Becoming The Muse

Coffee With Amusement Rides

If you were having coffee with me, I would be happy to have you visit my tangle of words… Did you catch the blood moon the other week? I am blaming all the weird energy going on in the world, on that celestial event.

The Luna Park was in town… (though technically, it’s not affiliated to the historic amusement park chain that started on Coney Island, New York in 1903). The Family Amusement Park is a travelling entertainment outfit that moves in Zimbabwe from town to town throughout the year.

When I was a kid, it was a big deal when we went to experience the amusement park rides, from the Big Jets to the Ferris wheel and of course the Rollercoaster. I was curious to see how it had evolved over the years and also to chaperone my nephews on their first trip to an amusement park. They had loads of fun and I am sure they will have stories for days to tell their friends and have material for that “Day I will never forget” essay teachers like to give people when schools open.

If you were having coffee with me, I would tell you that if I am not mistaken, the amusement park rides were the very same ones I saw when I was young, they might even be less options than there used to be… but the candyfloss tasted exactly as I remembered it…

If you were having coffee with me, I would tell you that the National Railways (NRZ) alongside the Ministry Of Tourism resurrected a Lazarus erm Luxury a Leisure Train Service that runs from Harare to Mutare for the Sanganai/Hlanganani Tourism Expo.

The train fare was initially pegged at $60 which seemed overpriced given the viral images that were shared about the train’s dance coach which kinda missed the vintage luxury aesthetic they were going for. The fare was was later reviewed to $20.

The leisure train took 10 hours to travel from Harare to Mutare, making brief stops at Marondera, Rusape, Headlands and Odzi. It was travelling at a leisurely speed of 35km/h to ensure travellers got the full experience of the scenic landscape.

@beatonm5

Luxury Train Sanganai/Hlanganani/Kumbanayi Train arriving in Mutare from Harare #NRZ #Zimbabwe #Mutare #train #zimtiktok

♬ original sound – ~B – ~B

The initiative is supposed to continue beyond the Tourism Expo, although an official schedule hasn’t been availed as yet… Meanwhile, Air Zimbabwe introduced daily flights between Harare and Mutare in support of the same expo. The 30-minute flight costs $85 and I am adding a bucket list itinerary of doing a round trip which includes one way by rail and a return trip by air or road.

If you were having coffee with me, I would tell you that to address the increase in drug abuse and crimes committed by unregulated vehicles, a government official announced that with immediate effect they would be banning cars from having tinted windows, so police officers could see the occupants of vehicles as well as their contents.

This ban has not yet been implemented as it turned out there isn’t any supporting legal instrument to support such a measure, as well as the public outcry by people expressing how the government is fond of banning of things as a solution to problems which only creates more problems instead of addressing the issue of concern.

If you were having coffee with me, I would tell you about a Zimbabwean slay queen who has gone viral for birthday celebrations in Italy, given the rumours that her lavish lifestyle is funded by the proceeds of ill-begotten state-funds. She was likened to be more tone deaf than Marie Antoinette of the let them eat cake debacle as her extravagant lifestyle boldly proclaims “let them watch us eat”.

Meanwhile, like clockwork the power utility company is going through its routine maintenance which means there will be more of the loadshedding and power outages for the next month. The equipment is always in a state of perpetual maintenance with small breaks when it operates at capacity.

Whats been happening in your neck of the woods?

~B