Africa – Page 19

Trees in Bloom

Zambia is beautiful this time of year. The jacarandas and other flowering trees have started to bloom in vivid colors around the country. Most of their flowers are a soft lavender, while a few are brilliant red or yellow. The latter spring from other species of tree.

The jacarandas are similar to the ones we saw when we lived in Paraguay. Known as lapachos in Spanish, the jacarandas in South Africa bloom with lavender, orange, and yellow flowers. Their flowers’ lifespan is mere weeks, after which the petals fall and blanket the ground like a royal carpet. Even one who is not fond of flowers can’t help but admire its beauty.

The flowering trees bloom at the end of the dry season when the weather heats up just before the monsoon-like rains set in as if God were commanding the trees to bear fruit before the rains wash it all away. Once pollinated, the flowers produce seeds that fall to the ground and wait for water from the rains to spark new life. Whatever the biological reasons behind this phenomenon, the cacophony of colors that spring forth from the trees is a wonder to behold.

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African Critters

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Africa has more than its fair share of wildlife. Not many large animals — the kind you would typically think of in Africa like lions, elephants, and giraffes — range in urban areas except on private game reserves. The critters that hang out near our house are of a smaller variety. An occasional oversized snake (poisonous or not) slithers its way on to our property until someone dispatches it, but for the most part, the critters who hang around the neighborhood are small reptiles, amphibians, insects, and arachnids.

We have small lizards and geckos. They’re cute, multicolored, and harmless. Mosquitoes, spiders, ants, termites and other pests are omnipresent. They usually multiply at the end of the dry season and beginning of the rainy season (right now, September – January). First the “flatties” – harmless spiders that can grow as large as three inches wide with a very flat profile. Their abdomens can grow so plump that they almost look like small crabs. Flatties look menacing but are more lazy than threatening. I have yet to see one catch an insect — night or day. Like a lazy tomcat, they usually lounge on the walls as if waiting casually for something to come their way. I was startled this morning by a flattie squatting on the side of our computer desk. It must have been 2.5 inches wide with a 3/4 inch abdomen. She blended in well with the woodwork.

Other insects are more of a nuisance and even threatening. The ants in this part of the world are diverse and imposing, from tiny yellow or brown sugar ants attracted to unstored food to large half-inch army ants. One night I saw a stream of army ants marching (quite literally) away from our house down the driveway like a living stream. We fumigated the foundation soon after that – army ants mean business. Unattended beverages with sugar or sweet crumbs are major attractions for the smaller ants. They build large nests around the house foundation and find entry points into the house through the tiniest of openings. It’s quite a sight seeing a mass of ants attacking a snack you’ve left somewhere you thought would have been off limits – like around your den.

Of course, there are the mosquitoes. In this part of the world, mosquitoes can be deadly. Many carry malaria and can leave one very ill or dead if bitten. Where I live in Lusaka is considered malaria-free because of its high altitude (over 4,000 feet), but leaving the city is a different story. There are four strains of malaria to contend with — if you get malaria once, you’re not immune to getting it again. Anti-malaria pills are recommended if you visit Zambia, but they don’t prevent malaria and only help you stay alive if you fall ill. I’ve been told that malaria-carrying mosquitoes are of a particular variety. Zambia’s mosquitoes are diverse. Some are small and silent, and others are slow and noisy, and I have yet to figure out which ones carry malaria. Better to wear mosquito repellent and sleep under mosquito nets treated with repellent. We’ve been thankful the past few months to live relatively mosquito-free, but the little critters have started coming out again.

After the first rain of the season, all the creepy crawlies that lay dormant during the dry season come to life. The winged termites are the first to emerge; they breed in such large quantities that it is a bit like a sooty blizzard when they come out. As they shed their wings and head into the ground, they leave behind piles of wings akin to small snow drifts. Out come the brooms to sweep them up. The termites build mounds that can grow incredibly large. I once saw abandoned termite mounds in northwestern Zambia as tall as a two-story house – with trees growing on top of them! I’ve been told that termites keep building their mounds until they can no longer sustain the brood, and then they disperse in search of new homes. There are few large termite mounds in Lusaka because urbanization has limited the availability of foliage termites consume.

Finally, once a year the caterpillars emerge. Before they become butterflies, many Zambians will collect and use them in a local dish called ifishimu. Ifishimu, or cooked caterpillar and onion salad, is an acquired taste. I tried some and did not like it. I will not try the termite, another common Zambian dish. I’d much rather eat crocodile or snack, two animals most Zambians will not eat.

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Harare, Zimbabwe

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I arrived in Harare, Zimbabwe by car on the evening of May 2 after a long day on the road. That morning I left Malawi and drove about 400 miles (700 kilometers) through Malawi, Mozambique, and Zimbabwe. Although it was a fascinating trip with incredible sights, I was exhausted. I didn’t know what to expect in Harare. I read so many negative news stories about Zimbabwe that my expectations were tempered by preconceived notions.

Once known as Salisbury, the capital of the former British colony and country known and Rhodesia, Harare was at one time of the most prosperous cities in Africa. Three decades after Zimbabwe’s founding, however, Harare had fallen on hard times. I’d read many cautionary tales. Hyperinflation of the Zimbabwean dollar denominated in the trillions before it went out of circulation. Outbreaks of cholera and other pandemics. Unavailability of basic goods, including fuel and food. If one believed the stories told by the international media about Harare, one would think that it had nothing good to offer.

Hence, I was pleasantly surprised to find Harare a relatively modern and livable city. Perhaps low expectations tempered my outlook, prompting me to set them lower than necessary. My brief journey through Zimbabwe depicted a country with many challenges but on the whole in better condition than its reputation belied.

After several days of traveling in the African countryside, I stayed in Harare overnight at a very nice 4-star hotel downtown. The high-rise hotel overlooked a city park that coincidentally hosted the final concert of the weeklong Harare International Music Festival, Zimbabwe’s premier music event. While concertgoers paid unknown sums to spend a few hours listening to jazz, fusion, reggae — you name it – at ground level, I sat perched 15 stories above looking down on the festival and taking in the musical finale. It was a rare treat and a melodious ending to a long, eventful trip through southern Africa. I rested very well that night

I spent the next morning walking around downtown Harare surveying the terrain. The architecture was eclectic; it was both modern and dated with subtle strongman embellishments. The cityscape did not feature any quasi-public monoliths, although I sensed broad brush strokes by the hand of public design. The locals milling about were relatively well dress and moved with purpose on their way to complete all-important tasks. While not as cosmopolitan as other mid-sized cities, Harare held its own in the annals of urban metropolises. Even after years of hardship and neglect, it still remains one of the nicest I’ve seen in southern Africa. Having lived for the past year up the road in Lusaka, Zambia, my view may be a bit colored by urban life in rural Africa. Harare struck me as more amenable than its northern twin, despite the economic challenges it has experienced during the past three decades.

After a brief tour of Harare’s city center, I departed for Lusaka. My stay there was short but sweet. I was impressed enough that I plan to return to Harare in the near future over a long weekend with my family. I want to show them a place that far exceeds the low expectations set by years of negative public perceptions.

Journey from Malawi to Zimbabwe via Mozambique

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