From the Cook Islands to Malawi

 Monday, June 10, 2024

Well, I sent out the last blog post one day too early. I wanted to get it organized and sent before we left Rarotonga. We only had one day left here with nothing special planned, just sitting by the ocean and snorkelling.

 

Little did I know it would be the most exciting day of our experience here. When we woke up in the morning, we commented on how riled up the ocean was. Rarotonga is protected by a reef and generally the lagoon that encircles the island is quite calm. But on this day, it was a bit turbulent. Interesting. As the day progressed, the water increased in its ferocity. Huge waves were crashing across the reef, creating large waves inside the lagoon. The resort closed the beaches and began placing sandbags in vulnerable places. Clearly this was not a normal day

We spent most of the day in and around our room. We had a wonderful view of the lagoon and the ocean from the patio outside our room. The sound and sight of enormous ocean waves was mesmerizing. As the day wore on the waves in the lagoon got larger and began to crash and splash on the shoreline. The shore along this part of the island is quite steep which protects it from the power of the waves. That is, until they start to break and send water over the protective banks.

It was fascinating to watch. On two occasions, the waves were powerful enough to send water over the high bank and flood the beach. The second time the water flowed all the way across the beach and onto our patio. 

That was both amazing and a bit scary. We began to understand why the resort staff were so concerned about the potential of the water. Happily, by evening, even though the wind was ferocious, the water had calmed somewhat but it was quite a day.

 

In the evening, the resort sponsored an ‘Island Night’. Starting with a delicious meal while a vocalist and her accompaniment, entertained us, we moved on to a display of Polynesian dancing and drumming. What an amazing show! The dances were representative of several of the Cook Islands, different movements and costumes for each island. The drumming as an accompaniment was also amazing, such speed and range of rhythms. The dancers and drummers sang along with the music, all in Maori.

 

At various times during the evening, audience members were invited to join the entertainers on stage. Jim was reluctant to say the least, until a beautiful, scantily clad young dancer approached him with a personal invitation. It was fun to watch him try to dance as the native boys did.

The evening ended with photo opportunities so, of course, Jim and I posed with the dancers. What a nice way to remember a great evening.

 

Tomorrow, we leave this tropical paradise to continue our adventure in Malawi. Several plane trips await us (4 in total) but we are excited about what we have done here in the Cook Islands and what awaits us in Africa.

 

Tuesday, June 11 – Friday, June 14, 2024

We spent the morning packing and getting organized to fly again. Our adventures in the Cook Islands had come to an end and a whole new experience awaited us. It was only four flights away!!

 

Our first flight was relatively short … Roratango to Auckland … about four hours crossing the Pacific. We left on Tuesday and landed in Auckland on Wednesday, late in the day. Yes, we had crossed the dateline again. There was no onward flight so we spent a comfortable night in a nearby airport hotel.

 

Our flight on Thursday was from Auckland to Sydney. (Shhhh …. Don’t tell our Aussie friends that we passed through Australia without stopping for a coffee. There is only so much that can fit into a six week schedule.)  The biggest issue with this flight was that it left Auckland at 6 am. That meant we had to be up and packed by 3:00 am. Not fun!!

 

We landed in Sydney, another smooth flight, and had a very short connection time to get our next flight. This one was long, long, long … about 14 hours in total. Sydney to Johannesburg, South Africa. We treated ourselves to business class on this flight. We each had a little booth with a reclining bed. Even so, I was restless and got very little sleep. I think I watched four movies. We left Sydney at about 9 pm on Thursday. With the distance travelled and the time changes, we landed in Johannesburg mid afternoon on a bright sunny Friday. We found our luggage ,all intact, and made our way to the hotel shuttles. We are staying overnight tonight and leave for Malawi in the morning. It will be a very exciting day for us. We have talked about this trip for almost 20 years.

