Africa & India 2006: 5 - Train - Louis Trichardt to Victoria Falls, Zimbabwe

Thursday, February 9, 2006

Last night we left Hazyview Station in cool, rainy weather. We had a good dinner, and headed off to bed early again. Everyone I talked to slept well, with the cool temperature and motion of the train, which covered 318 km during the night. As mentioned in my last dispatch, Marilynn and I decided to take it easy today. I made it for breakfast before the dining room closed, and brought Marilynn breakfast in bed. She read while I got my writing up to date, as it was pouring rain - a good morning to be inside.

By the time I finished writing the weather had cleared, so we walked the 15 minutes to Louis Trichardt, now called Makhado, the business centre for this prosperous farming area. It is a fairly large town, with most goods and services available, including an excellent internet café. As with most internet cafes we have used in South Africa, the price was high - 65 rand or $US 11.50 per hour. This compares to $US 0.75 per hour we charge at the internet café that is part of Casa Canada Group in Costa Rica.

The town has wide, clean streets lined with one and two story buildings. We went to the Spur Café, where the food was both excellent and reasonably priced. The rest of our party were there - so that worked out well, as it was my day to buy lunch - and here I thought I'd got out of it!

Marilynn & some of the others walked back to the train. I hitched a ride on the train's minibus. This was not the day to be late getting back - the train was underway promptly at 2 PM as advertised. It made good time on the straight track across this flat part of the country, but soon the flatlands changed to rugged mountains as we snaked through a deep valley alongside a river. The terrain continued to vary - rolling hills, flatlands, and more hills. The temperature increased as we moved northwards.

We stopped first at the South African border check point, which was handled by train staff, then crossed the Limpopo River to stop for a long time at the Zimbabwe border check point. After some time the Zimbabwe customs people said they wanted to interview each passenger and inspect each compartment, so all of us enjoying a before dinner drink returned to our compartments. A lady inspector visited our compartment. She was very polite, and asked if we were bringing gifts to anyone in Zimbabwe. When we said no, she moved on to the next compartment. The train staff feel they wanted to see what the accommodations on board looked like!

While waiting it gave me some time to reflect on what we have learned about South Africa, and the feeling of many that it is on its way to join the rest of Sub-Saharan Africa as a derelict economy. The white population has decreased from 13.5 million when we were here 20 years ago to 9 million today, and the rate of emigration is increasing.

According to current South African law if there is a job opening with applications from both whites and blacks; a black African must be awarded the job. Another law requires companies to take at least one black African as a partner and to have black representation on the board of directors. A South African told me today that another law has been introduced permitting the expropriation of white farms. To date it has required a negotiated buyout at fair market value, so this is following the disastrous course Zimbabwe took.

Corruption is rampant. A low cost housing project to get people out of shacks and into small houses with running water, electricity and sewage was shut down by the president, as the minister in charge stole $US 110 million. South Africa recently spent billions of dollars on military equipment, including totally unnecessary items such as a submarine and warships. The "commissions" paid to government officials were in the hundreds of millions of dollars. Even with the compulsory shareholder and director program, new companies to South Africa are being presented with a list of eligible blacks that are friends of officials involved to choose as partners!

English or Dutch named streets, cities and towns throughout South Africa are being renamed at an enormous cost. Even the capital, Pretoria, has been renamed. Think of the costs to companies and government for business cards, letterhead, advertising, brochures, etc. Many white South Africans I spoke with are, very sadly, preparing to leave - including the couple on the train. If you want to see South Africa as a relatively prosperous country, I'd suggest you not postpone your visit too many years!

We finally pulled away from customs, and after dinner went to sleep to the sound and motion of the train. That wasn't to last long, though, as through the night the train pulled onto sidings to wait for freight trains to roll through. The engineer would stop and start quite suddenly, causing everyone to hang on tightly to their bunks. Everything not shut away ended up on the floor. There was also a world-class thunder and lightening storm, followed by torrential rains. In spite of being quite warm in the compartment we had to shut some windows against the driving rain. The curtains and outside edge of my bed received a good dousing through the shutters.

Friday, February 10, 2006

Overnight the train had travelled 262 km, and we were awakened at a little after 4 AM by loud voices outside our car in the station at Rutenga. We tried to ignore it, but others joined the voices, so I finally peeked out the window to find that the benches to wait for trains were right outside. A train eventually arrive, with the engine sitting beside us idling away for some time. Simon and Brenda were recipients of diesel exhaust belching from the engine. It was definitely not a restful night!

After a good breakfast we departed at 8:30 AM for Great Zimbabwe, a drive of a bit over 2 hours. It was overcast, but not raining. Most of us caught up on some sleep en route. Our first stop was for coffee or tea at a good looking lodge which had no guests, but had laid on coffee or tea at a charge of $US 2.00 per cup! Most of us passed on the offer, and a couple of us headed into the adjoining pub for early beer instead.

