How often do you get to travel to a country where a coup d’état recently took place, Cholera, Typhoid Fever and Malaria are possible, and you need to carry cash because the financial infrastructure is in disarray? Cathy and I fly to Zimbabwe next Wednesday, as part of a three country, month long trip with a few friends. While each third of the trip has it’s own highlights, the two weeks in Zim are the most intriguing for me.

Zimbabwe has had a tough road for a long time. Formerly Rhodesia (and before then, Southern Rhodesia), the country was under strongman Robert Mugabe for most of the past 37 years. He was accused of being a dictator responsible for economic mismanagement, widespread corruption, anti-white racism, human rights abuses and crimes against humanity. Last fall, he lost power in a coup by his first vice president, Emmerson Mnangagwa.

The country hasn’t fared much better under Mnangagwa. Elections held in August of this year were called corrupt and led to rioting and deaths in Harare, the capital. The international community continues to not invest in Zimbabwe and cash is scarce, with ATMs not functioning. It’s recommended that we bring cash in dollars, and in a number of denominations.

Medically, a number of potential issues could come up. According to the World Health Organization, both Cholera and Typhoid Fever are on the rise in Zim, with malaria always a possibility. We have received our Typhoid shots, and will start our malaria pills shortly. For cholera, well, we’ll stay away from untreated water and should be good to go. We are told the chances of contracting Sleeping Sickness, the Plague or Dengue Fever are pretty low. On the good news front, Zim is outside the Yellow Fever belt of Africa.

We were warned it is dangerous and foolhardy to swim in Lake Kariba, where we are spending five days on a houseboat. Evidently crocodiles are a bit of a problem, unless you are in a swimming cage (our boat has one). The cage won’t prevent the water-borne parasite bilharzia though. Bilharzia is a snail born parasite, which can infect the kidneys, urinary track and our intestines. Fortunately, It isn’t fatal.

Seriously, if you read some medical guidelines, warnings from guidebooks, squeamish reviews, and any number of internet sources, you wouldn’t travel to Zimbabwe, or for that matter, anywhere else. Personally, I’ve always found as long as you stay situationally aware, travel just about anywhere is fine.

For all of Zim’s problems, real or imagined, we can’t wait to get there. In Harare, we are going to a party thrown by friends of friends. We’ll also run with the Harare Hash House Harriers (a beer drinking group with a running problem). On Lake Kariba, we will see wildlife from a vantage point few people ever experience. The Hide, where we will go on safari, has one of the largest elephant populations in the world. Daily visitors to the camp often include elephant, giraffe, zebra, impala, waterbuck and kudu. Lion come in from time to time and wild dogs have made kills in full view of the camp. Finally, we will spend several days at Victoria Falls, one of the seven natural wonders of the world. Throughout the trip, I’m also looking forward to beers with the Hash, sundowners at Lake Kariba and the Hide, and Pink Gins on the veranda of the Vic Falls Hotel.

After two weeks in Zim, we’ll travel to fly-in safari camps in Botswana, where incidents of elephant poaching have increased. From there, it’s on to South Africa, with wineries, whales, penguins and a visit to the Cape of Good Hope. This is the vacation of a lifetime.

One last thought on Zimbabwe. On the off chance we DO run into trouble in Zim, you might get a missive from us, much like Warren Zevon would send: “Send lawyers, guns and money ….” ;-).

Marty, Magoo, Bill, Jim, Sinks and Roseanne – Cath and I will see you in Harare.

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Addendum:

– Robert Mugabe and his wife Grace recently left the country and flew to Singapore. They are both in poor health and seeking treatment there. They were flown at Zimbabwe state expense.

– The bags in the photo are what one of us will use for the vacation. When traveling to the fly-in safaris in Botswana, we are limited to two bags each, no larger than 24x12x10 inches, and a total of 44 pounds.

– On a side note, this is my 100th blog. I first started blogging three years ago, with a goal of writing one every other week. I feel pretty good about 100 in three years. It’s been a fun journey, and I’m still endeavoring to “Live Life Exuberantly”.