 

I have to comment on the wonderful support service we have received at each airport we have visited, large and small. I do not have the stamina to walk the distances required to get to the gates for our flights. So, we use the wheelchair service. When Jim books our flights, he indicates that we will need this assistance. It is free of charge and absolutely dependable. In most airports, even the smallest ones, the journey from check-in to gate is made in a wheelchair with a staff person pushing. People needing assistance are boarded first and the wheelchair is pushed down the jetbridge to the door of the airplane. Similarly, when the plane lands, the wheelchair is waiting for us at the door of the plane. At each airport, the person assigned to us has been friendly, helpful, flexible  - we are even able to go into airline lounges and get picked up again just before flight time. In some cases, after arriving in a new location, we were wheeled to the way to the shuttle area and left there. In at least three airports, the helper remained with us until we were on the shuttle and settled. In some cases, tipping is customary, but in most airports, it is a service that is rendered free of charge or expectation. This service makes it possible for Jim and I to go anywhere in the world thanks to the airline support. We are grateful!!

 

Friday, June 14, 2024

This is the day!! We woke up in Johannesburg and headed for the airport. Today we are going to Malawi!! This is a long-awaited adventure. The dream started when Karen was in Malawi and ran into a problem that local people in a village helped her solve. That was in 2004. It has taken 20 years to achieve the dream.

 

The plane was small and flew at a fairly low altitude. 

It was possible to see the changing landscape as we moved along. It is the dry season for sure and the land was parched yellow. For a long way there was no evidence of agriculture, forested areas or waterways. It appeared to be barren land. As we travelled north, the topography changed and low hills transformed to mountains. Still dry, riverbeds were visible and there was more vegetation in places. We passed by a very large mine along the way. More trees appeared across the landscape although the surrounding land certainly reflected that it is the dry season.

 

Before long, we could see small villages with some surrounding areas with gardens and small fields of crops. As we approached Blantyre, the housing intensified, transforming from villages into towns and finally the city. We soon had a smooth landing at the airport and we were in Malawi!!!

Someone with our names on a sign was waiting for us. He and some airport staff helped collect our luggage. Then we met Malic who was our driver for the day. The car was packed and we were ready to go. We also met Saira, the woman who has been working with Jim to organize our time in Malawi. She was lovely and extremely helpful. Ephraim is one of her staff and he knew exactly what was to happen today. It was great to be so well taken care of.

 

We drove from the airport into the city. The traffic increased along the way and appeared somewhat chaotic in places. The roadways were narrow with no sidewalks. A multitude of pedestrians were walking along both sides of the road, all heading in the same direction toward city centre. Trucks, vans, cars, motorbikes and bicycles lined the streets in both directions.

 

Thankfully, Ephraim was an expert at driving on these crowded roads. As we travelled through the city he pointed of a variety of points of interest – government buildings, hospital, various universities (each one specialized in a particular subject area), market areas and elaborate homes, often hidden behind fences or shrubbery. (“That’s where the rich people live,” he said.)

 

We needed to run a couple of errands. We stopped at a store that sold lawn chairs. Since we are going on a 2.5 day boat trip later in this adventure, we knew we needed chairs to sit on as the cabins were very basic, providing only beds. More about that later … And, of course, we needed to find an ATM so we could get some Malawian currency (kwacha). Jim withdrew enough to get us through most of our time in Malawi. The largest bill was 2,000 kwacha which is equivalent to $1.60 Canadian.. Wow!!!

 

We continued on our journey. It was now closing in on rush hour. Traffic was getting heavier and heavier. The number of people walking along the roadways was increasing substantially. Interesting that earlier in the day, people were walking toward town and now they were almost all walking out of town. Apparently, work stops about 3:30 pm on Fridays and people head home for the weekend.

 

We finally made it out of the city (we were very grateful that we have opted to have a driver rather than self-drive). And then the car broke down. It simply would not start again. After several minutes of problem solving, our driver called a colleague who also drove an agency car. That driver came to meet us and we traded cars. We were able to continue as the other fellow was left with a car that would not start. Now, that is teamwork!!

 

Out in the countryside, life was much calmer. We travelled through a few villages but mostly we had clear roads all the way to our destination. We were spending the next two nights at Satemwa Tea Plantation. 

We drove up a very long dirt roadway until we reached Huntington House, a veritable mansion that had been built in 1934. It was graciously transformed into a guest house with wonderfully attentive staff. All we had to do was relax and show up for dinner.

