Zimbabwe & Zambia - 1997

Originally written for the Tracks Ahead Website, Barb was able to accompany me for this trip.

Before the hyper inflation, and all the subsequent troubles, this land, formerly known as Rhodesia, is the home to Victoria Falls and Garrett locomotives.

June 10

On the road again - this time for a long trip. This is the long-awaited trip to Zimbabwe, followed by the two shoots in British Columbia. We got on board a Northwest Airbus 320 to Detroit and then a DC-10 for the long hop to Frankfurt am Main, Frankfort on the Main River.

June 11

We had a lengthy time in the terminal, as my skills were rusty. I had forgotten that you could take the baggage carts on the escalators, and so we waited for elevators a lot. And then I had a tough time finding the baggage storage, which, having found it, I think I had used on another trip. Honestly, my memory is getting dim. The plan was to take the S-bahn into town, and then hoof it to the hotel, but with all the screwing around in the terminal (which is very large -- we got put off at the new terminal 2, and had to take a monorail to the main terminal) I opted for a cab. The hotel is nice, and a certainly like all the European amenities. The bathrooms are great -- lots of stainless, chrome, and tile, and the bedrooms are all well lighted and very comfortable. The only problem is the fact that the A/C is apparently not working, and the weather is in the 20s (80s F).

So it is hot. I will probably be very uncomfortable tomorrow. We spent the afternoon trying to stay awake and hit a large city center for Pez dispensers for John. We found a few, and after I went back to the hotel to take my jet lag induced late afternoon nap, he found more around the hauptbahnhof (the central railway station). I like Germany, although I probably wouldn't come back to Frankfurt other than to fly through. It's just another big town. But I like the charm of the small towns and the countryside. Just a rural boy at heart, I guess!

Tomorrow we will wander again and then head out for the flughof to hook up with the tour. At the moment it's great European TV commercials, badly overdubbed US program materials, and then sleep. My body clock should catch up tomorrow. Dinner was great beer and standard German food (veal, sausage, etc.). I hope it is cooler in Zimbabwe.  

June 12

Up for a short time at 3:15 AM but my body clock adjusted OK, and I went back to sleep until 8. Then down to breakfast - a good European one of cold meats, cheese, yummy yogurt (with granola stuff), juices, breads, sausages, and coffee. Boy, do I like breakfast over here! Then we walked over to an old section of town - the Romer Platz, and discovered right across the river a great area for eating and drinking. Too bad we hadn't known of it last night. We ambled along the river, admiring the juxtaposition of the old and the new Germany - glass and steel next to old churches and red tiled roofed buildings, and eventually got back to the hotel. John found more PEZ containers down by the bahnhof (railroad station) and we just sort of moseyed through the area.

We got a late checkout, and headed for the flughhafen about 2:30, where we eventually got our large stuff out of storage, and then proceeded to wait. And wait. And wait--for the 21.50 departure of Lufthansa 572 to Johannesburg/Kaapstadt (Cape Town). I'll tell you, most of the chairs in the Frankfort airport now bear the impression of my butt. It was a long wait for that plane. And one which we will repeat in about a week.

I still like Germany. The large cities are nice, with green areas, residential areas, neighborhood shopping areas, and large shopping platz. I favor the smaller towns and the rural areas. It is orderly, and although I didn't find a platform toilet, that says much about my desire for order in the midst of chaos (read that as anally retentive).

The bags cost more as storage than I realized -- in fact, the hotel was very expensive, as were most things in Germany. For example, the new Cadillac Seville was listed at around $72,000 US. I wonder how many of those they sell. At any rate, we killed time by boring it to death, and this time really did "Get on board a ...seven, forty seven..." But southbound for ten hours instead of west. Lufthansa is a good way to fly. The flight wasn't crowded, and we hooked up with Thierry, our tour guide. We are the only Americans on the tour. The rest are French or Swiss. The Australians and New Zealanders canceled out at the last minute. I caught some sleep but not enough.  

