We took off for the last phase of our journey travelling to livingstone via Lusaka. A few hotel hitches in Lusaka,then a bus to Livingstone. We found Zambia to be more organised and affluent, but of course not as friendly as Malawi.After three days in Livingstone exploring and staying at yet another beautiful resort where we were the only guests, we met the group we will spend the next three weeks with, who turned out to have a good mix of ages, and seemed fine. There are eighteen of us and we are travelling in a large overland bus.
The first day of the trip Ken flew over the Victoria falls in a microlite aircraft while Jane watched. Of course, this was a great experience, and we walked around the falls the following day getting very wet from the spray, but loved the experience. No other waterfall will seeem the same as it is the waterfall to end all others. The falls goes on for nearly two KMs and the roar is deafening. The third day was spent in Chobe National Park in Botswana with a game drive and river cruise to see lots more animals. The cruise was particulary good as we were manouvered very close to elephants, crocodiles and hippos and were able to sit watching them for a good spell.
Into Namibia for a long drive and then back to Botswana where our next stop was the Okavango Delta, a unique eco system of waterways, marshes and islands at the end of the Okavango river before it reaches the desert. We were taken by makoros, flat bottomed two person dug out style canoes, punted by local boatmen. To lie back and glide through crystal clear water, reeds, masses of waterlilies in the sun, passing the odd hippo, with little frogs and spiders jumping in and out of the boat was sheer bliss. After an hour and a half we landed on a remote island to set up camp in the wild. The following day we set out on a walk in two groups to see the local big game and came across a lone bull elephant. Seeing two groups it became agitated and our inexperienced guide told us to back off quickly and we scattered. Quite the wrong thing to do apparently. The elephant became flustered and turned towards us and started moving in our direction, looking slightly menacing. Fortunately the other guide got his group to shout and clap which stopped the elephant in his tracks. Funny afterwards, but not at the time.
Back in Namibia again we stopped at Rundu for a couple of days to shop, do washing, internet, etc. The town was very western with smart shopping malls and shops. Quite a contrast to the towns in Malawi. Namibia and Zambia are clearly more affluent than Malawi and Uganda.
The group in the overland truck are a positive friendly lot and we feel quite at ease with them. The trek leader is impressive, keeping the whole trip on time and to schedule. We had a few transport dramas with the weight of the truck causing a ferry, crossing the Okavango river, to become stuck on some rocks. They got it off by the driver pulling forwards on the ferry sharply and then breaking hard to jerk to ferry forwards. The HSE in the UK would have something to say about that, but it worked. Amazing ingenuity. Also, the truck sank into about three feet of sand/mud just before the Delta. It took a long time to dig it out, but we were near enough to the boats to go off and rejoined it the next day. The trek company is called Intrepid and it is earning it's name!
Sadly we have just heard today that Ken's mum died yesterday and so we are leaving our trek tonight to get back to London for the funeral. It is obviously a sad end to our trip but does not diminish the most amazing experiences we have had - there are so many memories that will live with us for the rest of our lives.
Wednesday, 10 June 2009
Wednesday, 27 May 2009
The Last weeks in Malawi
It seems a long time since our last blog. We have been very busy finishing off the interviews and writing up the report. Jane Parker, a colleague of Jane's, came over from the UK to help with the last phase and to talk to groups of kids for the report. She was good company, had a great sense of humour and worked really hard. We had a fantastic week by the lake with the two Janes seeing families in a town nearby and Ken back at the lodge with a bad tummy bug. Unfortunately for him he couldn't eat the delicious food in the resort where we were staying but on the positive side, left him spending the week reading overlooking the lake. Not bad really. Anyway, a course of anti-biotics eventually sorted it out but with a thinner Ken than at the start of the week.
One afternoon we were sitting on the veranda of the lodge looking across the lake towards the shores and mountains of Mozambique when we noticed, what looked like, a large plume of black smoke on the other side of the lake, except it seemed to be still. We were told these were tiny lake flies. The cloud of these things must have been several hundred metres high and over 20 kilometres away, so there must have been billons of them. Extraodinary. Fortunately they stayed on the other side of the lake.
We were back in Kasungu for the last couple of weeks to finish the report. The two Jane's wrote most of it and Ken put it into Microsoft Publisher. Jane P then took a first draft back with her to the UK and to someone she knew who will polish it up. We were all pretty pleased with the results, and hope MLF are similarly pleased.
We had a week in Kasungu to potter about before our last trip to Lilongwe. We ended up our work on a bit of a high doing case studies on three MicroVentures projects. One with chicken rearing businesses, one with knitting and sewing, and one with an irrigation scheme way out in the country. Each one was a great success story, so very interesting and rewarding to see and talk to the groups of women.
For Jane's birthday we visited the lodge in Kasungu National Park for the day, about 35 kms out of the town. Very strange. It was like a very smart ghost town and completely empty except for a handful of staff. There were very few animals to see and to stay there was very expensive, hence being so empty we assumed. Anyway we had a very nice lunch served in beautiful weather overlooking a lake with hippos on the opposite bank about to mate, we were told. A successful day out, even if a bit peculiar.
One of our final bits of exctiment in Kasungu came when we climbed Kasungu mountain. Kasungu town is overlooked by a mountain shaped hill, (the sort of mountain shape you would see in a children's picture book) about 300-400 metres high which is the only high ground for many miles around. We have been promising ourselves this treat for months, and a treat it was. A local, a friend of our cook, led us up as there are few defined paths. It as very hot and a unrelentingly steep climb, but we were rewarded with absolutely amazing views. The surrounding countryside is completely flat for almost as far as we could see so everything was visible, the town, Banda's palace, lakes, the Kasungu National Park etc. Coming down was more of a problem as Ken's weight loss and subsequent reduced muscle tone caused his legs to turn to jelly, and he spent the last hundred metres hanging on the the guide. Well worth it though, if a little disconcerting. At the bottom we were met by three near naked men with stocking masks over their faces, completely covered in mud standing jogging and demanding money. Apparently they run long distances around the countyside and live near grave sites where no-one else is allowed to go near and the mud is from the graves. A traditional thing we were told, but rather sinister. They seemed very happy running off with the K100 (about 50p) we gave them.
There are so many small strange events each day here, and it would take forever to describe them all. Is there really still an England where things are quite normal?
The last week in Malawi we spent in Lilongwe staying with our friend Francesca. We celebrated Ken's birthday with a meal in a posh restaurant with a surprise birthday cake for both of us from Francesca, and half the restaurant joined in the Happy Birthday singing, to Ken's delight or embarrassment. The first weekend Francesca took us and two of her young women friends to the mission at Mua for the weekend and to the lake for lunch and a swim. The lunch was sort of typical of many of the places we have stayed at. Beautiful setting by the lake with very friendly staff, wonderful weather and totally empty of customers. An hour after we ordered lunch a waitress came and told us they didn't have one of the ingredients for one of the dishes, so lunch arrrived an hour and forty minutes after we ordered it. They substituted tea for the coffee ordered, forgot cups and salad dressing and bread for the salads they promised, and the chips were inedibly oily. Small things but so typical and a contrast to the setting and the friendliness. It was a fairly simple order and there were four staff in the kitchen and we were the only customers. Whilst the resorts and restaurants are seemingly set up for western tourists staff do not have much sense of customer service. When you are paying western prices, it is hard to continually say "oh well, this is Africa". We resort to being complaining white people, feeling a bit guilty, but also knowing that they will put off visitors unless they provide the service visitors pay for and expect. It is not surprising that these places are empty and it is such a shame. Apart from these little frustrations, it was a very good weekend with more spectacular things to see, lots of laughter and interesting discussions.
Now we have a few days left in Lilongwe to sort ourselves out for the big three week trip south to South Africa starting at Victoria Falls on 2nd June. The itinery talks of being in the wilds and on campsites quite a bit so we don't know if updating the blog will be possible over this period, but we will try. It will be very sad saying goodbye to Malawi and to Francesca.
