A world away from Dakar

Arriving around 11pm, the first thing that struck me was the emptiness (and the cold – it’s warm and sunny during the day but the temperature drops dramatically at night. Being in the Southern Hemisphere their winter is just starting). The streets were deserted and hardly a car on the road. Arrive in Dakar any time night/day and there is a perpetual manic-ness with traffic and people, people, people. Harare feels more like arriving in a sleepy suburb than a capital city.

Zimbabwe only became independent in 1980 and there are remnants of British-ness everywhere. Red post-boxes, breakfast fry-ups, driving on the left, and slightly old-fashioned English (‘hello, how may I serve you?’) spoken all around. It’s all a bit surreal. It feels like a British or even American town where time has stood still. They even have a Wimpy!

There are rows of shops with no-nonsense names: Hardware store, Good Times General Store, Butchery, Glen Forest Bakery. There is a small town centre and then the city seems to fade into one tree-lined suburb after another.

There are also numerous golf clubs, beautiful colonial houses and a railway that actually functions.

Will try and upload some photos when I get a chance.