Zimbabwe - ruined

I was born in Zimbabwe and like most people are very saddened at the way the country has been pushed to ruin by the tyrant/pyscho Mugabe.
I have not been back there since 1996, but am planning a trip in the Autuum. My plans are in the embryonic stage but I am hoping to use my time there to be able to write about the state of the country, for example, highlighting health, poverty and what it means to be a Zimbabwean today.
I am well aware that this kind of thing would be highly discouraged by any kind of officaildom, and I would welcome any readers on this forum who have been to the country recently to tell me of their experiences over there.
I would not feel that comfortable going there simply to enjoy all the joys of a tourist, and anyway, by all accounts so much has been ruined.
I would relish the chance to be able to bring to light just what is happening in what was the bread basket of Africa.
Thanks.

I was in Zimbabwe recently - and it was a great trip. Yes, the locals are having a really hard time - no doubt about that, but I was treated better than most GB people treat Africans here in England. No racism, no criticism, no nastiness, no anything bad whatsoever.
Beautiful country too. The highlight was a helicopter flight over Victoria Falls - although the company swiped my card twice for one trip and I had a big fight with the bank for a long time when I got home. Naughty - naughty. Just a fantastic adventure though. I took a taxi for a short ride through a forest road - and the driver's name was.... Africa!! What a wonderful holiday. I can safely say, that the t-bone steaks in Zimbabwe and Zambia are the best on the planet.

[ Edit: Edited on 11-Jul-2009, at 09:39 by Redpaddy ]

Quoting Redpaddy

I was in Zimbabwe recently - and it was a great trip. Yes, the locals are having a really hard time - no doubt about that, but I was treated better than most GB people treat Africans here in England. No racism, no criticism, no nastiness, no anything bad whatsoever.

I agree. I was in Zimbabwe two years ago, (so not desperately recently) and encountered nothing but kindness. As a lone white female, I'm used to being hassled in a lot of places- Africa, Latin America and the London underground amongst others, and people of Zimbabwe were lovely, and surprisingly optimistic about the future. My route was roughly the border from S.A to Bulawayo, from where I did a trip to the Great Zimbabwe ruins, and an overnight trip to Chipangali Wildlife orphanage. Then went to Hwange National Park briefly before heading to Victoria Falls. I got a few rides and hitchhiked once, so transport was a lot smoother than I had expected. I was only there for a week, but I certainly wish I could've stayed longer.

I wouldn't go broadcasting the fact that you want to write about the place while you're there, but I could be wrong.
You'll probably pick up that information if you have a look at the website http://frontlineclub.com/[/url]

I am also from Zim but living in the UK at the moment and go back at least twice a year. My last trip was for a month in August and I was astonished at how much had changed since my trip at Christmas. With the arrival of the US Dollar as the official currency there is now food in all the shops, fuel is accesible and everyone seems much happier and a lot less stressed.

Everyone is still very hush hush about the political situation and with good reason to be as I hear terrible things are still going on but at a much slower rate than they were. I would agree with Zaksame about broadcasting your plans about writing and shedding light on the countries turmoil. It is extremely hard to judge who are the "right" people to talk to and get opinions from and word gets around very fast amongst the African people that there is someone showing a curiosity in them. Also be cautious with using a camera if you are planning to, I found that most people are very unwilling to have their picture taken or their surroundings shown at the moment.

It's fantastic that you are showing an interest in getting to know more about what's gone on and how people are coping with it now. My family all live there still and everytime I speak to them they say someone from Aus or the UK has returned, so things are definately on the up, fingers crossed!

Have a good trip

[quote=xAshx]

Everyone is still very hush hush about the political situation

Including the politicians from other countries, who don't appear to give a stuff about the people's plight out there. Funny how Zimbabwe is never mentioned anymore, isn't it?
Lack of oil maybe?