Legenda spune ca atunci cand albii au venit pentru prima data pe acest pamant african, si-au stabilit baza pe un mic deal. Negrii, la acea vreme, nu stiau de existenta lampilor cu gaz si luminile pe care le vedeau clipocind in intunericul noptilor li se parea ceva iesit din comun. De aici rezulta si numele orasului Harare - nopti fara somn, actuala capitala a Zimbabwei.
O tara colonizata de englezi care si-a castigat independenta in 1890. In prima faza, tara s-a numit Rhodesia, devenind apoi Zimbabwe ( "case de piatra" ) numindu-se astfel datorita stramosilor care obisnuiau sa-si construiasca locuintele din bucati mari de piatra, pe care le asezau una peste alta pana ajungeau la forma unei piramide. Ruinele de la care a pornit acest nume se gasesc in sudul tarii si dateaza din secolul 12.
Zimbabwe are o populatie de 14 milioane de locuitori, dintre care numai 2 milioane stau in capitala. Limba oficiala este engleza ( toate materiile scolare sunt predate in limba engleza ). Venitul mediu pe economie este de 300$, iar limita de supravietuire este de 500$. Mai mult de 80% din populatie nu lucreaza si traieste din ceea ce cultiva - porumb. Dolarul american este moneda cea mai raspandita, insa sunt acceptate atat south african rans cat si moneda Botswanei ( sa nu radeti dar moneda se numeste " botswana pula" ).
Cum imi place mie sa spun ca soarele este cel mai bun prieten al meu, nu m-a dezamagit nici de data asta si, dupa ce a plouat o noapte intreaga, dimineata mi-am regasit din nou prietenul pe un cer albastru si senin. Impreuna cu alti 3 colegi si Rocky, ghidul nostru, am plecat cu ochelarii de soare pe nas si cu aparatul foto pregatit inspre Lion Park- o rezervatie naturala la 20 de minute de Harare. Am intalnit foarte multi scolari in uniforme, cu ghiozdane in spate, mergand si 3-4 km in fiecare zi ca sa ajunga la scoala. " Datorita zilelor in care fugeam ca sa nu intarziem la scoala cate 4 km, suntem noi, africanii, cei mai buni atleti" - ne-a spus mai in gluma, mai in serios Rocky. Ma gandeam la copii din Romania care au masina la scara blocului si se furiseaza sa ia liftul profesorilor..
Ajunsi la Lion Park, am fost intampinati de insusi regele animalelor, un leu imens care isi pazea cu mare grija iubita, o leoaica la fel de mare ca si el. Prin rezervatie te plimbi cu masina, insa credeti-ma ca nu ati vrea sa aveti o intalnire privata cu niciuna dintre gazdele parcului. Am inteles ca au fost 2 cazuri de oameni mancati de lei in acel parc - primul, un negru atat de credincios incat a crezut ca avand biblia in mana si cantand psalmi, il va salva cineva de la pieire. Asa ca s-a gandit el sa sara gardul ....si numai Biblia a ramas din el. Al doilea caz s-a intamplat acum vreo 3 ani cand un chinez, cu un aparat mare de fotografiat, s-a gandit ca ar iesi mai bine pozele daca s-ar apropia putin de lei. Ceea ce nu a vazut micul nenorocit, a fost un ditamai leul care a venit din spate si care s-a napustit asupra lui.
Asa am aflat si eu ca odata ce un leu mananca un om, trebuie omorat, indiferent daca este in captivitate sau in jungla. Cum se identifica un leu care a mancat carne de om? Este foarte violent si sare sa atace. De obicei leii nu ataca oamenii, ci se feresc de ei. Sfat pe care ni l-a dat ghidul - daca vreodata aveti nesansa sa dati nas in nas cu un leu, cea mai mare greseala este sa va intoarceti cu spatele si sa fugiti. Asta inseamna ca sunteti lasi si veti fi atacati numaidecat. Pastrati contactul vizual, insa nu-l priviti direct in ochi ( va parea ca il provocati ). C-o fi asa, ca n-o fi asa..sper sa nu am ocazia sa demonstrez teoria.
Cateva lucruri care mi s-au parut interesante si demne de notat despre lei:
- daca se indragostesc si au o iubita, nu se uita dupa altele :) leii sunt foarte gelosi, mai ales in perioada de reproducere si isi pazesc iubita tot timpul. Actul sexual la lei dureaza mai putin de 1 minut, asa ca timp de 5 zile nu fac altceva decat sa se reproduca.
