Mozambique/ Zanzibar Journey
Phase One
I've always liked and preferred Land Cruisers. We owned one once and in my dreams I always see myself driving a Land Cruiser through Africa.
Yet, such is God's irony, and humour, that he sent me on a mission trip with a Land Rover. The vehicle I was taught to fear.
And not disappointing in it's reputation our Landy looked pretty, but behaved badly. Two days before we were supposed to leave it started overheating with water boiling out of the water bottle. We rushed it to the mechanic and started praying earnestly.
Since we were working on a deadline it made things pretty tense and besides the Landy to worry about we had tons of other things to organise, buy and prepare.
Word came from the workshop that the guy didn't really know what was wrong with the thing but suspected a hair thin crack in the radiator or some other place. He threw in some kind of liquid to seal it of and it seemed as if the Landy was doing better.
Its engine still got hot very quickly and it was cause for concern. That night I felt compelled to pray for the vehicle and even went to lay my hands on the thing. The Landy had to ride, we had no choice.
The next morning we took the step of faith and of we went with bottles of extra water and anti-freeze packed in. The guys going with me, Willy from Zambia and Abel from SA , seemed to have much more faith than I did and was very optimistic. I kept glaring at the temperature gauge, waiting for the needle to cross the dreaded halfway mark it was teasing.
With us was Wapi, a Malawian lady, and Pastor Musi, a Zimbabwean. We were giving them a lift to Masvingo in Zim.
About 20km's before Polokwane it happened. The needle suddenly jumped up all the way into the red area. I immediately pulled of and saw steam starting to bellow from below the bonnet. We opened her up and the water in the water bottle was boiling.
I was reminded of some of the mission trips we've been on. Especially one were we also broke down on the same road. I always saw it as a way for the enemy to discourage us before we plunge in. This I saw as the same.
God also told us to use this specific Landy, of that I was sure, and I just kept reminding myself of the promise. If this is the car God promised, we stick with it, He'll get us through.
We waited for her to cool down and threw in lots of water and anti-freeze. She started and off we went. We haven't had another problem since.
In Musina, just before the Zim border, we faced a new problem. The diesel cap's key was braking and it was only by turning it very carefully that we could get it open. We were sure it was going to break the next time we tried. Unfortunately the diesel cap also locks itself when you turn it back on. Engineering genius.
So we kept going and the next day in Mozambique it was time to fill her up again. So first we had to find a guy to make us a new key, in Mozambique, on a Sunday. At the first two towns we stopped there was no one who could make a new key, by this time I was praying semi-earnestly and the Landy was running low.
We stopped in the third town and the first guy I asked knew of somebody. So he took us into the back of the town and dragged some guy out of his mud hut. This guy dissapeared and presently returned with a bench, a file, an old iron saw and a flat piece of metal. So we sat under a Mango tree, next to a mud hut and watched a guy work his magic.
Two hours later the moment of truth came and there we sighs all around as the key turned in the lock. We were saved!
I gladly paid the 50mts, about R17, which for us isn't much but from the expression on his face I knew he thought he was taking a chance. I would have paid a 100.
But back to the Beit Bridge border were we could've been in big trouble as well. As we were about to enter immigration our Malawian friend told us she had overstayed in SA and didn't' have money to pay the fine she would get. So she and her Zim friend decided to take an alternative, "legal", route across the border and they would find us on the other side.
Problem was that they were in the vehicle when we entered the border and so our gate pass stated: 5 people. Of course none of us thought of this until I handed the slip to the border guard when we were about to exit. It hit me like a bucket of ice cold water and I was extremely relieved when he didn't even look at the slip and just waved us through. What a miracle!
After we passed through the Zim side we found our friends again outside the gates. I have no idea how they got through. As far as I could see the whole place was infested with electrical wire and patrolling border guards.
We did talk to them about it and they confessed that it wasn't right and they would do it right the next time. What a story.
After working in Vila Ulongúe, Northern Mozambique for a week we will be heading to Zanzibar on the 21st of May for the second phase of the journey. Can't wait.
Willem Taute