Travel – Page 43

James Bond In Zambia

Someone told me today that living in Zambia is a Bond…James Bond kind of lifestyle. Hmm. I’d never thought of it that way before. Whether it’s driving your household help back to their compound at night or avoiding sinkholes that suddenly appear across a major road in town at the end of the rainy season, I have to conclude that living in southern Africa does have its share of excitement. There’s never a dull moment, that’s for sure. Unless of course you miss watching the symphony or a baseball game, eating pizza and playing video games at Chucky E. Cheese, or making a pilgrimage to Disneyland or Sea World. No, there’s no excitement of that kind here. The action and adventure here are more akin to what you might find on “The Gods Must Be Crazy” (vice “Goldfinger”).

What if Ian Fleming’s James Bond came to Zambia? Let’s say he was on a mission to catch some networked bad guys in his 38th film and comes to Zambia for a couple of scenes like he did when he went to Bolivia and busted a conspiracy to drain the country – that aquatic paradise – of its water resources. What heroics would he do here in Zambia? Well, he might be accused of meddling in local affairs and have to fight his way out of the country. Or maybe he would uncover and thwart a nefarious plot by some wealthy businessperson to corner the maize market and jack up the price of mealie meal, thereby causing the country to panic because of diminishing quantities of increasingly expensive nshima. Maybe he would try sneaking up on the bad guy’s lodge on the Zambezi River and find himself in a life and death struggle with a hungry crocodile or a grumpy pod of hippos. Perhaps Bond would try to cross into Zimbabwe through the bush and find himself face to face with a rampaging elephant that’s mad because he’s cutting through its territory.

I can certainly see 007 passing through Zambia on his way to cinematic greatness. Either that, or he’d never come here, which would make this a most excellent place for a villain to hide.

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Trees in Bloom

Zambia is beautiful this time of year. The jacarandas and other flowering trees have started to bloom in vivid colors around the country. Most of their flowers are a soft lavender, while a few are brilliant red or yellow. The latter spring from other species of tree.

The jacarandas are similar to the ones we saw when we lived in Paraguay. Known as lapachos in Spanish, the jacarandas in South Africa bloom with lavender, orange, and yellow flowers. Their flowers’ lifespan is mere weeks, after which the petals fall and blanket the ground like a royal carpet. Even one who is not fond of flowers can’t help but admire its beauty.

The flowering trees bloom at the end of the dry season when the weather heats up just before the monsoon-like rains set in as if God were commanding the trees to bear fruit before the rains wash it all away. Once pollinated, the flowers produce seeds that fall to the ground and wait for water from the rains to spark new life. Whatever the biological reasons behind this phenomenon, the cacophony of colors that spring forth from the trees is a wonder to behold.

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Harare, Zimbabwe

Click here for an updated version of this article with photos.

I arrived in Harare, Zimbabwe by car on the evening of May 2 after a long day on the road. That morning I left Malawi and drove about 400 miles (700 kilometers) through Malawi, Mozambique, and Zimbabwe. Although it was a fascinating trip with incredible sights, I was exhausted. I didn’t know what to expect in Harare. I read so many negative news stories about Zimbabwe that my expectations were tempered by preconceived notions.

Once known as Salisbury, the capital of the former British colony and country known and Rhodesia, Harare was at one time of the most prosperous cities in Africa. Three decades after Zimbabwe’s founding, however, Harare had fallen on hard times. I’d read many cautionary tales. Hyperinflation of the Zimbabwean dollar denominated in the trillions before it went out of circulation. Outbreaks of cholera and other pandemics. Unavailability of basic goods, including fuel and food. If one believed the stories told by the international media about Harare, one would think that it had nothing good to offer.

Hence, I was pleasantly surprised to find Harare a relatively modern and livable city. Perhaps low expectations tempered my outlook, prompting me to set them lower than necessary. My brief journey through Zimbabwe depicted a country with many challenges but on the whole in better condition than its reputation belied.

After several days of traveling in the African countryside, I stayed in Harare overnight at a very nice 4-star hotel downtown. The high-rise hotel overlooked a city park that coincidentally hosted the final concert of the weeklong Harare International Music Festival, Zimbabwe’s premier music event. While concertgoers paid unknown sums to spend a few hours listening to jazz, fusion, reggae — you name it – at ground level, I sat perched 15 stories above looking down on the festival and taking in the musical finale. It was a rare treat and a melodious ending to a long, eventful trip through southern Africa. I rested very well that night

I spent the next morning walking around downtown Harare surveying the terrain. The architecture was eclectic; it was both modern and dated with subtle strongman embellishments. The cityscape did not feature any quasi-public monoliths, although I sensed broad brush strokes by the hand of public design. The locals milling about were relatively well dress and moved with purpose on their way to complete all-important tasks. While not as cosmopolitan as other mid-sized cities, Harare held its own in the annals of urban metropolises. Even after years of hardship and neglect, it still remains one of the nicest I’ve seen in southern Africa. Having lived for the past year up the road in Lusaka, Zambia, my view may be a bit colored by urban life in rural Africa. Harare struck me as more amenable than its northern twin, despite the economic challenges it has experienced during the past three decades.

After a brief tour of Harare’s city center, I departed for Lusaka. My stay there was short but sweet. I was impressed enough that I plan to return to Harare in the near future over a long weekend with my family. I want to show them a place that far exceeds the low expectations set by years of negative public perceptions.

Journey from Malawi to Zimbabwe via Mozambique

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