August 15

 

Shock.  Horror.  We have a booking for tonight on Airbnb.  First of all it is just an inquiry and we half expect the same thing to happen as before - that the person booking will try and bypass the system and see if they can book privately.  However, they don't. They book.

The cottage is all ready, but we go and give it a dusting and sweep the floors and put new flowers in the vase.  The guests arrive at 5pm.  They are a couple from Harare with their teenage daughter and are on the way to Victoria Falls for the weekend.  

It is a sad fact that most Zimbabweans cannot afford to visit tourist attractions within Zimbabwe unless they are camping or staying at budget hotels and B&Bs.  So many hotels and resorts aim to attract the foreign tourist who is able to pay far more. There used to be a two tier system, but apparently it was done away with as tourists did not feel it was fair.

Now that we have zero foreign tourists, all the luxury safari camps and lodges are vying for what local business there is.  Specials abound.  Some people have been quite understandably angry about this.  Of course, once our borders are open again, we will be forgotten about again. For the moment though, those who can, like this family, are experiencing what they can at a more affordable rate.

Around half past six in the evening, a car arrives at the gate and hoots.  I don't like going down to the gate at night because I have no idea of who is there.  The car has lots of lights and bears some resemblance to Kit from Knight Rider, except that, if it was, it would have turbo boosted itself over the gate by now.

For once I am quite glad that Rolo is throwing himself at the gate in a very vicious manner. However, the man at the gate is very polite and friendly.  He is looking for a short term let for his girlfriend - from now until the end of September.  I ask him to come back tomorrow so we can discuss the idea and he can have a look at the cottage.