22 July 2016
We had to get up at the ungodly hour of 0730 today to prepare for pickup for our half day of white water rafting. Jacob, our driver, was able to join us on this activity for free because he is Zambian, which we were all really pleased about. Jacob is lovely, super helpful and a very good driver. It was great to be having his company for some fun things too.
I wasn’t very sure that I wanted to do this activity. I don’t like being splashed with cold water, never mind being repeatedly swamped with it and half drowned. And I get really frightened when any water gets in my mouth or up my nose. But I knew if I didn’t try this now I might never do it, and it seemed insane to come all this way and then renege at the last moment. So I bit my tongue and carried on, even though I would far rather have given it a miss.
A team of about 8 incredibly well built locals picked us up in a truck and drove us for an hour far into what appeared to be African bush that I became afraid we were being kidnapped. More fool them, mind, because I wouldn’t have given a single Zambian kwacha to get Yanni back, although by this stage of our travels I might well have paid handsomely to have her removed! But we did eventually arrive at a launch site where three other rafts were being inflated and three eager parties waited eagerly to get on them. Our raft leader gave us a very competent introduction to rafting and instructions on various key positions and terms; then we got on the raft and practiced a few maneuvers before paddling out into the middle of the river behind the other three rafts.
We spent the next 4 hours in various states of horror, exultation, anxiety when other rafts turned over, panic when we jumped in the water to swim and noticed crocodiles sleeping on the banks, delight and about a hundred other feelings. Our instructor introduced us to each rapid as we approached it giving its number and name, and what names they had - the washing machine; the destroyer; terminator 1 and 2; the boiling pot; and so on. Insanely, we paddled full speed into each of the rapids and kept obeying instruction to paddle no matter what hit us. I repeatedly landed in the bottom of the raft and paddled frantically from there. At times we reached tipping point, but somehow the raft just managed to make it over the edge of the wave and back down and up in to the next one. Some times we had to throw ourselves down on our knees in the bottom of the raft and cling to the cable along the side. The water was freezing; the danger of capsize was very real; and the feeling of camaraderie and joy each time we battled through a rapid was fabulous. We yelled and whooped as we left the tumult behind us, and clapped paddles together as a team to congratulate ourselves each time we got through without being tipped over.
At times, when the river was calm or there was just a small rapid, we were allowed to jump out of the raft and allow ourselves to be carried along by the water. Sometimes we were caught in little rapids and tossed around; a couple of times we were caught in little whirlpools and spun helplessly around until we were spat out by the water and allowed to continue. I can’t remember how many times I found myself being dragged towards rocks by fast flowing water and had to swim very hard to avoid them. Twice a canoe nipped in and rescued me, which was really fun. One held a small piece of rope on the front of the canoe and put ones feet up to cling to its sides, and the canoe’s quickly took us to safety. Once I had to let go of the front and catch the back cable, and this meant kicking like billy-0 as the canoeist paddled us to safety. One time Yanni was swept far up front and away around the corner of the river, but as I had been swept towards rocks and then dunked under the water I couldn’t do anything about it. I was getting really worried when I was finally pulled aboard a raft, but happily Yanni has been tracked by a canoeist and was already sitting happily in one of the rafts trading insults with some Americans. The whole thing was a tremendous adventure, and I would warmly recommend that everyone do it. ONCE.
While bungee jumping was frightening as hell, the experience only lasted about 15 minutes in all. Long enough to see people preparing to jump and laugh at them as the wet themselves and wailed and had to be pushed off; then to realize we were being selected to be prepared and chained and whatnot; and then the one minute drop after they pushed you off. Terrifying, exhilarating, and all that stuff, but short. The white water rafting went from pick up at 0800 hours to return to the hotel at 1500 hours. And every minute of it was totally engaging and exciting.
Oddly enough, I lost my voice during the rafting although I don’t know when. And when we got out of the raft after so many hours of frantic paddling, I found it very difficult to walk. My enraged leg and arm muscles went on strike as soon as I tried to get out of the raft and on to dry land. I had to be semi dragged out, and could only then walk with small lurches in an I’ve-wet-my-pants-position. One felt a fool. We were asked, very politely, if we would like to walk up the cliff to the waiting car or take a cable care. The cliffs were extremely high, sheer, and well over 100 meters so we were told, and to have climbed them would have taken many, many hours - if we could have done it at all. So Yanni and I scrambled for places in the cable car, and stood there with the other exhausted msungus (whites) as we helped to prop each other up/slumped on the floor in exhaustion, and congratulated each other on the fantastic job we had done surviving the rapids. We were all a bit aghast to note, just as we came towards the top of the cliff, the Zambian staff actually jogging up the side of the cliffs with either a canoe or part of a life raft on their heads! Unbelievable! They all got to the top of the cliff before we even got out of the cable car, then they had to put all the equipment down to come and help drag me to somewhere I could sit down. And somehow they were still all smiles and laughter as they dismantled all the equipment and lifted it on to the back of the truck, before helping us to seats inside and then taking their seats clinging to the equipment on the back for our 1 hour drive back through the villages and out to our hotel. I just cannot conceive of how anyone could get so incredibly fit!