The sign on the wall said that payment could be made only in foreign currency, that Zimbabwe dollars would not be accepted. This law required all restaurants, lodging and tourist attractions to accept payment from non-residents only in approved currencies to try to bring in more hard currency, but it backfired as tourism operators kept the foreign currency to send out of the country. By law all money in Zimbabwe must be changed into Zimbabwe dollars, useless elsewhere. Even someone moving out of the country may not export currency or assets, and even Zimbabwe banks will not change Zimbabwe dollars to foreign currency.

The law was then changed making it illegal for Zimbabwean businesses to accept anything but Zimbabwe dollars, and to authorize only the government reserve bank to change foreign currency. A form is issued showing the amount of currency changed. A tourist will be asked hard questions if they have more Zimbabwe dollars than shown. The government wants to ensure funds are not purchased on the black market or from residents wanting hard currency to smuggle out of the country. Declaration of the amount of foreign currency carried is required on arrival in Zimbabwe, and more than that amount may not be taken out of the country.

As we have not been in large cities, we have not been able to exchange money but everyone we have met to date has been delighted to accept either rands or US dollars, in spite of it being illegal. The problem is the change. With inflation running around 700% per year no one knows the exchange rate, so the amount of change per dollar varies hugely.

Great Zimbabwe, a world heritage site, was well worth exploring. We first climbed the hill to where the king and nobles lived, a steep climb under clear skies in the baking noonday sun. Great Zimbabwe was the centre of the Rozwi Empire, part of the Shona group, and was occupied from the 13th until the 17th century. Shona walled city-states controlled much of Southern Africa during that period. The capital covered 720 square hectares and had a population at one time of over 18,000 people. Of these between 400 and 500 nobles and high officials lived on the royal hill.

The hill was covered with narrow passageways and courtyards, defined by high stone walls. Flat-topped circular platforms were used for burials - the body was cut up and left on top of the platforms for the birds. A cave was used to shout orders to those who lived in the great enclosure in the valley below. It works as a giant megaphone, and produces quite an echo from the hills across the valley. The king had around 50 wives, and from the shouted orders a servant would summon the one was to come up the hill. All water was carried up the hill to service those who lived there, and the king was reputed to have up to four baths a day.

After descending the hill we unanimously voted to avoid the gift shop, made a quick tour of the museum, and walked to the great enclosure. This structure of high walls and towers was restored some time ago, and is in quite good shape. It is almost 100 meters across and 255 meters in circumference and contains a tower 30 meters high.

Trade sustained the empire. Gold and silver were taken to trading ports on what is now the Mozambique and Tanzanian coasts, where Arab traders would take it in exchange for other goods. Much of the wealth traded by the empire came as tributes from the various villages ruled by the empire.

As we left the great enclosure the skies opened, and it poured rain. Fortunately a van had just pulled up, so I ducked inside. A shuttle service took our group to the nearby Great Zimbabwe Hotel for a delicious lunch. Some of us explored the hotel, finding unbelievably large well-decorated rooms at quite reasonable rates. No one was staying there - Zimbabwe tourism is now 0.5% of what it was and many fine facilities only open if booked in advance for groups. By the time lunch was over the rainstorm had blown over.

We were to be picked up by the train at a small, remote station reached by a long drive on a seldom-used narrow, rough dirt road. The only vehicles we passed were two tractors. When we arrived the train had not made it, so we drove the short distance to a pub serving the small community of Zvishavane. It used to be the clubhouse for a country club for white farmers of the region. The formerly illuminated tennis court is overgrown with tall grass and weeds, the swings and slides for the children rusted are solid and the building shows lack of maintenance. Inside most of the black local population had gathered and were seated on folding chairs in front of a small TV to watch the final game of the Africa Cup football matches. Everyone was friendly and in good spirits, and we were made welcome. The game was finally won by Egypt.

Soon a train whistle was heard, so we downed drinks and headed back to the station platform where the train was just pulling in. We boarded, had dinner and settled down for another night of travel as we covered the distance to Bulawayo. Marilynn skipped dinner to try to get some rest.

Saturday, February 11, 2006

This morning's wakeup call didn't come until about 6:15 AM when the people at the Bulawayo train station broadcast a local radio station over their speaker system at full volume. There was no way to get away from the onslaught of African music and talk, so another night of sleep already interrupted by the jerks and starts of the train ended prematurely. Bulawayo is the second largest city in Zimbabwe, with a population of over a million.

