To Plumtree, via Figtree

November 17, 2025

Martin is the tall, handsome bartender at the Bulawayo Club. He was born in Mutare, in the Eastern Highlands, and moved to Bulawayo for work. He is 26 years old and saves enough money from his job to send half his salary home to his elderly parents who live in a village just outside Mutare. His story is not uncommon amongst many Zimbabwean youth who cone to the big cities to find work. Martin used to have a bicycle, until it was stolen. His interest in cycling prompted him to come over and chat to me as soon as I arrived yesterday. Aftercwe chatted about bike stuff, I asked if there was a hosepipe I could use to wash down my bike. Martin told me that the gardener was away and only he had access to the hosepipe. I told Martin not to worry. I went upstairs to shower, do laundry and have a coffee before coming back downstairs to order my dinner for later. Martin was busy with a bucket of soapy water, washing my bike. He rinsed it off and it sparkled in the sunshine. When I told him he didn't have to go through that trouble he said "Its no trouble at all, Sir. I want you to be happy".

This morning it was raining as I left the comfort of the Bulawayo Club, after a lovely breakfast. The rain forecast was light to moderate rain for about 3 hours, which was completely acceptable. I put on my "Haute Route" high visibility gilet over my goretex rain coat and made my way out of Bulawayo city. The road to Plumtree was well maintained, with very little traffic. A few intercity busses thundered past me on their way to Gaborone in Botswana, as did a few trucks, but not as many as I expected. Trade may not be flourishing as it used to. Passing the small town of Figtree, I chuckled to myself as I suddenly had a craving for a fig- roll biscuit! The rain continued for almost exactly 3 hours (thanks google weather!) and then stopped. I decided to have the bacon-butty that I had taken away from breakfast this morning, so I stopped at a picnic stop under a large Msasa tree. There were two gentlemen sitting at the picnic bench so I joined them and shared my packet of custard creams with them. We chatted for a while and exchanged life stories while we chomped on biscuits.

Back on the road I spotted more balancing rock formations that this region is known for. The Matopos National Park encloses some of the most impressive examples of huge boulders precariously balancing on other huge boulders. In Zimbabwe, balancing rocks were formed when softer material that once surrounded the rocks was eroded away over thousands of years, leaving the harder rocks balancing on a pedestal or equally hard material. Local folklore claims that the rocks were placed that way by ancestral spirits, which is the explanation I quite prefer!

I got to Plumtree by early afternoon and stopped at a local supermarket to buy some fresh fruit, replenish my custard cream stocks. I found a lodge just off the main road to stay for the night. The rain had abated, for now, but had made the air slightly chilly as the sun went down. I was grateful to have found the last room at the lodge, all the other rooms having been booked last minute by a group of Chinese construction workers!

Tomorrow, if all goes to plan, I will bid farewell to beautiful Zimbabwe and its warm people, and cross the land border into Botswana.

Today's ride: 105 km (65 miles)
Total: 588 km (365 miles)

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