Travel | Zimbabwe Absurdity

A trail of plastic and paper

28 10 2012

I have issues with plastic bags that are given out with just about every purchase in Zimbabwe (supermarkets, to their everlasting credit, are the exception to this statement – they charge for theirs). Harare is no longer the clean city that it was in the ’80s and early ’90s and I drive past a rubbish tip on the way home from town; plastic bags litter the fences, trees and the farm fields surrounding it. It is especially bad when the wind is south-east and when it rains there is a distinct vomit-like smell from the dump. So when the teller at the bank told me that they were no longer accepting personal withdraws on paper slips from the beginning of next year I did a silent mental cheer. Only debit cards will be allowed. I suspect this has more to do with reducing their workload than saving the environment, but it’s a start.

The attitude at the local hardware store that afternoon was a little different.

“I don’t want a plastic bag thank you”.

“Are you sure?” the shop assistant asked dubiously. EVERYBODY takes plastic bags if they are GIVEN them.

“Yes, I am quite sure” I insisted.

“Will you be able to get your stuff to the car?” he persisted. The car was right outside the shop door so I stood my ground.

The next stop was to pay for some air tickets to Cape Town over Christmas and New Year. The money was counted and I watched incredulously as the agent printed out the tickets; two pages for each! E-tickets no less!

“Oh, would you have preferred it as an email?” she asked when I remarked on the irony of e-tickets using so much paper.

“It’s a bit late for that” I muttered picking up the sheaf of papers.

It’s not just Zimbabwe that has trouble adapting to the electronic age. Earlier this month at London Gatwick airport in the UK I was checking in at the Emirates counter. I was very pleased with myself having done a check-in online and got my 2D bar code on my new smart phone. But nobody wanted to see it – they wanted to see the e-ticket on paper!

Comments : 4 Comments »
Tags: e-ticket, litter, London Gatwick, plastic bags, shopping
Categories : News & Various, Travel

Out to play

12 10 2012

I haven’t been lazy in posting to this blog – I have been out to play! Three weeks away in the real world in Europe where the cops are not on the take, the public transport is on time and the trash is picked up – mostly. Getting off the Eurostar at Gare du Nord in Paris the cigarette butts on the railway tracks were very obvious despite the announcements that it was “absolument inderdit” (definitely prohibited) to smoke in the station or on the platforms. Very French to thumb your nose at the authority a bit – like the girl with her dog on the scooter outside the Moulin Rouge where the dancers wore more makeup than clothes. It was a LOT of makeup and yes, not a lot of clothes.

It was good to get back to Annecy where I’d flown in 2004 though this time I did not have my paraglider with me so went off to the flying festival at St Hilaire to check out the trade show, flying displays and of course the masquerade though it was difficult to get close to the latter due to the crowds. Around 80,000 people attend of the 4 days that it runs – mostly day trippers from Grenoble. An amazing atmosphere.

Back in Paris it was time for the Eiffel Tower where there were no queues as it was well out of tourist season and I even saw a Rhodesian Ridgeback dog being walked there. The parisiennes really do have good taste!

Then over to London for some brief shopping (why walk when it can all be done on the internet and delivered?) and a day at the Natural History Museum. The Brits do some things very well and this is one of them. A day did not even begin to cover what was on display. And there were free talks by scientists on their area of speciality in the evening.

I have a brother in Shropshire so went up there for a week and met up with cousins and went on a day trip to nearby Chester in England (part of it is in Wales). An example of how tourism can be done well. Take a few lessons Zimbabwe!

Now I am back in the heat and the dust and the uncollected rubbish in Zimbabwe. The South African truck drivers on whom we are dependent for just about everything are on strike so it’s time to do some serious shopping. Kharma is delighted that I am back. It’s home.

: An old clock in the converted railway station that is now the Musee d’Orsay by the Seine. Home of many well known works by the impressionists. This photo was taken by my Sony cellphone camera!

: Spotted this unorthodox dog carrier whilst waiting for the Moulin Rouge show.

: Pont Neuf and the island on the Seine from Pont des Arts.

: There is always time to sit and chat by the Seine.

: Exterior of the Moulin Rouge. Paris of course!

: Montparnasse at night. A lot of the best restaurants are located in this area. We had an amazing fish dinner at the Bistro du Dome. Expensive but worth every centime!

: Waiting for a bus at Montparnasse

: Inside the cathedral of Notre Dame

: Pont des Arts. Where lovers demonstrate their commitment by locking a padlock to the fence and throwing the keys into the Seine.

: Love is… a padlock on Pont des Arts.

: Under Pont Neuf looking back towards Notre Dame and the Palais de Justice. Definitely not tourist season! September is a good time to see Paris; the tourists are mostly gone and the weather is cool with occasional rain.

: Tourist boats ply the Seine in the centre of Paris. The Seine has a number of historic bridges over it and these short cruises are a good way to see them and the historic part of the city that lines the banks of the river.

