as Jill was taken into Avicena on Friday night and then flown to Joburg with appendicitis on Saturday., DShe has had the operation now but will be staying with friends there for a few weeks to get better in a slightly nicer climate and without people knocking on the door every five minutes. Unfortunately( i think the miost tragic part of the whle story) she missed out on our roast dinner on friday night, including bread sauce! Shocking!
OOOOOOOhhhhhhhhhhhhh really exciting news from the house of Rosa , the other week Marlene suddenly announbced that she wanted to come to church with me which is really great as she is quite into horoscopes and palm reading so promising stuff. And on saturday both her and Euridice said that they would come to church(they didnt but i think that is due to water issues and rosas parents staying)so keep praying for them!
Anyway really have to go now so byeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeexxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx