It was AMAZZZZZZING!!!!! I know I use that word a lot, but it was the coolest thing I've ever done. !
We drove about 2 hours and then 16 kilometers along this dirt road with lots of villages. We weren't sure what we would see at the end of the road, but when we got there, we were pleasantly surprised. We had to take a boat over to Mvuu Camp where we were staying. It goes out over the Shire (Sher-ah) River and it was so picturesque. It reminded me of the Everglades in Florida. The Palms were hugh and there were lots of grasses surrounding the water. Apparently, it has about the most crocodiles in the world in this single river. Scary, no? The river spans the entire country and all the way through Lake Malawi.
When we got to Mvuu Camp, which by the way was hardly a camp like I'm used to in my girl scouting days, it was like a resort. They served us juice in the lobby immediately which overlooks the water. I've never been to Animal Kingdom at Disney World, but someone said it was pretty similar, but this was the "real deal".
We went on a river safari and saws tons (get it tons!) of elephants, crocodiles, and hippos! It's so peaceful out there! I've never been that close in a zoo. We took a jeep back and saw lots of warthogs, waterbuck, baboons, monkeys and so much more.
We ate a nice buffet-style lunch with chicken, rice, and vegetables with scrumptious dessert! We were in heaven! We were assigned our chalets for the night, so we headed over to them - look on line to view them. Lexi and I had two beds right overlooking the water. This was high class camping! We on an evening Safari and even saw Zebra!!!! It ended with probably the prettiest sunset I've ever seen over the waterhole. Then, we went on a night Safari. We didn't see a lot of animals, but it was a neat experience to wrap up in blankets and view the clear pristine sky with stars. Another unforgettable experience. Our night ended with dinner - chambo, vegetables and more dessert! What a treat. Oh, have I mentioned we never have
dessert in Zomba?
We headed to our Chalet to relax and you could already hear the hippos on the shore! It started to get chilly but we had warm blankets. We each had a canopy bed with a mosquito net, and all night we heard hippos right outside! They were no more than 30 feet from our chalet.
We woke up at 5:30 a.m. for a morning walk. We headed up to the lobby for tea/coffee and an elephant was walking around outside of the outdoor building. It was phenomenal! They ended up shooing it away for safety, but not before we got some good pictures. It was cold for a while, but we enjoyed the brisk weather and walk. Our guide, Danger, pointed out neat birds, trees and we got right up close to the Warthogs. W had to take a guy with a rifle with us for protection. Danger was very good at pointing out animal dung. We used it to track what the animals were eating and where they were headed. At first it was nasty, but piles of poop later, we thought it was such a cool learning experience.
We came back for breakfast - omelet bar, o.j., ham and muffins! We packed and were ready to leave. I could have stayed for week! Brian said an elephant was literally a foot away from his screen window last night - there were no fences!!! The morning river Safari was a continuation of our breathtaking eventful journey. It was so peaceful on the river and we got SO CLOSE to elephants. We were about 15 feet away from them. Little hippo heads pop up and out of the water - they were hard to catch! Crocodiles were scary up close - as they almost don't look real! So many great pictures and footage to share.
That was just a little summary of the Safari - so many details to add. Overall, it was indescribable!! Can't wait to share with you later.
On our way back to Liwonde, we stopped at a big craft market. This was our biggest shopping stop for the trip. We planed to spend 20 minutes shopping around, and we each bought a few things. Then, we got back on the bus. That's when the bargaining started! Charles, our adorable bus driver, knows how to help our bargaining power - he would start the engine and slowly pull away, then the prices would really drop with Charles laughing the whole time, but it worked!! I got so many bowls, figurines, spoon sets, a basket, candlesticks, and much more! Hope it all fits on the way home. I even traded a Yankees hat I brought from Wal Mart for a bracelet I loved. I got a picture of the guy and he loved it too.
It took about two hours to get home and we were exhausted!! It was well worth the trip, and I'd definitely go again. We all had to lug our souvenirs up the hill to our room, but I always
love the view here. Sarah, Lexi and I enjoyed the watermelon that our teacher Macdonald brought to us on Monday. Another great treat!
Tomorrow we're going to the school where Radford College works tomorrow (Malemia) to help them run a feeding program. We'll probably only be at our school for about 30 minutes. In the afternoon, we won't be having class. Part of our work in the schools is to also do a maintenance project. We'll work filling in some of the blackboards, re-painting and sealing them. It will be a lot of work, but we adore these children so much and fortunate to have the opportunity to help improve their classroom.
I'm now see how effective independent donors and projects can aid a country like Malawi. I wish more people had the opportunity to come over , do work or donate funds to the right people. All too often, donations to NGO's and World Organizations never make it to the people who need it the most. Here, we're living the effects of our work. I wish I could do even more.
Thanks for reading! Miss and love you all. I'll be home before you know it on July 19 and I can't wait to see you all.
Good night from Zomba,
Krista
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