Has anyone out there has had LASEK recently?

Has anyone been to Zimbabwe recently or is anyone planning on visiting soon?

• I am going to Zimbabwe in a few weeks. I wish to share/exchange travel tips with any one who has recently been there or who plans on going there soon. Cheers

• Answer:

  I worked there for a couple of years, mainly in Harare, 3 years ago. With the fuel and other problems I would recommend that you visit Botswana or Zambia and make day trips into Zimbabwe. Zimbabwe is beautiful but the government and government officials are lousy. Check that you are not in one of the prohibited categories of vistors. Journalists and others are not allowed into the country. If you are planning on taking lots of pictures and keeping a journal e-mail them out asap. The government is paranoid and they threaten bone fide tourists as spies, agitators and worse. You have the must sees listed by others. The latest report I've heard, is that most of the wildlife has been eaten by Zanu PF. There are B&Bs and hotels the food is quite expensive but the staff are friendly and helpful. You will face all kinds of extortion methods. Some of them are official like the airport "taxes" and the currency restrictions. Read the restrictions carefuly because they change frequently and you could end up in trouble. Some of the extortion methods are weird. If you drive past a bare pole, you may be fined, because 6 years ago there was a stop sign there. Another favourite scam is the drunk who hammers on your hotel bedroom door and says that you are in their room. If you try and handle him yourself the police round the corner of the corrider will arrest you for assault. So know the number for hotel security. If you do have cash for charity give it straight to the street people. The Zanu PF guy that was officialy collecting cash for street kids lived in a mansion, wore silk suits and glittered with gold. I don't think that any money he collects is filtered down. Don't deal on the "black" currency market because the police are watching and the dealers will sell you the best forged foreign notes. Zimbabwe is in meltdown and Robert Mugabe is trying to starve members of the Movement for Democratic Change. Food donors have to decorate the grain bags with Zanu PF - the ruling party, logos and slogans. Expect to see thousands of starving Zimbabweans. Mad Bob Mugabe has been indoctrinating party members into a para-military force that is at the moment stealing grain from the villagers. They are also burning down shanty towns and killing the homeless. If you stay away from officials you will enjoy the place. Get the largest moonbag you can buy. The largest Zim Banknote is the 100 000 Zim dollar which buys a loaf of bread. So you need a lot of notes for anything worthwhile. Curios are dirt cheap so make sure that you have a lot of weight allowance. Don't wait until the last day on your visa to leave. Mugabe and the Zanu PF bunch often commandeer planes for shopping trips in Europe, so flights are disrupted. If you overstay your visa - see the points under extortion. If you spend time in Harare, enjoying the nightlife, find out where the Presidents palace is. The main road is closed at night and his guards are trigger happy. Stay away from hero's acre if you don't have a dark complexion.