Imba Matombo Harare

... to say, “Livingstone? Why didn’t you go through Victoria Falls? You’d be there by now.” Yeah, right, Einstein, no ****, except over there in the bus, bathroom now stuffed full with merchandise the staff is too lazy to re-pack into the luggage hold. Nobody goes to Victoria Falls any more apparently, nor any other place in Zimbabwe, not until Mugabe dies. I’ve just successfully passed through, so things could be worse.

... to move into at Chalk Farm is no longer available due to one of the people living there not wanting couples. Problem. Was such a lovely house in a fantastic location so gutted we can't move back in there. Considering the day we were having though it was kinda expected. Not sure if they realise Oliver is heading back to Australia for 6-8 months, maybe that will change their minds. But then again we just found out our mate Brenno who lives there is ...

... I burried a family member last week." At this point, everyone in the car is terrified. We note everyone's embassies as we drive out to Hope's uncle's house in case disaster strikes. "Ahh, but you will be fine," Zuroro continues. "Zimbabwe is very safe for tourists." 2 PM: Tea with Hope's aunt's family. We are shown the Zimbabwean currency. They have now chopped off 16 zeros off of the currency. Currently they are using Z$20 million notes, accepted ...

... and whole-hearted friendliness. I stayed by friends of my colleague Kumbi. They offered me food and shelter and Hau! do not dare to offer them any money or any compensation they will look at you with big, wide eyes as if you were a ghost. As I had problems to go to Vic Falls with the plane, which was apparently "over-booked", they did all they could to get me there anyway. You would hardly find such a commitment and helpfulness by Western people in general ...

... were really spectacular, much better than I expected and well worth the $20 to get in to see them. We are now in Botswana and only got here yesterday. We did a game drive this morning and doing a game cruise this afternoon in Chobe national park. I"ll let you know what"s happened next time I update. Hope everything is well at home and keep them messages coming coz we like to hear from people. Love you all. Danny and Vikki.

... bushman to carry wat** on their travels. A real egg can take the weight of a human standing on it apparently, but I don't think I'll test that theory. I also bought wooden figures from Zaire and Zambia, a bracelet from Benin, slave clamp from *****ia and a gold weighing weight from *****ia- v**y Namibian! Finally, we got to that walk and saw the V**wo**d Parkl followed by the Supreme Court, Nurs**y School, Christkirche, Reit**denkmal, administrative n**ve ...

... in Zimbabwe. Zimbabwe is a country of remarkable mineral wealth, and vast agricultural potential. That is part of the sadness about the current troubles. It has an infrastructure that is better than any I have seen in Africa to this point. While it is beginning to deteriorate, one feels it could bounce back quickly given the right leadership and investment. Zimbabwe used to be an exporter of food, but since Mugabe's farm reclamation project, agricultural output has fallen to ...

... of Bulawayo and buying blankets to stave off the cold (don't be expecting no tan from me now, it's winter in Africa) and then the following day (29 June), we went to Matopo National Park, 50k's outside the city. Here we were going to go find us some rhinos to look at. Our guide was a gruff 50 something white Zimbabwean whose first words to us were "You can ask me any questions about anything you like, but no politics". Having said that, over the course of the day ...

... he came in for treatment. Countless people had been advising me not to go to Zimbabwe because of all this, but my desire to see this country at such an interesting time was too great. From talking to other tourists who had passed through Zimbabwe recently I learned that there was nothing to be afraid of; the problems are political in nature, and once I was careful I should be perfectly safe. I took a direct bus from Blantyre to Harare, Zimbabwe's capital, in order to get what ...