Deep in the Heart of Zimbabwe
December 31, 2006
We are now staying at a wonderful place called Sikumi Tree Lodge. Our cabin is up on stilts like a tree house. The establishment sits at a watering hole on one end of 151 square kilometers of private land that borders a national park called Hwange. The package one pays for includes food, lodging, and one activity per day. Just sitting, watching the water hole is enough. There is a flock of storks that hangs out there all the time. We have also seen impala, warthog, guinea fowl, and of course the ever present baboons.
We arrived on the 29th and were immediately whisked off on a game drive. We saw many birds, zebra, wildebeest, jackal, and two lions. It was magnificent. There is something about stumbling onto creatures in their natural environment that just cannot be beat.
Yesterday we took a tour of the local village. We have had the same guide throughout. Each guide is assigned to a group and they stick with that group for the duration of their stay. Our guide’s name is Edward. He is Zimbabwean and is very knowledgeable about the wildlife in the area. He showed us the clinic, the store, two schools, and even the home of one of the employees of the lodge. The clinic currently has one nurse and no electricity even though the power lines run within fifty feet of the building. The nurse told us that few of the villagers utilize the facilities because they generally cannot afford to pay for treatment.
Schools used to be free in Zimbabwe, but now everyone must pay. Class sizes are kept at a measly forty students and they have glass in the windows. If you ignore the fact that many of the windows are broken, the furniture is falling apart, there are cracks in the floor the size of the Grand Canyon, and there is no electricity; the school is just like schools in the U.S. The high school we visited was a much different picture. The science teacher let us into his classroom; it had electricity, running water, and gas for the Bunsen burners. He told us that most of the rural schools offer housing for their teachers. If they don’t, they have great difficulty finding staff. He is quite happy at the high school, but then most folks who actually have jobs are ecstatic that they can feed their family.
Indeed, Zimbabwe is in a sad state. The economy is in shambles, unemployment is through the roof, and people are very unhappy. Most agree that the president is to blame, but they try not to say that too loud as dissenters tend to disappear. Robert Mugabe has been in office for some time (twenty+ years) and shows no sign of giving up his place any time soon (he’s 85). He rigs elections, kills the opposition, and basically does whatever he wants. In the meantime his constituency is starving; scraping whatever they can to get by. It’s very sad.
Anyway, today we went on a morning game drive at 5:30. We saw giraffe, kudu, steenbuck, crowned cranes, painted dogs, and more impala than we cared to count. We were disappointed that we saw no elephant, but it wasn’t for lack of trying. Tonight is a party complete with native dancers. We are excited and attempting to rest up after our early morning.
There really are painted dogs in this picture...look harder!
MJR
We are now staying at a wonderful place called Sikumi Tree Lodge. Our cabin is up on stilts like a tree house. The establishment sits at a watering hole on one end of 151 square kilometers of private land that borders a national park called Hwange. The package one pays for includes food, lodging, and one activity per day. Just sitting, watching the water hole is enough. There is a flock of storks that hangs out there all the time. We have also seen impala, warthog, guinea fowl, and of course the ever present baboons.
We arrived on the 29th and were immediately whisked off on a game drive. We saw many birds, zebra, wildebeest, jackal, and two lions. It was magnificent. There is something about stumbling onto creatures in their natural environment that just cannot be beat.
Yesterday we took a tour of the local village. We have had the same guide throughout. Each guide is assigned to a group and they stick with that group for the duration of their stay. Our guide’s name is Edward. He is Zimbabwean and is very knowledgeable about the wildlife in the area. He showed us the clinic, the store, two schools, and even the home of one of the employees of the lodge. The clinic currently has one nurse and no electricity even though the power lines run within fifty feet of the building. The nurse told us that few of the villagers utilize the facilities because they generally cannot afford to pay for treatment.
Schools used to be free in Zimbabwe, but now everyone must pay. Class sizes are kept at a measly forty students and they have glass in the windows. If you ignore the fact that many of the windows are broken, the furniture is falling apart, there are cracks in the floor the size of the Grand Canyon, and there is no electricity; the school is just like schools in the U.S. The high school we visited was a much different picture. The science teacher let us into his classroom; it had electricity, running water, and gas for the Bunsen burners. He told us that most of the rural schools offer housing for their teachers. If they don’t, they have great difficulty finding staff. He is quite happy at the high school, but then most folks who actually have jobs are ecstatic that they can feed their family.
Indeed, Zimbabwe is in a sad state. The economy is in shambles, unemployment is through the roof, and people are very unhappy. Most agree that the president is to blame, but they try not to say that too loud as dissenters tend to disappear. Robert Mugabe has been in office for some time (twenty+ years) and shows no sign of giving up his place any time soon (he’s 85). He rigs elections, kills the opposition, and basically does whatever he wants. In the meantime his constituency is starving; scraping whatever they can to get by. It’s very sad.Anyway, today we went on a morning game drive at 5:30. We saw giraffe, kudu, steenbuck, crowned cranes, painted dogs, and more impala than we cared to count. We were disappointed that we saw no elephant, but it wasn’t for lack of trying. Tonight is a party complete with native dancers. We are excited and attempting to rest up after our early morning.
There really are painted dogs in this picture...look harder!MJR
posted by Bronx to Timbuktu at 4:19 PM
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