Border Towns

People truck

Before we arrived at out campground, we stopped in Musina City, a town near the border crossing to Zimbabwe. 

It appears that it’s a popular place for people to shop, and, since it was the Christmas season, lots of people were shopping and filling up their cars, trucks, campers, and buses with stuff, stuff and more stuff along with more people than you can imagine. I have never seen so much artful packing of stuff all over, around and inside so many different vehicles. 

Loaded bus...with people and things

The bus, while an example of the creative art of packing, was by no means the most packed vehicle we saw. The cattle truck was a total surprise – I don’t have any idea how many people were in the back of that truck. All of the people were buying things to take with them to Zimbabwe, to family and friends they were visiting for the holidays.

How do they balance it?

We, of course, were also amazed at the loads that the women carried routinely. Always there was something balanced on their heads – and frequently a baby on their backs. Though I must admit…they would have walked down the streets without thinking a thing about the weight they were carrying…while we required a lot of teamwork, a cart and four people to get our load back to the truck.

Teamwork

Ahhhh…but it was all worthwhile. Tshipse Hot Springs were not quite what I had imagined…small natural pools dotting the landscape, possibly a waterfall, cascading down from one pool to the next, each successively cooler – I think I was in Japan for too long. What we got were a number of swimming pools, indeed of different temperatures, but definitely sterile. Still, it was nice to slip into the water to soak and relax. While our truck was MUCH more comfortable than the ones we saw in town, still, it was nice to sink into the water to contemplate … whatever.