The Worst Place I've Stayed So Far

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I walked accross the bridge that spans the Zambezi and Zambia from Zimbabwe, ignoring all the taxi drivers telling me it was anything from a 4 to 11 km walk and trying to charge me anything from US$10 to US$30.

After about 15 very sweaty minutes including a rather hastily taken photograph of me next to the 'Welcome To Zimbabwe Sign' I arrived at immigratration, ready to argue the fees for 'additional services' down to an affordable amount.

I walked into the post filled out the immigration card and put on my 'cherpy englishman who doesn't have a clue' voice as I spoke to the officer looking at my passport.

'How long will you be staying in Zimbabwe?'
'About four to five weeks'
'I see you have a visa for Tanzania'
'Yes I need to be in Mombassa in a rush after I leave here, so I sorted it out while I had time'
'Okay. when did you say you were leaving?'
'About the fisrt or second of April at the latest' here comes the 'negotiation' part of the process.
'That will be 55 U.S. dollars' he stated as he put my entry visa into my passport.
'Thank you' hiding the fact that I was suprised at how easy it was.

I got to my next bed for the night at a place called Shoestrings dumped my bags and changed some money and headed off into town...


Breif Explination Of Changing Currency In Zimbabwe

No it really is not as simple as going to the bank!

Zimbabwe is currently going through a period of hyperinflation, it stands at about 1000%!((MISSING)yes I typed one THOUSAND). If you borrow ZM$100k from the bank you pay back ZM$8 MILLION in interest over one year!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! (the first day in Zim I bought a coke, later that same day I bought another coke only to find the price had doubled, the same happened in a cafe I ate at, and the local supermarket couldn't relable their goods fast enough)

As a result the government desperately needs foreign currency to make its world debt repayments, and to have sanctions lifted (which they were shortly before I got there) and as is common all over the world you can only change currency at registered Bureau De Change's and banks.

The going rate here is 1 USD = 100,000 ZM$.

However the government is not the only body that wants forex. Businesses and thjose that have to pay for things outside the country also want any other currency as Zim dollar has absolutely no value outside Zimbabwe.

On top of this the average person also wants forex so they can go outside the country and buy items in short supply like sugar, salt, vegetables, maize flour, basically any every day basic item that we take for granted aswell as safe guarding their own savings.

This has resulted in two more markets being created for forex (foreign currency): the parallel market and the black market

As a tourist you NEVER change money on the street- you will either get a pile of paper back or they will snatch your money and run and then you cant go to the police as you were acting illeagaly in the first place and would be thrown in jail yourself.

So to recap the rates (all to 1 US$)

Bank: 100,000
Parallel: 180,000
Black: 200,000 (not available to tourists)

Above all it makes changing money tricky. Do you use the parallel market? Or do you use the bank?

Obviously my profession dictates honest and fair dealings, especially when it comes to money so the bank it was.


As for Victoria Falls town itself...

The place is built for one thing and one thing only. The tourists that come here to see the falls and take part in the many activities they do.

The infrastructure is deffinately first world and the place is cleaner and easier to around than Livingstone. Also almost everything (apart from luxury imported goods) are cheaper than Zambia, when you can actually get hold of them.

As for the people, generally they are freindly, curteous and helpful. However they are desperate. This shows when ever you walk down the main street you are approached by every 'dodgy trader' initially offereing to sell you a small curio ornament, or too change money or too show you where to go next for a fee (the pace is so small you cant get lost!) or taxi drivers fighting (yes actually physically fighting on some occassions). When you tell them to go away they keep on following you.

Once I walked passed a taxi driver who asked me if I wanted a lift. Heres how the conversation went...

'Taxi, Sir?'
'No thank you I'm staying asround the corner.'
'Maybe later'
'No thank you' I said as I continued walking. I then realised that I had gone in the wrong direction and turned around. The same taxi driver saw me turn around
'You've changed your mind, Sir!'
'No I'm just going to the shops over there'
'How about after shopping?'
'No thank you'
'How about to the airport tomorrow? I'll give you a special rate?'

In situations like this all you can really do is walk off, even if it is the 15th time they've approached you in a day. They're not supposed to haras you but when the tourist police aren't there they'll try anything.

Then there was the taxi driver who tried to charge us over double the going rate. To which we just had too laugh and ask us if he genuinely thought we were stupid (Vic Falls Town is a small place and working as a volunteer means that the locals get to know your face if not your name!)

Over all I was impressed with Vic Falls Town, even if it is crumbling very quickly, and wished I had come here sooner rather than stay in Zambia for as long ass I did.


Then came my first night at Shoestrings.

For once I had to sleep on the top bunk, some thing I have avoided until now due to the fact that I'm on the larger side of overweight and cant climb up easily. (most places dont have ladders)

I climbed onto the bunk and lay down preying the slight side to side wobble didn't get any worse.

I noticed a hole in the slats underneath my mattress and positioned my back so that I wouldnt fall through it or end up with a bad back in the morning.

I was so tense I didn't sleep until two in the morning.

At about 6 am I woke to the sound of something creeking and realised that there was another hole under the mattress. I rolled over and heard an crack and felt another hole under my mattress.

After a couple of minutes lying absolutely still I decided that it was time that I actually got out of bed and causiously slid out.

Fortunately the guy sleeping in the bed beneth me had a box mosquito net up so he wasn't woken by wooden slats falling onto his head!

I staggered into the shower onlly to get an electric shock everytime I tried to adjust the hot water. I also had to keep oine eye on the door as none of the locks worked. On top of that I was afraid of touching the walls as there wasd dirt and mould all aver them.

The swimming pool was a green algea colour, they didn't even bother using a filter, and there wasn't one decent chair to sit in.

All together this was the worst place have EVER stayed at, and that includes the three nights I spent getting very muddy in the Bornean bush, were the only running water was a stream, and a hole for a latrine.

That day I moved beds to a lower bunk and made sure that it was sturdy before heading off into towen to buy some clothes and try to buy some basics for the next month as well as meet Sanele...

I was also trying to get some joining instructions for the Lion Encounter place I wanted to join next. It was prooving rather difficult trying to get hold of Realgaap (if you use them they take your money and then dont bother keeping you upto date with developments, and when you email them to ask they dont bother replying especially when things get a bit too close for comfort).

Eventually out of desperation I wealked into an activities agent anmd asked them. They pointed me in the direction of a place where they thought the volunteers stayed.

I walked there in a huff. If this didn't work then I was ten minutes away from ringing up and demanding my money back.

Fortunately I did meet some one who arranged to take me upto Hunters lodge where I would be spending the next month, while working with the lion cubs...

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Comments

[Big Dave]

Negotiation . . . .
Buying your way into a country. . . . . .How very old school!! All you have to do now is barter your way to selling your mum and sister for a couple of cammels then you can really say you've done it all! That and audition for a part in the Lawrence of Arabia remake! ! Do the taxi drivers drive as bad as they do in the UK? As a way of making your money go further, why not bulk buy coke in the morning and sell it on for profit later in the day ? Speak to you soon mister Love Big Dave