A Week In Zimbabwe

I went to Zimbabwe to stay with friends for a week.  They have a gorgeous house in the north of the country.  Every morning I went for a long walk after breakfast exploring the old country farm roads.

Then fires swept through the area and one day I came back from a walk to find the driveway ablaze.

before

after

Fires blazed all around the house to the firebreak.  During lunch in the garden we could hear the fire crackling all around us and ash blew gently onto the the hummus and crackers on the table.  When I took a bath before dinner I even found ash in the bathtub.

the firebreak

I cooked a little bit.  I made banana bread and amaretti espresso cookies.  We cooked pizza in the pizza oven with visiting neighbors.

Because of sanctions during the war, Zimbabwe produces much of everything needed for the kitchen and farm.  I love the simple, old fashioned labels that they made before computer design.

I love how everything is labeled 'Best' or 'No 1' not just as a tag line but as a brand name.  I mean, will anyone be fooled into thinking Zimbabwe makes the 'best' vodka in the whole wide world?  And what is the difference in quality between Special Best Gin and Premium Best Vodka?  I love the enthusiasm.

This is Beauty.  I asked if I could take her photo and she immediately smiled and cocked a hip just like an actress on the red carpet.  She was off to fetch sand.  In a place with no river or nearby water, sand is used to scour pots and dishes clean.

I can't get over this advertisement for for Barclay's Bank at the Harrare airport.  They say you can open a account with them "while you wait," meaning same day service.  But that "while you wait" is a promise! There are people that you can pay to wait in line for you in Africa because it is a full day event.  No where else is waiting in line a job. I look at that advert and cringe but for Barclay's in Zimbabwe, perhaps that's progress.  And that's just to wait to see a bank agent.  I can't imagine how complicated it is to get a bank account in Zimbabwe but that is surely the sorriest bit of advertising I've ever seen.