One afternoon we were sitting on the veranda of the lodge looking across the lake towards the shores and mountains of Mozambique when we noticed, what looked like, a large plume of black smoke on the other side of the lake, except it seemed to be still. We were told these were tiny lake flies. The cloud of these things must have been several hundred metres high and over 20 kilometres away, so there must have been billons of them. Extraodinary. Fortunately they stayed on the other side of the lake.
We were back in Kasungu for the last couple of weeks to finish the report. The two Jane's wrote most of it and Ken put it into Microsoft Publisher. Jane P then took a first draft back with her to the UK and to someone she knew who will polish it up. We were all pretty pleased with the results, and hope MLF are similarly pleased.
We had a week in Kasungu to potter about before our last trip to Lilongwe. We ended up our work on a bit of a high doing case studies on three MicroVentures projects. One with chicken rearing businesses, one with knitting and sewing, and one with an irrigation scheme way out in the country. Each one was a great success story, so very interesting and rewarding to see and talk to the groups of women.
For Jane's birthday we visited the lodge in Kasungu National Park for the day, about 35 kms out of the town. Very strange. It was like a very smart ghost town and completely empty except for a handful of staff. There were very few animals to see and to stay there was very expensive, hence being so empty we assumed. Anyway we had a very nice lunch served in beautiful weather overlooking a lake with hippos on the opposite bank about to mate, we were told. A successful day out, even if a bit peculiar.
One of our final bits of exctiment in Kasungu came when we climbed Kasungu mountain. Kasungu town is overlooked by a mountain shaped hill, (the sort of mountain shape you would see in a children's picture book) about 300-400 metres high which is the only high ground for many miles around. We have been promising ourselves this treat for months, and a treat it was. A local, a friend of our cook, led us up as there are few defined paths. It as very hot and a unrelentingly steep climb, but we were rewarded with absolutely amazing views. The surrounding countryside is completely flat for almost as far as we could see so everything was visible, the town, Banda's palace, lakes, the Kasungu National Park etc. Coming down was more of a problem as Ken's weight loss and subsequent reduced muscle tone caused his legs to turn to jelly, and he spent the last hundred metres hanging on the the guide. Well worth it though, if a little disconcerting. At the bottom we were met by three near naked men with stocking masks over their faces, completely covered in mud standing jogging and demanding money. Apparently they run long distances around the countyside and live near grave sites where no-one else is allowed to go near and the mud is from the graves. A traditional thing we were told, but rather sinister. They seemed very happy running off with the K100 (about 50p) we gave them.
There are so many small strange events each day here, and it would take forever to describe them all. Is there really still an England where things are quite normal?
The last week in Malawi we spent in Lilongwe staying with our friend Francesca. We celebrated Ken's birthday with a meal in a posh restaurant with a surprise birthday cake for both of us from Francesca, and half the restaurant joined in the Happy Birthday singing, to Ken's delight or embarrassment. The first weekend Francesca took us and two of her young women friends to the mission at Mua for the weekend and to the lake for lunch and a swim. The lunch was sort of typical of many of the places we have stayed at. Beautiful setting by the lake with very friendly staff, wonderful weather and totally empty of customers. An hour after we ordered lunch a waitress came and told us they didn't have one of the ingredients for one of the dishes, so lunch arrrived an hour and forty minutes after we ordered it. They substituted tea for the coffee ordered, forgot cups and salad dressing and bread for the salads they promised, and the chips were inedibly oily. Small things but so typical and a contrast to the setting and the friendliness. It was a fairly simple order and there were four staff in the kitchen and we were the only customers. Whilst the resorts and restaurants are seemingly set up for western tourists staff do not have much sense of customer service. When you are paying western prices, it is hard to continually say "oh well, this is Africa". We resort to being complaining white people, feeling a bit guilty, but also knowing that they will put off visitors unless they provide the service visitors pay for and expect. It is not surprising that these places are empty and it is such a shame. Apart from these little frustrations, it was a very good weekend with more spectacular things to see, lots of laughter and interesting discussions.
Now we have a few days left in Lilongwe to sort ourselves out for the big three week trip south to South Africa starting at Victoria Falls on 2nd June. The itinery talks of being in the wilds and on campsites quite a bit so we don't know if updating the blog will be possible over this period, but we will try. It will be very sad saying goodbye to Malawi and to Francesca.
Saturday, 25 April 2009
The wonders of Zomba Plateau
After our spell on the 'Lake' we spent a few days in lilongwe, the capital, again to carry on writing up the case studies and interviews. Also, to buy reading material from a wonderful secondhand bookshop we found, to use the internet and try to sort out our visas for Zambia so we could leave Malawi for a couple of days as we were advised to re-enter for another 30 days without taking out the temporary residents permit which would cost a fortune. We decided to find cheap lodge in Lilongwe, to be shown into the executive suite (at the same price) with an enormous room with wood floors (unheard of out here), a very large bed and a walk -in modern shower. So much for going down market! The Zambian visa proved a farce as the Zambian High Commission wanted to charge us extortionate rates which were out of date. (Very strange) so we decided to try our luck at the border.
We then went to Zomba, a large town in the south, for a few days as we needed some excercise and Zomba plateau has great mountain walks according to the guidebook. We searched the town to rent a cottage up on the plaeau, following a variety of people as they led us around many church and theological college buildings in search of the holder of the keys to a cottage. We finally ended up going to a convent in a girls school where a nun agreed to us renting their cottage on the plateau very cheaply and presented the keys to us in an ancient little tin holding it in both hands, as nuns do. After a night in a very basic lodge in the town (a sort of Cell block H) we drove up the long winding road wondering what we were in for. The cottage was right on the edge of the escarpment with a vast panoramic view of the valley below. We sat on the veranda as the sun went down spellbound by the scene before us. Zomba town was spread out in the green vegetation right below us, with a small range of mountains dotted with forests beyond. There were smaller mountains in several directions many with perfect mountain peaks. A large mountain range loomed on the horizon with other mountains dotted around. The colours ranged from deep green to rocky greys to pink skies with misty eery shapes in the distance. The sky was vast as usual with the light on a few clouds adding to the drama of the view. As we were pretty high in the mountains it was rather cold, which was a bit of a blow, until a man came in and made a log fire for us. Very cosy, so thank you nuns. The following morning we got up early to find a magical sight with the cloud circling the mountain peaks below us giving the whole scene an astounding beauty. Another sight we shall not forget. We found a guide called Whisky who although 21 was still attending primary school! He took us on two really good walks, the first day to see the views from the escarpment and the second to the highest peak and then to another special site of interest, a 300m deep hole.
The following day we dropped the car in the compound of the friends where he works for the foreign office in Lilongwe so that we could travel to Zambia for our visa to be renewed in Malawi. Of course little goes as planned here. The immigration people at the border refused to accept our plan saying we must stay in Zambia for at least a week which would have scuppered our work schedule. Then, after taking us to one side offered to sort it all out for the cost of the Zambian visas without us needing to go into Zambia at all. It was an offer we couldn't refuse. It clearly didn't bear asking questions and our passports were handed back to us duly stamped up as we waited 100 metres down the road. H'mm, not something we would have wanted to be involved in if we had a choice. It all felt a bit set up.
Then back to work with Jane interviewing more women and children in an area north of Lilongwe, again many stories of poverty and resilience.
A colleague of Jane's from Barnardo's is arriving next Tuesday for two weeks to help with the interviews and writing the report. We're looking forward to seeing her and expect that we won't update the blog now until we leave Malawi in 3/4 weeks time.
