Sara's Africa Page

Zimbabwe

Having spent an extended period of time in Zimbabwe in 1993, it is heart-breaking to hear the news of recent violence in this precious country. I experienced nothing but warmth and generosity whilst travelling here, with no outward signs of animosity and distance because of my colour. It is true that the stamp of colonial Rhodesia is still very much evident in the upper echelons of society, from the cool white-washed terraces of the Victoria Falls Hotel to the leather-bound seats and mahogany interiors of the first class trains. However, modern Zimbabwe is redefining itself and during my visit this was progressing apace and without the violence that has marred this country's recent history.

Victoria Falls is one of Zimbabwe's main drawcards, and rightly so. In the local tongue, Vic Falls (as she is known to her friends) is called 'The Smoke That Thunders', because from many miles around the cascades are identified by the plumes of spray and distant roar that spills into the sky. It is possible to see the falls from many points of view, thanks to the flourishing tourist industry around the town. Rent a bike or stroll through the woodlands on the brink of the gorge, raft the grade 5 rapids of the Zambezi, fly by plane or microlite or even bungy jump off the canyon bridge that connects with Zambia. Despite the tourist attention, Vic Falls is a must-see and has not yet fallen foul of the kind of development that seizes Niagara. There are no barriers or binoculars, just the raw beauty and power of the mighty falls.

Another watery highlight of Zimbabwe is Lake Kariba. I was lucky enough to be picked up and adopted by a family heading up from Harare for a long weekend on the far side lake, at Tashinga camp. In their own little speed boat we zipped along the southern shore and set up camp in style ... this is one family who had camping down to a fine art - right down to the sundowner gin and tonics!! During the days, we took the boat out to go fishing or game watching, particulary pleasant at night when elephant herds would come to drink at sunset. The evenings buzzed with the sound of a cicadia orchestra, and our camp fire illuminated the shining eyes of bushbabies in the trees. One the first night, I awoke to hear a rustling in the camp, I looked around (I was sleeping only under a mosquito net hung from a branch) and in the moonlight I saw a large bull elephant wandering into our camp. Gingerly, he picked his way through and finally decided that mine looked like a particularly tasty tree, and duly started his midnight snack. With this large paciderm only 5 metres away from my bed, I kept absolutely still, watching, fascinated. The following morning, I awoke to find footprints all around my mosquito net where the nocturnal visitor had carefully avoided the sleeping human.

Other Zimbabwe highlights include the Eastern Highlands (which look more like Scotland than Africa), the ruins of Great Zimbabwe and the Matapos Hills near Bulawayo.

Namibia

Only in very recent years has Namibia become a tourist destination, and now it is a popular spot for those who want to escape the the well-trod safari trails of Kenya and Tanzania. When I visited in 1993, I had trouble booking a flight because the travel agent had no idea where the country was, let alone what its capital city was! Despite the lack of tourists at that time, Namibia was still easy to travel in, having benefitted from the infrastructure and economy provided by S. Africa. However, I used little of the public transport and guest houses and ended up hitching most of the country and then staying with (and even working for) the people who picked me up. I ended up visiting desert schools with the Gideons, coaching hockey in a city high school, juggling a kindergarten class of 30 and working as a vet's assistance in Otjiwarongo (apparently no experience required!) which is an interesting job in Africa!

I spent a total of 6 weeks in Namibia and saw many different regions and peoples. However, two of my favourite places were Etosha and the Namib desert. The Etosha Pan, in the north of the country, is a huge saline desert with surprisingly varied scenery, both expanses of parched, cracked mud flats and shady water-holes surrounded by acacia groves. I hitched into and around the park from a campsite at Okaukuejo and was lucky enough to see large amounts of game, including elephant, giraffe, zebra, buffalo, lion, impala and oryx. In contrast, the Namib desert contains very little game, but supports a surprisingly large amount of life. Due to the sea mists that roll in from the skeleton coast, a variety of flora including the quiver tree, acacia, desert eidelweiss and the famous Welwitschia can survive. This latter marvel exists only in the Namib desert and can reach ages of Methusalan propotions, with tattered fronds sprawling across the desert floor. The desert contains many gems such as this, also rich mineral deposits such as beautiful rose quartz, and of course the giant dunes of Sosesvlei.

