As we departed Bulawayo on Wednesday morning, December 20, we stopped on a street near our hotel featuring stalls where a huge variety of fresh fruits and vegetables are sold. This is a treat beyond description, because the fruit and vegetable selection in Shakawe is miniscule at the best of times, and nonexistent most of the time. Accompanied by mangoes, pineapples, and assorted other produce we hit the road headed for the town of Masvingo, and from there to the archaeological ruin known as Great Zimbabwe.

The afternoon was spent thoroughly exploring Great Zimbabwe, until the national park which has been built around it closed for the day. Though at the outset of this trip we planned to drive on to the eastern highlands area of the country, we were concerned enough about the possible lack of diesel in that area that we decided to just head north on the road to Harare instead. We stopped halfway there to overnight in the town of Chivhu, and arrived in Harare in time for an early breakfast the next morning.

We parked on the street in a marked parking space in downtown Harare. What we didn't realize is that, although there are no parking meters, payment for parking is still required, using a book of special vouchers purchased from the city government. This knowledge was gained the hard way when the bakkie was booted as we ate breakfast in a cafe around the corner from the parking space. Since most government agencies in Zimbabwe are strapped for cash, parking violations and fines for traffic offenses must be paid immediately; there is no process of receiving a ticket and going to court. After a brief visit to the traffic fines department, which fortunately was in a building not far away, we spent some time in the national art museum and decided to push on to the Zimbabwe-Zambia border.