 

We were given ‘The Daddy Room’ which was originally occupied by the owner and builder of the home. A large bed, two sofas, huge storage cupboards and an en suite with a clawfoot tub (and a stand-alone shower as well). We immediately fell in love.

 

We enjoyed a delicious dinner at an antique dining table in one of the sitting rooms in the house, finished off, of course, with a cup of delicious tea. And soon, we were ready for sleep. Jetlag was finally taking over. (We had just left the Cook Islands 2 days ago and travelled through 8 (I think) time zones and crossed the dateline again.

 

Saturday, June 15, 2024

We started the day with breakfast on a private patio just outside our room. Yogurt, granola, a fresh fruit cup and warm muffins … then came the fresh-from-the-oven bread …. followed by eggs benedict. I declined the eggs having already eaten more than I would ever eat for breakfast. Jim plunged into the eggs and described them as delicious. Of course, the coffee served was from beans grown and processed on this very plantation. Although it is described as a tea plantation, there is a substantial acreage devoted to several varieties of coffee plants.

 

Soon after breakfast, a plantation driver was at the door ready to take us on a tour. We travelled on some rugged roads through hundreds of acres of tea. As we went along, we were given a fascinating tutorial on how tea is planted and how tea is picked. Tea grows well on rolling landscapes and begins to produce tea-ready leaves after about two years.

Tea picking is a year round activity, mostly picked by hand by women. They are paid by the volume they pick. The most productive timeframe is September to April when they have their permanent crew as well as several temporary workers in the fields.

 

When the tea plants get too high for picking, they are cut back so that only the dried leaves at the bottom of the plants remain.

It takes about four months for these plants to regenerate and begin producing again. The oldest field in the plantation was planted in 1926 and is still productive.

 

Tea is processed in several different ways depending on what outcome is intended. All tea leaves need to be dried, some in the sun and the rest by having a hot fire underneath them. The fire is built using eucalyptus wood. Blue gum trees are planted here to satisfy the need for wood. The species is excellent for this purpose due to the amount of oil in the wood as well as the rate of growth. Planted as a seedling, a blue gum eucalyptus tree grows enough in five years to be harvested and used as fuel. The plantation has several blue gum forests and builds in a planting cycle to maintain the supply of wood.

The plantation owners are committed to maintaining the land they own in an environmentally friendly way. Several tracts of land are being maintained as natural forests. Composted materials are used to fertilize both tea and coffee plants. As well, they grow fields of Guatemala grass which provides nutrition to the soil where coffee is growing. They also provide several highly valued features for their employees – 3 months paid maternity leave, a breast-feeding room for mothers who have returned to work, a baby day care for the infants, housing for their permanent employees, a health clinic that is open five days a week, an elementary school for children of the workers. Pretty impressive, I would say. These plantation processing facilities have been owned by the same family, passed on generation to generation (originally from Scotland) for almost 100 years.

 

Jim had a tour of the equipment used in tea production and then we both participated in a tea tasting. It was not unlike wine tasting in that you were given a small sample of each kind of tea, cleansed your spoon and tried the next one.  All in all, we tasted about 16 flavours of tea, all produced on this plantation. Our favourite was a green tea lemongrass mint.

We went back to Huntington House for lunch (salad, a huge portion of quiche with cake for dessert) and then headed out for a drive around the plantation. It was fascinating. Sadly, the coffee processing plant was closed because it is Saturday but we had the opportunity to taste several different varieties of coffee beans, picked ripe from the plants.

We also visited the local village adjacent to the plantation. Many workers live there and actually grow some tea or coffee which they sell to the plantation. Along with several houses, there is an elementary school, a church, a weekly market and a football (soccer) field. There was a game in progress when we arrived. We stopped and watched the first half of the game. Well, some watched while another (me) was inundated with children coming to say hello, demonstrate their skill in English, simply stare and smile. 

Some unsuccessfully asked for money. One asked me if I would come back and teach at their school. 

