Continuing in Mvuu

It had rained lightly Monday and through the night. This morning it continued the light drizzle, which affected the number and variety of animals we'd be ab;r to see. The Rhino Enclosure is around 30 sq miles or so of fenced area in which they now have 10 rhinos and many other animals. The electrified fence protects them from poachers and predators. This is Malawi's winter which is usually dry and they said it had not rained all winter (until we got here). As we drove we saw more of the animals we'd seen outside the enclosure but also saw Water Bufffalo, Eland, Hartebeest, Zebras, and probably my favorite, a herd of Sable antelope. We returned for breakfast and then took off on a boatride safari on the Shire river. Because of the rain, only hippos were seen primarily. Also bcause it was comparatively cold, the crocodiles do not lay on the shores, where they usually stay in the sun for warmth. For most of the trip we only saw 1, who was swimming in the distance and quickly submerged as we approached. As we continued though, Natalie became our croc spotter. She spotted most of the 12-15 we spotted. Again the variety of birds was amazing. Lunch was a short break (interrupted by a thieving Vervet monkey in the dining area) followed by several of us talking Henry, our guide, into taking us to an elevated observation tower, where we sat quietly for 90 minutes or so just observing from our perch 15 feet above the ground. Before the next outing, we were walking around the cabins and our girls had mentioned hearing some type of animals outside their cabins making noises. Besides the hippos, warthogs, impala and elephants Henry told us go through the camp almost nightly, we spotted the culprits- a number of Monitor Lizards feeding right by the cabins. They were beautifully collored and marked and we saw them from 1 to over 4 feet in length.
We again took the afternoon safari ride in a different area but still no rhinos or elephants, although we saw 2 herds of Sable and a porcupine and 2 beautifyl owls later in the dark. We also came across the bleached out bones of an elephant, hippo and waterbuck. Again a little disappointed, especiallly since when Kari, Verna and Lamar came last year, these animals were in the river by the handful. But we were happy that tonight it was dry and not quite as cold. Another filling dinner and off to bed for our last safari boat trip in the morning.

Wednesday 7/23
No matter when you plan to get up, in Liwonde, the animals get you up by daybreak and with enthusiasm. Dozens of birds squawk and the hippos with their sonorous grunts and splashing in the water. We ate and took off in the boat again. Henry tried hard and we did find a lot of crocs. One of the disconnects is looking for these animals in this light forest area, which does not look too different than some of hte forests around here, instead of the savannah grasslands we are so used to seeing on TV. Just as our time was running out, Henry spotted 6-8 at the edge of the trees and he got us as close as the reeds allowed.
We were already packed and our driver Max was waiting so we headede off back to Lilongwe to finish the trip. Max has been wonderful, very patient with us, taking us whenever and wherever we wanted or needed. As he drove out on a different road, we realized he'd driven the harder way in so we could take the boat ride and approach the camp that way. As we drove, we suddenly saw a large male elephant feeding in the roadway. Max explained to us neophytes that we would drive on when he was done and not any sooner. As we sat there, we quickly realized he was not alone. Behind a large tree were 2 more young males. As we watched, we realized that to our left, in some heavy brush, there were another 12-15 elephants feeding including a dominant female and at least 2 calves. All Max quitely said was, "This is dangerous." We took whatpictures we could and just marvelled at them as they slowly moved on, continuing their feeding. Max explained that when elephants and vehicles mix, elephants always get their way regardless of the size of the vehicle. Max has been to this area many times and we were safe the entire time time. When they cleared the road, we quickly moved past and continued our trip.
One of the things I''ve learned is that the police in Malawi do not want their picture taken, including police stations. No one was able to explain why but as we slowed for a police checkpoint, I took a picture of a bicycle taxi area next to the checkpoint. The supervisor saw that and asked (directed) that I exit with my camera. Since I had digital, I showed him what I had taken and he said, "Enjoy your trip. Have a nice day." I had only walked 30 feet across the sreet but upon my return, there were 5-7 wood vendors who appeared from who knows where. Within 2-3 minutes, 6-7 more deals were negotiated through the bus windows and we continued our journey.

We got back to Madidi Lodge and prepared for the evening's end-of-trip dinner with representatives of several of the Y-Malawi partners and another Y-Malawi team from Newsong Church in Irvine. They had just landed in the country and we shared some of our experiences with them. Louise and some of her staff, Amos, Vasco and their wives were among our guests. Vasco also brought his church youth band and we ended the evening singing worship songs.

To the parents of some of our younger travellers- I had renewed admiration for your ability to own homes while having fed your kids. Some of the travellers were very in-tune as to when the next meal was scheduled and always (politely) took advantage of additional servings when available.We understood why they were out of the granola bars and other snacks they brought by the beginning of the first week. One question Kari got was"Do you still have anything left in your food suitcase?" Of course by now that suitcase was just a Zip-Lock.

We had given away several suitcases and a lot of other materials and gifts but you couldn't tell by the bus when we loaded up for the last time.