June 13

We finally landed at Jan Smuuts field in Johannesburg, to find the temperature at 34 degrees F. Quite a shock from the 80 degrees in Frankfort. We killed more time sitting in the terminal, and then grabbed our flight on Air Zimbabwe for Bulawayo. One thing of note: American carriers should use the neat little tour video that Lufthansa uses in all sections. (Just as an aside, treatment on overseas and foreign carriers was much better than US domestic). The video continually shows your position on the world map, time to destination, miles/kilometers to destination, and altitude. It gives you something a little more interesting to do on a long flight other than stare at old travelogue videos. Or a blank screen. Customs in Bulawayo was a zoo, as was baggage check-in. Seems the doors to the baggage return weren't high enough for the carts to enter, so everything was just sort of tossed off between plane and us. But we all got on a locally rented bus, and headed off to the hotel, which is way out from the center of town (and has old-style plugs). We immediately had to book into town and get a converter plug from old style to new.

While there we wandered round, amazed at the old appliances on display in the stores. Most of the stores are like a thrift shop, and are interesting. The open air market was just OK, and generally, I think I need to go back to a guide book to find out how to get a better look at downtown. We had asked for a car to pick us up at 5 PM, but either I didn't tip him enough or he forgot because we had to grab another one. The hotel has no showers -- only long tubs, which makes bathing interesting. And I promptly burned out the hair dryer. That will probably be my first Canadian purchase.

My first impression of Zimbabwe? Flat, and tan, with low lying brush. A city and a people struggling to make it into the 20th century. Evidence of British influence in the left hand cars and roads, school uniforms, and building styles. Now, it's off to dinner. Dinner was impala campfire -- which is either a burned out Chevrolet, or table side grilling of deer. It turned out to be the latter, and was quite good. The weather at night is in the 40s and the stars are crystalline.  

June 14

Up and out of the motel early today and off to the Bulawayo main station. At 6 AM no less. We slept well, and it was cold this morning. We discovered later that we are close to the Kalahari Desert, and we have much of the same temperature fluctuations that the desert has. We had the usual confusion at the station, but eventually got sorted out and got on board the cars. The train is made up of rehabbed coaches, which have modern amenities but have a period feel. Our room is very nice, and the Emerald class (a step above ours) has individual A/C as well as showers and toilets. These cars have holding tanks, but the crew cars, as well as the rest of the Zimbabwe passenger coaches, still use the straight drop-to-the-ground waste disposal system. It seems to work just fine.

We did one run by and then entered the Hwange Game Preserve, which is larger than the country of Belgium. We saw a few things from the train, but not too much. The engine was a class 15a Garrett, and had a piston packing problem which delayed us about an hour, which abbreviated our game drive. We did see a few animals up close and personal -- like really up close. These were elephants (very large), giraffes (very shy), baboons (they act like squirrels), grouse, crocodiles, hyena, and the bat-eared fox, which is a rarity. It has ears so large it can actually hear insects up to 2 cm below the ground. Unfortunately we did not see the lions, who had made a kill out of sight along the road. We also saw gazelle and impala. Our driver, Paul, certainly had a passion for the animals, and ran a small safari camp in the park. As a student he fell in love with the animals and has made it his life's work. He said that lying in bed at night, watching the sky, and listening to a lion roar, is something that stills thrills him. He isn't a hunter. But he did believe in controlling the animal population, including the elephant ivory. He said there were about 22-27,000 elephants in the park, and as I said, we got quite close to them.

It was very cold driving around, and we now know why you never want to run over fresh elephant dung. Elephants eat thorn bushes, and so their output can mean an instant tire blowout. I also learned a great trivia question. What river flows both directions? The answer is the Chobi, which runs one direction in the dry season, and the other in the rainy season. And yes, Virginia, water really does run clockwise down the drain below the equator. I also found out how to find South in the southern hemisphere using the Southern Cross. Draw a line from the apex through the base of the kite, and then take a right angle to the two bright stars to the left of the Cross. Where they intersect is South.

