Great Zimbabwe

The ruins at Great Zimbabwe were really interesting - they date back nearly 1,000 years and used to be home to 25,000 people. Our first stop was to climb the side of a mountain to the king's home/fortress. The view was incredible! As we walked, our phenomenal guide - Philip - told us all about the security measures which were built into the infrastructure, including the entrance walls (now quite a bit smaller than they were back in the day), guard stations (where all belongings were surrendered and questions were asked - it made me think of Monty Python, to be honest), and maze-like passages which would help to quickly alert guards, etc., to the presence of intruders. Up top there was also an amphitheatre, bank, and a "balcony" where the king could watch over his subjects. (Philip also taught us that the name Zimbabwe means "big house of stone".) Interestingly, when Zimbabwe gained independence in 1980, its name was taken from this culturally significant area - the first time a country has ever been named in that fashion.

While in Great Zimbabwe we also met a tribe from the Mama (sp?) Dynasty who still live there today. We approached them by clapping our hands in a particular pattern and repeating a phrase in their native  tongue so as to show respect and request the ability to enter their village. After letting us in they sang, danced, and played their drums for us - it was incredibly energetic and really neat to see.

The next day we arrived in Harare (the capital) and...what a dump. Sorry, Zimbabwe. Like the other cities we visited in Zimbabwe - Vic Falls, Bulawayo, Mashvingo - the infrastructure is there, but the neglect is just staggering. Dirt sidewalks next to potholed streets, chipping paint, storefront signs (as well as shelves and mannequins) from the 1950s...but there are some lovely buildings, too - and some parks. If someone would just put some time into picking up the trash, putting out some rubbish bins, painting, updating...it could be nice. As it is, it's frantic, dirty, and really confusing. We accomplished nothing while we were there, except finding one of the dirtiest bathrooms ever. One exciting thing happened while we were there though - Mugabe's immense motorcade went past us, complete with police on motorbike and in cars, and trailed by an ambulance with its siren wailing. Yesterday morning's paper had a headline stating that Mugabe had instructed (!!!) England to stop rioting. Well done - I'm sure that's all they needed to hear.

As much as I poke fun, however, the issues in Zimbabwe are intense. People are afraid to say anything against the government because there are informants everywhere. We did hear talk along the way of citizens being murdered for holding socialist ideals. (Perhaps that's the reason why my visa fee was so high?) Such a sad state of affairs.

After we left Harare (thank God) we had an EPIC travel day; Zimbabwe to Malawi via Mozambique. Four border crossings - you have to do paperwork everywhere here, coming and going - and lots of palm greasing to get through. We left at 5 a.m. and arrived at our camp around 8:30 p.m. We stopped only twice in Mozambique - on the side of the road to pee, and to get petrol. (BTW - there's no petrol in Malawi right now. You should have seen the massive queue last night as we rolled into town. It's going to be an interesting trek up to Tanzania, let me tell you.) We ate our meals on the truck and tried to find ways to entertain ourselves. Thankfully, the countryside was gorgeous to behold - mountains, fields, and lots and lots of villages. I'm sorry we didn't get to spend any time there, but from what we were told, it's not the kind of place you want to just hang out at present.

So, now we're in Malawi, speeding towards our next camp. (That's right, I'm typing this on the truck.) We just had lunch on the side of the road while the bridge we needed to cross was being rebuilt. Yup. As soon as we started to make our meal, about a dozen sweet, tattered little kids from a nearby village (I assume) rocked up and starting staring at us. Luke - our new Aussie mate who is from Perth (like Court) but now lives in Sydney - had the rather brilliant idea to blow up some balloons for the kids, and they were really excited about it. I have to say, it's a terribly humbling thing to be eating a sandwich on the side of the road while crowds of people watch you. We really do have so much...