Lane's Adventures

We’ve made it back to the USA. Erica is safely back off to Canada and I’m waiting in Detroit for a flight down to Cincy this evening. What an excellent trip. I am now going to attempt to post the rest of the photos — let me know what you think!

Our experience getting out of Zambia was much better than getting in – someone from the safari company picked us up and expedited us through immigration, then stuck us on a jetboat across the river to Botswana. When we arrived, we saw some people again who we had met while walking on the falls, and they went on the boat safari with us. We went down the Chobe river in a small aluminum boat with these Japanese folks and a guide. What we saw amazed us: hippos, crocs, elephants (and check out how close we were!), water monitor lizards, eagles, many varieties of birds, warthogs, and I’m sure a few more things. I didn’t expect to see nearly this many things in the first couple hours. Afterwards, we boated back to the safari office and had lunch, then we went out to our campsite inside the Chobe National Park. The drive was about 15km on all dirt roads, so it took a while, and when we arrived, we met up with two ladies from Sweden who were also staying in the camp. Katalina is an art director and editor at a large publishing company, and Adena is a zookeeper. Both of them were in Zambia volunteering at a lion rehab and release program and were very friendly.

As you’ll see from the photos, our camp was very rustic and looked something like an army camp from MASH with cammo green tents, cooking over a fire, and our safari vehicle in the background (those things are beats). After dropping our bags, we headed out for a game drive. Almost immediately we saw a pair of lions who were mating, we got very close to elephants, giraffe, antelope, buffalo, baboons, warthogs, and saw several small animals from afar. Having only four people on the safari made a huge difference, and our guide has been doing it for 20 years, so he was very helpful. We returned for a delicious dinner and headed to bed in our tents pretty early so that we could get up for an early drive the next day. There are only ten of these campsites in the entire park, which is 14,000km wide, and they can only be used by licensed guides because of the danger of animals entering the campsites and to preserve the area.

On our second drive, we saw a whole pride of lions. There were two females and their two cubs, two males, and then another male/female pair mating a hundred or so metres away. It’s pretty rare to see them so frequently, even in two weeks, according to one guide, so we got very lucky. Being only a few metres away from the lions was amazing, and once I realized that we weren’t going to be lunch, I was a lot more comfortable. In all, the entire two days were amazing and I didn’t expect to be able to see so many animals and at such a close range. I’ll have to sort through the hundreds of photos and pull out a few good ones.

We’re looking forward to returning to the land of internet and Blackberry (Jo’burg) since we’ve literally been disconnected for such a long time. In fact, I had a long talk with Katarina about in the safari camp. Ostensibly, she’s also bombarded with email messages, so she only disconnects from it all when she’s literally unable to communicate (ie in the bush or some country that has sub-dial-up speed). It has been nice in general to truly relax, and not have to worry about any of those things for a couple of weeks. Sorry for the inconvenience if I haven’t answered your message yet J.

After our terrible adventure getting to Livingstone (Zambia), things started to get a little better. At our backpacker lodge, we met up with people from all over the world, and of a variety of ages and enjoyed the evening with them. Many of them have been trekking for 6 months or more all across Africa/the world. On Friday we caught a free bus from our hostel to Victoria Falls. We walked around for a while with two guys from Namibia who were staying there and decided to hang out with them for the rest of the day.

When you see the pictures of the falls, you’ll agree that it’s nothing short of breathtaking. I could start writing all kinds of clichés, but I’ll spare you and let the pictures elaborate for themselves. From these pictures you’ll see that the falls aren’t all the way covered with water. That’s because the rainy season just started and the Okavango Delta isn’t yet flooded. After viewing all of the falls from the Zambian side, we walked to the bridge which crosses a river into Zimbabwe. It was near there that several street vendors tried to sell us trillion dollar Zimbabwean notes. I remember reading in an International Business book that hyperinflation caused their currency to collapse, but I can’t even fathom a trillion dollar note. They’re now using the US Dollar and the government is still under the rule of a “life president” who we learned won’t leave or he’d be put on trial for his crimes.

Across the bridge was a checkpoint, but the immigration station was about a half-mile down the road, so we walked in Zimbabwe to the point to attempt to enter, but we ended up turning around because we only had single entry visas to Zambia (because we got ripped off at the last immigration point in the airport), and because the Canadian visas were $75 instead of $30 for US citizens.