We got back to train and dinner. We talked with the owner, Geoff Cooke, who started the Rail Safari business about ten years ago. He had a lot of interesting and funny stories to tell, many based on, "The African Way." He and his train engineer are set for on-camera interviews tomorrow. We saw a lot of ranch land and savanna. It was all pretty brown and dusty, but Geoff said that in the rainy season it looks like a jungle. The bougainvillea is beautiful, and all the flowers are very bright and colorful. They are especially pretty against the blue sky. Both Geoff and another woman said that the AIDS problem is far more widespread in the African black population than reported in the West. I am a little frustrated, as I have no A-roll, and have nothing on which to focus the shoot. Off to bed. The train has 110 V, but DC. I guess I'll have to write and transcribe later.

June 15

We coupled up at 5 AM and started moving. I got up at 5:50 so that we could do an early morning run-by just outside Thompson Junction. It was wonderful, with the low sun, and the cold weather making the steam really pop out. Then back for breakfast, and we set up an interview with the engineer after he coaled the engine. I'm not certain how useful it will be, but Gary assured me it sounded OK. John did some cab footage, and then we did a few more run-bys. Thierry really does have a good eye for picking the spots. And we saw our first monkeys, running atop the coal cars. They are just like rats around here.

It was cold this morning, but it can get brutal in the summer, with temperatures up in the mid 30s (100s F). In fact, it gets so hot that the coal can spontaneously combust. Most of the coal mining is now open-pit, as they had a huge mine explosion here back in the 80s that killed over 400 men. Virtually the entire valley blew up. We were late getting into Victoria Falls (so what else is new?). We headed straight for the airport, and did the helicopter flight over the falls with the train on the bridge. There was the usual screwing around, and we talked the air service into taking the door off the chopper. The pilot was pretty accommodating and flew a little lower than normal, so hopefully we got some good stuff of the Falls, the bridge, and the Zambezi River. My stills, however, are questionable. [Editor's note: No, they're not! Check out the following page for a breathtaking vista of the falls and bridge taken by Dave.]

We then headed off to Victoria Falls Park, where we bluffed out way past the entrance guards, repeatedly telling them that John's camera was just an amateur camera and got some rainbows and mists up close to the falls. Rainbows, mists, monkeys and setting sun, all in a rain forest at the edge of the falls. Apparently on nights with a full moon, it is spectacular to see the rainbows in the mist. These falls and Igaucu Falls in Brazil are the largest in the world. Interestingly enough, the minor falls will stop in the dry season. This being right after the rainy season, they were flowing full bore.

Back to station, and on board our train for a shower and dinner. Then we got talking to Jeff Cooke, the owner. He is full of stories. He is retired and used to have a video and theatrical rental service, as well as working for the railway. He talked a little about being a white guy in Africa, and also about how prevalent the AIDS problem is in the black family. Promiscuity is a big problem and just exacerbates the problem. He did have good stories, and spoke of many in terms of (as I mentioned earlier), "The African Way." This is a term which I had read and heard about, (and had reiterated by some people on the return flight) and is a combination of acceptance of conditions and a specific outlook on life. Case in point: two water cars used for a steam train to Mulabezi. The one car has a large hole in it and water is pouring out. When pointed out to the African train crew, they merely smiled and said, "Yes, that's why we'll use that car first." And still more stories on Garrets and railroading in Africa in general. The computer is non-functional here, as the voltage is 110, but DC and I'm afraid to try it. Dinner was good, and I had a drink on the veranda of the Victoria Falls Hotel. Then back to the train and bed. I lay in the berth with the cool night around me, the sounds of the train, and the sky a vast vista with the Southern Cross. 

June 16

Ugh. Too much Zambezi last night. We did the Jeff Cooke interview right after breakfast. He looked and sounded good, and repeated some of the information from last night. It was good to talk with him ahead of time. Then it was off to Zambia and Livingston on the Victoria Falls Safari Express, a small feed rail operation that has only been in business for about six months. It was nicely run, with punch, soft drinks, wine, cakes, and finger sandwiches. The crew was all decked out like the safaris bearers of old, in long white coats, etc. The cars were in very nice shape and I hope they are able to make a go of it. It was a nice touch and something to do at the Falls other than shop.

The line ran right to the Zambia Railroad Museum, which was better than expected. They had had some display help from Americans, and while their items were limited (but not that limited) they were nicely presented. Two things of note were the class 20 Garrett, which was a 4-8-8-4+4-8-8-4 and a real monster. The other thing was a 4-8-2 Mountain class with an extraordinarily long tender. I found out later that it was a desert engine and the long tender was part of a steam condensing operation, so as to save water on the long desert runs.

