Wrapping up

We have been home for a few days now so thought I’d write once more with some miscellaneous thoughts to share as things have come to mind. First the obligatory weather report …… I’m happy to report we had NO rain for 5 whole weeks. One day there was a little mist but that is all. Quite perfect weather really – not too hot. The mornings were often a little “fresh” but very tolerable. Zimbabwe surprised me with warmer temperatures than anticipated (even reached 30 one day), and we found a few long sleeve garments to be excess baggage. Driving in Zimbabwe – As we had been promised use of a vehicle during our stay in Chinhoyi David had obtained an International Driving Permit and dared to take to the roads. At least they drive on the same side as us (in theory) however much of the time is spent driving on whichever part of the road has the fewest potholes! And this is not on country tracks – this is the roads in the town/city!!! They are the most poorly maintained roads we’ve ever seen. The second challenge with driving in Zim is the volume of pedestrian traffic. Large numbers of people, including children, walk along the roadside so there needs to be a high level of caution so as to not hit anyone!! The third challenge is the public transport – combi vans which seem to “own the roads” need to be watched as they will pull up or pull out in front of you with no warning. They are usually extremely overcrowded with passengers hanging out the open door ready for a quick exit. The fourth challenge (but not least) is the police road blocks. Fortunately we didn’t encounter any while David was driving, mainly because of the route we were taking, but they are insanely common – for example I think there was 5-6 in the 120km stretch from Chinhoyi to Harare and could be in numerous locations within the township. They will stop cars, check licenses and registration, and look over the vehicle and desperately try to “find” something to issue a fine for, or accept a bribe to have the fine overlooked…. One day our driver was challenged why the back seat passenger wasn’t wearing a seatbelt (which were not-functioning!) and threatened with a fine, but he stood his ground knowing its not actually against the law (compulsory in the front seat only) – they retained his license for about 15 minutes (probably hoping he’d pay a bribe just to get it back and get moving ) then eventually let us drive on with no money exchanging hands. You need to know these things…. Money – we were well aware that Zimbabwe was in the middle of a cash crisis when we left. They are literally running out of money. They have traded in the US dollar since 2009 but as more and more money is taken out of the country, it has reached crisis point in recent months, with restrictions being placed on daily cash withdrawals, causing large queues at ATMs and in some cases NO CASH at all. We experienced this first hand when we had run out of US$ and went to the bank to try and exchange some AUdollars, which they indicated they would happily do …. But they had no US$ to give me, until such time as another customer came in and made a deposit!!. Luckily the person I was with was there to do exactly that, so we went to the teller together and he made his deposit then I was able to do the exchange (feeling a little guilty about the queue of locals waiting to make withdrawals who had to wait for more cash to come in….) But as always there are ways around it – the locals know of the “unofficial” money changer…. a local businessman who just doesn’t bother banking his takings, but then “helps out” his friends…… you can even arrange to deposit into a foreign bank account then go to him to get the equivalent out in USD!!! For those in the know, operating a foreign bank account is the norm, as many fear a repeat of 2008 when their money devalued overnight and many fortunes were lost. Farms – it was nice to see a bit of agriculture returning. With the black government having “acquired” most of the farms from the whites over the last couple of decades, the properties had gone to ruin with very little farming actually happening. But slowly some farms are being rejuvenated and it was good to see some green fields. Apparently white farmers are “leasing” the properties back or in some cases going in as managers. White does not equal foreigner. Having travelled in Asia numerous times, and spending time in Nairobi earlier in our trip, where white people ARE usually foreigners, it was interesting to realize that here we did not necessarily stand out as foreigners, as there is still a number of resident whites. It is a small number (probably less than 1% of the population), but none-the-less it meant when we walked into a shop we could just as easily have been one of the locals ….. until we opened our mouths and spoke of course!!! I mention this because in a strange way it gave a bit more of a feeling of being safe – being the stand-out tourist tends to make you feel vulnerable at times, but here it felt less so (especially compared to Nairobi for example when we were in the CBD and there was no other white person to be seen). In Harare the number of whites is greater, and in certain areas you could look around and wonder if you are even in Africa…. Lifestyle – There is certainly a huge diversity here. From the humble mud hut villages in the rural areas to the huge houses behind high security fences complete with Mercedes in the garage…. Fortunately we were in neither extreme, staying in Chinhoyi in a comfortable house where we felt right at home with a delightful Christian couple hosting us. As mentioned previously Simon & Linda have lived here most of their lives, so know the place well, and have seen a lot of change. They have children and grandchildren also living in Zim and we had opportunity to meet them and in fact stayed with one daughter in Harare on our last night. So again we were privileged to see life through local eyes, not just from a tourist perspective. Maids and gardeners are the norm for many households, not just the rich. Its something one could get used to….. Family – a big part of going to Africa was to catch up with family and in particular to attend a Family Reunion in Zimbabwe on our last weekend. We had about 90 people made it along on and it was great reconnecting with some we had met before and meeting others for the first time. UK, Switzerland and Aus were represented as well as more locally South Africa, Botswana and a whole bunch from Zimbabwe. The family tree again created a lot of interested as did various historical documents about the family’s Australian ancestry. We also caught up with a few others in Harare who weren’t able to attend the reunion. It was such a great time, and when faces on Facebook and WhatsApp became real! Plans are already being discussed for another reunion in 4-5 years time, so who knows, maybe we’ll return to Africa for a fourth visit. It’s a big place so I’m sure we can find new territory to explore……. Signing off Jenny & David (the Intrepid Travelers back home )