We had seen some people walking on top of the falls, so we decided to see what that was all about. We waded upstream of the falls in the meandering river for a bit and we were joined by a “guide,” (a local guy working for tips) who took us nearer to the edge. You’ll see from those pictures that we got some amazing pictures. This is decidedly something that would never be allowed in the US or Canada, and we wouldn’t have attempted it without the local’s guidance. Next we hiked (on top of the falls still) to a pool called Devil’s Armchair. It’s a small waterfall on top of the waterfall that cascades into a swimming hole about 12 metres deep. Luckily, I still had my swimming suit on, so I went for a dive with Netto and the guide. When we left, the four of us decided to split a cab, and apparently bargaining for cabs isn’t something that’s done in Namibia. Erick and Netto were making (much more expensive) counteroffers while I was trying to haggle the price down, but we ended up getting the ride for 25,000 kwacha (that’s only a few US dollars).

When we returned, we hung out with Netto and Erick some more and headed to the grocery to grab things to make our dinner. Later that evening we met even some more interesting people from Canada, UK, Germany, and California. It’s too bad that we don’t have time to visit Namibia because it’s now been highly recommended by several people. They have one of the only deserts that goes directly into the ocean, according to Netto.  Perhaps on a future trip…

Here’s everything on Malawi. Sorry for the lack of pictures, length, and tardiness.

We’re back…after a week-long hiatus with no Internet, electricity, and a bit of running water. Since we didn’t have any way to charge our devices, I am disappointed that I couldn’t write daily blogs, but here I’ll provide a pretty good chronology of our experience in Malawi, which was quite profound.

When we boarded our Air Malawi flight to Lilongwe, the capital city, we were exhausted from the process, but excited for the next adventure. Matt and Ken greeted us warmly at the airport (as all Malawians do – they are all very friendly and welcoming) and we embarked on our 7-hour drive in Matt’s Japanese firetruck-turned-do-all-vehicle. Mind you, the truck’s cab holds only three, with more seating in the back, so Ken was riding in the back for a bit.

There’s one road that runs South-North in Malawi: the M1. Along this road are a handful of cities, and many small trading centres and villages (also, lots of roadblocks). Driving was great until it started raining, so Ken piled in with us and we got to know each other pretty well right away! The drive was great to see lots of the local life and understand some of the issues.

When we reached Maji Zuwa, meaning “Water and Sun,” the name of Matt’s beachside resort, we were again warmly greeted by all of the boys that live with Matt and help run the lodge(they’re about our age) and former students of his from the days when he was a high school teacher in Karonga. We couldn’t quite see in the dark, but would discover the next day how beautiful the place is…our chalets (guestrooms) were quite nice and included bathrooms that were fed with water from an elevated tank (and filled by hand). Although simple, they’re quaint, and from the front windows we could see and hear the gentle waves of Lake Malawi.

On our first day we acclimated ourselves with the surroundings: to the front was a panorama of the lake, with its golden-sand beaches; from the main lodge (see pictures when I’m finally able to upload them), high ceilings hung overhead, with tables many tables, an artisan-carved bar, and grass huts for lounging and dining between the main building and the lake; to the left, there are camping spots for those who bring their own tents, and chalets including some with bathrooms inside and some that are dorm-style. Needless to say, I’m completely impressed by the amount of work that they have done building the place in under a year. In fact, I told Erica that it was almost two years ago that I sat down with Matt when we were at UC and he told me of this dream. I thought to myself that it was quite crazy, but if anyone could do it, it’d be him, and he has.

The construction efforts and continuous improvement are still in full swing at Maji Zuwa, which has been open for only a few months. Electricity should be coming soon, but it’s quite hard to get hooked up from the main line that runs along M1 in Malawi, so for now there is some solar, and relaxing candlelight after dark, which comes around 6:30 PM. As we were getting to know everyone the first day, we helped to plant some trees around the property. Later, Frank, one of the guys living with Matt and a former Chaminade student, showed us around the village, including the hospital, school, and houses. Later that day, we were introduced to the Chief of the village area. In Malawi the Chiefs co-exist with the government authorities as they handle all local issues pertaining to primarily land ownership disputes, and appeals can be made to the government’s court system. There are a lot of formalities in meeting and introductions, and I’m very impressed that Matt is so in tune with the proper ways of doing things culturally and that he’s recognized as a member of the community who’s there to stay and make a profoundly positive difference.

