MY ZIMBABWE DIARY XV: BREATHTAKING HONDE VALLEY

June 22, 2016

This has to be the coldest I have experienced here. The mist rose in our mouths as we spoke. We couldn’t take down our luggage last night and since we were only spending a night before moving on, we were stuck with what we had on from yesterday.

We had breakfast and afterwards Angie, the manager of the facility took us on an educating tour of La Rochelle.

We left soon afterwards to begin a winding journey as we navigated our way down to Honde Valley. The landscapes with the tea and coffee plantation were so picturesque, we had to stop and take some photos.

Eventually we arrived at Aberfoyle Lodge where we were to spend the night and it is such a beautiful place to stay. How I wish we had more time to spend there. In truth, Aberfoyle Lodge feels like the perfect hideaway. I mentioned to Lizzie, it’s the right kind of place for making babies, and she smiled. (Don’t get ideas, Lizzie is happily married).

It’s the kind of place a writer can retreat to and produce the manuscript for a bestseller. The ambience is so calming – lush green even in winter. The carefully manicured lawn just invites you to settle down and enjoy a picnic.

We had lunch and after some rest, I tried swimming in the very cold pool with Lizzie capturing the moments for posterity… Soon after, we went out to explore as much of the area as we could before it got dark, enjoying the hike and some ziplining fun.

We made our way back after the thrills and excitement, as the sun began to go down. Temperature dropped quickly and the cold was setting in. After we freshened up quickly, we had dinner in the restaurant and retreated to our rooms for the night.