17 August 2009

17 August, Day 65: Mythbusters

First things first: Happy Birthday Mattie! True, it’s the big guy’s birthday today, and we start the congratulations early, 05:10, since we are all up and having coffee already. I’m genuinely surprised he made it to his birthday, considering all his been through! :)

Anyways, it’s dark out still and the stars are just about fading. Last rites, as we finish our quick breakfast. Pack up all the loose items into the Bullet, jump start the Bullet first since the battery is D.O.A. Say our goodbyes to Jenny and thank her heartily for her hospitality. Say goodbye to Fanie and Hanneliese and wish them the very best of luck.

The Bullet, Ford and Toyota blaze off into the sunrise, over green mountain passes and through valleys. We sneak a last peak at the very large Lake Kariba just as the sun rises. Not long before we reach a main road and start making our way south-east. On the way we stop at a little market where Mattie buys the most beautiful little John Deere tractor toy, with a trailer and everything! So well made; it’s for his neighbours son.

Around this time we say goodbye to Dirk and Marieke and wish them well. We head on to Harare and arrive in the city proper at around 09:30, passing a few other towns along the way.

And we are genuinely surprised: the city is beautiful! Wide, clean streets, lots of business being done, people coming and going, traffic organised, a police man or woman on EVERY corner (really), tall breathtaking buildings towering into the sky line.

This is the part where we’re a bit confused. We heard all sorts of horror stories about this place, about how your tires get slashed at traffic lights and how armed gangs roam the streets, just crazy-madness and we should miss the city completely. I can confess that it’s NOTHING like that, AT ALL! The people standing at the bus stops, or waiting to cross the road hardly look like they’re fearing for their lives or looking out for an attack at any given moment.

It’s very sad that this place has such a bad rap. I will say that sure, Mugabe and his cronies are terribly out of order, but it’s not a reflection at all of its people. My experience of Zimbabwe thus far is that it’s people are extremely friendly, saying hi to you everywhere you go (as in, just saying “hello” for the hell of it, and not because they want something from you), the cities clean and safe and the infrastructure well established. And clearly, businesses where doing quite well, thank you. Goes to show, once again, if you believe the travel advisories or main stream new media, heck, even pay any attention to peoples negativity you’ll never do anything or go anywhere. I feel lucky that I could have the opportunity to see it with my own eyes and form my own opinion.

Onward to the airport, which we also find to be in terribly good shape and thriving. We’re way early for Marietta’s flight, partly because we weren’t sure what the state of the roads will be like (perfectly fine, NO POTHOLES) or what dangers we’ll have to face in the city (NONE!) or what state of chaos the airport will be in (ZERO, NADA, fokol!) so we have a quick brunch while we wait for boarding. Just before noon we say goodbye to Marietta and off she goes.

We head out to Masvingo, where the Great Zimbabwe ruins are. The road is very scenic, we drive through many farmlands. It’s only here that we are given the grim reminder of how destructive the Mugabe regimes policies where: large fertile swaths of land untended, derelict farm equipment and irrigation systems just standing in fields, butchered for parts and scrap metal. It’s an interesting feeling, if you didn’t know the country’s history you’d be inspired by the beautiful scene of golden fields of tall growing grass, roads lined with green trees and rolling hills. But of course, we know that we should be looking at endless greenery of various farmlands in full swing. Sad, but again, I feel very confident the good people of Zim will persevere and win out over the bullshit they’ve been subjected to.

It’s quite late when we arrive at the Inn on the Great Zimbabwe. We book into one of the chalets, which is very spacious and a steal at $25 per person. The chalet is self catering, bit lounge and kitchen area, 3 very big rooms, massive bathroom and the estate has well tended gardens, all perched on a hill top overlooking lake Mutirikwi. Annelie catches some shut eye while Mattie and I chat a bit about business, properties and all sorts. He’s given me quite a few interesting ideas for my next round of investments, which I will look into once I’m back in Cape Town.

Dinner is hake fillet and chips in the posh restaurant (no shorts, no slops). We agree to get going by 07:00 tomorrow to explore the Great Zimbabwe ruins, a world heritage site. The location was inhabited by the Shona tribe, who lived in the area around 1200 – 1500 A.D. Should be good.

Highlights: Shifting paradigms without a clutch

Seeing Zim for myself, thank you very much

[G & A], out

Echoes, silence, patience and grace

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