Zimbabwe

Up to this point all our visas had been free, but this all changed at the Zim border. Hard currency (US dollars, UK pounds, Euros) are handy/necessary for many parts of Africa, however we didn't have much of it left at this point, and we had significantly less once we entered Zim. For Canadian and UK passport holders the visa cost was $75 or 60 Euros, but it was much less for Australian passport holders, so I gave the border guard a quick "G'day" and handed over my Aussie passport while whistling Walzing Matilda.

Although we were now out of hard currency we were fully aware that since 2008, following years of hyperinflation, the Zim dollar (with printed notes up to the value of 100 trillion) had gone under, and the country's official currency is now the US dollar, although the US dollar had been the unofficial currency for some years. Although the cost of living had soared since 'dollarisation', the country's ATMs now dispense US dollars which makes it the perfect place to stock up on hard currency.