We finished the day at a lovely hotel watching the sun go down while we got slightly pizzled. Being lightweights, this wasn’t too difficult. Yanni advised on cocktails and introduced me to the Bellina and a few others I can’t remember. Everything seemed enormously amusing after that, even not being able to walk properly. We collapsed into bed feeling utterly exhausted and that we would never get out of bed again. Which couldn’t happen because we were booked to do a micro lite flight over the falls and had to be up for an 0730 pickup. And why I kept letting myself be talked into doing all this stuff I do not know.
Tuesday 26 July 2016
21 July 2016
We had a fabulous, if terrifying, day today. We went to Victoria falls and spent an obscene sum of money on doing every activity, which included a tandem slide with Yanni over Victoria Falls, then a tandem gorge swing with Yanni which was very terrifying, a bungee jump for Yanni, and seeing as I wasn’t allowed to do one because of old back injuries, a solo gorge swing for me.
The initial slide was very straightforward and tame, as we were belted up together then swung beneath a metal cable from one side of the falls to about three quarters of the way across. We were ‘caught’ by two exceedingly well-built Zambian guys, both of whom Yanni and I were delighted to cling to as we were assisted over a rail and on to a platform some 20 feet below the main railway bridge. We then has to walk the rest of the way to the Zimbabwe side of the falls, where we climbed back on to dry land then scrambled up the side and back on to the bridge.
Immediately we headed back towards the Zambian side of the railway bridge, and to the halfway point where the rest of the activities took place. We did this happily enough, joshing each other as we went about being scared of the next jump. But it didn’t take us long once we had reached the midway point and began to observe the preparations others were making for a jump to stop laughing. The view from there was terrifying. It seemed inconceivable that we had ever thought we might like to jump off this bridge. Somehow the amount of air was frightening. Nothing to reach for, nothing to cling to - just launching ourselves out into the this wide open space, and hoping the belts and braces would work. Then we were called, and went reluctantly forward, feeling caught in a process we seemed unable to stop. The staff really knew what they were doing and we were all shuffled along as if on a conveyor belt. First Yanni was fitted with belts, then I was, and these were then fitted together for a tandem gorge swing. The idea with the gorge swing is that you ‘step off’ the bridge and plummet down feet first with the harness around your waist. Once you reach the end of the cable you swing back and forwards beneath the bridge, which is not uncomfortable and not tough on your skeleton. I became really frightened as we were belted up, although the Zambian staff kept up a constant upbeat front, teasing us about our accents, encouraging us that it would be a wonderful experience, and so on. However, when the two bulky males finally re-checked us then stood each side of us and walked us to the very edge of the bridge, I was appalled. We had watched several others step out for a swing, and enjoyed laughing at their squeaks of alarm and cries of “Oh god oh god oh god”, and of course the final scream as they went over. But there was absolutely nothing funny about standing at the edge of the bridge with the countdown from 4 beginning, and knowing that like it or not, in 5 seconds time you were going to be falling thrown the air towards the ground with no way to control what was going on.
I was so frightened I was sure I couldn’t obey the instructions given to “step forward with the outside foot, then bring the other foot forward”. Typically I cocked it up during practice, as I was so frightened I couldn’t co-ordinate stepping first with my outside foot and then stepping with the inside foot”. A voice screamed in my head “how the hell are you gonna step forward with your other foot when the other one is in mid-air?” But it occurred to me then that if I did not step and Yanni did, I could actually hurt her by being dragged down on top of her. I was going to have to do it, no matter how scared I was. And so I did. Unfortunately I was so scared I bent forward after stepping out and fell across Yanni so that we both fell forward, and when the cable was fully extended we were swung back and forward, which for some reason seemed extremely funny. We were eventually pulled back up, hooked back on to the platform, and made our way back along it to the Zimbabwe side again, climbed back up and on to the bridge, and headed again for the middle.
Yanni was called a few minutes later to do her bungee jump. She was so frightened she stopped responding to the staff banter and, as she told me later, struggled to control her fear at the thought of this solo jump. Once she was belted up she was led, once again, by two burly staff, who got her to raise her arms up and out, and told her to dive up and forward on their count. 4,3,2,1, and despite visibly shaking, Yanni launched herself up and out, her arms outspread, and dived beautifully. It looked easy and serene, but wow, can Yanni scream! She screamed all the way down, stopped briefly when the cable ran out and she was almost jerked out of her own skin then rebounded, and resumed screaming when she started plummeting again. There were several bounces, and on each she started screaming when she resumed falling. I’m amazed she had the energy to keep going.
