Monday, February 27, 2006

Powerplay

Sweden won the icehockey Olympic Games gold medal!! And I did not see the game... though I actually for once had the opportunity to. It was being screened on DSTV and a friend was watching it anc I could have gone there.

IF not things had got in the way. Friday evening the power went for the whole area or line we are on thanks to a rather impressive thunderstorm. Then on Saturday it came back for all but us and 2 of our neighbours. Again.

So once more harassing ZESA to get power back and finally got it back just before the game was to start and then we had multitudes of cleaning up and cooking and whatnot to fix so did not feel right to leave Mia alone with it all.

Speaking of power - we must have been the only family in Zimbabwe (or Harare at least) that never noticed the earthquake last week! All slept through it and were more than surprised the next day to hear of rattling houses and moving beds. Strange since I am normally a very light sleeper but I guess that either I was really tired or that our house was spared somehow.

Tuesday, February 21, 2006

In a place gone mad

Am currently in Lusaka, Zambia and oh boy has this place gone mad or what?

Since last time I was here the currency (Kwacha) has strengthened against the US and other major currencies so that from close to 5000 K to 1 USD we now have 3200 K to 1 USD.

But - prices have if anything gone up! This has made this place possibly one of the most expensive places to be for a foreigner right now. Some prices; I had a "burgerlunch" yesterday and drank a beer to it. Over 10 USD...

Today I had a pizza for lunch. Most likely my first ever "normal size" pizza to cost in the area of 14 USD!! In the shops it is the same, prices are easy twice what they were last time I was here.

Did I mention that a very "average" hotel room is around 120 USD a night...

Small wonder those I know here that are paid in foreign currency are complaining bitterly on a daily basis. Their cost of living must have at least doubled in the past 6 months!

And arriving tourist will get a very rude awakening if they are planning for a "cheap" holiday, to say the least.

My advice; travel somewhere else until this weird situation has normalised....

Tuesday, February 14, 2006

Heaven and hell in Kariba

First of all a nice photo of the Victoria Falls bridge spanning the Zambesi river and some 111 m high. From this Sandra did her bungyjump...

Last weekend we spent at Mauya Lodge in Kariba and that turned out to be a great place! OK no elephants in the pool as on the photo but at a nice viewing distance. We relaxed and spent time catching up with friends HÃ¥kan Lutz and family. Also drove around the lake a bit.

So what was the "hell" part? Well, waking up the first night with Eric first vomiting and then having a burning hot fever! At 00.30 we decided we would have to try and find a clinic, hospital or whatever. Now driving in the pitch dark night on bad roads towards a clinic you have no idea where it is with a kid with high fever is not fun. At all. In fact I have not been so scared for long long time.

We eventually found the place thanks to a busdriver we stopped but what a hospital... nothing like what we have in Harare. A nightnurse was the staff and he took the temperature and immediately dosed up a malaria-cure. When we asked why he said "well the child has high fever and this is a high-risk area for malaria". When I pointed out that we had just arrived and that he was on malaria prevention then he wrote us a prescription for antibiotica to pick up in the morning and assured the temperature would go down. As it actually did but I did not sleep until 4 am or so and was not much fun the following day.

Lesson learnt; next time we go "bush" we load up with medications and check the kids look OK before we leave... but otherwise a fabulous place for spending a lazy weekend! And special thanks to the caretaker Shadreck who turned out to be both a most friendly person and a really good cook!

Thursday, February 09, 2006

The Victoria Falls experience

Mia and visiting niece Sandra flew to Victoria Falls day before yesterday, due back later today. They seem to have done everything except going down the Falls themselves....

First of all they visited the splendid restaurant The Boma (highly recommended) and ate food such as crocodile tail (taste like something between fish and chicken). Yesterday Sandra did the Bungi Jump from the bridge over the Zambesi river, at 111 m supposedly the highest jump in the world.
http://www.game-reserve.com/zambia_victoria-falls.html

And then today they went white water rafting... check it out at
http://www.afrizim.com/Places/Victoria_Falls/Activities/Rafting.asp
http://www.shearwateradventures.com/rafting/gallery/default.asp

They got guts the girls!!

Monday, February 06, 2006

Visitor!

Got my niece Sandra visiting from Sweden! First visitor from "home" in 4 years, seems people are very intimadated by Zimbabwe's reputation. Admittedly, there have been times when I have not recommended people to come but for the moment things are OK.

Poor girl has had some bad luck I must say. First she forgot some money at home (found by my sister and all that sorted by now) and then this morning she and Mia were supposed to fly to Vic Falls for a couple of days of sightseeing and fun. Then she wakes up with a really itching skinrash all over her body!

Turns out she was having a reaction agains an antibiotic medicine she was given in Sweden. Hopefully all that sorted after visit to the doctor this morning, trip to VF was rescheduled for tomorrow instead.

Help her by keeping your fingers crossed for no more mishaps now!