We then went to Zomba, a large town in the south, for a few days as we needed some excercise and Zomba plateau has great mountain walks according to the guidebook. We searched the town to rent a cottage up on the plaeau, following a variety of people as they led us around many church and theological college buildings in search of the holder of the keys to a cottage. We finally ended up going to a convent in a girls school where a nun agreed to us renting their cottage on the plateau very cheaply and presented the keys to us in an ancient little tin holding it in both hands, as nuns do. After a night in a very basic lodge in the town (a sort of Cell block H) we drove up the long winding road wondering what we were in for. The cottage was right on the edge of the escarpment with a vast panoramic view of the valley below. We sat on the veranda as the sun went down spellbound by the scene before us. Zomba town was spread out in the green vegetation right below us, with a small range of mountains dotted with forests beyond. There were smaller mountains in several directions many with perfect mountain peaks. A large mountain range loomed on the horizon with other mountains dotted around. The colours ranged from deep green to rocky greys to pink skies with misty eery shapes in the distance. The sky was vast as usual with the light on a few clouds adding to the drama of the view. As we were pretty high in the mountains it was rather cold, which was a bit of a blow, until a man came in and made a log fire for us. Very cosy, so thank you nuns. The following morning we got up early to find a magical sight with the cloud circling the mountain peaks below us giving the whole scene an astounding beauty. Another sight we shall not forget. We found a guide called Whisky who although 21 was still attending primary school! He took us on two really good walks, the first day to see the views from the escarpment and the second to the highest peak and then to another special site of interest, a 300m deep hole.
The following day we dropped the car in the compound of the friends where he works for the foreign office in Lilongwe so that we could travel to Zambia for our visa to be renewed in Malawi. Of course little goes as planned here. The immigration people at the border refused to accept our plan saying we must stay in Zambia for at least a week which would have scuppered our work schedule. Then, after taking us to one side offered to sort it all out for the cost of the Zambian visas without us needing to go into Zambia at all. It was an offer we couldn't refuse. It clearly didn't bear asking questions and our passports were handed back to us duly stamped up as we waited 100 metres down the road. H'mm, not something we would have wanted to be involved in if we had a choice. It all felt a bit set up.
Then back to work with Jane interviewing more women and children in an area north of Lilongwe, again many stories of poverty and resilience.
A colleague of Jane's from Barnardo's is arriving next Tuesday for two weeks to help with the interviews and writing the report. We're looking forward to seeing her and expect that we won't update the blog now until we leave Malawi in 3/4 weeks time.
Tuesday, 14 April 2009
Starting the Childrens Study
Blog 13
Back to the North
The children's interviews are now in full swing. Well, Jane is in full swing. Ken sits in the car reading his book whilst Jane carries out the interviews. Ken is called in to photgraph and video the families at the end. Ken comes into his own later in the follow up work of turning the interviews into case studies, and fascinating it most certainly is.
So many of the families survive on next to nothing and the loans from MLF are a complete Godsend, sometimes they are the difference between the kids eating one meal and two meals a day. Managing on £2.00 to £5.00 per week to feed a family of 5 or 6 is not uncommon. Quite a few of the businesses are not yet successful as they are selling fish and apparently the Lake is too choppy for much fishing as the men use dugout boats which turn over and they drown if they go out in choppy waters. This makes the fish in short supply and more expensive. These women really struggle as their profits are often extremely small, but they are still desperate to have the loans so that at least they have something to buy the fish with. Some of the women have businesses that are growing and doing well and are making enough to pay their kids school fees and giving them 3 meals a day.
Although we work long hours, it is good to have something to get our teeth into. We returned to the orphanage lodge for more interviews in Rumphi and then back to Mzuzu city for more of the same. The weather in Mzuzu was dreadful. By far the worst yet with rain all day for about three/four days. Fortunately it didn't stop us frm working as we had the high vehicle again and most of the families were near the town. Whilst some families in town are a little better off, the urban poor live in more squalor than those in rural areas. On one occasion Jane fell over in the mud three times and her trousers were very mudded, much to the delight of the local people who thought it a great joke. We travel quite far into the rural areas on occasions. Once we had to wade thigh deep through a stream to reach the house of a woman we were interviewing. She was delighted we made the effort, but of course she and her children have to do it all the time when it has been raining.
We have now returned to the Lake (or 'lakeside' as they say here) in Nkhotkota to stay in a lodge on the beach for further interviews in the area. And very nice it is to. The weather changed from constant rain to constant sunshine. One evening we were having supper on the terrace just a few feet from the beach (Yes, life is hard for us) when the local choir turned up complete with keyboard, amplifier and speakers. It was a real treat and gospel music like you have never heard it, with a strong beat, fantastic harmonies and syncronised dancing. The backdrop for the choir was a full moon reflecting on a strip of cloud and glinting off the sea behind them. This gave the whole thing a magical air. Quite extrordinary. It did go on a bit and lasted for over two hours. Quite an event nevertheless. The next night another choir to serenade us. Not so professional as the previous night, but very good. On the third night the first choir returned so we even know some of the words of the songs now!
Unfortunately we have had another theft. Jane was lying on the beach outside our banda (hut) with her MP3 player. Whilst she had her eyes closed someone must have crept up from the nearby bushes and took the player from beside her. Of course, it is not surprising to have the occasional problem of this sort as the gap between what we have and most people around us have is so great, it must be quite a temptation to take advantage of these sort of opportunities. Perhaps it is surprising there are not more problems like this. Of course, for Jane it is very sad as she has lost all her music for the rest of the trip. Although we try to be vigilant, these things take us by surprise.
Back to the North
The children's interviews are now in full swing. Well, Jane is in full swing. Ken sits in the car reading his book whilst Jane carries out the interviews. Ken is called in to photgraph and video the families at the end. Ken comes into his own later in the follow up work of turning the interviews into case studies, and fascinating it most certainly is.
So many of the families survive on next to nothing and the loans from MLF are a complete Godsend, sometimes they are the difference between the kids eating one meal and two meals a day. Managing on £2.00 to £5.00 per week to feed a family of 5 or 6 is not uncommon. Quite a few of the businesses are not yet successful as they are selling fish and apparently the Lake is too choppy for much fishing as the men use dugout boats which turn over and they drown if they go out in choppy waters. This makes the fish in short supply and more expensive. These women really struggle as their profits are often extremely small, but they are still desperate to have the loans so that at least they have something to buy the fish with. Some of the women have businesses that are growing and doing well and are making enough to pay their kids school fees and giving them 3 meals a day.
Although we work long hours, it is good to have something to get our teeth into. We returned to the orphanage lodge for more interviews in Rumphi and then back to Mzuzu city for more of the same. The weather in Mzuzu was dreadful. By far the worst yet with rain all day for about three/four days. Fortunately it didn't stop us frm working as we had the high vehicle again and most of the families were near the town. Whilst some families in town are a little better off, the urban poor live in more squalor than those in rural areas. On one occasion Jane fell over in the mud three times and her trousers were very mudded, much to the delight of the local people who thought it a great joke. We travel quite far into the rural areas on occasions. Once we had to wade thigh deep through a stream to reach the house of a woman we were interviewing. She was delighted we made the effort, but of course she and her children have to do it all the time when it has been raining.
We have now returned to the Lake (or 'lakeside' as they say here) in Nkhotkota to stay in a lodge on the beach for further interviews in the area. And very nice it is to. The weather changed from constant rain to constant sunshine. One evening we were having supper on the terrace just a few feet from the beach (Yes, life is hard for us) when the local choir turned up complete with keyboard, amplifier and speakers. It was a real treat and gospel music like you have never heard it, with a strong beat, fantastic harmonies and syncronised dancing. The backdrop for the choir was a full moon reflecting on a strip of cloud and glinting off the sea behind them. This gave the whole thing a magical air. Quite extrordinary. It did go on a bit and lasted for over two hours. Quite an event nevertheless. The next night another choir to serenade us. Not so professional as the previous night, but very good. On the third night the first choir returned so we even know some of the words of the songs now!