She had just been hooked and pulled back on to the platform when my own belt-and-bracing was completed. I kept saying I couldn’t do it, and they kept saying I could and confidently marched me to the edge and counted down. But I was right. I couldn’t do it. “Oh” they said in unison together, clearly disappointed, when I didn’t jump. “I can’t do it, I told you I couldn/t do it” I screatched at them as I stood there unable to look down at the appalling drop. “Yes, you can do it” said one of the guys softly. And Yanni’s voice floated up from the platform below “Go on, mum, you can do it” she called up encouragingly. And I suddenly realised not letting Yanni down was more important that how frightened I was, or wasn;t. She had found the courage to do it, so I could do the same. The guys counted down calmly but firmly, and this time on zero I stepped into nothingness, and began to fall.
I don’t remember the fall, except that suddenly I seemed weightless, and to be falling at a tremendous speed. Once again when the end of the cable was reached I was swept out in an arc, and swung back and forward below the bridge. Then I was hauled back to the bridge, and dragged back over the rail and on to the platform for the last time. Yanni had waited for me, and we hugged and laughed for ages. After which, we adjourned to the bridge top cafe for a well deserved spot of lunch, a couple of drinks, and a few hours of delightful idleness, spent laughing at everyone else shaking with fear and being shoved off the bridge.
It was a day I won’t ever forget. Part of the reason I came out to Africa was to get my mind working again, and to try to connect with life again, stop feeling so numb. This, more than any other experience, has helped with these aims. That level of fear certainly did get me in touch with me own feelings again, even if they were unpleasant ones at first. But the helpless laughter afterwards was very cathartic. I felt more alive after today that I have felt for a very very long time.
We had a fabulous, if terrifying, day today. We went to Victoria falls and spent an obscene sum of money on doing every activity, which included a tandem slide with Yanni over Victoria Falls, then a tandem gorge swing with Yanni which was very terrifying, a bungee jump for Yanni, and seeing as I wasn’t allowed to do one because of old back injuries, a solo gorge swing for me.
The initial slide was very straightforward and tame, as we were belted up together then swung beneath a metal cable from one side of the falls to about three quarters of the way across. We were ‘caught’ by two exceedingly well-built Zambian guys, both of whom Yanni and I were delighted to cling to as we were assisted over a rail and on to a platform some 20 feet below the main railway bridge. We then has to walk the rest of the way to the Zimbabwe side of the falls, where we climbed back on to dry land then scrambled up the side and back on to the bridge.
Immediately we headed back towards the Zambian side of the railway bridge, and to the halfway point where the rest of the activities took place. We did this happily enough, joshing each other as we went about being scared of the next jump. But it didn’t take us long once we had reached the midway point and began to observe the preparations others were making for a jump to stop laughing. The view from there was terrifying. It seemed inconceivable that we had ever thought we might like to jump off this bridge. Somehow the amount of air was frightening. Nothing to reach for, nothing to cling to - just launching ourselves out into the this wide open space, and hoping the belts and braces would work. Then we were called, and went reluctantly forward, feeling caught in a process we seemed unable to stop. The staff really knew what they were doing and we were all shuffled along as if on a conveyor belt. First Yanni was fitted with belts, then I was, and these were then fitted together for a tandem gorge swing. The idea with the gorge swing is that you ‘step off’ the bridge and plummet down feet first with the harness around your waist. Once you reach the end of the cable you swing back and forwards beneath the bridge, which is not uncomfortable and not tough on your skeleton. I became really frightened as we were belted up, although the Zambian staff kept up a constant upbeat front, teasing us about our accents, encouraging us that it would be a wonderful experience, and so on. However, when the two bulky males finally re-checked us then stood each side of us and walked us to the very edge of the bridge, I was appalled. We had watched several others step out for a swing, and enjoyed laughing at their squeaks of alarm and cries of “Oh god oh god oh god”, and of course the final scream as they went over. But there was absolutely nothing funny about standing at the edge of the bridge with the countdown from 4 beginning, and knowing that like it or not, in 5 seconds time you were going to be falling thrown the air towards the ground with no way to control what was going on.
I was so frightened I was sure I couldn’t obey the instructions given to “step forward with the outside foot, then bring the other foot forward”. Typically I cocked it up during practice, as I was so frightened I couldn’t co-ordinate stepping first with my outside foot and then stepping with the inside foot”. A voice screamed in my head “how the hell are you gonna step forward with your other foot when the other one is in mid-air?” But it occurred to me then that if I did not step and Yanni did, I could actually hurt her by being dragged down on top of her. I was going to have to do it, no matter how scared I was. And so I did. Unfortunately I was so scared I bent forward after stepping out and fell across Yanni so that we both fell forward, and when the cable was fully extended we were swung back and forward, which for some reason seemed extremely funny. We were eventually pulled back up, hooked back on to the platform, and made our way back along it to the Zimbabwe side again, climbed back up and on to the bridge, and headed again for the middle.
