"Zimbabwe - I cry for you" a Zimbabwe Travel Page by Bwana_Brown

For me, Zimbabwe has been a country of lost opportunities. One of the most beautiful countries in Africa, yet I only managed two very brief visits despite living next door for three years! Unfortunately, the timing of my stay in southern Africa coincided with the apex of the wars of independence in this part of the world. While I was working in Zambia, it's southern border was closed to all traffic due to the on-going war in what was then white-ruled Rhodesia. At the same time, to the east, Mozambique was embroiled in its war of liberation from the Portugese while to the west Angola was likewise fighting for their liberation from Portugal. Far to the south, the white-ruled bastion of South Africa (which also administered Namibia in those days) fully supported these proxy wars to defend its northern borders. The result for a bloke living in Zambia was that one's travel choices were limited to Zaire (Congo), Malawi or Tanzania and points north. As a result of these geo-political events, my only two visits to Rhodesia (1975) and Zimbabwe (1995) were fleeting affairs tied in with greater trips that I was involved with at the time. Still, both these visits gave me some appreciation of the beauty of the country and its people. Despite winning that long ago war, I cannot believe what Robert Mugabe has finally chosen to do to this country and his own people - a country that could have been such a great example of cooperation for the good of all.

When my wife and I finally packed up and left Zambia for Canada in 1975, we were then able to arrange a quick visit to Salisbury, Rhodesia (Harare, Zimbabwe now) via Malawi (no direct flights from Zambia due to the war). In those days, nothing was stamped in your passport in Salisbury in case you had to travel to other African countries, merely a slip of paper in the passport to show that you were 'official'. This visit was to say our good-byes to close relatives who had emigrated from Zambia to Rhodesia many years before the war broke out. We had a few very enjoyable days with them at their house in the suburbs of Salisbury. A visit to Lake McIlwaine National Park and some swimming in their backyard pool, plus some great meals! Then we flew out to Kenya, London and finally Canada. Photo of their house at 114 Gilchrist Drive. The next visit would come 20 years later.