Emile Hirsch's "Zimbabwe Diary"

DAY 3

"In the middle of the night my eyes open, disoriented. There is not a single photon of light in the room, its utterly pitch black. Only problem is, I can't remember where I am, which rarely happens to me upon awaking, even when I'm doing lots of traveling. After flailing about panicked in my waterbed from the eighties for a few moments, I realize it's so dark because there's no electricity at night at the Pumpkin Hotel when you're in Kotwa in the Mudzi district of Zimbabwe. Duh".
DAY 6

"I stare into The Devils Cataract with sheer awe--it is no doubt one of the most incredible sights I have seen in my 24 years. Victoria Falls in eastern Zimbabwe, sporting the largest single curtain of falling water on Earth, blows Niagara Falls, well, out of the water. Unending columns of water crash over 100 meters down into deafening explosions below, shooting billowing spray so high into the air that it looks like clouds are above. This bonus trip to the Falls today, our group's chance to see one of the Seven Natural Wonders Of The World, is a treat we're grateful for. My drenched sneakers struggle to keep control as I walk to the edge of the aptly named Danger Point, an unfenced edge of rocks over the falls, the cliffs below holding the violent, frequently whirl pooling torrent of the "Mighty Zambezi" river in place, unmoving and unconcerned with mankind".


DAY 8

"Zimbabwe's people, despite being dimly perceived by the world, are a buoyant, friendly people, living under a weight of oppression. Despite all the political insanity, hardships, a collapsed infrastructure, rampant outbreaks and a severe lack of resources, I've honestly never met a friendlier group of people. Change is coming to Zimbabwe, I think, because the infrastructure is already there--the paved roads, sanitation systems, and farms--they just need to be given a leg up again. Hopefully soon the political situation will calm and foreign investors, other foreign countries such as the United States, and a large tourism industry can boom once again. In the meantime, Oxfam is an invaluable, life saving resource for the Zimbabwe people". Source: www.huffingtonpost.com

"We must accept finite disappointment, but never lose infinite hope". -Martin Luther King, Jr. quote.