Many young children sang the alphabet song and a calendar song. They giggled as I joined in with ‘a b c d’. You know the rest. Thankfully, we were given permission to take some photos of the kids.

We left the village at half time in a football match that was scoreless.

Several children chased us down the road. One persistent boy even jumped on the back fender and tried to travel along. Our driver took care of that immediately.

 

When we got back to Huntington House, it was time for a cup of tea!! Followed by some down time, another delicious dinner and bed. What a great day it has been!!

P.S. We saw our first family of monkeys today.

 

Sunday, June 16, 2024

 

It was time to leave Satemwa Plantation

and make our way to our second destination, a game park and lodge about three hours by car from the plantation. Ephraim arrived right on schedule to pick us up and we were on our way.

 

It was Sunday morning and we were struck by how many small churches were along the way and how many people, dressed in their finest or their worst were on their way to attend services. Some travelled by car; some took a collective taxi; some road motorbikes; but most walked. The roadsides were lined with people walking in both directions to reach the church of their choice.

 

The other surprising feature of this journey were the number of roadside stands and cloths covered with merchandise all along the road. People were selling fruits and vegetables, sugar cane, clothing, firewood, grass as food for animals, bricks, lumber … the list goes on and on. The number of vendors increased as we drew closer to Blantyre. Full scale markets filled the side streets and hundreds of people were buying or selling … or just looking and socializing. It was breathtakingly chaotic.

 

We drove through Blantyre on the main street again, reviewing some of the buildings that Ephraim had pointed out the day we arrived. Once again, we were struck by the number of people attending the many churches we passed.

 

Finally, we reached the open road again and made our way toward the game park. Our route took us over a mountain range. Agriculture was a main feature along the way with chickens, cattle, pigs and goats grazing, in cages to sell or in trucks being transported to slaughter.

 

One of the most interesting and gruesome things we saw along the way were open abattoirs where men slaughtered cattle and cut up the meat and hung it for sale. No refrigeration, no white coats and gloves, no packaging … just dripping pieces of meat hanging from a rack for the taking. The head was processed in a special way by burning it in an open fire and then retrieving the brain which then has certain medicinal uses. Wow!!! This was an eye opener for us!

The mountain road was steep and circuitous and offered some spectacular views of the landscape.

Small communities dotted the road and small market stalls were there as well. The merchandise seemed more varied up in the hills, including baskets, containers, lumber for building or making furniture, bricks as well as local fruits and vegetables.

As we drove over the top of the mountain a beautiful valley came into view. A broad river flowed through the valley and larger villages came into view.

Further down the mountainside, Ephraim pointed our many, many houses that were badly damaged in a cyclone that had struck this area a few years ago. Some homes had been repaired or replace but many remained untouched after the damage was done. Some families simply did not have the means to repair and were forced to find somewhere else to live.

We turned off the main highway and travelled through considerable road construction. A gravel road followed with great ruts and holes created by rains long past. It was a very bumpy ride and the going was slow as Ephraim moved the car from side to side to avoid the largest holes. It was encouraging when we came to a sign directing us to Majete Wildlife Reserve and Thawale Lodge. It was good to know we were close.

 

We arrived at the gate to Majete and we had to do a bit of paperwork to gain entry, mostly acknowledge the understood the animals in the reserve were wild animals that roamed freely and it was up to us to respect their movements. A long list of rules were pointed as part of the entry process. Two stood out especially: a) under no circumstance should you get out of your car; b) from 6 pm to 6 am do not walk anywhere without being accompanied by an armed guard. That made it very clear that the animals had the potential to be dangerous.

 

We were greeted at the entrance to Thawale Lodge with fresh, warm and wet towels to wipe our hands and faces. 

We were lead to the dining area that overlooks the watering hole and sure enough, there were animals at the edge. We were served a delicious two course lunch (we are going to eat well while we are here) and then we were taken to our tent. A luxury tent, to be sure, with a kingsize bed, full bathroom, covered porch, and a sand pathway that led only to our tent. Each tent was arranged so that no one passed by. Every tent had its own discreet pathway.