Perhaps a little bit about his goals there is in order. The idea of the Maji Zuwa lodge is to be a complete partnership with the community and to exist harmoniously with the local economy, so all of the decisions are made with their best interests in mind. The manager is a Malawian who lives on the property as well. The lodge will be the home and a place for volunteers to stay who are working with Determined to Develop, a non-profit that Matt started in the US. For now, the big projects include connecting the hospital in the village to the water board and electricity (currently they have neither running water nor electricity), building an orphanage (more on this later) nearby, helping the local women’s group, and many future projects. I’m looking forward to organizing a group from Serve Beyond Cincinnati to come back and help with the orphanage project… For more on both, check out www.determinedtodevelop.org and www.majizuwa.com. There is a lot of work to be done, and Matt is definitely going to accomplish it with our help!

If you’re still reading by now J we’re just starting with Day Two. I would try to make this more succinct, but I believe we’d lose some valuable observations and anecdotes… Each morning we’d wake up with the sun, and it’s completely light by 5:30 each morning, but to accommodate, everyone goes to bed by 9 or 10 o’clock in the evening. After a hearty breakfast by Annie, one of the sweetest people I’ve met, and a worker at Maji Zuwa (Annie makes breakfast, and the cook, Happy, makes lunch and dinner), we headed on foot to check out the site of the planned orphanage, which is along a dirt road near the village. Currently, you’ll see some giant Mango trees, which will remain, as well as Kasava plants (which are used to make Nsima, a local staple foot that something like mashed potatoes). Right now, a local businessman and runs the orphanage, but it only provides programs during the day including some food and extra school lessons before the children head back to their grandparents or neighbours’ houses where they are staying. The new orphanage(after we raise the money) will include a main building, some lodging for children and workers, as well as a soccer (football) field. It’s quite a dream, but it’s something that needs to be built…right now we’re fundraising through Determined to Develop (D2D).

After the orphanage site, we walked on (which was sometimes like a parade since there aren’t many white people walking through the villages each day J) to tour rice fields and an irrigation system that was built as a cooperative of farmers. The system dams a small river to flood rice fields which produce this second local staple. A LOT of rice is produced and consumed in Malawi, so we enjoyed it with nearly every meal… The cultural experience afforded by walking around with the local boys and talking to many farmers and villagers was eye-opening to their way of life, which is often very harsh and physically demanding. Most of the farming is sustenance farming, so there is not an overwhelming amount of trade, with most of the village farmers providing for their families from their own crop and with a chickens, goats or cattle which typically graze freely. After the very long walk, we dove into Lake Malawi (also where we bathed each day in lieu of showers), where the waters are very warm and crystal clear. Later we returned for dinner and relaxed around the lodge getting to know Ken, Geoff, Frank and Chimwe wme.

On our third full day, we packed up and headed out early to hike to the mountaintop town of Livingstonia. Matt drove us to the top of the mountain, and then drove up the windy road to the top. Frank decided that he’d run the 15 kilometres to the top of the mountain, Geoff stayed back with us and a few other boys from the neighbourhood who were along as well. In order to make it in a bit shorter time, we took “shortcuts” at times, which were quite steep. Finally, completely exhausted and feeling like it was much more than 15k to the top, we reached the town, which was quaint and modern by contrast (electricity and elevated water tanks). Finally, we ate lunch at Stone House, which is a national historic site, and one of the first buildings that was constructed at Livingstonia when the first missionaries arrived. After lunch, we visited Livingstonia University and had a chance to talk with the Vice Principal. The university doesn’t currently have Internet access, so we chatted briefly about connecting them to the WWW in the near future. Matt will be teaching some classes there soon, so he’s also interested in helping them out, which will be a huge improvement.

On our way down the mountain (in the truck) we stopped at the Manchewe Waterfall which drops hundreds of feet from a steep cliff. Amazingly, there are no ropes or disclaimers and we were able to peer (extremely carefully) over the edge, which was a spectacular view. At nearby scenic overlook called Lovers’ Nest (ha) there was a cool view of the actual falls. We then continued to an area where we were able to walk under a waterfalls, which was also very cool. Needless to say, when we returned back we were ready to jump in the lake and get to bed pretty early (around 8:30).

