Perspective

4/11

So remember how I was whining yesterday about having to get up at 4.30AM? Well, guess what. We started work at 4.30 today, so I had to set my alarm for 3.30AM instead. And all of that to go for a 14km walk in the bush to collect camera traps. I had a really poor sleep last night as is, due to leopards hunting around the camp and making all the birds scream like it was the end of the world.

Once finished with the walk we started our drive back to the camp. We were probably less than 5 minutes in when we spotted something in the middle of the road. It didn’t look like an animal, so we slowed down and realized quickly after that the “object” on the road was a person. There, in the middle of the bush, far away from any villages, with the bright sun shining mercilessly, a person had collapsed. We managed to wake her, but she was very disoriented and clearly severely dehydrated. We lifted her in the car and drove her to the closest village. She was in a horrible state. We tried to give her water, but she couldn’t get much in. Most of it just dribbled down her chin.

We drove her to the closest village, where I was shocked to see how inappropriately the situation was handled. Turns out the girl had been missing for a few days and her family in a neighbor village was looking for her. Happy ending, I thought as the locals agreed to take the girl from us and arrange for her to be picked up by the family members. But the shocking bit was that they showed no care when helping her. They literally pulled her out of the ute and dragged her along the pavement. The poor girl didn’t even have shoes on. The whole thing left a horrible taste in my mouth… How little the human life is worth here. Makes you think, doesn’t it.

PM plans are to go finish up the leopard traps and hang out the remains of the goat we slaughtered the day before (not me personally, I stayed way clear of the event). We then have another LMT and off to a holiday mode it is (packing, sorting).

On a positive note, we were once again visited by ellies today! I got a great video of one of the bulls pulling down a tree. I wish I had recorded his attempt to charge Nick though. I think we all peed ourselves a little bit, haha. We’re all OK though, it was just a bit of an adrenaline rush.

Elephant love

3/10

I’ve been incredibly lucky to have been able to see so many different animals in their natural habitat, however, what I saw today will stay with me forever. Looking at an elephant from less than a meter away, seeing her in her full beauty and grace- goose bumps guaranteed. We had a whole family of ellies come through the camp, right where we were sitting, leaving us all breathless.

In 2 days I will be leaving for Lilongwe, where I will spend my last two days in Africa. Thankfully Beccy is already there, so I will definitely not be bored. I just hope that by the time I get to Lilongwe, Beccy would be feeling healthy! Fingers crossed. The plan is to get good food, (good) coffee and have a drink or ten. Very excited for this!

I would also like to mention the people here in Kasungu. It seems to be a trend that I meet the greatest people right before I have to leave. I have been having heaps of fun with Charlie, who I will dearly miss. Quality “girl time” with photo shoots, hair braiding and goss at it’s finest. Charlie, If you’re reading this, I would like to thank you for making my time here wonderful! X

I am so loving life right now. It’s hot, I’m in Africa and it’s only a week until I’m back at home with my fur kids and loved ones. Yay, party up! X

Who gets up at 4.30AM anyway?

2/10/17

Slowly getting used to the routine here. Still baffles me that some people start working in the middle of the night (5.30AM) for their whole lives. What about long showers, pancakes in bed and more importantly, morning cuddles with the one you love? Surely you can’t fit it all in, unless you maybe skip the going to bed part in the first place and just belt it out 24/7. I’m not complaining, I’m just saying…

We spent over 7 hours in the car today. And when I say in the car, I really mean in back of a ute, doing Mario kart. My back and knees are covered in bruises due to bumpy roads and low hanging branches. My lower back is aching like no tomorrow and I feel like I’m slowly dying of a heat stroke (as anticipated). I am proud to say though that despite all of my war scars, I even managed to get all of my washing done. And doing washing here is like a workout on it’s own.

During our drive we saw a mongoose (my first!) and quite a bit of Kudu. We also found fresh hyena scat and set up a couple of cameras.

On another note, last night’s dinner was the bomb. I ended up making curried sticky rice with veggies and despite the rice being maybe too sticky, everyone seemed to enjoy it and some of them had even thirds (yep, not seconds, thirds). Maybe I still have a chance in My Kitchen Rules?

It’s 3.20 and I am trying super hard not to fall asleep. Maybe if I read a book or start Parks and Rec from season 1 (for the fifth time) I can squeeze another couple of hours out of myself? Ps, just 3 days 4 nights before I go to Lilongwe! Yay. So close to coming home now. Could not be more excited!

