On Saturday, January 11, 2014, about 30 lucky Harareans were selected to be part of the first ever official Zimbabwe Party Bus tour. The inaugural tour took guests to various stops in the city on an afternoon where they were spoilt with non-stop drinks, tonnes of camaraderie and a lesson in making beaded wire toys.
The double decker, open-top bus set off from Sam Levy’s Village just after 1pm and eased slowly up Borrowdale Road into the city centre where he first stop was the five star Meikles Hotel.
As the bus made its way through the city, pedestrians and motorists alike waved happily and some called ‘Welcome!’ thinking we were international tourists.
At the Meikles we were treated to drinks and snacks on the beautiful first floor roof garden.
Guests enjoy drinks and snacks at the Meikles Hotel. FUNGAIFOTO | FF&A PHOTOGRAPHY
From there the next stop was Prices Golf Range where after a quick lesson in holding a golf club, guests had a go at whamming golf balls across the range… with interesting results.
Back on the bus, guests sipped a new Zimbabwean alcohol, Gudo Beer, as they were driven around the city while the music system made sure that there was a party atmosphere all the time.
The final stop was Avondale Flea Market where in a corner of the parking lot, some of the craftsmen there showed us how to make beaded wire toys. Some of us were successful in making decent key rings but others were not so talented in this area and focussed on dealing with the free-flowing Gudo from the bus.
The Party Bus maks a stop at Prices Golf Range. FUNGAIFOTO | FF&A PHOTOGRAPHY
The big idea with the Party Bus is to have scheduled tours of different tourist destinations around Zimbabwe. “We’d like to offer packaged tours at good prices to places like the Victoria Falls, Great Zimbabwe and the Eastern Highlands,” one of the people behind the bus, Nyarai Mwamuka of ZimStay, told Zimbo Jam.
Other partners behind the bus are Kays Tours, Vayeni and 263 Chat’s Nigel Mugamu.
The bus is also available for hire for parties and other events.
A lesson in making beaded wire toys at Avondale Flea Market. FUNGAIFOTO | FF&A PHOTOGRAPHY