It had poured rain again last night, so everything was damp this morning from rain seeping through the shutters. Even without rain, humidity in this area is extremely high - drying cloths can take a couple of days. The night temperature here is delightfully cool, as the altitude is 1,300 meters (4,300 ft.)

Our departure in dull overcast and cold temperatures was in open safari vehicles. Fortunately, it had stopped raining, and the driver of our vehicle had thoughtfully provided us with very welcome heavy blankets. We headed through an area of Bulawayo populated by expensive looking houses, and on down the highway for 33 km until we reached Matobo park, located in Matabeleland. Here temperatures range from -10C to +43C.

After going through the formalities we headed into the park, where Wally, our guide brought various types of flora to the vehicle to show how natural plants were used for things such as toothbrushes and hand cream. The park is reputedly famous for its Rhinos, but we saw no animals today other than the black eagle. The park has the largest population of these birds in the world. They can have a wingspan of 2 meters.

We drove on the main road to World View, the hill that contains the tomb of Cecil Rhodes and his right hand man, Jamison. The location is amazing, with a great view in all directions. Matobo means "bald headed ones", which describe the dramatic rock formations in the area. Rhodes gave the park to Rhodesia as a gift for all to enjoy before his death in 1902, however the government recently increased the park entrance fee from 10,000 to almost 500,000 Zimbabwe dollars ($US 0.10 to $5.00) making it prohibitive for the local people. We also visited a bushman cave in the park, with rock paintings estimate to be 8-10,000 years old.

Lunch was at Nesbitt Castle, located in an area of large homes. Originally called Holdengarde Castle, the main part was built by a South African educated in England between 1920 and 1930. After his wife died in 1967 it fell into disrepair, finally being purchased by Digby Nesbitt. A multimillion-dollar renovation created the current hotel, restaurant and banquet centre. Lunch varied from good to not great, with very small portions, but the ambience was superb.

After lunch tours went to three different locations, including the museum of natural history and the railway museum. Marilynn and I opted for the Chipangali wildlife orphanage and rehabilitation centre. This is a private operation started 33 years ago. They have 7 rhinos, many lions, leopards and a large number of other species. It was possible to get very close to the animals, and the Rhinos were tame to the point where they came over to be petted. Feeding time for the lions was interesting, as they became very aggressive in protecting their food. The lion cubs weren't bothered by this at all, and didn't hesitate to make playful attacks on their parents.

Before feeding time, the resident German Shepherd dog and the big cats had a great time exercising each other. The dog would run the 100-meter length of the lion and leopard enclosures, which had a walkway between them. The leopards would race down one side and the lion down the other side, chasing the dog.

There was also a snake area, where the most dangerous were kept in glass cages. They had a black mambo - the most dangerous snake in the country. If it bites, a person has have half an hour to be able to move, another half hour of paralysed consciousness and then half an hour more to live. As the closest anti-venom is located in Johannesburg, if bitten in Zimbabwe it is goodbye! The problem with the anti-venom is that it has a shelf life of only two weeks, so no one in the country spends the money to prepare and keep it.

Sunday, February 12, 2006

Our group loaded the food and school supplies we had purchased into our van and headed off on nearly deserted roads to Mlibizi, on the Mlibizi River, stopping along the way to present food parcels to women with children who were walking along, or at rivers where they were collecting water. We were rewarded with happy faces, and even dances of joy.

Shortly after waiting for a family of baboons to cross the road we arrived at Mlibizi Lodge, where we boarded covered pontoon platforms with chairs and outboard motors for a two-hour cruise on the river. We saw a number of fish eagles, and three hippopotamus. Lunch at the lodge was a quite good buffet. The lodge, like others in the area, suffers greatly from the lack of tourism, so the owner, who lives in Harare, turned it over to the staff to run. They need only pay for supplies and electricity, and to guard the place. John checked the guest register - 18 people have stayed during the months of January and February.

On the way back we stopped at a school the Shongololo Express people have taken under their wing. They were constructing new classrooms, but the building is not finished as the Zimbabwe government is not permitting them to bring in any more building material, and it is not available locally. The students sang and danced for us, and a large amount of school supplies were donated between the train company and the passengers. It was a very moving experience. Schools here follow the English Cambridge curriculum, and exams are marked in London, England.

We bought water at the village near the train and headed back to our compartment so I could do some writing. It was another great dinner, featuring crocodile as an appetizer, with drinks before, wine with and drinks afterwards. Once lubricated a little we had a singsong, to the amusement of the train staff, and headed for bed. Early morning tomorrow!

Monday, February 13, 2006

We were awakened at 5 AM, and after tea and muffins boarded open vehicles for a game drive in Hwange National Park. This is the largest wildlife area in the country - it covers 1,462,000 hectares - about the size of Belgium. It is known for its lion population, but we didn't see any. In spite of a considerable quantity of fresh elephant poop we didn't see any of them either. On the other hand, there were loads of birds - Simon and Roger are birders and recorded over 40 species spotted on this tour alone.