Unfortunately we have had another theft. Jane was lying on the beach outside our banda (hut) with her MP3 player. Whilst she had her eyes closed someone must have crept up from the nearby bushes and took the player from beside her. Of course, it is not surprising to have the occasional problem of this sort as the gap between what we have and most people around us have is so great, it must be quite a temptation to take advantage of these sort of opportunities. Perhaps it is surprising there are not more problems like this. Of course, for Jane it is very sad as she has lost all her music for the rest of the trip. Although we try to be vigilant, these things take us by surprise.
Tuesday, 7 April 2009
Moving on
Blog 12
Back in the office in Kasungu Jane put the final touches to her proposal for the children's study and the chief executive from the UK arrived with a chap from South Africa who is an expert in Micro finance. They both, together with a young chap from MLF in England, stayed in the guesthouse with us which gave us lively and interesting evenings. Lots of good discussions about MLF and the survey work we had been doing. Jane's networking with UNICEF went down very well and all in all it proved to be a very good week. Jane's proposal was agreed and we went ahead with the plans to visit other regions around the country.
First stop was Selima near Lake Malawi, in the central region, where we interviewed more women. These women turned out to be not quite as poor and living in a more urban setting. We stayed in a lodge on the lake ('Cool Runnings') and the white Zimbabwian woman who ran it announced that we were cool when she heard about our trip. Cool? Can you imagine?
From there we planned to go to another town further north, but a bridge on the access road had been washed away. The alternative route was unpassable due to heavy rains and the only other way was via the northern route which would mean a 400 KM detour. We decided to give this a miss and went instead for a few days at a lakeside resort, Cape Maclear, which was said to be beautiful. And so it was. We had a strange experience getting there. We took a well signposted road (unusual in Malawi) to the M10 for the resort to find ourselves on a very bad dirt road with the prospect of 100 KMs to go. We were surprised that there was no traffic in either direction whatsoever, but slowly struggled on negotiating the deep ruts, mud, and potholes. After about an hour and 20 KMs we joined a brand new road which was the best road we had seen. We discovered that this new road replaced the old one we had been driving along, but no-one had taken down the signpost for the old road which was not far before the junction for new road. We were amazed, relieved and amused in equal measure.
We stayed in a lodge right on the beach, but, of course, there was no electricity as a transformer had broken down. We also discovered (after Jane had been swimming a few times) that the clear lake water was badly infected with Bilharzia in that area, a very nasty parasite. It is a minute worm which enters the bloodstream via your skin, and because there was no power for the usual water pump this water was used for the washing/shower water in the lodge. Fortunately there is medication we can take when we return to England that should stop it from doing serious harm. However, the lake, the scenery and the skies were quite extrordinary, and we spent hours watching the incredible sunsets from the bar seated right on the edge of the lake. It is hard to find the words to describe how such sights make you feel.
Next stop was a mission at Mua. The elderly priest who has been working there for many years is an artist, so the whole settlement was beautifully painted and decorated, with a museum which covered the history and culture of the main groups of people in Malawi. Quite fascinating. The large Catholic church was decorated with African designs and colours, with lots of wood carvings and some beautiful sculptures. The overall impression was quite stunning.
Unfortunately we still can't post pictures - we are working on it. Also this blog is rather behind the times but we'll post another one in a few days now we have internet access!
Back in the office in Kasungu Jane put the final touches to her proposal for the children's study and the chief executive from the UK arrived with a chap from South Africa who is an expert in Micro finance. They both, together with a young chap from MLF in England, stayed in the guesthouse with us which gave us lively and interesting evenings. Lots of good discussions about MLF and the survey work we had been doing. Jane's networking with UNICEF went down very well and all in all it proved to be a very good week. Jane's proposal was agreed and we went ahead with the plans to visit other regions around the country.
First stop was Selima near Lake Malawi, in the central region, where we interviewed more women. These women turned out to be not quite as poor and living in a more urban setting. We stayed in a lodge on the lake ('Cool Runnings') and the white Zimbabwian woman who ran it announced that we were cool when she heard about our trip. Cool? Can you imagine?
From there we planned to go to another town further north, but a bridge on the access road had been washed away. The alternative route was unpassable due to heavy rains and the only other way was via the northern route which would mean a 400 KM detour. We decided to give this a miss and went instead for a few days at a lakeside resort, Cape Maclear, which was said to be beautiful. And so it was. We had a strange experience getting there. We took a well signposted road (unusual in Malawi) to the M10 for the resort to find ourselves on a very bad dirt road with the prospect of 100 KMs to go. We were surprised that there was no traffic in either direction whatsoever, but slowly struggled on negotiating the deep ruts, mud, and potholes. After about an hour and 20 KMs we joined a brand new road which was the best road we had seen. We discovered that this new road replaced the old one we had been driving along, but no-one had taken down the signpost for the old road which was not far before the junction for new road. We were amazed, relieved and amused in equal measure.
We stayed in a lodge right on the beach, but, of course, there was no electricity as a transformer had broken down. We also discovered (after Jane had been swimming a few times) that the clear lake water was badly infected with Bilharzia in that area, a very nasty parasite. It is a minute worm which enters the bloodstream via your skin, and because there was no power for the usual water pump this water was used for the washing/shower water in the lodge. Fortunately there is medication we can take when we return to England that should stop it from doing serious harm. However, the lake, the scenery and the skies were quite extrordinary, and we spent hours watching the incredible sunsets from the bar seated right on the edge of the lake. It is hard to find the words to describe how such sights make you feel.
Next stop was a mission at Mua. The elderly priest who has been working there for many years is an artist, so the whole settlement was beautifully painted and decorated, with a museum which covered the history and culture of the main groups of people in Malawi. Quite fascinating. The large Catholic church was decorated with African designs and colours, with lots of wood carvings and some beautiful sculptures. The overall impression was quite stunning.
Unfortunately we still can't post pictures - we are working on it. Also this blog is rather behind the times but we'll post another one in a few days now we have internet access!
Friday, 13 March 2009
Adventures Up North
Our first outing for our work with MLF was a trip to Rumphi, in the northern region of Malawi. We stopped overnight in Mzuzu, the major city in the north, to change vehicles for we needed a 4X4 as the roads are bad in that area. We agreed to meet Jack, the driver of the 4X4, in the car park of a local supermarket. At the appointed time a 4X4 drew up and the driver waved to us. He confirmed his name was Jack and we said we would have to go to our guesthouse house so we could exchange cars and he agreed we could climb in to the car to do this. Ken said we needed to fill up with petrol as we need the car for the week. He thanked us but said he must change the car if we needed it for a week. He seemed a bit worried about this and we also thought it strange. As he drove away Ken's phone rang and the real Jack said he was waiting for us in the car park. The driver agreed his name was not Jack and seemed quite relieved when we said it was all a mistake and we jumped out of the car. We will never know who he thought we were!
Rumphi is situated high in the mountains which dominate the area. We stayed in a lodge in an orphanage where the profits from the guests go towards the costs of the orphange. The camp is modern and very attractive, and built in the African style. The Dutchman who started it all about ten years ago has channelled water from a mountain stream which he supplies to local people free, and his uncle has set up a bakery in the orphanage to teach young people baking skills and supply the local shops with good bread. The facilities were excellent and very comfortable with separate s/c thatched huts. The views from the camp were splendid as we were surrounded by the lush green peaks of the region's national park.
We undertook more interviews with women from loan groups in the area. About 35kms from Rumphi we visted a group of women who insisted in turning out in full force and met us with singing and dancing, arriving in a line as we stood by our car. It was very moving and Jane joined in the dancing, much to their delight, and to Ken's horror in case he had to join in as well. These events are wonderful and one of the highlights of our trip.
Our interpreters were very good. The one in Kasungu was called Precious and the one in Rumphi was named Trouble. Whilst it was a little awkward to call these men by their names, neither had the personalities their names imply.
The bird calls in Rumphi have been strange. One sounds like a persistent telephone, another like a loud dripping tap, and a third has a sound of a repeating low toned whistle. Not the best background noises at 5.00am, but then, we do go to bed at 9.00pm.
