Into Africa - DASKOP's 12000km drive

[DASKOP]

As you can see, the early morning rays of the sun came straight up to my chalet door.


Pity I could not take a photo of me having coffee in the sunrise chairs.

 

[A/T]

Absoluut fantasties! verseker Bucketlist stuff! :drif:

 

[DASKOP]

Absoluut fantasties! verseker Bucketlist stuff! :drif:

Maak seker dit is sommer vlak bo in die bucket. Bly jy geniet die RR.

 

[n0b0dy]

Mooi ...  :drif:

 

[DASKOP]

At last, I found the photo.  :thumleft:

The notorious "Bush Turkey".

 

[DASKOP]

After a hearty breakfast, I was preparing for my walkabout, when the guys arrived with the catch of the day.

Fresh fish on the menu today for lunch and supper.

The couple with the kids are from the Netherlands. We met them before at Fat Monkeys. They had brought their Land Rover and 4x4 trailer over from the Netherlands and his wife rolled the trailer on the notoriously corrugated road between Solitaire and Swakopmund in Namibia.

 

[DASKOP]

Walkabout 17 July

Over the hill and far away.................that is what it felt like...........far from reality, but it was a 5 minute walk to the start of my days amazing experiences. It is like stepping over a stone from civilisation to undisturbed nature.


Once again, striking rock and root scenes..............

Mokoros at rest ........... seems like the fishermen's day off.

The bay next door ............... secluded and private .............. like another world. Up on the hill you can see where someone was in the process of walling off and building a private sanctuary / future lodge.

I will have to check on the progress the next time I come back here to Makuzi Beach. (It's called positive thinking).  :lol8:

This young man's name is Allie Kamanga and he is a student at Macalpine F P School. As I was standing admiring the view, he approached me and asked me whether he could show me around the villages and other interesting places.

So, off we go.

 

[DASKOP]

I feel like this photo epitomises the Lake Malawi experience.

 

[DASKOP]

As we walk through the agricultural sections, Allie explains to me that the crops that are everywhere is called Kasava. The root is taken out, chopped up and dried and then used to make the Malawian version of "pap".

I tried it in one of the villages that he took me to. It is definitely an acquired taste. Very bland, needs "sous". It is apparently does not have great nutritional value, but it is cheap, quick and easy to grow and fills the tummy.

The villages are extremely well kept, clean and swept. The Malawian women seem to have a thing for sweeping (as you will see later also when I get into the mountains further north).

The people are extremely friendly and I was greeted and welcomed everywhere I went. I never felt uneasy, NEVER. Weird feeling for us South Africans. Takes some getting used to.

 

[DASKOP]

We were joined by another youth, Chirwa Dickson, and I was taken to the original Missionary Church that has been there for yonks. Magnificent atmosphere inside.

The Christmas tree in July is puzzling.

Hard to believe, the previous church leader disappeared with the church's money. It is so sad, but seems to be a frequent occurrence everywhere in the world, even in Malawi.

I was asked by my Malawian guides to sit in this chair as it (or so they said) is tradition. Maybe I misunderstood them.

 

[DASKOP]

What I had experienced since my arrival at Makuzi Beach, was very aptly scribed as follows by someone else:

DO YOU SEE WHAT I SEE?
A RAINBOW SHINING OVER ME!
LORD MY JOY MOUNTS
AS DO THE BIRDS HEAVENWARD
THE NIGHT HAS TAKEN WINGS
WHAT A DAY!
THE SUN HAS BURNED AWAY THE DEW
FROM THE GRASS AND OUR HEARTS
WHAT ERUPTS FROM US
WHAT ENCIRCLES US THIS MORNING
IS THANKSGIVING
LORD I REJOICE IN YOUR CREATION
THAT YOU ARE BEHIND
BEFORE AND NEXT TO IT
ABOVE AND WITHIN US


Extract from the diary of Jane Doris Jackson, Mama Jane, or JJ, as she was fondly called, the founder of Makuzi Beach.

My guides spoke very highly of her. She must have done a lot of good for these local people to be held in such high regard.

There is also a whole section with missionary graves. The local people tend these and seem to respect the legacy of these missionaries. The young guys that were escorting me around, were very knowledgeable about the history of Makuzi Beach as was made clear by all the information that they shared with me.

 

[DASKOP]

Peace and tranquility at Lake Malawi.

 

[DASKOP]

My guides escort me back to the lodge and I bid them farewell.

The tent with the 2 bikes belong to a Dutch couple that are travelling through Africa. They have been stranded in Makuzi for a while as an injury to the guy's foot had become septic and it had to be treated and heal properly before they could continue. I have their website address somewhere and will post it when I find it.

It is time for afternoon refreshments on the deck. The fish eagles are putting on an aerial combat show before disappearing over the lake.

My last day at Makuzi Beach is drawing to an end.

 

[DASKOP]

18 July 2013

I am up early. First photo of the cloudy sunrise over Lake Malawi. It is quite chilly, as you can see from my clothing. But, it is time to hit the road again.

Not going to bore you with all the goodbye details, but I am very grateful to Richard and Lauren for their hospitality and generosity and to Rhys for arranging.

Tricky sandy road out again.................tar onto Livingstonia.

 

[DASKOP]

Just some random photos on the way until the exciting stuff starts again.

 

[DASKOP]

Next time, I need to make time to check this out:

MASTERPLAN
FISH FAMING                         
HOLTCULTURE
HUNGULU V
83X3 M2
BWANA SOMBA

Spelling obviously not his strong point, but I am now sorry I did not stop and see what they were actually doing and whether it was a successful endeavour.

 

[DASKOP]

Hut on a hill.
Crops growing around you.
Beautiful surroundings.
Spectacular view over the lake.

Dreaming........................

 

[DASKOP]

I wonder what the Japanese got in return for this bridge?

You get so used to seeing Chinese involvement, that it is strange to see Japanese "sponsorship". Is the race on for the ownership of the soul of Africa?

 

[DASKOP]

I come across this sign, Chiweta Coal Mine and Minerals.

Then, a while later, the coal loading areas. The road is covered in a layer of coal dust, that has obviously been washed there by the rain, creating a slippery surface that results in a bit of a wobbly going over it. Fortunately, nothing serious.

 

[DASKOP]

There was VERY little traffic on this road. Mainly trucks. Going, broken or crashed.

Not much different from the most of the trip.