: Pilots wait to take off in the evening

: Free flying at St Hilaire

: All manner of strange things took to the air. There was even a Neil Armstrong astronaut!

: Paragliders provide some entertainment at St Hilaire.

: A competitor gets going at the masquerade at St Hilaire. Conditions were tricky to launch in so a major part of the entertainment for the crowd was whether they would get off or not!

: Hang gliders for sale at St Hilaire.

: Taking in the view

: Paper hot air balloons are released in a mass display at St Hilaire

: Hotel les Invalides. This is the old building that houses a military museum and Napoleon’s tomb (dome at the rear). There is a newer one (not visible) that still is a hospital for disabled soldiers.

: Chapel in Napoleon’s tomb, Hotel les Invalides. His actual tomb is below this photo. Josephine also got one of her own; off to the side and smaller!

: Ceiling of the dome at Napoleon’s tomb

: Eiffel Tower looking towards Montmartre

: From the Eiffel Tower looking at the Hotel les Invalides and Montparnasse tower on the right

: Sunshine on the Seine

: The CBD from the Eiffel Tower

: Self and Sybille in the Jardin du Luxembourg

: Jardin du Luxembourg showing a little of its former glory. It must have been impressive a few weeks before I took this.

: Jardin du Luxembourg, Paris. Home of the French Senate.

: View from Maison du Moulin at Doussard, Annecy.

: The hall at the geology section of the Natural History Museum in London

: A funny kind of sad in the Natural History Museum.

: The centre of the old town of Chester in England.

: The oldish clock in the centre of Chester, England.

: Another view of Chester, England. It is an old town and it is still possible to walk along sections of the old Roman wall that once surrounded it.

Comments : 5 Comments »
Tags: Annecy, Chester, Eiffel Tower, Hôtel les Invalides, London, Montmartre, Montparnasse, Musee d'Orsay, Napoleon tomb, Natural History Museum, Notre Dame Cathedral, Paris, Pont des Arts, Pont Neuf, Rhodesian Ridgeback, Seine
Categories : photography, Travel

Not saving the planet

26 07 2012

“Yes it is expensive” commented the travel agent, “but I have just started booking the tickets for the school holidays and they are 900 dollars”.

I looked in disbelief at the sum of $535 she’d written on the printout of my itinerary and wondered if it would be cheaper to drive to Jo’burg. I had to go for a follow-up consultation for my knee replacement but the thought of driving through the lowveld heat in October was distinctly unappealing.

It’s 970km to OR Tambo airport in Jo’burg from Harare. For a return trip that makes it US27.5c a km. It is slightly further to drive but $535 would buy me about 420 litres of diesel which in my Land Cruiser, which is not very economical, would take me some 3360 km. Where is the incentive to take a more eco-friendly flight? The convenience of a flight is obviously a big factor in flying, driving is tedious over that sort of distance, and I can be home the next day if I fly. Unfortunately SAA and BA are the only carriers on that route and they can pretty much charge what they like.

I would be interested to know if there are any other international flights out there that compare with this one.

Comments : 6 Comments »
Tags: BA, expensive ticket, flying, Harare, international flights, Jo'burg, SAA
Categories : Environment, Travel

Ngomakurira

15 07 2012

Ngomakurira (“place where they beat the drums”) is a very large granite dwala 30km from the outskirts of Harare. At one time the drums were regularly beaten there at a full moon and I know someone who once spent a night on the rock listening to the drumming but I am told it rarely happens now. I met Lucina and various friends of hers at the base of the path this morning though I opted to drive the Land Cruiser up the 4×4 track from the south. It is a popular outing for the local 4×4 club and the challenge is to touch the beacon on the top with the bumper of the vehicle though I decided my driving skills were not of that calibre. The more energetic people opted to cycle their mountain bikes up the track and they were not much slower than the vehicles – the track is that rough!

The weather was unusually warm and very hazy so I contented myself with subjects other than the view.

: This oxcart came down the road on the way to the 4×4 turnoff up the rock

: It descended a steep hill with only the branch on the left wheel for a brake!

: Marco approaches the top of Ngomakurira

: I was surprised by the number of flowers out – this IS winter in Zimbabwe and very dry.

: There were lots of small aloes in flower.

Comments : 7 Comments »
Tags: 4x4, 4x4 club, drums, full moon, land cruiser, mountain bike, Ngomakurira, oxcart, photographs
Categories : photography, Travel

Memory lane

21 05 2012

I grew up on a forest estate in the Eastern Highlands of Rhodesia (now Zimbabwe) and it was an idyllic childhood. I have not seen much reason to go back to the area but this weekend I was in Mutare, a town close by, and with little to do on Saturday as June and Gary were at a wedding I decided a visit was in order.

: Smallbridge reservoir from the wall. Sheba Estate is on the right, the Wattle Company on the left.

: Self, Kharma and Landcruiser on the Smallbridge dam wall. The house where I spent the first 18 years of my life is just above my right shoulder. This dam was planned in the early 70s but built in the 80s. My father was hoping it would be built in his lifetime so that he could go fishing in the evenings but he was murdered in 1978. Stewart and I tried fishing but with not even a bite.

