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Zimbabwe reports or not?

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davidx Premium account Joined: Dec 04 Points: 34719 Posts: 440 Posted: 2006-07-06 13:12:00    Hi As a prelude I should say that I agree with and support the idea that politics has no place in a travel site. I had a wonderful holiday in Zimbabwe in 1991 but I can't do a report without at least making it clear that I should neither dream of going now myself nor recommending anybody else [certainly not English] to do so. I should be interested to know whether others would find that sort of caveat in order. I don't promise to follow advice given but it may help me decide whether to keep to my present policy of not writing about it. Cheers David --- Grieve not for that which you cannot do but rejoice in that which you can. Reply    Reply with quote    Contact davidx   st.vincent Joined: Mar 06 Points: 2322 Posts: 23 Posted: 2006-07-06 16:06:00    I think your observations and memories of Zimbabwe back in 1991 will be of great interest David and I don't think you should worry about publishing a report. I can see why you might be concerned about the reaction to prefacing the report with a warning to people not to go there. But I think most people considering going there today will be well aware of the political situation and possible dangers and would do their own research before travelling. Perhaps you could start the report with a short commentary explaining the situation that the country was in when you visited and that it is clearly different now. Writing the report in the past tense might help to reiterate this throughout the text. I hope you decide to publish (and that you won't be damned). Regards Clive Reply    Reply with quote    Contact st.vincent   daniserralta Premium account Joined: Aug 02 Points: 11491 Posts: 124 Posted: 2006-07-06 19:45:00    Hi David! In my opinion politics is very important for travellers, so into the travel websites too. Is very important for an independent traveller to know what's going on out there. (Specially into volatile countries like Zimbabwe and many more.) And I also think that politics make some countries have an special identity. Sometimes makes it a better experience, more interesting, or just curious, sometimes it shows the worst of the human-being and sometimes make dangerous a simple journey. .... .... Politics is part of life as travel is. In my opinion, maybe that's not the place to talk hard about politics but is a place to discuss or advice about it too. Just another point of view. Dani! --- The journey is the reward. -- Tao saying Reply    Reply with quote    Contact daniserralta   rangutan Premium account Joined: Aug 04 Points: 34752 Posts: 1044 Posted: 2006-07-06 23:37:00    ... it was extreamly difficult to write a report on Mozambique too, there are a LOT of political facts that could explain the current situation but I refrained because the info can easily be found elsewhere and others are better writers than me when is comes to social and political matters. Political power can be extreme and ruling regemes NOT a true image of the people. Travelling, I am pleased to say 99% of the people I meet are friendly and decent. It is often the 1% rebels and criminals that destroy the image of a country usually in chase of some political ideal. That is why I did not write more about the civil war in Mozambique or the communist government, neither that gangs were sent around after independance raping and robbing nuns and priests! www.globosapiens.net/rangutan-travelogue/Maputo.html R'Rudi --- Rudolf "Rangutan" Graspointner Reply    Reply with quote    Contact rangutan   downundergal Premium account Joined: Jun 02 Points: 12936 Posts: 221 Posted: 2006-07-09 09:07:00    Along the same lines of deciding what is "good tourism" or not I have been in a similar quandry for some time over deciding whether I should visit Myanmar (Burma) due to the political situation there. On the one hand you are giving money to a dreadful regime but on the other if you choose carefully who you deal with you could be helping a local family make a living. So David, I think all travel experiences are needed on Globo and as suggested re-iterate when it was that you visited and let people make their own minds up. My 2 cents worth... --- Where to next? Reply    Reply with quote    Contact downundergal   davidx Premium account Joined: Dec 04 Points: 34719 Posts: 440 Posted: 2006-07-09 11:55:00    Thanks for the replies and I think I probably shall do a couple of reports and upload some photos on Zimbabwe. It will mot be for a bit as I have to scan on a lot of slides first and that means deciding purchasing tactics [with a printer in need of repair or replacement] - or pestering a friend again. --- Grieve not for that which you cannot do but rejoice in that which you can. Reply    Reply with quote    Contact davidx