Why are African skies so extraordinary? They seem broader, with stronger colours, and the clouds appear more dramatic, and interact with the landscape to give an overall effect that often leaves you amazed. Could it be we are beginning to see Africa through rose coloured spectacles?
After four days in Rumphi we took a long dirt road to Livingstonia, 900 metres up in the mountains above Lake Malawi. It is a mission started in the late ninteeneth century to carry on Livingstone's work. The road became more treacherous as we progressed and our 4X4 was not a 4X4, although fortunately a high sided vehicle. After about an hour We became stuck in severe mud ruts and only managed to free ourselves because it was down hill and we slid along about 50 metres, saying thank goodness we didn't have to come back that way. About ten minutes later we were stopped as a large truck had become stuck blocking the road, so we had to turn back and face this seemingly impassable stretch of mud. After surveying the mud ruts for a while we decided on the most likely route and just went for it. You can imagine our elation when we made it through. The idea of becoming stranded many miles for anywhere was pretty scary. We then took a 100 km detour and went up by the rockiest road ever and stopped just short of Livingstonia at a campsite right on the edge of a precipice with a 700 metre dropped to the valley below stretching out to Lake Malawi. We stayed in a hut right on the cliff edge. Absolutely breathtaking.
We moved up to the Mission in Livingstonia the following morning to stay at the original house for the missionaries. Very basic! However, it was full of atmosphere and interesting historical material. We attended the church the next day to hear the famed gospel singing, which, with three choirs, was all it was cracked up to be. Having to stand up in front of the three hundred congregation to introduce ourselves as visitors was not expected though.
Rumphi is situated high in the mountains which dominate the area. We stayed in a lodge in an orphanage where the profits from the guests go towards the costs of the orphange. The camp is modern and very attractive, and built in the African style. The Dutchman who started it all about ten years ago has channelled water from a mountain stream which he supplies to local people free, and his uncle has set up a bakery in the orphanage to teach young people baking skills and supply the local shops with good bread. The facilities were excellent and very comfortable with separate s/c thatched huts. The views from the camp were splendid as we were surrounded by the lush green peaks of the region's national park.
We undertook more interviews with women from loan groups in the area. About 35kms from Rumphi we visted a group of women who insisted in turning out in full force and met us with singing and dancing, arriving in a line as we stood by our car. It was very moving and Jane joined in the dancing, much to their delight, and to Ken's horror in case he had to join in as well. These events are wonderful and one of the highlights of our trip.
Our interpreters were very good. The one in Kasungu was called Precious and the one in Rumphi was named Trouble. Whilst it was a little awkward to call these men by their names, neither had the personalities their names imply.
The bird calls in Rumphi have been strange. One sounds like a persistent telephone, another like a loud dripping tap, and a third has a sound of a repeating low toned whistle. Not the best background noises at 5.00am, but then, we do go to bed at 9.00pm.
Why are African skies so extraordinary? They seem broader, with stronger colours, and the clouds appear more dramatic, and interact with the landscape to give an overall effect that often leaves you amazed. Could it be we are beginning to see Africa through rose coloured spectacles?
After four days in Rumphi we took a long dirt road to Livingstonia, 900 metres up in the mountains above Lake Malawi. It is a mission started in the late ninteeneth century to carry on Livingstone's work. The road became more treacherous as we progressed and our 4X4 was not a 4X4, although fortunately a high sided vehicle. After about an hour We became stuck in severe mud ruts and only managed to free ourselves because it was down hill and we slid along about 50 metres, saying thank goodness we didn't have to come back that way. About ten minutes later we were stopped as a large truck had become stuck blocking the road, so we had to turn back and face this seemingly impassable stretch of mud. After surveying the mud ruts for a while we decided on the most likely route and just went for it. You can imagine our elation when we made it through. The idea of becoming stranded many miles for anywhere was pretty scary. We then took a 100 km detour and went up by the rockiest road ever and stopped just short of Livingstonia at a campsite right on the edge of a precipice with a 700 metre dropped to the valley below stretching out to Lake Malawi. We stayed in a hut right on the cliff edge. Absolutely breathtaking.
We moved up to the Mission in Livingstonia the following morning to stay at the original house for the missionaries. Very basic! However, it was full of atmosphere and interesting historical material. We attended the church the next day to hear the famed gospel singing, which, with three choirs, was all it was cracked up to be. Having to stand up in front of the three hundred congregation to introduce ourselves as visitors was not expected though.
Thursday, 26 February 2009
Working in Malawi
Working in Malawi
One of the benefits of working alongside Malawians and doing the surveys is that we have begun to see a little of what life is like for the local people. The wages are very low. Most families have households of six or more people and the income is very unlikely to cover the cost of the most basic needs. On top of this they pay income tax on any income over the equivalent of 12 pounds a month. Of course, most Malawians have no jobs, so survival is a precarious business. Food in the shops is not much cheaper than we pay in the UK and in some cases more expensive. Most families live on a sort of polenta made from ground maize which they have with some kind of sauce, very rarely with meat or fish. One of the reasons we can't find much in the way of vegetables (and quite a lot of other foodstuffs) is that very few people can afford them, so it does not pay the shops to transport them, what is available is what is grown locally. The biggest problems come at this time of year, during the rainy season, their food supplies have run out and there are no crops to pick until the rains stop in April. Also, because the land is so over farmed most people cannot achieve even a reasonable yield from their crops without fertiliser, to many another unaffordable luxury. Of course, the price of food has escalated over the last year or so. Tobacco is the only cash crop in this area, and many people try to grow this as well as food to try to tide themselves over the hard times.
One thing that amazes us is how smart many people are. Given the complete absence of any facilties, wearing light clothes and whites must mean an enormous amount of scrubbing for the women.
Education is a high priority for most parents, and many children attend at the primary stage However, the cost of the compulsory uniform is a major burden. Where youngsters do achieve an education at a more senior level it is often at the cost of serious hardship to the whole family.
Another salutary experience comes from our interviews where so many women care for children who are orphans because their parents have died, mostly from AIDS. These women have nothing, often no income and only the food they grow, yet have taken in 2, 3, or 4, young children. We have come across so many staggering stories of severe hardship, yet many of the women remain resilient and positive. It is hard to convey the impact of seeing and hearing all this first hand.
Although, when planning this trip, we intended to try to experience a bit of the life of African people, (the 'real Africa' we called it) the reality is that the gap between the lives of local people and that which most white westerners, i.e. us, can tolerate is too wide. Especially now we are settled somewhere and working it is as though there are two completely different existencies.
As in any society, there is a range of problems. We hear stories of people being robbed (we would call it being mugged), although we don't hear of the victims being hurt. Also, the other day we came across a large crowd outside a Police station and we were told that 8 people had been arrested for teaching children witchcraft, which appears to be strongly believed in Malawi. We were also warned not to stop if you knock over an animal as someone will probably try to extort a large sum of money from you or you may be attacked, especially if you knock someone over. The Police advised you to take the person to hospital first and not stop to seek assistance. However, day to day we do not feel threatened as everything seems friendly and relaxed. As is usual it is hard to assess what is actual risk and what are people's fears from what they hear. We intend to be careful non-the-less and walking about at night is completely out.
Also things seldom happen as you expect them to. Africa time is an elastic affair for some people in business and at work. Of course, this is rather nice and refreshing as life is much slower and people don't become stressed, frustrated and anxious. There is much to recommend this. It's funny how quickly we seem to have accept the change of pace, although we do occassionally feel a wee bit frustrated.
Working, instead of travelling, has extended our experience of being in Africa tremendously. The richness of being here is brought home to us every day.
