Blogs from Zimbabwe, Africa - page 47

I just managed to get the last few blogs from Ethiopia on the site, so go backwards and find the ones you have not read. I am sorry, but I could only get 2 pictures to load onto the internet. Maybe I can catch up later with more pictures. There was not enough fuel to travel today, but we have fuel for tomorrow. That means I will get out of the city to see some of the countryside. Harare is just like any other city, except there are great shortages of goods. I went shopping in their department stores and the perfume cases contained one or two bottles. This was very strange to see. This city seems very much like those in the states, except, whites who live and work here stand out. More on that ... read more

So, the first day when I have arrived here in Zimbabwe, I made a call back to Zambia to check on the status on of my work permit. The answer that was given to me was that it was almost ready and that I should check back tomorrow. So I spent the day doing a blitz tour of Harare, quickly getting a small feel for Zimbabwe and then the next day, with my bag packed, I gave a call to Zambia. But when I asked them which bus I should take back, they said it wasn’t quite ready and that I should call back again tomorrow. No problem I thought, I get another day to explore the city in a bit more depth. So that’s what I did and the next day, again with a full ... read more

The last country on the itinerary during this wonderful trip to Southern Africa is Zimbabwe; formerly known as the bread basket of the region but now a country devastated by a collapse of the farming sector, chronic shortages of food and fuel, hyperinflation and massive levels of unemployment. Tourism levels have also plummeted in recent years due to instability and violence, but as a humble blogger I will leave further political comment to the politicians, and simply share as always my travel experiences. The previous journal left off in Livingstone, constant reader, on the Zambian side of Victoria Falls. I farewelled most of the safari group, and went to the Zim border where I had to fork out a hefty 50 smackaroos in order to secure a visa for the country. Oh well, I lined up ... read more

from livingstone to victoria falls... read more

Harare was a great city, suddenly really civilised! We went to the movies a couple of times as they were only 35c US. At that price it doesnt matter if the movies are rubbish! We both saw 'My Big Fat Greek Wedding', Colin went to see 'XXX' while I saw 'Below'. We went round the National Art Gallery, some good works, most of them up for sale, and a room full of old tribal works from drums and baskets to axes and masks. None of this stuff was for sale, although you could buy replicas in the shop. That was about all we had time for, shame really, but we had better things to move on to. Next stop was Antelope Park, a private game reserve with a lion breeding program. We got to play with ... read more