musings

I had a rare opportunity to spend three weeks in Harare, Zimbabwe between February and March. Here are some things I learned.

Seasonal rainfall is huge concern for most Zimbabweans because almost every person I encountered is into farming.

Relatively small patches of land are used for planting maize and sugar beans, which means that late or failing rains have consequences.

Poultry farming is ubiquitous.

One can order egg incubators and have them delivered to your home.

... online meetings have become a thing for even obscure corners of the world.

Some years ago, I drove from Johannesburg to Lüderitz on the Namibian coast for a friend’s wedding.

As I approached the town, the dysfunctional railway line which once linked Keetmanshoop to Bahnhof Lüderitz (as the Germans who built it in 1906 called it), frequently vanished under shifting desert sands. In the town, the station itself was derelict.

Construction of the railway line by the Germans took 9 months. Let me quote a well-documented historical account :

I attended a birthday party today; my mother's best friend turned 90 during the week. They have been friends for 75 years.