Yanni was called a few minutes later to do her bungee jump. She was so frightened she stopped responding to the staff banter and, as she told me later, struggled to control her fear at the thought of this solo jump. Once she was belted up she was led, once again, by two burly staff, who got her to raise her arms up and out, and told her to dive up and forward on their count. 4,3,2,1, and despite visibly shaking, Yanni launched herself up and out, her arms outspread, and dived beautifully. It looked easy and serene, but wow, can Yanni scream! She screamed all the way down, stopped briefly when the cable ran out and she was almost jerked out of her own skin then rebounded, and resumed screaming when she started plummeting again. There were several bounces, and on each she started screaming when she resumed falling. I’m amazed she had the energy to keep going.
She had just been hooked and pulled back on to the platform when my own belt-and-bracing was completed. I kept saying I couldn’t do it, and they kept saying I could and confidently marched me to the edge and counted down. But I was right. I couldn’t do it. “Oh” they said in unison together, clearly disappointed, when I didn’t jump. “I can’t do it, I told you I couldn/t do it” I screatched at them as I stood there unable to look down at the appalling drop. “Yes, you can do it” said one of the guys softly. And Yanni’s voice floated up from the platform below “Go on, mum, you can do it” she called up encouragingly. And I suddenly realised not letting Yanni down was more important that how frightened I was, or wasn;t. She had found the courage to do it, so I could do the same. The guys counted down calmly but firmly, and this time on zero I stepped into nothingness, and began to fall.
I don’t remember the fall, except that suddenly I seemed weightless, and to be falling at a tremendous speed. Once again when the end of the cable was reached I was swept out in an arc, and swung back and forward below the bridge. Then I was hauled back to the bridge, and dragged back over the rail and on to the platform for the last time. Yanni had waited for me, and we hugged and laughed for ages. After which, we adjourned to the bridge top cafe for a well deserved spot of lunch, a couple of drinks, and a few hours of delightful idleness, spent laughing at everyone else shaking with fear and being shoved off the bridge.
It was a day I won’t ever forget. Part of the reason I came out to Africa was to get my mind working again, and to try to connect with life again, stop feeling so numb. This, more than any other experience, has helped with these aims. That level of fear certainly did get me in touch with me own feelings again, even if they were unpleasant ones at first. But the helpless laughter afterwards was very cathartic. I felt more alive after today that I have felt for a very very long time.
Wednesday 20 July 2016
Our journey through the Zambian boarder went reasonably well yesterday for Yanni and myself, although our driver was held up for 3 hours because the border control car computer was down. We only needed a very simple certificate as the car had all its paperwork and regularly travels between the two countries, but again Malawi’s are very patient and will just stand in queues the heat calmly for any number of hours without complaint. I, of course, was an angel of serenity, but Yanni was a nightmare, all impatience and foul language and suspecting all and sundry of making our lives difficult just for the hell of it. Fortunately I managed to calm her down, and we left far later than we should have and arrived in Lusaka at about midnight.
Our stop over hotel was a backpackers one with shared flushing and, happily, reasonably clean toilet. There was a shower although the water was cold and we decided to wait until we hit our hopefully slightly nicer hotel after traveling today.
We quickly learned to avoid any toilet facility and just relieve ourselves in carefully selected sites along the roadway. The toilet facilities in most places were unspeakably vile, the worst one being a drop toilet that I very nearly dropped into when it came to me as a revelation that I couldn’t stand up after a prolonged - squat. With literally nothing to grab on to or lunge at for a handhold to pull myself up, I found myself sinking irresistibly into the hole as my legs gave up, and had to try as an act of desperation, throwing myself forward and found my calves entirely unequal to the task. I only very narrowly missed loosing my leg down the drop, and that was the last of trying them for me. The flush toilets we met at service stations were even more vile though, as they seldom had toilet seats, and when they did, it was clear at times that people were standing on the toilet seats and naturally the results were pretty disastrous. I can see how baffling the toilets must have been to those who had never seen one before, probably alarming too when they flushed. If they flushed. Still, in the end we decided we preferred to find a quiet bush as a less alarming option and a much less stressful one. Obviously, it would be silly to bare ones butt to a snakes or scorpions or spiders or something of that nature, so caution was required, but still infinitely the better choice in my opinion.
We arrived in Victoria Falls at about tea time and booked into a nice hotel just a few kilometers from the falls. Goodness knows why being driven in a car makes one tired, but it does, so we decided on an early night so we could be up bright and early for our first visit to the Falls tomorrow.
Our journey through the Zambian boarder went reasonably well yesterday for Yanni and myself, although our driver was held up for 3 hours because the border control car computer was down. We only needed a very simple certificate as the car had all its paperwork and regularly travels between the two countries, but again Malawi’s are very patient and will just stand in queues the heat calmly for any number of hours without complaint. I, of course, was an angel of serenity, but Yanni was a nightmare, all impatience and foul language and suspecting all and sundry of making our lives difficult just for the hell of it. Fortunately I managed to calm her down, and we left far later than we should have and arrived in Lusaka at about midnight.