South Africa

One of the most interesting ways to cross S. Africa is to follow the `Garden Route' between Cape Town and Johannesburg. Leaving the breezy beaches of Cape Town on a cool April morning, Table Mountain was still blanketed with cloud clinging to its plateau and draping its upper slopes. We drove first inland past acres of vineyards and whitewashed houses that belonged more in Tuscany than Africa, but then ducked back to the coast to follow the ocean east. Small coves with blanched beaches are tucked like children's secrets between rocky cliffs and and grassy slopes. If you're lucky, you can see the occasional pod of dolphins break the surface of the water. After a day of ocean, flora and the popular beach resorts of Mossel Bay and Pletenberg Bay, the route takes you inland again, and the road starts to climb. The greenery begins to thin and the scenery becomes more rocky and arid. The main trade up here seems to be ostrich farming and around the town of Oudtshorn there are several ranches which breed these cantankerous birds for everything from feathers, eggs and meat, right down to using their feet as lamp stands! Further north, you hit the real desert and at the end of a long drive through the karoo, in which the parched plains extend to every horizon, the glittering skyscrapers of Johannesburg creep into view.

Egypt

The standard route through Egypt is to follow the Nile south from Cairo through Luxor and Aswan. This journey takes in the contrasts of Cairo where busy streets meet ancient monuments, the Necropolis at Thebes and other temples of Luxor and Abu Simbul which represents an amazing feat of engineering both thousands of years BC and this century. These cities are usually heavily touristed and the attention attracted from the locals (especially if you're a blonde female!) who are constantly trying to sell trinkets, perfume and guide services, gets a little waring. But it is worth it.

However, don't stop here! Escape the heat of the Nile valley and head to the Sinai peninsula. Starting from St. Catherine's monastery the climb up Mt Sinai takes around 3 hours, but is not hard if you are in decent shape. The nights are cold, so take a good sleeping bag and a crepuscular start will be rewarded by a stunning sunrise over the extensive mountain ranges. If you are now exhausted by the hiking and hassle of the trip so far, just head to the hippie mecca of Dahab where you can lounge all day on the beach, smoking a shisha, drinking exotic fruit cocktails and snorkelling over the coral reefs.

Morocco

When you arrive in the city of Marrakech, the heady smells of incense, snake charmers and narrow streets make you feel like you have travelled back in time. The tourist centrepiece is the Djma el Fanaar square where witchdoctors, musicians, holy men and street performers fill every square metre of the paved plaza. The action really gets going at night and this is a great place to feel the pulse of the city, grab some falafal or a tajine and just soak up the ambience. One of the most interesting experiences I had in Marrakech was a visit to the Hamam, or bath house. These are not always easy to find, since the best ones are really the domain of the locals. However, I had been befriended by a local woman who took me along to enjoy this fun mix of washing and socialising! In a large room filled by clouds a steam, the women collect buckets of scalding water and spend literally hours scubbing themselves down. This was quite in contrast to my pagan showering rituals, so of course I was taken in hand and ceremoniously scrubbed by the hands of others, which removed at least my epidermis and probably several lower layers of skin too! Apart from this, the most fun you can have in Marrakech is by bravely plunging into the narrow back streets, crammed with stalls that spill over with olives, baklava, figs and sacks of spices and get thoroughly lost. You'll find yourself in a maze of alleyways, beautifully tiled courtyards and markets. And there there is always an abundance of small children willing to take you back to your hotel for a bit of baksheesh!

From Marrakech, I chose to travel south east to Ouzazate and the oasis town of Zagora. Ouzazate is one of the main centres for carpet making and it is inevitable that you will be enticed into carpet shops and given the kilim hard sell. If you don't mind the sales pitch, this is quite interesting, even if you don't want to buy. The whole process of woo-ing the customer over a glass of mint tea is quite fun to experience and you will see some beautiful carpets, although you'll have to bargain hard against the experts! Apart from shopping, Ouzazate is surrounded by gorgeous oases and kasbahs. Lush groves of figs and olives, fields of shady date palms make for pleasant strolls around an agrarian culture that stills uses the same style of tools and methods as hundreds of years ago. From here, the journey to Zagora is simply breathtaking. The mountain road winds up through precipitous valleys and then down to hidden palm groves. There are often women on the side of the road transporting huge wicker baskets of dates on their heads, dressed in long dark robes with strings of silver coins around their foreheads. Near the oases, the remains of ancient mud kasbahs seem to come alive in the late afternoon sunlight, glowing a deep red colour, like rubies nestled in the mountains.

A train journey to the ancient cities of Fez and Meknes takes you through some beautiful rural countryside and is a wonderful way to meet people. Whole extended families pile into the trains, which are usually very comfortable, laden with picnics and blankets and will no doubt insist in involving you in their banquet. Fez and Meknes are architectural wonders with their intricately mosaiced gateways in brilliant azure and turquoise, carved minarets and golden domes. Several of these buildings have cool marble courtyards with flowing fountains and leafy gardens. And of course there are the extensive street bazaars that vend all sorts of wares in leather, copper, silver and ceramics.