Futuristic Ghost Town (Zim)

Petrol is now supposed to be illegal to sell in Zimbabwe. Where there used to be 3 day long lines just months ago to purchase the liquid gold that petrol has become in so much of the planet, now the stations lay empty like some futuristic ghost-town.
Obviously, from the cars packed with people, spilling out like chunky soup in an overflowing bowl, there is petrol in the country. It is all purchased on the black market, like most daily items in Zimbabwe. One way the petrol comes into the country is via South Africa. Semis load up gallons of the liquid gold into milky white plastic jugs. They pile them onto their trucks and pay off the border guards to get into the country. The semis barrel through the highways of Zimbabwe until they are flagged down at certain black market stops. Young men wait at these checkpoints. They grab the fuel off the trucks so quickly that it reminds me of a drive through Taco Bell, late at night in a college town. The semi then continues on as if it were never there and had never stopped.
Across the street from one of these points, hidden in the trees is where we bought our petrol. We slowed down and pulled to the side of the dusty road when our driver yelled to the young men drinking orange juice by the highway. Within seconds we were swarmed by the men we saw and more that came out of the trees. They asked questions about the two white women in the car and eyed us suspiciously. Eventually they relaxed and the jovial yelling that is bargaining in this country commenced.
Soon we had our petrol and were waving good-naturedly to the orange-juice swigging, tree-hiding men. We were off. A typical Zimbabwe filling station.