Our stop over hotel was a backpackers one with shared flushing and, happily, reasonably clean toilet. There was a shower although the water was cold and we decided to wait until we hit our hopefully slightly nicer hotel after traveling today.
We quickly learned to avoid any toilet facility and just relieve ourselves in carefully selected sites along the roadway. The toilet facilities in most places were unspeakably vile, the worst one being a drop toilet that I very nearly dropped into when it came to me as a revelation that I couldn’t stand up after a prolonged - squat. With literally nothing to grab on to or lunge at for a handhold to pull myself up, I found myself sinking irresistibly into the hole as my legs gave up, and had to try as an act of desperation, throwing myself forward and found my calves entirely unequal to the task. I only very narrowly missed loosing my leg down the drop, and that was the last of trying them for me. The flush toilets we met at service stations were even more vile though, as they seldom had toilet seats, and when they did, it was clear at times that people were standing on the toilet seats and naturally the results were pretty disastrous. I can see how baffling the toilets must have been to those who had never seen one before, probably alarming too when they flushed. If they flushed. Still, in the end we decided we preferred to find a quiet bush as a less alarming option and a much less stressful one. Obviously, it would be silly to bare ones butt to a snakes or scorpions or spiders or something of that nature, so caution was required, but still infinitely the better choice in my opinion.
We arrived in Victoria Falls at about tea time and booked into a nice hotel just a few kilometers from the falls. Goodness knows why being driven in a car makes one tired, but it does, so we decided on an early night so we could be up bright and early for our first visit to the Falls tomorrow.
Tuesday 19 July 2016
A tough day for Yanni and I as we said goodbye to lovely friends Annelies and Jerome, Linda and Linus and many others at Kuti, and started the final leg of our journey in Africa. This was to be a 2 day trip by car from Kuti through Lilongwe and then on to Zambia, stopping tonight at the major town of Lusaka for a sleep over. Tomorrow we are to travel on to Victoria Falls in Livingstone, where we will spent our last week.
We have chosen a two day drive instead of going by minibus, coach, train or plane for many reasons, all of them practical. The minibus is cheap but that’s because it is entirely unreliable, and traveling on one means accepting at least 20 human passengers in a van designed for 9, and an unknown quantity of baskets of hens, bags of maize, sugar cane or literally any other produce. The vans travel when they believe they are full, so you might insert yourself into a seat carefully at 9am and wait for 10 hours for the remaining 1 theoretical seat to be filled. Malawi’s have incredible patience and tolerance for heat, thirst and discomfort. I don’t. We declined the minivan option.
The coach could have worked but only goes twice a week each way, neither on days that fitted in with our schedules.
The train also went about twice a week, but we would have had a very round about journey and again trains are unreliable, overpacked and Malawi’s are capable of doing anyone on one, such a lighting up a little fire to make nsima, a bowl of maise flour and water cooked to form a porridge like gruel and then portioned into flat patties usually eaten by hand. Nsima has no nutritional value but works well as a stomach filler. This is eaten 3 times a day, and it is said that an African does not believe he has eaten if he does not have nsima as part of his meal. Again maize and other produce, and livestock like chickens can travel by train, so we were not keen to do this.
The plane rides involved lots of messing about via taxi and transfers and very high costs, so we opted for the 2 day travel by car. This meant we could stop when we wanted to, and best of all see the changing landscape as we traveled. So after sad farewells we loaded up our car and headed for the main roads of Malawi, many of which are dirt, and none of which have road names or any form of signposting. Just as well Malawi is so beautiful! We passed endless
A tough day for Yanni and I as we said goodbye to lovely friends Annelies and Jerome, Linda and Linus and many others at Kuti, and started the final leg of our journey in Africa. This was to be a 2 day trip by car from Kuti through Lilongwe and then on to Zambia, stopping tonight at the major town of Lusaka for a sleep over. Tomorrow we are to travel on to Victoria Falls in Livingstone, where we will spent our last week.
We have chosen a two day drive instead of going by minibus, coach, train or plane for many reasons, all of them practical. The minibus is cheap but that’s because it is entirely unreliable, and traveling on one means accepting at least 20 human passengers in a van designed for 9, and an unknown quantity of baskets of hens, bags of maize, sugar cane or literally any other produce. The vans travel when they believe they are full, so you might insert yourself into a seat carefully at 9am and wait for 10 hours for the remaining 1 theoretical seat to be filled. Malawi’s have incredible patience and tolerance for heat, thirst and discomfort. I don’t. We declined the minivan option.
The coach could have worked but only goes twice a week each way, neither on days that fitted in with our schedules.