- daca le este foarte foame, leul cel mai slab este mancat de ceilalti
- daca iubitul unei leoaice este omorat in lupta de catre altul, supravietuitorul ii va lua locul si ii va omora toti puii celui de dinainte pentru a putea incepe o noua familie cu vaduva.
Mergand intr-un parc alaturat, am zarit un cuplu de girafe ( cum le deosebim? el are petele mai inchise la culoare, ea mai deschise ). Urate animale.... Ce am aflat interesant despre ele? Pai..de exemplu nu stiam ca este animalul cu cea mai puternica inima ( trebuie sa pompeze pana sus la cap - drum lung, nu gluma ). Stiati ca dorm cu capul in sus? Eu nu. Lovitura data cu picioarele din spate este atat de puternica incat poate omora si un leu.
Zebre, porci mistreti, gazele si bivoli- cam asta am mai vazut pe acolo. Urmatoarea ora am petrecut-o facand cunostina cu Tommy, o testoasa tinerica ( doar 300 de ani ) foarte prietenoasa, mai ales cu mine. Mi-a spus ingrijitorul ca ii place sa fie frecata de gat, am zis sa-i fac hatarul...sigur nu a avut placerea de a fi mangaiata de nicio romanca pana acum. Se pare ca i-a placut atat de tare ca a venit cativa metri buni dupa mine..asa..incet, cum se misca din cauza batranetii si a speciei. Ah...si piciorul ei cantarea 500kg..
Am vazut si o hiena ( asta chiar l-a suparat pe Dumnezeu mult de a facut-o atat de urata ). Acum stiu ca este animalul cu cel mai puternic maxilar. Poate rupe chiar si piciorul unui elefant!!
Cireasa de pe tort a fost, bineinteles, joaca cu leutii. Unul micut si dulce, tinut intr-o incapere si Leo, baiatul care mi-a furat inima si privirea. Ce sa ma mai gandesc ca nu era animal de casa ci un ditamai leul, daca nu l-am pupat si l-am tras de coada si de urechi de l-am lasat dormind :). Foarte frumos acest animal...blana alba si ochi albastri. L-as fi luat cu mine acasa cu siguranta.
Ultima oprire a fost la un market local, de unde mi-am putut cumpara statuete din lemn - si uite asa m-am facut cu o mare girafa, 2 statuete, 2 tablouri sculptate, si alte mici lucrusoare. Nu stiu unde le mai pun, dar nu ma pot abtine.
Unde mai ajung luna asta? Urmeaza Venetia, India si Tunisia. Voi reveni cu un post despre Tunisia la inceputul lunii vitoare.
Pentru poze, click aici.
English
Legend says that when the white people first came to this African land, they have established their base on a small hill. The blacks
at that time, did not know of the existence of gas lamps and lights so, when
they saw it rippling in the dark nights was something out of the
ordinary. Hence the name of the city Harare - sleepless nights, the current capital of Zimbabwe.A country colonized by the British who gained independence in 1890. At
first, the country was called Rhodesia, becoming later Zimbabwe ("stone
houses")- is so called because their ancestors used to build houses
of large pieces of stone, which they placed one on top of another until it
reached the form of a pyramid. Ruins of this houses can be found in the southern part and dates from the 12th century.
Zimbabwe has a population of 14 million inhabitants, of which only 2 million are in the capital. The official language is English (all school subjects are taught in English). The average income is $ 300 and the poverty bottom line is 500$. More than 80% of the population is unemployed and live on crops - mainly corn. The U.S. dollar is the currency, but there are accepted South African rans and Botswana Pula .
As I like to say that the sun is my best friend, I didn't get disappointed this time either, and after it rained all night, in the morning I found my friend again on a clear blue sky. Together with 3 other colleagues and Rocky, our guide, we left with the sunglasses on the nose and the camera ready towards Lion Park, 20 minutes of Harare. Along the way, I've seen many scholars in uniform with backpacks, walking 3-4 km every day to get to school. "Because of the days when we were running late for school, 4 km, we, the Africans, are the best athletes" - He said half serious half joking, Rocky.
