1. Whilst falling out of favour with the tourist market (in fact, very few tourists come through Zim anymore, unlike the 1990s) Zim people are very friendly. In fact, I spent the entire weekend with people I met for the first time on Saturday – playing golf with some, and going to church and the mountains with another!
2. I went to church on Sunday in the beautiful Nyanga mountains, which are some of the most beautiful mountains I’ve ever seen. Apparently the reason they are so rocky is because it used to be quasi-volcanic or something. But hey, I’m no scientician …
3. I hitched a ride with a rather random set of nice old people to another set of mountains, the Vumba, to a large hotel called Leopard Rock. Leopard Rock has a beautiful 18-hole gold course with an incredible view.
Unfortunately, not many people who are left in the country can afford to play it, meaning it is usually very empty. I can’t play golf to save my life, so I decided to enjoy the view with a cup of tea (20 cents). I then got bored, so after taking some photos I went to the beautiful yet completely deserted driving range ($1 for 50 balls).
Seeing it was only $1 for an hour, I decided to get a caddy for an hour to watch my technique. He was very thankful – he explained that he only gets a job once every 2 weeks, and that’s his only income. Here he is pointing out where my balls lay (I wasn’t very accurate at all).
Zimbabwe the not-so-beautiful
1. Much of Zimbabwe enjoyed its mecca during the 1980s. Unfortunately, Mutare (the city where I stayed) looks like it has been frozen there. In fact, it quite eerily feels like being in Newcastle, frozen in 1987 but slowly aging …
2. In fact, everything is ageing in Zimbabwe. I got invited to afternoon tea at this huge estate, boasting a massive botanical garden. Everything was overgrown and full of weeds. The botanical gardens even boasted a maze (!) – but, when I went to try it, I found it to be all dead and full of holes. It still looked scary though …
3. Whilst being in a cheap country makes me happy (just calculate the savings!), being in Zim ultimately makes me sad. The newspapers and TV are 1984-esque (amazingly so), most of the skilled labour has fled the country, despite being peace-loving and upbeat, the remaining locals have reducing amounts of hope. I questioned them, suggesting that things are now so unsustainable economically and socially that SOMETHING has to change. They commented that they felt that way four years ago …?! But since then, inflation has increased more, unemployment is officially at 80%+, and there are shortages, queues ...
Blessings
john
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