: Tea plantations on Aberfoyle Estate in the Honde Valley.

: Northern Honde Valley overlooking tea plantations with the Mozambique border in the background.

: Looking out the south end of the Honde Valley. The Aberfoyle tea factory in the middle distance.

: Stuart, Gary, self and Kharma’s backside outside the Aberfoyle Lodge in the northern end of the Honde Valley. We are ontop of a war era (circa 70s) bunker overlooking the golf course.

: The Honde River from the main bridge. Very little of the dense riverine forest that I remember from my childhood remains in the valley though there are still good examples on the tea estates where it is protected.

: Kharma well into her comfort zone on June in the back of my Landcruiser.

The next day we all piled into the Landcruiser for a visit to the Honde Valley some 45mins north of Mutare and the most densely populated rural area in Zimbabwe. At the north end, in the shadow of Mt Nyangani, a lot of tea is grown. Our goal was the Aberfoyle Lodge which is now privately run though rather expensive.

Comments : 6 Comments »
Tags: Aberfoyle tea estate, eastern highlands, Honde Valley, Mt Nyangani, Mutare, Smallbridge Dam, tea estates, Zimbabwe
Categories : photography, Travel

The fairest Cape

4 01 2012

It was quite a “culture” shock getting back from Cape Town on Friday. Back to the dirty streets, potholes, melies growing on the verge and plastic bags and polystyrene lunch boxes EVERYWHERE! Cape Town is still clean and well run. To be sure the crime is a serious problem but after 2 weeks of unwinding I was thoroughly relaxed. The weather was good as one would expect at this time of year though the wind got a bit tedious it lived up to it’s more pleasant moniker (Cape of Storms being the other one).

: Cape Agulhas. Not nearly as dramatic as Cape Point but it IS the southernmost point of the African continent. L to R: self, June, Gary.

: There are lots of old, windblown trees on the peninsula. This old cyprus somehow escaped the exotic eradication policy of the park. There are some indigenous trees around though we did not see them. Curiously there does not seem to be a policy of propagation and replacement of the indigenous trees. That’s Cape Point in the background.

: That’s it! Cape Point. It does not get much more dramatic than this. Pity you cannot smell the guano.

: The fairest capes. Cape McClear in the foreground and Cape of Good Hope in the sea mist behind.

: Sunset on Chapman’s Peak Road. This road on the west coast of the peninsular was closed for a number of years due to dangerous rock falls. It has since re-opened with steel catch fences but I don’t think they would stop anything sizeable.

: Chapman’s Peak road

: I do know the name of this one! It’s an erica (all part of the fynbos – which is fine bush to those who don’t speak Afrikaans)

: Lots of flowers!

: More flowers

: I guess I should get a book to identify the flowers next time. The Cape is know for its flowers in summer.

: These small flowers were all over Cape Point.

: 3/4 of the Family Goss. Stuart works in Liberia (that’s him on the left) and he managed to join us after 5 days. June and Gary L to R.

: Hout Bay from Chapman’s Peak Road

: Hout Bary Harbour looking south (Hout Bay is on the west coast of the peninsular)

: Hout Bay for lunch. Zimbos are everywhere! We met (from L) Leslie, Gary, self, June, Peter and Simon for lunch at the Hout Bay harbour.

: Kalk Bay Harbour is a favourite of tourists and very picturesque. I suspect the boats are kept looking pretty to keep the tourists coming. Some good cafes there too.

: More Kalk Bay boats

: Another Kalk Bay fishing boat

: Kalk Bay fishing boat

: Lizard. There is other wildlife in the Table Mountain National Park. Baboons abound and are a nuisance at the picnic sites where they are kept at bay by game guards. NEVER feed them – it only makes them more aggressive.

: The appropriately named Long Beach on the west coast of the peninsular. Those are horses in the centre of the photo.

: Muizenburg is on the north coast of False Bay and a favourite of surfers.

: Proteas are everywhere on the Cape Peninsular – no wonder they are the national flower. It’s all part of the fynbos (fine bush) which in the region is home to some 1100 species of plant. Tha’s one of the highest densities of species per area anywhere on the planet.

: Looking north from Simon’s Town. View from the flat we rented looking north to Kalk Bay, Fish Hoek and Muizenburg.

: Simon’s Town naval base. Home of the South African Navy.

: Simon’s Town looking south – it is located on the west coast of False Bay. That’s the South African Navy (frigates) in the harbour.

: Wreck at Cape Agulhas. The Cape Peninsular is littered with wrecks. You can even do a “wreck tour”.

All photos taken with Panasonic Lumix TZ8 compact camera.

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Tags: bontebok, Cape Agulhas, Cape of Good Hope, Cape Town, False Bay, flowers, Hout Bay, Kalk Bay, Muizenburg, Simon's Town, South African Navy
Categories : photos, Travel

Zimbabwe Absurdity