Gosh … where has the time gone? It seems like just the other day we were all getting ready for the Lake Harvest Half Marathon weekend in Kariba and then it was suddenly upon us. I promised myself I’d sit down and write my blog about it right after, but here we are in October, 2 months after the later! Anyway, better late than never I suppose.
A week before the marathon Woody and I had the opportunity to spend some time with a very close group of our friends, sadly as a farewell trip. What better place to bit farewell to our beautiful country than on a wonderful houseboat? We had not yet had the chance to charter Return to Eden ourselves, but boy oh boy, now that we have been on it, we’ve been spoilt and all agreed it will be hard to “settle” for a “lesser” houseboat in the future.
Return to Eden has 6 fully air conditioned, en-suite rooms on the lower deck, with high quality linen and very comfortable beds. There is also a big splash pool located out the back on this lower deck. Upstairs is a large dining room and bar area, which is cleverly enclosed with huge windows, so you lose none of the views and don’t have the problems with bugs, drawn to the light in the evenings. Laugh upon laugh was had around the bar and many a funny anecdote told around the dinner table.
The crew, under the supervision of Satiel the Captain, are brilliant. They know without having to be told, when to be around, and when to leave the guests to themselves. The cook, Moses, was in the process of training a young chap and the food was delicious, I think we all gained about 3kgs on the 3 nights we were on the boat!
The lake water was still a little cold in early August for the fishing to be very good, aside from a couple of squeakers and a small Vundu (all caught by ladies I have to add) there was nothing decent caught for the traditional fresh fish and chips dinner. But this “hardship” was completely forgotten after spending our final night at Sampakaruma Island, where the crew organised a bonfire on the beach for us. While we all sat around telling stories, the cooks prepared a braai on the boat, which seemed a fitting way to end the houseboat trip.
Stunning sunsets, belly laughs and special times with special friends will be what I remember most from this trip, and I am sure that Kariba and Return to Eden will be forever etched in the hearts of our friends who have had to leave Zimbabwe.
After a very sad farewell to our friends, we had to get ourselves together for the Lake Harvest Kariba Half Marathon weekend. As those of you who follow my blogs will know, I had completed my first full marathon in Victoria Falls the previous month, so gave myself “off” for the Kariba Half marathon in order to support Woody, who has caught the running bug, and was participating in his very first 10km race. I did have FOMO when going to the start with him as there is always such a vibe there. Round Table Harare have been organising this event for the past few years and they do a phenomenal job. There is always great music playing at the start, with hilarious guys on the microphones getting everyone pumped up. And of course, the traditional gun start by Andre Barnard to look forward to.
This year the route was slightly altered, and instead of going down the ‘Power Lines Road’ as in previous years, it instead went through the old Mopane Bay grounds, and along the shore line, coming through the back gate of Lomagundi Lakeside. What wonderful views the participants had, as well as some close encounters with the resident elephant herd near Tamarind Lodge.
I ended up assisting at the finish line of the 10km race, it was so rewarding to see the runners coming in, some of whom had spent months training for this event. The added bonus was I got to be the first to congratulate my own husband at the end of his first race. He did really well and came in a lot quicker then he or I expected. Well done Woody!
The after party is held at Lomagundi Lakeside where the race ends and is a much looked forward to event. The reward for those who have trained and run hard; and a great opportunity for everyone to bump into and catch up with old and new friends and acquaintances. This year I met up with an old junior school friend who I hadn’t seen in 25 years!
August is a wonderful time of the year, and perfect weather to spend time on the lake. For those of you who have not had a houseboat trip for a while, I highly recommend you book a charter ASAP, it is so very soothing for the soul, and a wonderful way to spend genuine quality time with your loved ones and special friends. AND to those of you looking for a challenge for next year, why not commit to the Lake Harvest Kariba Half Marathon or 10km Fun Run? You will most certainly not regret it; I can assure you of that.
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