The train also went about twice a week, but we would have had a very round about journey and again trains are unreliable, overpacked and Malawi’s are capable of doing anyone on one, such a lighting up a little fire to make nsima, a bowl of maise flour and water cooked to form a porridge like gruel and then portioned into flat patties usually eaten by hand. Nsima has no nutritional value but works well as a stomach filler. This is eaten 3 times a day, and it is said that an African does not believe he has eaten if he does not have nsima as part of his meal. Again maize and other produce, and livestock like chickens can travel by train, so we were not keen to do this.
The plane rides involved lots of messing about via taxi and transfers and very high costs, so we opted for the 2 day travel by car. This meant we could stop when we wanted to, and best of all see the changing landscape as we traveled. So after sad farewells we loaded up our car and headed for the main roads of Malawi, many of which are dirt, and none of which have road names or any form of signposting. Just as well Malawi is so beautiful! We passed endless
Tuesday 19 July 2016
A tough day for Yanni and I as we said goodbye to lovely friends Annelies and Jerome, Linda and Linus and many others at Kuti, and started the final leg of our journey in Africa. This was to be a 2 day trip by car from Kuti through Lilongwe and then on to Zambia, stopping tonight at the major town of Lusaka for a sleep over. Tomorrow we are to travel on to Victoria Falls in Livingstone, where we will spent our last week.
We have chosen a two day drive instead of going by minibus, coach, train or plane for many reasons, all of them practical. The minibus is cheap but that’s because it is entirely unreliable, and traveling on one means accepting at least 20 human passengers in a van designed for 9, and an unknown quantity of baskets of hens, bags of maize, sugar cane or literally any other produce. The vans travel when they believe they are full, so you might insert yourself into a seat carefully at 9am and wait for 10 hours for the remaining 1 theoretical seat to be filled. Malawi’s have incredible patience and tolerance for heat, thirst and discomfort. I don’t. We declined the minivan option.
The coach could have worked but only goes twice a week each way, neither on days that fitted in with our schedules.
The train also went about twice a week, but we would have had a very round about journey and again trains are unreliable, overpacked and Malawi’s are capable of doing anyone on one, such a lighting up a little fire to make nsima, a bowl of maise flour and water cooked to form a porridge like gruel and then portioned into flat patties usually eaten by hand. Nsima has no nutritional value but works well as a stomach filler. This is eaten 3 times a day, and it is said that an African does not believe he has eaten if he does not have nsima as part of his meal. Again maize and other produce, and livestock like chickens can travel by train, so we were not keen to do this.
The plane rides involved lots of messing about via taxi and transfers and very high costs, so we opted for the 2 day travel by car. This meant we could stop when we wanted to, and best of all see the changing landscape as we traveled. So after sad farewells we loaded up our car and headed for the main roads of Malawi, many of which are dirt, and none of which have road names or any form of signposting. Just as well Malawi is so beautiful! We passed endless
A tough day for Yanni and I as we said goodbye to lovely friends Annelies and Jerome, Linda and Linus and many others at Kuti, and started the final leg of our journey in Africa. This was to be a 2 day trip by car from Kuti through Lilongwe and then on to Zambia, stopping tonight at the major town of Lusaka for a sleep over. Tomorrow we are to travel on to Victoria Falls in Livingstone, where we will spent our last week.
We have chosen a two day drive instead of going by minibus, coach, train or plane for many reasons, all of them practical. The minibus is cheap but that’s because it is entirely unreliable, and traveling on one means accepting at least 20 human passengers in a van designed for 9, and an unknown quantity of baskets of hens, bags of maize, sugar cane or literally any other produce. The vans travel when they believe they are full, so you might insert yourself into a seat carefully at 9am and wait for 10 hours for the remaining 1 theoretical seat to be filled. Malawi’s have incredible patience and tolerance for heat, thirst and discomfort. I don’t. We declined the minivan option.
The coach could have worked but only goes twice a week each way, neither on days that fitted in with our schedules.
The train also went about twice a week, but we would have had a very round about journey and again trains are unreliable, overpacked and Malawi’s are capable of doing anyone on one, such a lighting up a little fire to make nsima, a bowl of maise flour and water cooked to form a porridge like gruel and then portioned into flat patties usually eaten by hand. Nsima has no nutritional value but works well as a stomach filler. This is eaten 3 times a day, and it is said that an African does not believe he has eaten if he does not have nsima as part of his meal. Again maize and other produce, and livestock like chickens can travel by train, so we were not keen to do this.