Arriving at Lion Park, we were greeted by the very king of beasts, a huge lion who carefully guarded his girlfriend, a lion as big as him. We stayed in the car the whole trip, but believe me you do not want to have a private meeting with any of the hosts . I understand there were 2 cases of people eaten by lions in that park - the first, a black believer that thought the lions won't hurt him if he had the bible in his hand. So he thought to jump the fence .... and only the Bible was left of him. The second case happened about three years ago when a Chinese guy, with a large camera, thought he would get a better picture if jhe would get a little bit closer to the lions. What he did not see the little unfortunate was a huge lion coming from behind.
So I found out that once a lion eats a man, it has to be killed, whether in captivity or in the wild. How to identify a lion that ate human flesh? It is very violent and attacks you. Lions usually do not attack humans. The guide gave us some advice - if you ever have the misfortune to encounter a lion, the biggest mistake is to turn your back and run. This means that you are a coward and you will be attacked immediately. Maintain eye contact, but do not look directly into his eyes (it would seem that you challenge it). .. I hope I won't have the opportunity to prove his theory.
Some things I thought were interesting and noteworthy about lions:
Zimbabwe has a population of 14 million inhabitants, of which only 2 million are in the capital. The official language is English (all school subjects are taught in English). The average income is $ 300 and the poverty bottom line is 500$. More than 80% of the population is unemployed and live on crops - mainly corn. The U.S. dollar is the currency, but there are accepted South African rans and Botswana Pula .
As I like to say that the sun is my best friend, I didn't get disappointed this time either, and after it rained all night, in the morning I found my friend again on a clear blue sky. Together with 3 other colleagues and Rocky, our guide, we left with the sunglasses on the nose and the camera ready towards Lion Park, 20 minutes of Harare. Along the way, I've seen many scholars in uniform with backpacks, walking 3-4 km every day to get to school. "Because of the days when we were running late for school, 4 km, we, the Africans, are the best athletes" - He said half serious half joking, Rocky.
Arriving at Lion Park, we were greeted by the very king of beasts, a huge lion who carefully guarded his girlfriend, a lion as big as him. We stayed in the car the whole trip, but believe me you do not want to have a private meeting with any of the hosts . I understand there were 2 cases of people eaten by lions in that park - the first, a black believer that thought the lions won't hurt him if he had the bible in his hand. So he thought to jump the fence .... and only the Bible was left of him. The second case happened about three years ago when a Chinese guy, with a large camera, thought he would get a better picture if jhe would get a little bit closer to the lions. What he did not see the little unfortunate was a huge lion coming from behind.
So I found out that once a lion eats a man, it has to be killed, whether in captivity or in the wild. How to identify a lion that ate human flesh? It is very violent and attacks you. Lions usually do not attack humans. The guide gave us some advice - if you ever have the misfortune to encounter a lion, the biggest mistake is to turn your back and run. This means that you are a coward and you will be attacked immediately. Maintain eye contact, but do not look directly into his eyes (it would seem that you challenge it). .. I hope I won't have the opportunity to prove his theory.
Some things I thought were interesting and noteworthy about lions:
- if they fall in love and have a girlfriend, they do not cheat :) lions are very jealous, especially during breeding and guard their lover all the time. Because the intercourse takes less than one minute, 5 days they do nothing but reproduce.
- if they are very hungry, the strongest eats the weakest
- If a lion is killed in battle by another, the survivor will take its place, kill all the other ones' cubs before starting a new family with the widow.
Walking through the park , I saw a couple of giraffes (how can you tell if it's a she or a he? He has darker spots ). Ugly animals .... What I found interesting about them? Well .. I did not know that it is the animal with the strongest heart (must pump the blood up till the head - long way, no joke). Did you know that they're sleeping with their head up? I didn't.
Zebras, wild boars, gazelles and buffalos, that's what I saw there. I spent the next hour greeting Tommy, a young turtle (only 300 years) very friendly, especially with me. The Caretaker told me that it likes to be rubbed behind his neck. It seems that he liked me so much that he came a few feet following .. so .. slowly .. Ah ... one leg weighted 500kg ..
I saw a hyena. Now I know that is the animal with the strongest jaw. It can break even an elephants foot!The cherry on top was, of course, playing with lion cubs. One small and sweet, kept in a room and Leo, the boy who stole my heart and eyes. Very beautiful this animal ... white fur and blue eyes. I would have definitely taken it home with me.Last stop was at a local market, where I bought some wooden statues - and that's how I became the owner of a big giraffe, two statues, two carved panels and other small little things. I do not know where to put them, but I can not help it.What's next? Venice, India and Tunisia. I'll be back with a post about Tunisia.For pictures, click here.
