LIFE IN PARADISE

Life in Paradise!
I have now been back in Malawi for nearly 2 months and Kasungu National Park where I live still throws up its amazing surprises for me. The department has put in a little house at the lodge which is very good. It has all of its windows and a good clean bath room. A hot water solar panel set on the roof gives me a good supply of very hot water in the evening and along with my own electrical solar panel set I have nearly everything I need. Food is still a struggle as the closest town is around 70km away but a weekly visit sees me ok for most supplies. I look forward to a pitza when I go to my mates little restaurant but he has not been able to get any cheese lately so it has been chicken and chips instead. This is the only fresh meat I get all week. The days here are hot, between 35 and 40 deg C. However the nights are quite cool so there is no problem getting to sleep. When the heat really bites I go to the lodge (Lifupa Lodge) and sit up in the viewing gallery overlooking the dam where there is a constant cool breeze blowing in your face. Here I read a book and wait for the animals to come down to the water and in particular the elephant for a bath and some fun. This is the only place in Africa that I know where they regularly come down to the water, which is fairly deep, and have fun. They run in, walk in backwards, push each other in and in some cases almost do head over heals as they reach the deep water. All you can often see is their bum. They blow bubbles out of the trunks and spray water around like children with water guns. They climb on top of each other and generally act like young children dunking each other under the water. At this time of year when the water, elsewhere in the park, is drying up they come from miles around. The young bulls have to show their superiority over the other animals and chase the hippo back into the water. Believe me the hippos don’t hang around and tear away at a great rate of knots. The geese and the puku suffer the same as the hippo as the young elephants set about them as well.
The lodge hasn’t had an owner since February this year because of the death of a German tourist so the place is being run by the department with a skeleton labour force. As usual there are hardly any visitors which is a bit lonely for me but when they do arrive it is good to find out about their safaris and tours through Africa and Malawi that most of them are doing. Most have been English and German.
The park has a new manger now and many improvements are being made. They are employing more law enforcement officers for anti poaching duties, they have a couple of new land cruisers, they are rebuilding bridges and have re graded most of the roads. They have installed new water pipes in the main camp and will be installing a new pump and solar panels to supply more water for the workers. For a poor country like Malawi the investment for the future is quite impressive.
I employ Mary to come in twice a week to clean the house and do my washing. I give her about £2 a week for a few hours work. A luxury I couldn’t afford in the UK. She is very happy as this is the equivalent to 2 days work for many of the people here.
Please forgive me for not updating my blog regularly but the internet is so slow and expensive out here.