One of the benefits of working alongside Malawians and doing the surveys is that we have begun to see a little of what life is like for the local people. The wages are very low. Most families have households of six or more people and the income is very unlikely to cover the cost of the most basic needs. On top of this they pay income tax on any income over the equivalent of 12 pounds a month. Of course, most Malawians have no jobs, so survival is a precarious business. Food in the shops is not much cheaper than we pay in the UK and in some cases more expensive. Most families live on a sort of polenta made from ground maize which they have with some kind of sauce, very rarely with meat or fish. One of the reasons we can't find much in the way of vegetables (and quite a lot of other foodstuffs) is that very few people can afford them, so it does not pay the shops to transport them, what is available is what is grown locally. The biggest problems come at this time of year, during the rainy season, their food supplies have run out and there are no crops to pick until the rains stop in April. Also, because the land is so over farmed most people cannot achieve even a reasonable yield from their crops without fertiliser, to many another unaffordable luxury. Of course, the price of food has escalated over the last year or so. Tobacco is the only cash crop in this area, and many people try to grow this as well as food to try to tide themselves over the hard times.
One thing that amazes us is how smart many people are. Given the complete absence of any facilties, wearing light clothes and whites must mean an enormous amount of scrubbing for the women.
Education is a high priority for most parents, and many children attend at the primary stage However, the cost of the compulsory uniform is a major burden. Where youngsters do achieve an education at a more senior level it is often at the cost of serious hardship to the whole family.
Another salutary experience comes from our interviews where so many women care for children who are orphans because their parents have died, mostly from AIDS. These women have nothing, often no income and only the food they grow, yet have taken in 2, 3, or 4, young children. We have come across so many staggering stories of severe hardship, yet many of the women remain resilient and positive. It is hard to convey the impact of seeing and hearing all this first hand.
Although, when planning this trip, we intended to try to experience a bit of the life of African people, (the 'real Africa' we called it) the reality is that the gap between the lives of local people and that which most white westerners, i.e. us, can tolerate is too wide. Especially now we are settled somewhere and working it is as though there are two completely different existencies.
As in any society, there is a range of problems. We hear stories of people being robbed (we would call it being mugged), although we don't hear of the victims being hurt. Also, the other day we came across a large crowd outside a Police station and we were told that 8 people had been arrested for teaching children witchcraft, which appears to be strongly believed in Malawi. We were also warned not to stop if you knock over an animal as someone will probably try to extort a large sum of money from you or you may be attacked, especially if you knock someone over. The Police advised you to take the person to hospital first and not stop to seek assistance. However, day to day we do not feel threatened as everything seems friendly and relaxed. As is usual it is hard to assess what is actual risk and what are people's fears from what they hear. We intend to be careful non-the-less and walking about at night is completely out.
Also things seldom happen as you expect them to. Africa time is an elastic affair for some people in business and at work. Of course, this is rather nice and refreshing as life is much slower and people don't become stressed, frustrated and anxious. There is much to recommend this. It's funny how quickly we seem to have accept the change of pace, although we do occassionally feel a wee bit frustrated.
Working, instead of travelling, has extended our experience of being in Africa tremendously. The richness of being here is brought home to us every day.
Monday, 9 February 2009
Our first week at MLF
Micro Loan Foundation (MLF)
We thought a brief desciption of MLF would be helpful at this stage.The foundation lends small sums of money to women to start small businesses. The aim of the scheme is to help lift the poorest women and their families out of poverty and, at certain times of the year, prevent starvation. It is very well organised. The loans are made to groups of up 20 women who have collective responsibilty for repaying them. The businesses are usually linked to farming produce but also include things like dealing second hand clothing or shoes, brewing beer. The women are provided with training and support to run their businesses and manage the money. They pay back the money over four months with interest, and in addition also usually save some money towards future ventures. Many women are on their 8th, 9th, or 10th cycle of loans as they successfully progress. MLF also has a smaller, but also successful, micro ventures programme funded by lottery money whereby groups of women run larger projects such as irrigation schemes, poultry farming, honey production, knitting or sewing businesses. In these circumstances the women are provided with equipment or machinery as well as the loans.
Jane's work, with Ken as assistant and driver (he's too modest he's doing a lot more than that!), is to start the work of demonstrating how MLF benefits the children of the women who obtain the loans. This work can be used to raise more money to extend the MLF work. MLF already have nearly 700 groups of women across the country currently using loans, so over 10,000 women are benefiting from its work.
MLF employs only Malawian people to manage and run the programmes, and it is professionally and efficiently managed with good infrastructure which copes amazingly with the frequent absence of electricity and water.
Living and working in Kasungu.
Our first day with MLF was a great successs. The offices were well equipped, smart, and in a modern compound. The staff at the HQ office were great. They were prepared for us and gave us an excellent induction, ending up in the afternoon with a visit to one of the groups of women who were paying back their loan to the scheme. We were taken for an hour's drive into the countryside to meet with the group. What an experience! The women, about twenty of them, were waiting for us and sang and danced to us in greeting. We were taken into a small hut for the meeting, and they cheered and clapped as Jane's introduction was interpreted by the loans officer from the scheme who took us there. The meeting was really impressive. The women jointly put together the money to repay that instalment of their loan. The women showed a high level of support to each other in the meeting. At the end of the meeeting, one of the elders gave a little speech saying how pleased and honoured they were that we visited them and they sang for us again. As we left one of the women felt Ken's hair, to the great amusement of the rest, and they sang and danced again as we drove away. Wow!
We have moved into a guesthouse with self contained acccommodation, a large bedroom, and the services include a cook and a daily laundry service all for half the cost of the town's only hotel.
Insert pictures
Although finding produce in Kasungu is not easy, the cook, a young man called Able, manages to produce excellent meals from the indgredients we buy. There are frequent power cuts and water shortages and on a daily basis, which is at present a problem all over Malawi. Fortunately the office has it's own generator, so it doesn't affect our work. The evenings are often a bit strange with no light to read, no TV or radio and nowhere much to go out to. All houses have compounds with high walls, large steel gates and a nightwatchman/guard, so we feel pretty secure. We have been allocated a car to use which will make it possible to vist the branches around the country and the groups of women we will need to talk to and interview. We can also use the car to travel about in Malawi which will be a great benefit.
We thought a brief desciption of MLF would be helpful at this stage.The foundation lends small sums of money to women to start small businesses. The aim of the scheme is to help lift the poorest women and their families out of poverty and, at certain times of the year, prevent starvation. It is very well organised. The loans are made to groups of up 20 women who have collective responsibilty for repaying them. The businesses are usually linked to farming produce but also include things like dealing second hand clothing or shoes, brewing beer. The women are provided with training and support to run their businesses and manage the money. They pay back the money over four months with interest, and in addition also usually save some money towards future ventures. Many women are on their 8th, 9th, or 10th cycle of loans as they successfully progress. MLF also has a smaller, but also successful, micro ventures programme funded by lottery money whereby groups of women run larger projects such as irrigation schemes, poultry farming, honey production, knitting or sewing businesses. In these circumstances the women are provided with equipment or machinery as well as the loans.
Jane's work, with Ken as assistant and driver (he's too modest he's doing a lot more than that!), is to start the work of demonstrating how MLF benefits the children of the women who obtain the loans. This work can be used to raise more money to extend the MLF work. MLF already have nearly 700 groups of women across the country currently using loans, so over 10,000 women are benefiting from its work.
MLF employs only Malawian people to manage and run the programmes, and it is professionally and efficiently managed with good infrastructure which copes amazingly with the frequent absence of electricity and water.
Living and working in Kasungu.
Our first day with MLF was a great successs. The offices were well equipped, smart, and in a modern compound. The staff at the HQ office were great. They were prepared for us and gave us an excellent induction, ending up in the afternoon with a visit to one of the groups of women who were paying back their loan to the scheme. We were taken for an hour's drive into the countryside to meet with the group. What an experience! The women, about twenty of them, were waiting for us and sang and danced to us in greeting. We were taken into a small hut for the meeting, and they cheered and clapped as Jane's introduction was interpreted by the loans officer from the scheme who took us there. The meeting was really impressive. The women jointly put together the money to repay that instalment of their loan. The women showed a high level of support to each other in the meeting. At the end of the meeeting, one of the elders gave a little speech saying how pleased and honoured they were that we visited them and they sang for us again. As we left one of the women felt Ken's hair, to the great amusement of the rest, and they sang and danced again as we drove away. Wow!
