An unexpected Christmas and New Year in Salisbury, Rhodesia before it became the sorry state of Harare, Zimbabwe. "All you need to do is nip down there and take freight out to the assembly areas and you'll all be home for Christmas" they said. Yeah right. I think it was the Ides of March when we finally left one of the most beautiful countries in the world to its fate. The weather was fantastic, the people lovely, the allowances phenomenal and the flying was unhindered by air traffic. The food was exquisite and the hotel excellent. When the Boss came out on a shuttle he was entertained at a pool barbecue with drinks served by the staff and he said "How am I going to go home to your nearest and dearest and tell them that you are suffering the privations of a bush detachment"
I nearly bought a coffee plantation in Chipinga before the election results declared that the fabled Bob Mugabe had "won". The hotel owner said "We are all refugees now"
It was the last of the "Bring a bottle" wars.