Yes, that’s the name of a movie. But I was dreaming of Africa long before the movie ever came out. In fact, for as long as I can remember, I have had a passion to see this mysterious continent. So when the opportunity arose to do this round-the-world trip I excitedly included Zimbabwe, Zambia, and Tanzania in my itinerary. All three places were easy choices. Tanzania has the Serengeti, Ngorongoro Crater, and Olduvai Gorge, where the Leakeys first found fossil evidence of early hominids. Where Zimbabwe and Zambia meet, the Zambezi River plummets hundreds of feet over a horseshoe chasm, forming the world famous Victoria Falls.

I suffered a good deal of trepidation over the African part of my journey. There is so much that is unknown about Africa. We do not hear much about it in the news. We’re unfamiliar with its cultures and people. Would I be accepted? Would I be safe? This was not just a rhetorical question where Zimbabwe was concerned – their president, Robert Mugabi, has been plundering the country for years, jailing or “disappearing” anyone who gets in his way. The result is a country that is suffering with severe poverty, high unemployment, runaway inflation and an extreme lack of even the most basic goods like cooking oil and sugar. When I initially booked the Zimbabwe portion, the situation was not so dire. But in the intervening months the situation had deteriorated. I grew fearful. I waffled.

Everyone told me not to risk going to Zimbabwe. I made a decision not to go – to walk away from the prepaid flight and hotel on the premise that my life is worth a lot more than a few measly dollars and the falls weren’t going to dry up overnight. But then I decided to email my travel agent, explaining that I was willing to lose my money and asking her to be truthful with me about the condition in the country. Her rapid reply reassured me that the press had blown the situation out of proportion, as usual. Yes, there were gasoline shortages. And yes, Mugabe was up to his usual tricks in the capitol of Harare, but that was a world away from Victoria Falls. Besides, she wrote, the country is so hungry for foreign currency that they take extra pains to ensure the safety of tourists in places like Victoria Falls. I’d had more than an inkling of this when I had to wire U.S. funds to her company in order to book the trip; I eventually discovered that the Zimbabwean currency is worthless and even the local people won’t take it. They want U.S. Dollars, Euro, Pounds Sterling, South African Rand, and even Botswanian Pula, but they will not, under any circumstances take Zim dollars. In the end, I took a deep breath and decided to go, although I didn’t sleep well for the last few nights before boarding the plane to Zimbabwe. Continue reading →

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