We have moved into a guesthouse with self contained acccommodation, a large bedroom, and the services include a cook and a daily laundry service all for half the cost of the town's only hotel.
Insert pictures
Although finding produce in Kasungu is not easy, the cook, a young man called Able, manages to produce excellent meals from the indgredients we buy. There are frequent power cuts and water shortages and on a daily basis, which is at present a problem all over Malawi. Fortunately the office has it's own generator, so it doesn't affect our work. The evenings are often a bit strange with no light to read, no TV or radio and nowhere much to go out to. All houses have compounds with high walls, large steel gates and a nightwatchman/guard, so we feel pretty secure. We have been allocated a car to use which will make it possible to vist the branches around the country and the groups of women we will need to talk to and interview. We can also use the car to travel about in Malawi which will be a great benefit.
Friday, 6 February 2009
Malawi at last
Having experienced the friendliness of the people here, the next most noticeable thing was the weather. It is the rainy season between November and March. This means that it rains most days. It could be for a few minutes or several hours, from light drizzle to torrents of it. There is plenty of notice as rain is always preceeded by the local people carrying umbrellas. Otherwise the weather is warm and very pleasant, about between 25 and 30 degrees and therefore the rain does't seem a problem at all.Our hotel in Lilongwe, the capital, is fine. Although a 'budget' hotel, it is comfortable.
We met a really nice Italian woman who is working in Lilongwe on a health project and we went out to eat with her most evenings. She had a car so we were able to explore local restaurants.Lilongwe is an unusual city. It is split between the old town and the capital city which are separated by 5 kms. Capital city was set up by Hastings Banda when he decided that Lilongwe was to be the capital, so capital city only contains the government buildings, banks and insurance companies, smart restaurants and smart housing. These are spread out giving the impression of a leafy suburb and not a city at all. Old town, the original Lilongwe, is spreadout so is also rather uncity like. Our stay was extended a few days as Ken had another stomach bug, so we had more time to explore.At the end of the week we pottered off to Malawi's second city, Blantyre, which is the commercial centre of the country, just to have a look. The coach/bus was very luxurious, and although cheap, we travelled in style. The guesthouse/hotel had splendid views across the city, with hills and mountains in the background, but we couldn't walk from the hotel due to potential robbery in that area so we felt a bit marooned.
The city was fine, although one day looking around was enough. Then back to Lilongwe for another local bus journey to Kasungu where we will spend the next four/five weeks for the first part of our work with the microloan foundationOur first impressions of Kasungu were positive as we arrived in time to amble along the main street (there is only one really) and for the first time in Africa, no-one asked us if we wanted a taxi, a guide, to buy something, or begged for money.It seems that Kasungu has no tourists.
Friday, 23 January 2009
Zanzibar and Dar es Salaam
We found a cheap guesthouse in the poorest end of Stone Town on the main island of Zanzibar. Although we were a little worried when we arrived as we went through a very grotty fish market to the door of the guesthouse, it turned out to be a bit of an oasis. Albeit a bit tatty, the enclosed stone courtyard, complete with tiled fish pond was great and the room large, clean, with A/C and a modern bathroom with powerful shower turned out to be better accommodation than the large smart hotels we have stayed at. Breakfast was served on the roof overlooking the ocean on two sides with the fishing boats coming in just below us. Another, 'wow!' moment and there were a few of those in Zanzibar.
Stone Town was fascinating for us and we loved it despite its run down appearance. Every other house has a beautiful carved door with large brass spiked studs, even the most dilapidated. There were old palaces and buildings to look around, an enormous open market, masses of street stalls and a maze of little narrow streets gave the place a great atmosphere.
Also, the best food we have eaten in Africa so far with the famous Zanzibar spices featuring everywhere. Quite a few meals on terraces overlooking the beach, eating sitting on the floor, and listening to Freddie Mercury and Queen (he was born in Zanzibar) all added to the specialness of it. The only tour we undertook was the Spice Tour where we visited the spice plantations and were shown how spices are grown and processed.
After three days we took a daladala to Bwejuu, a small quiet spot on the shores of the ocean. Daladalas are great. They are small minibus size wagons with highly decorated open fretwork sides and a small bench around the inside of the rear. The bench is about six inches off the floor and slightly padded. They are designed to take twelve people but frequently we had over twenty squeezed in. Everything goes on the roof, bicycles, bales, firewood and a one stage they loaded over twenty crates of soft drinks on top of ours. Daladalas are frequent, efficient and very cheap, costing around a £1 for a journey which took, including stops, over an hour and a half. The daladala dropped us off in the middle of nowhere. However we found a little basic resort with a small banda within our budget right on the beach. Three days of endless white sands and hardly a soul around was bliss, except when Ken fell over in a rockpool and Jane spent quite a while with a needle and tweezers removing nasty black sea urchin spines from his fingers and toes.
After three days we took a daladala to Bwejuu, a small quiet spot on the shores of the ocean. Daladalas are great. They are small minibus size wagons with highly decorated open fretwork sides and a small bench around the inside of the rear. The bench is about six inches off the floor and slightly padded. They are designed to take twelve people but frequently we had over twenty squeezed in. Everything goes on the roof, bicycles, bales, firewood and a one stage they loaded over twenty crates of soft drinks on top of ours. Daladalas are frequent, efficient and very cheap, costing around a £1 for a journey which took, including stops, over an hour and a half. The daladala dropped us off in the middle of nowhere. However we found a little basic resort with a small banda within our budget right on the beach. Three days of endless white sands and hardly a soul around was bliss, except when Ken fell over in a rockpool and Jane spent quite a while with a needle and tweezers removing nasty black sea urchin spines from his fingers and toes.
Then back on the daladala to Stone Town and the ferry to Dar es Salaam where things went down hill a little.
Firstly we found out on leaving Zanzibar that our visas expired in two days (apparently the 90 day period starts when you obtain the visa and not from when you arrive), then Jane was very sick on the ferry. The visa problem meant that we needed to change plans and fly out of Tanzania within the two days instead of taking our time overland. We were badly advised that the only way to do this was buying a ticket via Nairobi, only to discover there was a flight direct to Lilongwe (Malawi's capital) the next day. This left us out of pocket and fed up. On top of this we faced difficulties on the hotel front. It was not only difficult to find but was without water or electricity much of the time. Eating in the bar in the dark was a challenge and we were served chicken when we ordered fish which, of course, Jane couldn't eat. Dar has daily power cuts. We tried to explore the city but found it to be dirty and dusty with little to recommend it and very hot and humid. It also had what must be the worst National Museum in the world with very limited and boring exhibits. We tried eating out the next evening, but the streets were dark and threatening and we were glad to reach the hotel safely later. Dar was not a particularly good experience!
However Malawi promises well. The flight on a small 50 seat aircraft was very friendly, the few passengers seemed to chat to each other and to us and when we arrived the airport was shut down with no immigration or customs staff at all. However, everyone was so nice about it and the immigration official came back from his home in about half an hour and just stamped every passport without discussion, apologising profusely. One of the passengers found a good taxi for us.
