Dust,heat,sand,endless kilometres of dusty dirt roads, village after village after village, primitive border control, freedom camping at dusk, elephants, hippo, antelopes, crocs, zebra, wort hogs, buffalo, baboons, vervet monkey, bush bucks, big birds, little birds, 5am rising, scorpions, tsetse fly.
Sooooo much to absorb. This safari is just as it was marketed, unpredictable, flexible and participatory.
We are having a second night at this camp so we are able to catch our breath.
We left The Fish Eagle Camp on lake Malawi at 7am intending to reach our present camp by evening. Quite soon after departure we got a puncture, an enormous bolt in the front LH tyre. The hole was very effectively plugged with a minimum of disruption and off we went. The roads became progressively more dusty and narrow as we headed north looking for a border crossing from Malawi into Zambia. The villages were numerous but no road signs and the people had limited to no English when we asked for directions. Mostly they had probably never been further than they could walk anyway so genuinely had no idea where the Zambian border was.
Around lunchtime we found a little shed near the village pump which seemed to be Malawian immigration so while we had lunch the official came with his stamp and stamped our passports. There was an endless stream of curious women and children filling their water containers, hoisting them onto their heads and moving on. Even little girls had some help lifting the bucket onto their head but once on off they went.
We finished our rice salad which Zandré had made the night before and headed off to look for Zambian immigration. This proved challenging as we drove miles along dirt tracks trying to get directions and finally found another tin shed but they didn't have any stamps so we had to head off looking for another office. I think we got lost or went a very round about way and were by now way behind schedule. Zandré became very quiet and we all dozed in the heat which the aircon couldn't manage.
Finally we were stamped and paid up and on our way again. Filled up with diesel in a big town where coincidentally the president was just flying in by helicopter. We had to stop on the roadside while his convoy passed by chucking propoganda out to bystanders.
By now it is after 4 pm and no chance of making our destination so we agreed to drive til just before dark then pull off and camp wherever we could. There were so many villages that it was impossible to find public looking land and the sun was dropping fast so we pulled onto a dried out maize garden and pitched our tents. The village chief came a gave us a right royal telling off in a foreign tongue then we were left alone and after a fabulous chicken pasta meal we slept the sleep of the hot and exhausted til the alarm went off at 5am and once again we struck camp. Seems to take a couple of hours to breakfast and pack the trailer and we were off on the final 2 hour leg.
6 hours later we arrived. Very hot and humid on the bank of a river where hippos wallow and crocs sunbathe. A hyena is heard in the distance and there are monkeys in the trees nearby.
We had lunch and all headed for the lukewarm shower and washed our filthy clothes then we were off again for our first game drive.
Pete and I sat in the back with the African spotter between us with his AK47 between his legs!
We crossed the hippo and crocodile infested river on a very dodgy barge and very quickly more animals than we could count had been spotted. Our first elephant, a single tusked bull was pretty exciting.
We fall onto our hard mattresses stark naked with no cover and sleep like the dead despite litres of water in us.
Up again at 5am and off for another 6 hour game drive at 6am. More elephant and heaps of impala as well as more other animals than I can list. I love the impala flying across the landscape at 50 or 60 kph. We watched hippo wandering around on the shore, bush bucks quietly standing around, elusive zebra running when they hear us. Many different species of antelope , lots of baboons. We haven't sited lion or hyena yet but there were hyena tracks pretty much in camp this morning.
Much of the sparse bush is trimmed at elephant height and because the rain hasn't arrived yet there isn't much greenery. Some sausage trees and acacias and eucalypts.
We are very lucky to have Petra along, who is passionate and knowledgeable about birds and animals and a wonderful spotter.
Just heard some thunder and the humidity is building at 4 pm but I guess the rain will miss us again.
We are all sitting around with our feet up wishing we could have a snooze but there is nowhere to lie down.
Well, no rain yet but massive thunder and wind. A scramble to peg tents and a massive wind which covered me in dust in seconds. Now I am sitting inside the tent to hold it down. There is nowhere to shelter and the wind came from every direction. Temp has dropped a bit tho.
Now it is Sunday and so much more has happened that I will have to just miss stuff and start another episode.
The most challenging thing was a breakdown in the aircon which the men managed to fix in the middle of nowhere in the searing heat of the afternoon while the others of us walked up and down the track trying to keep the flies off us.
We stayed in another little community camp, the only campers for our last night wild camping. Much like a DOC camp at home. Cold shower, flush toilet and a water supply.