Zimbabwe

Hello again Well its day 16 in Zimbabwe for us, with just the first 48hours in the capital Harare and since then we've been in the town of Chinhoyi 120km to the northwest. I've been trying to think of how to describe this place. The internet tells me the population is about 60,000 but I suspect that is the provincial population - the town doesn't seem THAT big. In fact it very much feels like a country town. Only one working set of traffic lights along the main central road (plus one not working!) Seeing a tractor drive through the main "business" area is not unusual!! There are quite a lot of shops and services, including a large number of hardware stores which we have frequented. The residential area spreads over a wide distance. A lot of High Density housing - small concrete dwellings on tiny plots with narrow roads. Makeshift stalls line the roadsides as do vendors on foot often pushing a cart - all hoping to make a dollar or two. With 80-90% unemployed this is their only hope of income. We've seen a lot of poverty in our travels but somehow this seems to sadden me more. Perhaps it the extent, perhaps its knowing the cause - I'm not sure, I just know my heart feels for the people and the country as a whole. However it is a significant time here - the people are speaking up and things are happening. It will be interesting to watch the future unfold. We do so with prayerful hope. But it's the present that concerns us right now - the immediate needs of the underprivileged. An estimated 1.6 million children are orphans(mainly due to the HIV/AIDS epidemic) and 4 million people are in need of food aid (a third of the population). David and I had the privilege of serving God by helping just a small handful of these people. Good Shepherd Centre is home to about 50 children aged from 3 to 18. We had come to learn of its existence through an Australian friend who has spent quite a bit of time in Zim with VANA Childcare Ministries. The home was in need of some repair work - the chronic shortage of funds sees repairs & maintenance as a "luxury". The children have been enduring cold winter nights due to many broken windows and doors. The poor state of the electricals left them not only in much darkness but also at serious risk of electrocution or fire! Through the generosity of VANA together with our fundraising and donations from kind friends we were able to fund a lot of work. About 40 new window panes installed, 7 new doors installed including painting them, about 20 doors repaired, got an electrician in to repair/replace all the broken/faulty lights and sockets, purchased tools which have been left to enable ongoing maintenance and purchased new plates and spoons for all the children. (Thanks to all who contributed to the funds) Along the way some boys learned some valuable new skills in basic carpentry, painting & maintenance and we had a lot of fun with them and as happens they grew dear to my heart in such a short time. We were blessed to have wonderful hosts to stay with, Simon & Linda, who looked after us physically and spiritually. Both have lived here most of their lives so we spent many hours in interesting conversation as well as a couple of short excursions, one to visit another orphanage about an hour away and a visit to the local tourist sight the Chinhoyi Caves. Today we have had a wonderful time with the Hinze family attending the reunion which will continue on tomorrow (Sunday) We have reconnected with many familiar faces and met some new ones. We then head back to Harare Monday before heading for home Tuesday. If you've made it this far - thanks for sharing in our journey. Jenny and David