A little bit more about Zimbabwe:
We spent a week in that country... after much debate, and querying other travelers, we decided not only was it safe, but it would be a shame to miss it. We are so close! So we endured the obscure bureaucracy of the border crossing, and in we went.
Oh my. Zimbabwe is a sad place. The people are bright and friendly, but the country is completely stalled out. Only US dollars or South African Rand are used, there are few jobs, there's hardly any food (people cross the border, bring back food and sell it on the black market for big bucks) and buying fuel is a joke. But we knew that, so we had plenty of food, water and fuel.
6 days we spent, traveling through Hwange National Park. 3 cars we saw. It once was a grand place to tour, but slowly it decays... almost ghostlike.
Each camp has an attendant, and at one camp the attendant literally RAN to meet us - he hadn't seen a car in 5 days. His clothing was faded and worn, he was thin. His second request, after asking us to stay in his camp, was for reading material. We offered a recent newspaper, and promised to return the next night. When we arrived the following day, this young man had dressed up for us in his best uniform, and introduced himself as Godfrey. We spent 2 1/2 days with him, sharing our food (he had only corn meal and dried meat....) and our reading material and good conversation. He was brilliant, well educated, very curious. His experience with the wildlife of Africa was incomparable. Much we learned in those 2 days!
I offered to make him a beanie, for the cold season, and he eagerly accepted. I suppose you might guess the rest of the story. A bright young man, hungry to learn anything new.... I taught him how to knit! He was fascinated and determined... and incredibly clever. I complimented him on being such a bright student, and he said, 'Then we are well met, an eager student and a wonderful teacher.' In 24 hours he had learned how to knit and had finished one beanie and was 1/2 way done with the next. I left him most of my yarn, sets of needles, anything I could spare. (and all of our sugar!) I intend to send him care packages as often as possible. It's a lonely life for a 25 year old man. But what else is there to do in Zimbabwe? He spends his days making sure the pumps are running so the animals have water, watching the elephants and lions and hyena, and keeping an eye out for poachers. Godfrey was indeed a friend well met.
We spent a week in that country... after much debate, and querying other travelers, we decided not only was it safe, but it would be a shame to miss it. We are so close! So we endured the obscure bureaucracy of the border crossing, and in we went.
Oh my. Zimbabwe is a sad place. The people are bright and friendly, but the country is completely stalled out. Only US dollars or South African Rand are used, there are few jobs, there's hardly any food (people cross the border, bring back food and sell it on the black market for big bucks) and buying fuel is a joke. But we knew that, so we had plenty of food, water and fuel.
6 days we spent, traveling through Hwange National Park. 3 cars we saw. It once was a grand place to tour, but slowly it decays... almost ghostlike.
Each camp has an attendant, and at one camp the attendant literally RAN to meet us - he hadn't seen a car in 5 days. His clothing was faded and worn, he was thin. His second request, after asking us to stay in his camp, was for reading material. We offered a recent newspaper, and promised to return the next night. When we arrived the following day, this young man had dressed up for us in his best uniform, and introduced himself as Godfrey. We spent 2 1/2 days with him, sharing our food (he had only corn meal and dried meat....) and our reading material and good conversation. He was brilliant, well educated, very curious. His experience with the wildlife of Africa was incomparable. Much we learned in those 2 days!
I offered to make him a beanie, for the cold season, and he eagerly accepted. I suppose you might guess the rest of the story. A bright young man, hungry to learn anything new.... I taught him how to knit! He was fascinated and determined... and incredibly clever. I complimented him on being such a bright student, and he said, 'Then we are well met, an eager student and a wonderful teacher.' In 24 hours he had learned how to knit and had finished one beanie and was 1/2 way done with the next. I left him most of my yarn, sets of needles, anything I could spare. (and all of our sugar!) I intend to send him care packages as often as possible. It's a lonely life for a 25 year old man. But what else is there to do in Zimbabwe? He spends his days making sure the pumps are running so the animals have water, watching the elephants and lions and hyena, and keeping an eye out for poachers. Godfrey was indeed a friend well met.
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