The plane rides involved lots of messing about via taxi and transfers and very high costs, so we opted for the 2 day travel by car. This meant we could stop when we wanted to, and best of all see the changing landscape as we traveled. So after sad farewells we loaded up our car and headed for the main roads of Malawi, many of which are dirt, and none of which have road names or any form of signposting. Just as well Malawi is so beautiful! We passed endless
Friday 22 July 2016
Friday 15 July 2016
Spent the morning working on painting signs, and when Yanni and Aylissa joined in this afternoon, That Bloody Ostrich decided to join in. She is always eating because food is not plentiful for her this time of year, so she can only take in enough calories if she browses night and day, so she continually pecks at things around her. Unfortunately her eyesight isn’t very good - as a rule ostriches are thought not to have particularly good eyesight - so she pecks at things she shouldn’t, like a fire, a shoe, a signpost, the side of your head. Ostriches are not known for having a high IQ.
Interestingly, if you think an ostrich is going to attack you, you simply need to hold up something that appears to make you taller than her. A hat on a stick or an upside down broom. Otherwise, just holding up a stick will work. As long as it’s higher than the ostrich’s head the ostrich will believe you are taller so will back off. I just love that!
I did try telling Yanni this, but you can see in the pictures he preferred to back off herself. Mind you, if the ostrich did peck I imagine she could hurt, although I don’t know if she could do any real damage.
We had a lovely meal this evening, making our own pizzas that were cooked in the outside pizza oven. I got some photos of our kitchen today, so I have put these in. Despite have these very small facilities, plus the pizza oven outside, and a half barrel BBQ/grill, one cook can produce meals for up to 70 people three times a day. And very nice food too, actually. Really good curries, dahl, n’seema, pasties, pies, dhosa,, lentil dishes, chickpea salads, omelet - they will have a go at anything.
Spent the morning working on painting signs, and when Yanni and Aylissa joined in this afternoon, That Bloody Ostrich decided to join in. She is always eating because food is not plentiful for her this time of year, so she can only take in enough calories if she browses night and day, so she continually pecks at things around her. Unfortunately her eyesight isn’t very good - as a rule ostriches are thought not to have particularly good eyesight - so she pecks at things she shouldn’t, like a fire, a shoe, a signpost, the side of your head. Ostriches are not known for having a high IQ.
Interestingly, if you think an ostrich is going to attack you, you simply need to hold up something that appears to make you taller than her. A hat on a stick or an upside down broom. Otherwise, just holding up a stick will work. As long as it’s higher than the ostrich’s head the ostrich will believe you are taller so will back off. I just love that!
I did try telling Yanni this, but you can see in the pictures he preferred to back off herself. Mind you, if the ostrich did peck I imagine she could hurt, although I don’t know if she could do any real damage.
We had a lovely meal this evening, making our own pizzas that were cooked in the outside pizza oven. I got some photos of our kitchen today, so I have put these in. Despite have these very small facilities, plus the pizza oven outside, and a half barrel BBQ/grill, one cook can produce meals for up to 70 people three times a day. And very nice food too, actually. Really good curries, dahl, n’seema, pasties, pies, dhosa,, lentil dishes, chickpea salads, omelet - they will have a go at anything.
Wednesday 20 July 2016
Monday 11 July
First visit to sunset deck. This was particularly interesting at the deck was built on the edge of a very large lake with excellent views of the surrounding landscape. However you can see from the pictures below that the water has almost dried up completely. There is a very small puddle of water in the center of what should be the lake. The pictures don’t show the waterside chalets - these were built to rent out to tourists but, in typically African style, they started building a whole series of them and none were finished because they ran out of money. There are a lot of expensive looking half properties, or derelict buildings around the site. In the extreme weather conditions we have here buildings need constant upkeep, and this is not always possible due to lack of finances and staff. A new set of volunteer buildings are being built at the moment - photos to follow - and it is hoped these will attract more volunteers who come to stay for a short or longer time and work here.
The managers of the site here at Kuti are Annelies and Jerome, a Dutch couple. Jerome is a biologist, he has worked in research and conservation for wildlife and plants in many different African countries. Annelies works with media, PR and event management. Both lectured at universities in Amsterdam before meeting about 6 years ago, and moving out here earlier this year. Together they seem ideally suited to manage the work here at Kuti. Already they have built very good relationship with the 45 staff who work here and their families, many of whom live on the reserve. They are keen to improve the lives of the staff and are working to do this is many ways such as by providing transport and medical treatment for staff or members their families who are sick; helping the staff attend courses so they can improve their career prospects, and helping to get sponsorship so the children of staff can attend school.
They also work with local villagers. There are 12 main villages and 12 village chiefs. Each village is broken down into a number of smaller villages. Altogether there are about 70,000 people living around the reserve. Most of the villagers have lived in this area and around the reserve for decades, through previous incarnations as a cattle ranch and hunting reserve. Naturally they see it as ‘their’ territory, although now that it is now a conservation reserve this is no longer true for practical purposes. While the villagers all need wood 3 times a day to cook their food, and the best place for them to find wood is in the reserve, they know it is no longer legal for them to collect it here. They know it is illegal for them to enter the premises without a written warrant, or to remove anything from the grounds, but of course they have a sense of entitlement and continue to do so. They also come to collect grasses to thatch their roofs or to sell. They also kill whatever animals they find, and collect caterpillars, crickets and other small insects to eat. This causes tension between our staff and the villagers.