 

Our tent is the closest one to the watering hole and we can sit on the chairs on the deck and enjoy the array of animals that come and go … wildebeast, baboons, antelopes,

zebras, warthogs and more. There are no fences that separate us from them but one can feel the mutual respect that exists between the humans and the animals. The animals clearly trust that the humans will not harm them and likewise, the humans trust that specific areas are designated for them (us) and the animals do not intrude.

 

As part of our package here, we are able to go on safari rides in the early morning or late afternoon. We quickly signed up to do so. The jeep transport left at 4 pm and I had the privilege of riding in the front seat with the driver. We travelled on many bumpy dirt roads and were well rewarded for our patience. Some of the animals we saw included: Greater Kudu, Sabe Antelope, Warthog,

 Impala, crocodile, hippos,

and several birds. We stopped along the river for a break and to let the light fade and night set in. We then continued to seek some of the nocturnal animals with great success. We saw antelopes, zebra, a genet (small wild cat), porcupine with quills up, and the best, two young female lions just settling in for the night.

They were very calm in our presence and we were very quiet so as not to disturb them.

 

Henry, our driver, had asked what each of us wanted to see. But that was not to be tonight. I said a herd of elephants.

 

Dinner awaited when we returned and then it was time to fall into bed.

 

Monday, June 17, 2024

 

This morning started early with another safari ride. This one left the Lodge at 6 am. In fact, I got up at 4:30 and spent about an hour on our porch, watching the forest and the coming of morning. It was very quiet but the birds started chirping and some eyes were glowing in the forest. The occasional twig crackled as sleep receded and morning activities began.

 

We boarded the jeep promptly at 6 and the expedition began. We were very successful in sighting animals as we drove along the winding roads. Impalas, baboons, waterbuck, zebra (6 of them), warthog, crocodile, hippos. But the best find was the male southern giraffe, towering high above the brush, looking almost regal as it stood tall surveying the world from on high.

A female and a young giraffe were obscured by the vegetation but we knew they were close by.

 

We also heard and saw a lot of birds,

all identified by our guide, Henry – African Gros Hawk, Hollyhawk, Fork-Tailed Drongo, African Green Pigeon, Lizard Buzzard, Ibis (Hadada), Little Bee Eater, White Buck Vulture. We hope that we can match the photos accurately. Our guide was very knowledgeable and, once again, we were happy not to be doing a self-drive adventure.

 

Breakfast awaited us when we returned and then I went back to our tent for a short nap. When I woke up and rolled over, I was very surprised to see a group of five zebra at the waterhole. I moved out onto the patio and watched as they enjoyed drinking the fresh water. Various antelopes joined them for a refreshing drink. And suddenly, an elephant appeared. And then another and another … all female with babies. More than 10 in total.

My hoped for herd of elephants had really arrived!!

 

 The elephants remained at the water for quite a long time, drinking and spraying themselves. Other species stayed close but did not share the water. As the elephants moved on other animals came forward – warthogs, baboons, waterbucks. The joy for me was that I was able to see all the action from our patio. Jim was in the dining area taking photos. I was trying to write this blog.

 

And then …. The drama was not over. An enormous male elephant arrived. All the other animals showed deep respect and gave way to the elephant at the waterhole. He drank; he showered; he dipped his trunk to the bottom of the pond and gave himself a mud bath. He remained there for a long time. And then sauntered off … and stopped right in front of our tent. I was alone on the deck, feeling very vulnerable. A large, wild animal was less than ten metres away. There was no fence protecting either of us. He looked directly at me and then began munching the branches of a nearby tree.

I sat silently and still awaiting is next move. I admit I was a bit fearful. Time passed and finally the elephant decided to move on. He passed between two trees adjacent to our patio and headed toward to the road.

 

Jim had been watching the drama unfold from a somewhat distant vantage point and came over to the tent immediately when the elephant left. He asked how my visit with the elephant had gone. We both laughed and revelled again in the mutual respect that has formed in this wildlife reserve.

 

Soon it was lunchtime … they do feed us often and well here. During lunch, another herd of 10 elephants visited the waterhole. Other animals stood back and waited until they were done. Baboons,

in particular, came to the water … lots of them. At the same time, the large male elephant returned. One baboon was so startled that he fell right into the water. It caused all the humans to laugh.

