Discovering your way along life's long and winding road

Today, I drove from Victoria Falls to Bulawayo, Zimbabwe.  I rather seriously under-calculated the distance and driving time.  The trip that I thought would be about 2.5 hours, turned out to be about 6.  Not to complain -- but I'll need to retrace the route back tomorrow, so I'm certainly getting some intensive driving experiences in Africa.

Of course, driving in Zimbabwe isn't quite like driving at home.  First, the folks here drive on the British side of the road.  The service station attendant laughed as I almost tried to get into the passenger seat to drive away.  Gas is pricey, but not outrageous -- the somewhat battered Avis car I rented burned about $50 U.S. in the tank, not much different than we would pay at home for the same distance.

There are other differences.  Tolls ($2.00 US total), and police stops -- I counted about six of them along the way.  Each time, the officers either waved me through or asked an innocent question; no heavy-handedness, but it seems plenty of make-work for police officers in this country.  Lots of people walking on the side of the roads -- along with oxen and a few baboons.  

I chose Victoria Falls as my "landing" destination because this is a touristic trip, after all.  But it would be folly for me to travel half way around the world and not visit Bulawayo, if only briefly. This is where I discovered my religion 32 years ago.  Then, there were about 1,200 Jewish families in town, and a vibrant community.  Today, the entire Jewish population is 70.  The main synagogue burned down a few years ago but people here don't believe it related to any anti-Semitism and possibly was an accidental fire.  Now the much-reduced congregation meets at what had been a Reform synagogue, and I attended Friday night services.

I will only have a few hours here tomorrow before I need to return to Victoria Falls for my last night in Africa.  While I gathered a few photos here, I'll save these for later (and the scenic and amazing drive is something  I could not capture digitally -- without risking my life driving on the Zimbabwean highway.

I count my blessings.  Decisions made when I was 25 and 26 years old in this part of the world shaped and defined my life, and made possible this brief but wonderfully challenging African adventure.  Life is good when you are prepared to take creative and rational risks.  

(And not a word about construction marketing in today's posting, I realize. . . . seems kind of irrelevant when you are finding your way through Western Zimbabwe.)

Travelling down memory lane in Zimbabwe

Some 32 years ago, I discovered many life answers living through the transition from Rhodesia to Zimbabwe.  Now, in the Victoria Falls Hotel, I'm reliving memories from a different perspective, observing the consistencies in tradition and experience despite time and change.

The hotel, for example, is largely what it was in the early years of the 20th century.  White patrons are served by black waiters, the thundering falls in the near distance.

When I last visited Victoria Falls in January 1979, I had managed to finesse a work permit marked "journalist" so, instead of heading to view the falls and other tourist facilities here, I focused on the human condition and wartime challenges.  This visit is purely touristic -- I won't discuss politics or even think of critical journalism -- so I paid the $30US fee and visited the falls.

This is truly a magnificent wonder of the world; intense, powerful nature at its most dramatic and intense level.  I shot a video of the falls, walking for a few minutes with a 25-year-old Zimbabwean electrician, on leave from his job; himself enjoying the tourist site.  (Ironically, I was 25 years old when I last lived in Zimbabwe).

Obviously, very few blog readers will have reason to travel to central Africa to view waterfalls.  And I doubt many of you would even visualize yourself driving for three hours in a rented car (British driving side) to Bulawayo.  Hardly much to do with construction marketing.

But we are shaped by our choices, experiences and decisions when we are young, and undoubtedly my experiences in Africa have defined my life.  Accordingly, I'm celebrating the results, and remembering the amazing adventures that brought me here in the first place.

Geography, history and construction marketing

When you spend a day in a place like Florence Italy (after some time in Istanbul/Constantinople) you become aware of how big and how small the world is. I'm sure these feelings will magnify tomorrow as I head to Zimbabwe.

Of course it is unlikely you will have reason to provide your services in any of these countries.  While the architectural, engineering and construction community is truly international, most designers and contractors work within rather narrow geographical areas.  Sure, some multinational companies bid on huge jobs and consortiums link international firms with local businesses -- and some services, especially in the design area -- can be outsourced.  However, the costs and complexities of serving diverse international markets scare off most but the well-organized and capitalized businesses.

Yet geography and history certainly play a role in business and construction marketing, even at the local level.  As I crossed through tourist sections of central Florence, I could see how merchants congregated in groups, with the most expensive, high ticket items sold in the most concentrated natural marketing point:  A central, historical bridge.  (The idea of using bridges for retail commerce hasn't caught on much in Canada or the U.S. but it works well in Europe an Turkey where pedestrians funnel through small areas -- and bridges act as perfect funnels.)

History undoubtedly is important as well.  Traditions, values, stories, memories and even the geographical landscape of the communities we serve are often influenced by decisions made long ago.  Knowing something about these decisions can be important, even if it is to be aware of potential archaeological dig issues.  (Under-water ancient artifacts have gummed up a rapid transit tunnel in Istanbul.)

We live in the present, in our actual location, but we live in a world shaped by events in the past, in a diversity of locations.  No marketer should dwell too much on distant things -- but every construction marketer should be aware of the bigger picture of history and geography, and the possible consequences of distant decisions on current realities.

Turkish delight and construction marketing

Tomorrow evening, I'll be on a flight to Istanbul, Turkey, the first stage of a two-week trip that will also take me to Florence, Italy and Victoria Falls and Bulawayo, Zimbabwe.  It is an unusual itinerary, explained in part by the preferences of my wife, the rules for business class airline points awards redemption, and my desire to travel three decades down memory lane. See this earlier blog posting for an explanation about the Zimbabwe interest.

There will be some business along the way, especially in understanding the booming Turkish construction economy.  If you are involved in the Turkish architectural, engineering or construction industry, please email buckshon@cnrgp.com.

Blog entries here will be a little sporadic during the travels, while they will be maintained if possible daily at constructionmarketingideas.com.