All new

1/11

Can you believe it’s already November? Phew, that went fast!

Yesterday’s drama is history! I got to the camp having zero expectations yet I was welcomed by stunning views and incredible wildlife. I have already seen over 30 elephants, Kudu and many different bird species. Just wow.

My good night sleep however wasn’t that good, as the day’s heat was suddenly replaced by icy air. Of course, I had not unpacked my sleeping bag thinking a thin blanket and a sheet will do. Boy was I wrong. On top of being semi-frozen, I was also woken up several times by loud hippos, who were just sort of hanging around the tent. Not ideal, especially because I really needed to pee. Thankfully we’ve been reassured that squatting next to the tent is OK, (as long as it’s not number twos of course, hehe) as wildlife poses a great risk during night time.  There I was, squatting next to my tent, in complete darkness, surrounded with scary shapes and weird noises, trying really hard not to accidentally startle any passing animals. This is the real African experience for you.

In the morning we got up at 4.30 and did a couple of LMT’s. The terrain is so different here! When I was fairly OK at animal spotting in Nyika, then I am pretty hopeless at seeing anything here. I have 4 days to improve my skills though, good times ahead! It must be also mentioned that we do LMT’s from the back of the ute and on top of having to keep your eye out for animals, you have to intensely monitor the road ahead as the lower tree branches could easily poke one’s eyes out if not careful. At one point it felt like we were in a Mario kart game. Leaning left, right, up and down pending on the trees. The only things missing were the banana peels. I guess it’s all fun and games until I get hit in the face. It’s going to happen, I guarantee it.

As mentioned, I have had my first ever African Elephant sighting. It was so much fun! We had a family of four, right in front of our tents, playing in the water and swimming around. Later on we saw another 20-30 passing by. God, they are such incredible creatures! Got heaps of photos, too. So excited to share!

It’s just turned 3PM and we’ll be heading out soon to do some work. It is also my turn to cook dinner tonight, so please wish me luck, as I have no idea, where anything is nor what anyone likes!

Anyway, I am so happy I got to come! I feel like I have ticked all the boxes in terms of what I wanted to gain from this experience… Yay!

Crazy, crazy world

31/10

These past few days have been by far the most frustrating out of all of my time in Africa. It all started two nights ago, when I was told my trip to Kasungu was cancelled due to funding issues. They said that a trip to Mzuzu (where I would catch a bus) would be too costly. Of course, I had already packed all of my belongings upon hearing the news. Great. I unpacked my things, telling myself there must be a reason why something like this would happen and that it is probably for the best.

The next morning, Beccy woke up feeling very sick and a quick call was made to put her in the car and drive her to the nearest town to see a doctor. The closest town was Mzuzu. There you have it, the reason I was looking for. Had we left the camp before the sunrise, she would have been in pain in the camp with no vehicle and therefor no way of seeing the doctor.

Due to going to Mzuzu anyway, it made sense I would go as well to still catch my bus the next day. I had 30 minutes to repack everything and hop in the car. Didn’t help I smelled like diesel and I was absolutely covered in dirt as I had been working on our car. I have never moved my limbs as fast as I did then. But I made it. The next 4-5 hours in the car went quicker than usual, probably because we were all trying to distract ourselves (and Becci) by playing “would you rather” and “…, marry, kill”.

Once in Mzuzu, Beccy was seen by the doctor and prescribed all the strong stuff she desperately needed. Thankfully it seemed to be working as she was finally free of pain. We got to bed around 11PM that night.

At 4.30AM I was up and about. Thankfully the bus was half empty so I got two seats to myself and even though my luggage was 5 kg over, I wasn’t charged extra. Great start, I thought.

In Kasungu I discovered that my beloved bank had once again blocked my cards. The only way to unlock the cards was to call the bank. Unfortunately there is no wifi in Kasungu and the data I had on my phone was almost at the capacity. No wifi /little data meant that I could not use my skype credit. With less than 15 dollars in my pocket I felt the same hopelessness I had experienced once before. But not to worry, with a partner that great one can overcome everything. After hours of dealing with waiting lines and inadequate customer service people, Kenneth ended up escalating the issue to the management. A couple of hours later I received a call from the bank manager saying that they are fixing the problem and I should be able to withdraw cash soon. Thank you god for giving me Kenneth.

It has been such a rollercoaster of a day and it’s nowhere near the end yet. I am still about six hours away from getting to my destination and I’m already struggling. All I really want is a shower, dinner and a good night sleep. Fingers crossed…