 

Lunch was delicious and here I am writing again and keeping an eye on the watering hole as well. You never know what may turn up. The afternoon was quiet and restful. I even took time for a short nap. Then it was drive time again … off to find even more animals. We travelled on what have become familiar roads. Sadly, the animals seemed to be elsewhere although the bird population was fully visible. They do not rest on limbs for very long so it was difficult to get photos.

 

Then we saw it … an enormous elephant munching the vegetation and making his way slowly toward out vehicle. Henry, the driver, turned the engine off and asked us all to be very quiet. Only the occasional click of a camera was audible from the jeep. We watched as the elephant came closer and closer to us. He was HUGE!! And had long tusks. I was in the front right hand seat and was certainly closer to him than others who were behind me in the jeep. To say I was somewhat awestruck and more than a little nervous when he stopped to peruse us more closely about 7 metres from the vehicle. No roof, no windows … just open air between me and him. He stood there for what seemed like a very long time. Finally, he turned away and began to move back into the forest. The driver, Henry, chuckled and said, “You seemed a bit scared.” I laughed, “No kidding!”

 

Breathing a sigh of relief, we continued our drive although we did not see any other animals along the route. We ended up at the top of a hill overlooking some distant mountains right at sunset.

We had each brought a beverage with us and Henry provided a light snack. We enjoyed the sunset thoroughly and reboarded the vehicle. Dark comes quickly after sunset as we are so close to the equator. The next hour was spent looking for nocturnal animals. Again, it was a quiet night and very few animals came into view. Until ….

 

Walking along the road right in front of us was a young male lion. He was totally unconcerned about us. He seemed to be lost. He was uttering a quiet guttural murmur as he moved along. Henry told us that was his way of searching for his family. We followed him for a long time and finally another young male lion emerged from the undergrowth. They travelled along side by side and continued to murmur as they walked. After quite a long way, a group of lions became visible, a family grouping made up of two moms and five young male lions. They were settling down for the night in a thicket beside the road. Henry stopped the jeep and requested silence. One of the moms was a bit wary of us but the young lions and the other mother were very calm and found comfortable places to nestle for the night. Although they were clearly connected, each lion found his own place to sleep, all within view of the others but not touching at all. It was truly an awesome scene.

 

When we began to drive away, the mom who was keeping guard left her post and settled in beside one of the young lions. It was time to say ‘good night’.

 

It was also time for us to say ‘good night’ and we headed back to the lodge. What an amazing day it has been!! And a good night’s sleep awaited.

 

Tuesday, June 18, 2024

 

The morning began early for Jim as he headed out for the early morning safari. I am feeling a head cold coming on so I opted to sleep for a couple more hours rather than ride in the chilly jeep. It is cool here in Malawi, their dry season, also their winter. Although the day time temperatures reach the low 20’s, when dark falls the temperature plummets. Buildings are not insulated to say the least. In fact, the door of our tent (yes, tent) has only a screen and no window at all. It remains that way all through the night. We surmise it is that way so we can see if any animals are nearby before we step out onto the patio. We sleep with a double layer of blankets surrounded by mosquito netting. Even though it is cool and mosquitoes are unlikely, there is still a concern about malaria. Daily, we take preventative medication and sleep under the mosquito netting.

 

After Jim returned from an uneventful morning drive, we went to the dining area for breakfast. (sidebar … the food here is delicious and plentiful!!) It was not long before animals began to parade to the wateringhole. First came the nyallas, then the impala and finally, the waterbucks . Warthogs were within range but this morning they did not approach the water. Before long, the large male elephant who had come by yesterday presented himself again. It was an exciting moment for us …less so for the other animals nearby. They quickly scattered and gave the pond to the elephant. He stayed a short time and meandered on. Some impala came back

but that did not last long when the male arrived. The females scattered and it became clear that the male was not here for a drink but for something else. He chased the four females until they were out of sight.

 

We spent the rest of the morning in the dining room, working on photos and the blog. Overall, it was a quiet morning, very relaxing and productive.