Nyanga and Honde Valley, Mutarazi Falls and SkyWalk, and Wash Day in the River

      Nyanga Valley was beautiful! As we entered Nyanga and Honde Valley, we felt like we were in Avatar. The Acacia trees lined the roads in an almost rainforest-type tunnel. We had an amazing drive and views on every side. We enjoyed an overnight stay and hiking to the Mutarazi & Pungwe Falls and the SkyWalk. Beautiful views up high! We stayed at the Pine Tree Inn Friday night with amazing mountain views in Nyanga. The other 5 seniors stayed in a rustic Airbnb nearby.

Entering Nyanga National Park was like entering Avatar! What an amazing drive! 2023.10.19

Pine Tree Inn, our stay Friday night in Nyanga. We had a cozy room in this hidden little gem of a place, 2023.10.19

    The other seniors joined us for dinner of fresh trout. We were the only people in the restaurant as a cute calico cat purred around our legs and jumped up on the tables! We hoped there was no cat hair in our food! We waited over an hour for our mediocre food but it was all that was available; so we're not complaining. The Airbnb included breakfast in the morning also. We enjoyed a warm fire at bedtime. The next day we followed the other seniors to the falls. 

Mutarazi and Pungwe Falls, SkyWalk, 2023.10.21

      

Lottie on SkyWalk, the first to brave it! Nony Orr does her famous yoga move, Bruce with Pungwe Falls, 2023.10.21

        Sisters Salazar, Warne, Nony, and Turley all take a photo of the Falls, 2023.10.21

Bruce and David's favorite part was jumping in the pool above the waterfall for a refreshing dip. I soaked my knee but didn't have a swimsuit to jump in. That didn't stop the men. Nony and I braved the steep trail down and enjoyed the joy of the men swimming in the pool.

     After hiking the Falls we came upon a bus attempting the mud dirt road that got stuck. The driver left with the keys to go find a tractor. Three of us with trucks had no passageway out. Many hands made a pathway of brush and sticks in the mud and pushed our trucks out and around the bus after a prayer of faith. We were grateful for all the volunteers who helped serve us on Saturday so we could make it to our stake conference.

I bought the homemade straw hat to support the craftsman for $6.00, Bruce, however, did not!

Bruce and I drove off to Juliasdale after the Falls and great escape! The other seniors drove onto Mutare. We ended up eating a trout samosa at a little stop along the road. It was a trout farm. We confess we got a "Guarana" thinking it was a ginger ale we've had from Brazil only to find the "alcohol" warning on the can. We did not drink it! We wonder if the counter girl noticed our "Church of Jesus Christ of LDS name tags" while ordering our "drink"!

 On the way to Mutare, we saw several women doing their wash in a river with kids bathing and swimming. We gave out toy wooden cars (Tim's Tiny Foundation for Kids). There are some beautiful places in Zim; which we enjoyed with the other senior missionaries on the way to Mutare this weekend; but the people are the most beautiful of all!

We loved seeing the bright clothes hanging on the bushes to dry and women cleaning their clothes in the river. Many "naked" children playing and bathing in the river. We approached and told them we had a gift, toy cars, donated from "Tim's Toy Foundation for Kids". As we started to give them out, many more children appeared out of the "woodwork". What fun to see the joy it brought to the children to have a toy; perhaps the only toy they've ever owned. 2023.10.21

Little "skinny dippers" peaking over the rocks!

Children waving goodbye after enjoying a swim in the river, 2023.10.21

As we drove through Nyanga Valley to Mutare, we gave out toy cars to little children we saw on the side of the road. Parents were extremely grateful as we handed a car out the window and told them this was 
for their son or daughter. I loved these little boys carrying bundles of sticks along the side of the road. We stopped to make sure they got a car and I got a photo of these cuties!

 The next post will be about Mutare becoming a stake!