In Pursuit of Greatness

 Earth has not anything to show more fair than Nyanga

                                                    By Angie Zimbwani Mikiri

 I spent a week in in Nyanga and little did I know the grandeur and breath taking beauty of its’ Flora and Fauna that would captivate my eyes. The experience made me realize that little is known about Zimbabwe and the world has yet to fully appreciate its natural endowments. I realized that William Wordsworth’s words in his poem Composed Upon West Minister Bridge describing London were more befitting to Nyanga. Indeed:”Earth has not anything to show more fair:/Dull would he be of soul who could pass by/A sight so touching in its majesty:/…/The beauty of the morning; silent, bare,/…/All bright and glittering in the smokeless air./Never did sun more beautifully steep/In his first splendour, valley, rock, or hill;/Ne'er saw I, never felt, a calm so deep!/The river glideth at his own sweet will:/Dear God! …

 Dear God, indeed, “the beauty of the morning” and “a calm so deep” taking my breath away yet making me enjoy every breath, every sight and His architectural uniqueness made me praise Him more and more. The silence of the environment accompanied with the sounds of nature made me to think twice on how long I should stay. 

The mystic mountains and the rhythmic sound of birds and rivers would make any one marvel on God’s power moving in his creation.

From there we went to Nyangombe Falls where we experienced the pristine environments. It’s just a marvel to view the water falls and one would choose to spend the whole day viewing one of the great wonders of the world. From there we headed to  Mtarazi Falls where we had an adventurous experience. On the falls I remembered Livingstone’s statement on the more famous Victoria Falls and here this was also befitting, ““Scenes so lovely must have been gazed upon by angels in their flight.”

From the sky walk to the Zipliner, it was an adrenaline pumping, amazing experience.  Finally we headed for Mount Nyangani (formerly Mount Inyangani) the highest mountain in Zimbabwe at 2,592 m (8,504 ft). The mountain is located within Nyanga National Park in Nyanga North West Mutare. The summit lies at the top a small outcrop of rock around 40m above the surrounding area. The remainder of the peak is a broad moor of mainly rolling hills and plateau with an area of about 8 km2. The edges of this plateau then falls steeply to the east and west sides. The tour guide advised us that journey to the top of the Mountain was not that easy. 

Though it’s possible one would brace up to get there. We passed through the spring water and some concluded their journey there. 

There are 7 levels to get to the beacon of the Mountain and on the Mountain you can view part of Mozambique. We passed the 1st the 2nd and the 3rd level. On the 4th level I thought of quitting because the journey became hard and painful. I thought about how life can be when it becomes hard, one is tempted to give up. I looked up and saw where I was heading some strong men whom I was with passed by me and went ahead. 

I tried to run so as to be on the same level with them, just like with the experiences of life you have to endure your own pain and run your race. The moment I tried to run to catch them, the road became rocky and steep. 

My legs were failing me, I do not know how many times I fell. That is when I realized that I had to run my race with my pace. Although I did not have to relax the motivation of those going ahead of me made me persevere that I will get to  the beacon of Mount Nyangani. I now concentrated on how to get there. There was a time I   rested a bit, to  gather myself together and continue with my journey to the beacon. 

 The cheering of my fellows ahead of me gave me strength. They would say, “Come Angie, you can do it. You are almost there! “Those are my fellows who were now at the beacon. Few lessons I learnt from my friends were that they didn’t want me to remain where I was but rather they helped me to get to where they were so that we could see together the greatness of the land from the top. One thing I learnt from Nyanga is that remaining in the bottom is not that good because it’s too crowded. The top might be hard but one should strive hard and pay the price to get there. I could view the land with a different perspective since I was on the top. I knew I would make decisions based on what I am experiencing. When I got to the beacon I was very tired thirst in pain and bruised but the most important lesson was that I got to the beacon.

@angiemikiri

mikiri.angie@gmail.com 

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