Zimbabwe Discovery: Last Days in Bulawayo

I was so very lucky to be in Bulawayo and not Harare. Bulawayo is laid back, quieter. There was plenty of activity downtown. I didn't even get to see everything. I don't know how the time passed so quickly. I didn't do anything in the evenings. I couldn't walk outside after dark- 6 pm. If I wanted to go anywhere, I needed to call NUST for transport. Luckily, Domani was the scheduler and he's Tari's boyfriend, the worker at the lodge. So I had his mobile number and got very good service. On Friday when I called for my last transport to the airport, suddenly 2 white vehicles showed up! Domani came to say good-bye to me and Snowman, my favorite driver, brought me to the airport. Tari stayed with me for awhile- we both said we would miss each other. She was worried about being laid off, with the government cuts. She asked about being a maid in the states.

Final thoughts

Electricity cuts were more frequent. I only experienced it for hours at a time. NUST had a generator and I was gone most week-ends.
No wi-fi for last 3 days- NUST failed to pay the bill
Other guests weren't that friendly. I was super lucky to have Abraham as a guest at the lodge for the first 2 weeks. He gave me a running commentary on the country during our evening meal.
Workers aren't being paid on time.
Bulawayo Club was established during Rhodesian times. Sherl, Ken's wife, was more concerned about telling me when women were admitted. As we walked around, Ken introduced me to the black club president.
Black and white mixing raises a lot of questions for me. As I sit here at Troutbeck, a very exclusive hotel, blacks and whites are guests- though I see no mixing. The employees are all black.
Sheryl told me that they stay because this is their home. Africa is in their blood. Zim is much more interesting and challenging then living in the UK. There is a lot of work to be done. The reason their farm has not been taken- "God has watched over us." It is sad that their kids are in Australia and S. Africa. They couldn't afford their lifestyle in another country. She was at some government offices and complained about the state of disrepair. Her driver stopped the car and said look - there were 3 rhinos. Her comment was we live in such a unique place - we can only remain optimistic.
Police arbitrarily stop people on the road - just to collect fines. You need a fire extinguisher in the car and a license for your radio.
more later...