. . .For Guinarona

Definitely the most beautiful place on Earth. We had been there for a year, ’91-’92, and it was nothing short of magical. Jacaranda and fire trees lining the streets and avenues–and when they bloom simultaneously, a battle of colors ensues. The trees’ beauty was all the more pronounced as Harare had all electrical and telephone wires buried underground–a legacy from Cecil Rhodes and the British.

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Would that Guinarona has a fraction of Harare’s superb landscaping, even as our wires dangle from not-so-ugly poles.

We were in Harare when we depended on long distance telephones, the telex and snail mail for communication, and the world wide web was just a dream. Never mind that we had to contend with the deadly mamba snake in our work of exploring Zimbabwe’s caves, measuring and evaluating their bat guano deposits. Never mind that we also dreaded the sight of tse-tse flies in areas close to the caves.

Never mind that some unstable cave rocks would sometimes fall on you.

The fact that you were in the most beautiful place on Earth was enough a reward. That is, politics aside.