For those of us into the larger animals we had some great close-up viewing of giraffes, including parents with two offspring. There were lots of zebra, gazelle, baboons, sable & sesebe antelope, impala, wildebeest and kudus. We also saw jackal and ostrich. Unlike South Africa, the national parks and game preserves in Zimbabwe are not fenced - the animals come and go as they please. This causes farmers to band together to try to protect their crops - a wonderful field of corn about ready for harvest can cease to exist if visited by a herd of roaming elephants. Elephants eat about 230 kg of food a day, and drink about 200 litres of water.

The vehicles were Toyota 4 X 4 pickup trucks with only two 3-person bench seats in the back, as opposed to the 3 seats we have seen before. As a result they were comfortable, with lots of legroom and great visibility.

A little after 9 AM we pulled into a lodge where outdoor wood fired BBQ grills were producing a delicious, hearty breakfast of eggs, bacon, big beef & pork sausages, beans, goulash, toast and juice. Tables and chairs were set up under the trees - it was thoroughly enjoyed by all.

This was followed by another game drive where we saw little, then a mediocre $15 lunch at another lodge. The setting was marvellous, once again the buffet and tables were outside under shade trees looking out on a water hole with dozens of wildebeests in clear view. The lodges and park was basically deserted except for our group from the train.

The afternoon game drive produced some antelope species, zebra, wart hogs, another close encounter with giraffes and a short lived downpour. Back at the train we were hustled aboard and almost immediately were underway for Victoria Falls. Tonight's feature presentation in the dining car was kudu. That made some people hesitate before digging in! It was a bit tough, but quite tasty.

Zimbabwe does not look like the impoverished country that it is. The roads are basically good, the people smiling and friendly and buildings are not overly dilapidated. However, due to government mismanagement and sanctions imposed after an obviously rigged election, it has one of the worst economies in the world. Even if a person has money, meat is available about once a month and an egg would cost 50 US cents. Many commodities are available at all.

The country became Southern Rhodesia when taken over from the British South Africa Company as a self-governing British colony, and was named after Cecil Rhodes in 1923. Prime minister Ian Smith declared independence unilaterally in 1965, but it was not recognized by Great Britain, and UN sanctions were imposed. This, plus a civil war of blacks against whites resulted in free elections in 1979, then official independence and the name change in 1980.

Robert Mugabe became the president, and changed the constitution to make it possible for him to control the country totally. Rigged elections and a large police force have ensured he remained in power. Due to the large uniformed and secret police forces there is very little crime in Zimbabwe - sentences are severe and lengthy. It is common to be stopped at roadblocks to have vehicle and personal papers checked. Roads are generally in good repair and traffic is light, largely due to the shortage of fuel. There are a few buses, but local bus routes are often served by tractors pulling large open wagons where passengers sit on the floor or boards around the edge.

Chaotic land redistribution resulted in the eviction of white farmers and their black employees, and an exodus of whites from the country. The country soon turned from what was known as the "breadbasket of Africa" to a country unable to feed its own people. A general strike in 2003 led to brutal repression of labour and opposition parties. It is now a criminal offence to make derogatory or insulting comments about President Robert Mugabe. The cost of living is high, due to the scarcity of commodities. Eggs run about $US 0.50 each, and a good piece of meat for dinner may only be available once a month.

There are 150 members of parliament, 120 are supposedly "elected": by the people, and 30 are appointed by the president. There are two vice-presidents, the first VP is a woman who is generally considered very tough, and the second VP is a man who is older than 82-year-old Mugabe. Apparently when the president dies, the minister of foreign affairs becomes president for 60 days until an election can be held. It is suggested by many people that the most likely scenario is a rigged election followed by civil war.

The country covers an area of 390,580 sq. km. divided into 5 provinces, it is about 10% bigger than Germany or about the size of California in the USA. The population is about 12,747,000 of which 98% are black African, over 1% are Asian and less than 1% are white. The life expectance is 40 years. The 2003 study indicated that 1.8 million citizens had aids, and that 170,000 had died to date of the disease. The literacy rate is a surprising 91%, education is in English and most people I spoke with speak English relatively well. The minimum wage is about $US 100 per month.

Apparently a few years ago the Zimbabwe dollar was close in value to the US dollars. Now a $Zimbabwe 10,000 bill is worth 10 cents. A new bill has just been introduced for $50,000 Zimbabwe - it is worth $US 0.50. It takes a large stack of money to buy anything expensive! I paid half a million dollars for 5 beer when we were out on the boat the other day!