Harare: Where Your Socks Go to Die and Your Phone Dies Faster
so i just checked and it's...there right now, hope you like that kind of thing. 18.23°c, feels like 18.22°c, which is basically perfect if you're into that 'not too hot, not too cold' nonsense. but hey, it's africa, so expect the unexpected. like, one minute you're sweating in a t-shirt, the next you're digging out a sweater because the wind decided to show up. classic harare weather, amirite?
anyway, if you get bored, [cities] are just a short drive away. chitungwiza, epworth, ruwa... they're like harare's slightly less glamorous cousins. someone told me that epworth has the best street food, but honestly, i just remember getting lost there once and almost joining a church service by accident. true story.
harare's history is basically a soap opera. founded in 1890 by some british dudes who named it salisbury after their prime minister. then it became the capital of rhodesia, then the federation thing with zambia and malawi. renamed harare in 1980 when zimbabwe became independent. the name comes from some chief neharawe, who probably just wanted a quiet life.
geography-wise, it's on this highveld plateau, which means it's cooler than your average african city. elevation 1,483 meters, so you can pretend you're exercising while just walking to the shop. soils are all weird too - reddish brown clay in the north, gray-brown sands in the south. the original landscape was like a savanna parkland, which sounds fancy but basically means there were trees and grass.
climate? subtropical highland, which is a fancy way of saying 'it's not too bad, but can be unpredictable'. average temp 18°c, but summers hit 27-28°c and winters drop to 13.9-16.7°c. rainfall averages 800-1250mm, mostly between october and april. so pack both sunscreen and a raincoat. and maybe a life jacket, because flooding happens.
population? mostly shona and ndebele people, with a decent european community leftover from colonial times. it's the economic heart of zimbabwe - manufacturing, industry, transport hub, all that jazz. they grow virginia tobacco there, which is fancy.
things to be aware of: urban sprawl is real. the city just keeps growing, swallowing up everything in its path. informal settlements are everywhere, and affordable housing? good luck with that. also, the high altitude means you might feel a bit light-headed, but hey, it's good for the soul, right?
distinctive features? well, it's the only major city in africa with a temperate highland climate. colorful jacaranda trees bloom in october-november, turning the place into a purple wonderland. and it's surrounded by game parks and farmland, so you can pretend you're in the wild while still being in the city.
once called salisbury, it's got this weird mix of colonial architecture and modern chaos. the kopje hill is still there, the foundation of the old commercial area. it's like history is literally under your feet while you're trying to find a decent coffee shop.
so yeah, harare. it's messy, it's chaotic, it's got great weather if you're into that 18°c thing, and it'll probably lose your socks. but it's home. or at least, it's a place you can write a blog post about while sipping lukewarm coffee.
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- https://topiclo.com/post/meerut-rode-a-packed-train-got-historical-grime-and-ate-something-fried
- https://topiclo.com/post/my-faisalabad-adventure-heat-history-and-everything-in-between
- https://topiclo.com/post/shanghai-where-the-bund-meets-the-bureaucracy