Zimbabwe

We knew Zimbabwe would represent a different experience for us when we approached Fothergill Airstrip to access Matusadona Game Reserve……  the runway a rocky strip across a small island, with large animal bones strewn to the side and a burned-out camp on one end.

Upon disembarkation from the plane, we were greeted by a fellow dressed in dirty, torn fatigues with a bleeding wound on one hand, a home-made cigarette in the other and an AK-47 over his shoulder.  Gasp!  Here are a few of his comrades.

Fortunately we were staying at a lodge across the lake and away from this strange military station.

Our guide there was a Crocodile-Hunter wannabe, also armed with both rifle and pistol, who enjoyed showing us the local lions, doing a little fishing, and stalking the elephant on foot.  He almost lost it (and us!) when one of the elephants charged and we made a fairly narrow escape.

This was one of our favorite camps…. beautiful location, comfortable accommodations and nature’s bounty….

After several days, we took off for Victoria Falls.

Originally we were to have stayed on the Zambia side of the Falls, but ended up on the Zimbabwe side, where we learned a little bit more about the country.  It has been in major political trouble for quite some time…… and its economy shows it.  Most people are wretchedly poor; decent jobs are few; and after a crushing inflationary trend, their currency crashed altogether.

The only form of money accepted now is the US dollar and South African rand.  The banks, although “open” and staffed, have no cash and ATMs do not work.  Visitors cannot obtain any type of currency at all, and even citizens can receive a maximum of only 50 US dollars per week from their own bank accounts.

The extreme poverty and unemployment mean that many local people try to sell goods to the tourists who come to visit the Falls or failing that, just beg for whatever you have.  We discovered that Henry has a particularly soft spot for a hard-luck story….. and he made a lot of vendors happy with the last of our cash money.

Although perhaps a bit cheesy, we went on an “elephant encounter”, and it was quite thrilling to be close to these wonderful animals, especially knowing how easily they could crush you to a pulp.

Trains are a great way to see the countryside…. we boarded Rovos rail for a 3-day trip to Pretoria…  This is the only place we had to “dress” for dinner…. Henry’s red jacket from Namibia created quite a stir among both fellow travelers and the train’s staff.

After clearing out the mini-bar, we disembarked the train and got on a flight from Johannesburg to Cape Town for the next chapter……