On the way back we passed the Zambian rail yards, now in ruin due to the previous conflicts in the country. We did a couple of run-bys with the green locomotive and then onto the Vic Falls Bridge and champagne - as well as us getting off to shoot the train on the bridge itself. Back at the station we did a short interview with Dawn Sheehan, the manager for potential inclusion in the segment. Then back for lunch, and an interview with Thierry Nicolas, the tour operator. We did it in the Vic Falls station, and while it was deserted all day, suddenly there were droves of people once we started.

And then out for a cruise on the Zambezi. We did see some elephants, crocodiles, and some hippo, although none very close. There were a lot of these big pontoon boats out on the Zambezi, and it probably won't be to many years before it becomes very touristy. The sunset was very pretty, with the orange fireball just sinking into the horizon, and then virtually instant night. We did hear on the cruise that the Chobi game preserve is an even better place to see animals.

Back to the train for dinner and more Jeff stories about Mozambique, which is right next door and a nice place to visit. The women on the trip decided that they hadn't had enough shopping time, and they decided to mutiny at the 8 AM Tuesday departure, which was pushed back until 9. The reason the tour is so small is that sixteen New Zealanders canceled at the last minute. I will say that had they been along, the whole complexion of this tour would have changed. We would have been partying all night long. I hit the Vic Falls Hotel for some souvenirs, but, while the prices were about the same as elsewhere, the shirts were just too small. They did have a neat mural on the wall, with a picture of Mercury and the old BOAC Clipper over a map that showed the route from Southhampton to Palermo to Alexandria to Khartoum to Port Bell to Victoria Falls to Johannesburg. I remember reading about those flights, and they would make the plane up with sleeping berths and steward service. What a way to fly! Not like the steerage we get today. Off to bed. I love sleeping in these berths in the cool nights. We shot a lot today. I'm happy. 

June 17

Up early for run-bys, and then we did the car interiors. It certainly is good to have the A-roll done, as now we have something to shoot against. This is the way we used to do these things, and I'm glad we are pre-researched and scripted. We had lunch on the train and finished the food serving portion along with the kitchen and its wonderful cooks, using a coal stove. The it was off to the Wankie Colliery in Thompson Junction. An interesting note is that when the British came through, the name of this region was Hwange, but the Brits Anglicized it to Wankie. And so the colliery remains to this day. It is the largest coal mine in Africa, and a dirty, yucky place. Average life expectancy is low due to the constant coal dust in the air. I did not want to be here. Yech.

But they had Garretts in service, and we shot them. Our van driver was typical of the people we met. He was an aspiring capitalist, and had recently purchased one Toyota van for use as a combination cab and public service vehicle (bus service). His goal was to have a second one by this time next year, and then keep on working his way up the food chain. It was an attitude that we were to see over and over and echoed by Geoff Cooke. There is a desire to work, an eagerness to learn, and a drive to get ahead. The late afternoon run-bys were not particularly good, but after looking at the tape, were better than I thought.

The French were - well, French for the whole trip. Nice but arrogant and aloof. We parked at the Dete siding for the night, while our engine ran back to Thompson Junction for coal and water. I went out walking after dinner. What an experience! It's a bright starry sky, with an almost full moon. And floating above the siding, lighted up like a ship at sea, sits our mobile home - the train. A snuffling, steaming Garrett was shunting cars, and the whole effect was magical. To bed, hunkered down under the blankets with the sounds of steam, lonely whistling, and the African night. What an experience. I can't wait to couple and move at 3 AM.  

June 18

Woke up periodically as the trains coupled and rolled down the track. Also, the banging of the coupler slack in the parked coal trains would wake me up as well. I am amazed how light it is out in the wilds, with just the moon and stars. Lying by the open window watching the stars and moonlit landscape go past is an experience that's restful and exciting at the same time. It is great to sleep in these little berths and to take a shower while the train is moving. It is sort of like getting back to the truck, and living in a small enclosed area.

