Of coffee and Sleeping Pools

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coffee and hearts

coffee and hearts

If you are having coffee with me, I would say “Happy Heart day” to you and serve you a tray of heart-shaped biscuits to have with your coffee or tea. “How are you doing this month of love?” I would ask you. “Have you written any love themed stuff, do point it out to me. Would love to read it.  Me? Oh? Nothing special, I do not need one day out of the year as an excuse to be loving I do that all the time.”

If you having coffee with me I would tell you I just came from a trip to the Chinhoyi Caves (Zimbabwe) It’s really an awe inspiring and mysterious place to visit. Do not be fooled by the nice friendly sign that greets you and points the way:

Entrance to the sleeping pool cave

To get to the Sleeping Pool you have to descent a long flight of steps carved from stone.

Sleeping pool

Blue sleeping pool cabe

 

The first thing that strikes you is the brilliant cobalt blue colour of the water below, which you can see before you even start your descent into what feels like the bowls of the very Earth. I won’t lie and say it is not a touch spooky. It’s eerily quiet and all you hear are your footprints echoing on the walls, and oh yes the bats, lots and lots of bats. One of the caves is even called Bat Cave.As you walk deep into the caves, your pulse will definitely kick up a notch, and when you speak you will notice, how everyone speaks in just above a whisper, as if by some unspoken agreement, no one wants to disturb the serenity of the Sleeping Pool or wake the sleepers. The pool is called the Sleeping Pool or Chirorodziva which means The Pool Of The Fallen because it is believed that at the bottom of the pool, lies bodies of people, who were flung there, to sleep for all eternity. Did you just get goosebumps I most certainly did.

Chirorodziva Sleeping pool blue

The Sleeping Pool is blue not because it reflects the sky, it is always blue; it’s blue on a cloudy day, it’s blue in the shade and in the sun, it’s blue because… it is just blue, I guess, in the same way the sky is blue.

beaton facinf the sleeping pool

Legend has it you cannot throw a stone across the width of the pool, without suffering the wrath of the ancestors, as they will throw the stone back at you, and so curse you. Anyway a sign prohibits you from throwing any form of projectiles into the pool and I always follow the rules except when I break them.

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The actual depth is unknown but an old sign claims 315 feet (96m) although divers have successfully gotten to 136m (446feet) and one was never seen again.

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If you were having coffee with me I would tell you how I went to the Dark Cave.

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There is nothing to see there, just dark caves, its pretty unnerving.

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Good thing for electricity the place is lit up like its Christmas but you can tell that if someone switched off the lights it would be darker than the darkest moonless night… I am sure Batman would totally love that labyrinth of underground passages. Oral tradition has it that during the liberation war, our guerrilla fighters would hide in these caves for days on end.

By the time you climb all the granite stairs back to the top you will be breathing faster from not only exhilaration but exercise. It is quite a workout session climbing those steep stairs and if you are in bad shape it would be pure torture; fortunately I am not, I jogged all the way up because I really really wanted to get back to sunshine and life. No worries if you need to stop and rest, there are little alcoves carved into the granite where you can sit and rest.

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I practically blew a kiss to the sun and wanted to hug the wide blue sky when I finally got back out from under the ground.

If you were having coffee with me I would say yes that was an exhilarating experience and I wish to do it again, I have pictures but they just don’t capture the experience.

Becoming The muse beaton

Thank you for visiting with me and have a happy heart day

~B

 

 

 

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59 Comments

  4. I enjoyed your tour and commentary. I found myself laughing out loud a couple of times. Still chuckling at this statement, “I always follow the rules except when I break them.” Lol. And you running up the steps to escape the darkness. I would probably do the same so I can’t laugh too hard. Thanks again for sharing. 🙂

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    1. Actually I did break one of the rules in the photos ha!
      Well, I was not so much escaping the darkness as running towards the light lol
      Glad you enjoyed the tour, it was a fun experience am sure you can tell.
      Thanks for the coffee visit ❤
      ~B

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      2. I went over the fence and dipped my foot in the water….
        its always warm at 22 degrees celsius regardles of time or season how mysterious is that!!! They cant explain it

        Liked by 1 person

      3. Well technically, you didn’t break a rule. They never said, “no dipping your foot in the water.” lol. You find that the only mystery? How about it being blue? ;). The pics are breathtaking!

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      5. Hahahaha. I stand corrected. You did break a rule by climbing over the fence. And you also figured out how to add pics to your comments. You totally must share that feat!

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      6. Its so cool, the adding pics to comments… and other neat lil tricks that I just stumbled upon, will totally share the feat secret. 🙂

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  5. Maybe the pictures don’t do justice to the beauty of Chinhoyi caves but, not having been there, I think they are gorgeous. 💙💙💙 (I could do without the curse though…) No stone-throwing! Thanks for sharing this.

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  6. Bat crazy!
    Beaton maybe I should join you for coffee but for those bats!
    Good, interesting read and as usual grabs the readers attention.
    Pictures are a great bonus!
    Best wishes. . . .!

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    1. Do join me for coffee…. The bats are mostly harmless (I think) they just go whoooosh as they fly over your head.
      Thank you, glad you loved the pictures.
      ~B

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  10. Very interesting can’t wait to have a peppermint tea with you but leave out the heart shaped biscuits I’m on a diet.. Also aint you so photogenic!!!

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  12. Whoa! The pictures are beautiful! I love how you told all about the caves, and the blue water. The part about a diver never being found…now, that’s spooky! I’d join you for the coffee/tea/biscuits, but will just have to look at photos. Don’t think I could do all that climbing. 🙂 Thanks for a wonderful tour of your adventurous day!

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    1. It is a beautiful place.
      Actually more than one diver has gone missing, bodies never found, ever…. and if you make fun of the ancestors legend has it you will be doomed to roam the tunnels lost to the world…..for ever and ever…. now how is that for spooky …
      The climbing is a bit taxing you can enjoy the pics.
      Thank you for joining.
      ~B

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      1. Oh, I love that story. Has there been much investigation, or written about it? Glad you didn’t offend the ancestors while you were there! Wouldn’t want you stuck in those tunnels! 🙂

        Liked by 1 person

      2. it does not get as much coverage as it should, I guess its like a best kept open secret lol
        I was careful to not be offensive but I am sure they are tolerant folk, you would have to do something really really bad
        for them to get super mad
        hey that rhymes lol

        Liked by 1 person

      3. 🙂 you did make a rhyme! I’m glad you didn’t make the ancestors mad by doing something really bad! Thank you again for sharing the wonderful pictures!

        Liked by 1 person

  14. Hehehe you successfully freaked me out and had me cursing you for not taking me along in one go, so good job..
    The pictures though, absolutely amazing
    Looks like you owe me coffee and a trip!😂😂😂

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    1. You are welcome,…..
      I didnt mean to freak you out(maybe just a lil bit) and oh yes you were definitely meant to feel jealous its a lovely lovely place….
      Glad you liked the pics 🙂
      ~B
      P.S. coffee and a trip, you on 🙂

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  16. Your travel journal kinda showed me some unseen and amazing glimpses of Zimbabwe. It really seemed to be an exhilarating experience. Enjoy ;P

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