Bulawayo | Flat Tires and Slow Boats

I don’t meltdown often but sometimes something happens that you know is your own fault and screaming won’t help. An internal assault takes place where your mind and body go to battle because there is nothing, and no-one else, to blame. Today was that day for me and the realization of my neglect came in the middle of nowhere surrounded by globe shaped boulders quite content to balance precariously on top of each other as if all the world was in perfect harmony.

It was a metaphor for my day but I didn’t realize it then.

The worst thing that can happen on the road is the loss of travel documents, tickets, and money. I strap this all to my body when I am traveling and unless you take my pants off chances are you’re going to be fresh out of luck if you think you will be able to swipe my stuff; unless of course I leave everything that is valuable sitting on the bar of the hostel. Continue reading A Travelers Worst Nightmare →

Traveling by bus in most developing countries can more often than not be an exercise in patience and mental fortitude. From the bus depot to the “middle of nowhere” where you will inevitably break down is an adventure all its own. The journey will be fraught with time delays both mechanical and cultural; if you have a schedule, forget it…it will be of no use.

The landscape will no doubt be gorgeous, the weather warm, skies blue, and you will be in the same figurative boat as many others; in that you find comfort. There will be laughter and chatter as the bus departs and turns in the direction of its destination.

From here it is just a matter of time before an “oh-so common” scenario will play out. Brace yourself as there is almost no way of getting around it. Take a deep breath, relax, and console yourself with the fact that all control of your day has now been relinquished. Continue reading Zimbabwe Express →