We had one early unscheduled stop - we picked up a young man who was late for school and dropped him at the school. He got up every morning at 4:30 AM to catch the train down to class, and then would ride it home after school. Just an example of someone who had a real desire to learn -- as did virtually all the children we met.

We tried one early run by but it was kind of a bust. By the time we picked a spot, got the train stopped, and everyone one out, the sun was up too high. I think the best one is still the early morning grade shot at Thompson Junction. We settled our bills with the Rail Safari people -- for things like bottled water, soft drinks, etc., and then headed back to the hotel. John, Gary and I headed for the Zimbabwe National Railroad Museum, which turned out better than I had expected. They had done a decent job of preserving items, and although it was not a California State RR Museum operation, it was better than having a bunch of rusting junk sitting in a field. They had Garretts on display, as well as Rhode's personal coach, other steam locos, etc.

Then we headed down to the engine yard's steam sheds. They were still using the Garretts for shunting (switching) work, and that was pretty amazing to watch. There must have been a half dozen or so working the yard. Several were under repair in the shops, and still others were being scrapped -- a sad sight. We then hustled back to the hotel, and then to the Bulawayo station to hop on two third class coaches pulled by the oldest locomotive in service (on loan from the museum). Of course, the railway owns the museum, so I guess it is the oldest steam locomotive in railway service. Built in 1892, it pulled us down to Plumtree on the Botswana border, where we did a couple of run-bys.

There was one German railfan who would come down each year to see this train run, getting the schedule from the tour brochures. He never pays for the tour, just gets in the way all the time. So everyone on the train took great delight in standing on the train with their cameras in prominent view just to screw up his shots. Of course there were a few uncouth Americans who thought that giving him a very specific international gesture of good will might better enhance the experience.

Then back to Bulawayo, where we said good-bye to Geoff and his wife, Sheila, and the Rail Safari Deluxe. It was a great experience, and I'd highly recommend it. Dinner back at the hotel. Tomorrow we fly out. This was a great week. The people were friendly, the scenery was great, and the whole package was wonderful. Geoff suggested that the next time we come back (and he said we will come back) we should do so with a six month differential so we are here in the rainy season, just to experience things differently. It is a long trek from Milwaukee, but it was worth repeating. To bed. Tomorrow the long haul to Vancouver. I would come back here. It is a friendly place, and very beautiful. The area is very lovely. And like the States, it is so large that you can't see it all at once. But instead of states, you have separate countries and cultures. Give them a hundred years, and they could be a real powerhouse. 

June 19

Up for the railyards early to try to get the morning shot of the Garrets sitting steaming in the cold morning air. Unfortunately, by the time everyone who wanted to go showed up, we didn't arrive until 9 AM, long after all the engines went to work. John and I asked the cab driver to wait, and then just went back to the motel. Gary went shopping, as did I upon our return, and we found a few small things to take home. Then it was off to the airport, and the usual zoo of trying to exit the country.

It cost me some unreceipted customs fees to get out, as well as the departure tax, but we eventually got on the plane. I did not check our luggage any further than South Africa on advice of the baggage people. The flight to Jo'burg was uneventful, and we claimed our bags and rechecked through on Lufthansa to Detroit, which was as far as they could take them.

The South Africans are certainly a, well, cautious lot. Don't misunderstand -- everyone was as nice as could be, and very helpful. But you got the feeling that if you stepped out of line just one little bit you would be there for a long time. Perhaps it was the scanner bar code on the passport entrance stamp. They can (and do) track even a parking ticket.

We killed more time in the airport and then hopped the flight to Frankfort. It was a full flight on a 747. In talking to people, it seems the flights coming in are only half full, but the flights leaving South Africa are jammed. See a pattern here? And it was loaded with blond, blue-eyed children. Hmm.

I managed about four hours of sleep, although it got so hot during the night. Poor John had a guy on one side that snored like crazy, and me (who probably also snored) on his other side.

My final impressions of Zimbabwe? It was a very friendly country, with helpful people, who had a eagerness to get up and running in the 20th century. It was a beautiful place, and one to which I would return.  Of course, now, in 2011, that statement seems unlikely