SCOUTS
There are 24 full time scouts/guards here who patrol the property 24/7 against poachers. Again this can be difficult when the poachers are related to the scouts. Also, Malawi is a very poor country and some of these villagers are literally starving, so it can be very difficult to refuse them the things they feel they need and are entitled to have. As it stands poachers are encountered on average twice a day and the same at night. The Police are always involved if the intruder has killed any animals or insects or cut down any trees. If they have simply picked up fallen wood they receive a caution. Village chiefs are also called to come and collect those who have been caught poaching, so that they can also give the poachers an explanation as to why they can not come on to the property, and caution them not to do so again.
The food situation is getting worse here, and again when you look at the pictures of sunset deck posted above you can see why. Insufficient rain during the rainy season means crops die, the drought leading to famine.. Ideally Jerome, Annelies and the villagers all need to have a shared vision for the reserve, but I don't see that happening for a very long time. Maslow's hierarchy of needs explains why - the Malawi villagers are very poor, and literally are working each day for food for that day - so right on level 1 of Maslow's hierarchy. Jerome and Annelies, while by no means being rich, have some financial security, so have reliable access to food, water, education, accommodation, jobs, a sense of belonging and so on. They are working at the level of self actualisation. The villagers need wood to cook with 3 times a day, animals to eat, grass to sell at market - they will never be able to work together with Jerome and Annelies on the goal of conservation until their own basic needs are reliably met. Last week 5% of the reserve burnt down in a bush fire; at the same time a group of 30 women climbed through the fences to collect firewood. Coincidence?
First visit to sunset deck. This was particularly interesting at the deck was built on the edge of a very large lake with excellent views of the surrounding landscape. However you can see from the pictures below that the water has almost dried up completely. There is a very small puddle of water in the center of what should be the lake. The pictures don’t show the waterside chalets - these were built to rent out to tourists but, in typically African style, they started building a whole series of them and none were finished because they ran out of money. There are a lot of expensive looking half properties, or derelict buildings around the site. In the extreme weather conditions we have here buildings need constant upkeep, and this is not always possible due to lack of finances and staff. A new set of volunteer buildings are being built at the moment - photos to follow - and it is hoped these will attract more volunteers who come to stay for a short or longer time and work here.
 |
| View from Sunset Deck with tiny puddle of water instead of the huge lake it should be |
 |
| Beautiful sunset views |
They also work with local villagers. There are 12 main villages and 12 village chiefs. Each village is broken down into a number of smaller villages. Altogether there are about 70,000 people living around the reserve. Most of the villagers have lived in this area and around the reserve for decades, through previous incarnations as a cattle ranch and hunting reserve. Naturally they see it as ‘their’ territory, although now that it is now a conservation reserve this is no longer true for practical purposes. While the villagers all need wood 3 times a day to cook their food, and the best place for them to find wood is in the reserve, they know it is no longer legal for them to collect it here. They know it is illegal for them to enter the premises without a written warrant, or to remove anything from the grounds, but of course they have a sense of entitlement and continue to do so. They also come to collect grasses to thatch their roofs or to sell. They also kill whatever animals they find, and collect caterpillars, crickets and other small insects to eat. This causes tension between our staff and the villagers.
SCOUTS
There are 24 full time scouts/guards here who patrol the property 24/7 against poachers. Again this can be difficult when the poachers are related to the scouts. Also, Malawi is a very poor country and some of these villagers are literally starving, so it can be very difficult to refuse them the things they feel they need and are entitled to have. As it stands poachers are encountered on average twice a day and the same at night. The Police are always involved if the intruder has killed any animals or insects or cut down any trees. If they have simply picked up fallen wood they receive a caution. Village chiefs are also called to come and collect those who have been caught poaching, so that they can also give the poachers an explanation as to why they can not come on to the property, and caution them not to do so again.
The food situation is getting worse here, and again when you look at the pictures of sunset deck posted above you can see why. Insufficient rain during the rainy season means crops die, the drought leading to famine.. Ideally Jerome, Annelies and the villagers all need to have a shared vision for the reserve, but I don't see that happening for a very long time. Maslow's hierarchy of needs explains why - the Malawi villagers are very poor, and literally are working each day for food for that day - so right on level 1 of Maslow's hierarchy. Jerome and Annelies, while by no means being rich, have some financial security, so have reliable access to food, water, education, accommodation, jobs, a sense of belonging and so on. They are working at the level of self actualisation. The villagers need wood to cook with 3 times a day, animals to eat, grass to sell at market - they will never be able to work together with Jerome and Annelies on the goal of conservation until their own basic needs are reliably met. Last week 5% of the reserve burnt down in a bush fire; at the same time a group of 30 women climbed through the fences to collect firewood. Coincidence?
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