Firstly we found out on leaving Zanzibar that our visas expired in two days (apparently the 90 day period starts when you obtain the visa and not from when you arrive), then Jane was very sick on the ferry. The visa problem meant that we needed to change plans and fly out of Tanzania within the two days instead of taking our time overland. We were badly advised that the only way to do this was buying a ticket via Nairobi, only to discover there was a flight direct to Lilongwe (Malawi's capital) the next day. This left us out of pocket and fed up. On top of this we faced difficulties on the hotel front. It was not only difficult to find but was without water or electricity much of the time. Eating in the bar in the dark was a challenge and we were served chicken when we ordered fish which, of course, Jane couldn't eat. Dar has daily power cuts. We tried to explore the city but found it to be dirty and dusty with little to recommend it and very hot and humid. It also had what must be the worst National Museum in the world with very limited and boring exhibits. We tried eating out the next evening, but the streets were dark and threatening and we were glad to reach the hotel safely later. Dar was not a particularly good experience!
However Malawi promises well. The flight on a small 50 seat aircraft was very friendly, the few passengers seemed to chat to each other and to us and when we arrived the airport was shut down with no immigration or customs staff at all. However, everyone was so nice about it and the immigration official came back from his home in about half an hour and just stamped every passport without discussion, apologising profusely. One of the passengers found a good taxi for us.
Wednesday, 14 January 2009
Tiwi beach
Joe, Chris and Sarah returned to Nairobi on the overnight train from Mombassa to fly back to England, and we set off with Tim for a week on the coast. We decided on Tiwi Beach, a quiet spot with self catering cottages. We were warned of the potential dangers on part of the journey from some violent locals armed with machetes who apparently rob white tourists on the road, so we travelled by a cheap taxi instead of public transport. We found a small thatched cottage just two minutes walk through palm trees to a white sandy beach and the Indian Ocean. We enjoyed a quiet week, which was what Tim wanted, lazing, reading, beaching, swimming, etc., with Jane and Tim snorkelling along the reef. Ken's swimming proved not to be up to this. We bought fresh fish from fishermen on the beachfront and it was great to cook for ourselves. We visited the popular Dianni Beach up the coast and were very pleased we had chosen Tiwi.
Also, from creatures great (of the safari trips) to creatures small. We watched a horde of small crabs running about the beach at dusk to avoid the incoming tide, and our toilet bowl contained two lizards and a frog during our stay. The most exciting encounter with small creatures came one night when we were woken at 1.00am by the bites of dozens of ants in our bed and with hundreds of them on the floor around the bed. They were small ants but their bites were very unpleasant. After picking the ants off each other and the bed, and anticipating the need to sit up all night, we discovered that due to a power cut and doing the cooking by torch light, we had forgotten to put out the remains from the fish we cooked the night before. A two inch wide column of ants ran around the edge of the cottage to the rubbish bag with thousands of them covering the bag. Those around, and in, our bed were the stragglers. After many more bites, and still using torches, we managed to throw the bag out of the back door and wash and clear most of the ants from the cottage. At one stage Ken put his hand on the bag, in the dark, to realise that what felt like fur was a mass of biting ants. It was a little difficult to sleep after that by quite funny nevertheless.
Back to Nairobi by the overnight sleeper from Mombassa. The sleeper train was good, with 'more than adequate meals', and the lovely practice of a man playing a xylophone up and down the train to alert passenger to the next meal sitting Passing a large area of industrial slums just before we arrived in Nairobi was salutary. A week with Tim was great, however, taking him to the airport was difficult in reminding us that we would not be seeing him or the others for nearly six months.
Also, from creatures great (of the safari trips) to creatures small. We watched a horde of small crabs running about the beach at dusk to avoid the incoming tide, and our toilet bowl contained two lizards and a frog during our stay. The most exciting encounter with small creatures came one night when we were woken at 1.00am by the bites of dozens of ants in our bed and with hundreds of them on the floor around the bed. They were small ants but their bites were very unpleasant. After picking the ants off each other and the bed, and anticipating the need to sit up all night, we discovered that due to a power cut and doing the cooking by torch light, we had forgotten to put out the remains from the fish we cooked the night before. A two inch wide column of ants ran around the edge of the cottage to the rubbish bag with thousands of them covering the bag. Those around, and in, our bed were the stragglers. After many more bites, and still using torches, we managed to throw the bag out of the back door and wash and clear most of the ants from the cottage. At one stage Ken put his hand on the bag, in the dark, to realise that what felt like fur was a mass of biting ants. It was a little difficult to sleep after that by quite funny nevertheless.
Back to Nairobi by the overnight sleeper from Mombassa. The sleeper train was good, with 'more than adequate meals', and the lovely practice of a man playing a xylophone up and down the train to alert passenger to the next meal sitting Passing a large area of industrial slums just before we arrived in Nairobi was salutary. A week with Tim was great, however, taking him to the airport was difficult in reminding us that we would not be seeing him or the others for nearly six months.
Tuesday, 6 January 2009
On Safari
Tim, Chris and his girlfriend Sarah arrived and we set off on the Safari trip we had arranged in England. There were two mini buses with the six of us in one and an American family of four plus two single thirtyish men in the other. First we visited the game reserve at Maasai Mara where we saw four of the “big five”, lions, leopard, elephants and buffalo. Just listing them like this gives no feel of the magic of seeing crouching lions appear before your eyes or of a herd of elephants with their babies walking very close to the track and watching you suspiciously as they protect their young. Perhaps though the highlight was seeing a leopard in a tree with a warthog it had just killed as leopards are one of the hardest animals to spot and we had an excellent view. Many of the Maasai people retain their traditional dress and way of life and look very distinctive in their colourful draped clothes and masses of bright bead jewellery with men carrying spears, clubs and swords whilst herding their livestock. Two Maasai men kept watch all night at the campsite to protect us from wandering animals which was fine but quite disconcerting to emerge from your tent in the middle of the night for a loo visit to see a tall figure in the dark confronting you!
Christmas Day saw us travelling from the Masai Mara to Lake Nakuru where we celebrated in the eve by having wine instead of beer with our eve meal and our guide producing a small artificial Christmas tree. It felt right and in keeping with our surroundings and companions. The next day we saw the fifth of the big five – the rhino and also flamingos, pelicans and lots of other birdlife.
Amboseli was next which was different again, a game park with a more open feel and a large swamp which provided us with great views of elephants and hippos. Finally an evening game drive and overnight stop in Tsavo where our guide assures us a lion came near his tent in the night – fortunately we had been warned not to venture out of out tents!
All four game reserves were very different so we saw different animals in different settings. We saw masses of game but each time there was something new which meant the magic stayed with us although by the end we were getting blasé about zebras, giraffes and gazelles even though the former two were among our collective favourites. The scenery and landscapes were extraordinary, with the acacia tree as the most outstanding African symbol. Some of the the views across the reserves in the early evening, often with a lone acacia tree, were breathtaking.
The guides and drivers were great. They were informative, fun and helpful. One surprise was the quality of the food, which was very good. The cook, a man in his late sixties, was amazing. He managed to cook for sixteen people on the ground with an iron grid on charcoal with few facilities, and no running water and produced three substantial meals a day. We had delicious varied food with several choices of dishes and vegetarian options. The group all got on very well and the evening meals were lively and entertaining. We camped for much of the time, which was a bit of a struggle for the oldest member of the party (KD), and some of the facilities were pretty basic with one campsite having no running water for two days. However, some of the showers were better than some of those in the smart hotel we ended up in in Mombassa. What sort of hotel describing itself as having world class services runs out of water in the afternoons and has only very occasional hot water?
Mombassa is more diverse and more interesting than Nairobi with an interesting old town/Islamic area, and we experienced the first really hot, humid weather of the trip. New Year in Mombassa was spent in a smart holiday resort on the coast. It was a hot balmy evening and we ate an excellent Indian meal in the open downing lots of cocktails overlooking the Indian Ocean, with traditional dancing, acrobats, and a few fireworks. The six of us and a couple of hundred Indian people. It was a bit bizarre, but quite beautiful, and wonderful all being together in such a setting.
Chris, Joe and Sarah have now left us to return to the UK, leaving Tim with us for another week. It was hard saying goodbye to them for six months.
Now we have a camera we plan to insert some photos but because of poor internet connections Tim will do this on his return. Hope you enjoy looking at them.
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