On Monday we headed for Rumphi to visit Geoff’s family, which is about 2 hours south of Maji Zuwa. We first visited Geoff’s sister and brother-in-law who had a one-week-old baby boy. After joining them for lunch, we headed to Geoff’s father’s house to eat again. The houses are very close together, and our camping accommodations were in Matt’s tent on the dirt lawn (consequently, where chickens also roam free). As dinner commenced just after dark, we ate inside their house, and after having a few drinks, we headed to bed in the tent. We slept a bit. From these meetings, I’ve observed the intricacies of the formalities practiced there. There is a lot of respect for elders, things are at a MUCH slower pace than that to which I’m accustomed (so there was quite a bit of waiting), and greetings are pretty standardized.

The food is generally simple and made of what’s locally available: nsima (Kasava root), rice, chicken/beef/goat/fish (if near the lake), and tomatoes and onions, which are seasonal. A cool taste of home is always Coke/Sprite or four flavours of Fanta (in glass bottles!) which are pervasive even in small villages. There are a couple of varieties of Carlsbad Beer, which are produced by a German brewer in Malawi.

On Tuesday we rose pretty early and visited an orphanage in Rumphi where Geoff’s dad had helped with landscaping. The place was very nice, including plenty of teaching space and guesthouses for volunteers. After stopping by many houses to bid farewell to multiple people, we headed for the town of Mzuzu where Erica and I would catch a bus to Lilongwe to depart. In Mzuzu we made several stops, including lunch, before heading to the bus station. Mzuzu was a nice town, albeit small, with tree lined (and non-dirt) streets. Our bus ride was extremely long, with the bus stopping frequently to pick up and drop off passengers, and one security checkpoint where we all had to exit the bus (reminding me of China, less the checkpoint).  When we finally arrived, after dark, we commissioned a cab driver to take us to Matt’s friend’s guesthouse, but we were dropped at the wrong hostel and decided to stay there because we didn’t want to venture outside the walls so late. We woke up to head for the airport by 5:00 AM and caught a turbo-prop to Zambia to head to Livingstone. Although we’ve packed a lot of traveling (and consequently in sub-optimal systems) into a very short time, we’ve been able to see a lot while doing so, especially on buses, and learn from the local people also riding along.

Overall, the Malawi visit was very enlightening, yet disheartening that such an incredible number of people live in such abject poverty. While we were only able to do a lot of planning, I’m eager to raise money and bring more volunteers back to build the orphanage in Chilumba (near Maji Zuwa).

Today was a pretty awesome first day on the ground…finally. Alas, I still don’t have my luggage, so I’m going to start getting smelly since I wore my only extra shirt today. I hope that the bag comes in on tonight’s flight from Amsterdam since apparently it was a good idea to leave it on there after I “had” to hand it over planeside in New York because it was “too big” AKA not actually too big.

When we woke up around 8:00 this morning, Erica needed a bit of sleep and I had a few things to catch up on, so we lounged around for a bit, took refreshing showers and were out the door on our hike having downed a  Clif Bar. Our new friend, Zaca, who’s staying with us in the hostel from Argentina, decided to join us. We headed up the trail and realized that we had forgotten to bring water along, so we hoped that it’d be for sale on the trial. After a bit, we realized the water wasn’t happening and the summit was closed due to very high winds. The pictures that you’ll find below are from my phone because the USB cable for the camera (and my camera) are in my missing bag.

The views from the side of the mountain were utterly breathtaking. The expanse of the ocean stretched horizontally before us and below a Mediterranean-eque village of houses and restaurants lined the lower hillside before the white-sandy beach (more on that pleasant beach later). The gusts of wind were hardly gentle, but it added to the sweeping effect of the scenery.

Unfortunately, we weren’t able to make it to the top – Zaca had gone ahead of us and we passed him turning back because the top to the summit was closed due to the high winds. Exhausted and a bit dehydrated anyway, we decided that we’d head back down. Erica was extremely tired and I was on my way, so the walk seemed quit e bit longer that it had been on the way up. Finally, after our descent, we trudged along to the nearest coffee shop (which actually wasn’t so near) and threw back numerous glasses of water and a croissant.

After a later lunch we decided to freshen up and head out to the beach for the sunset. The aforementioned white sand beach was absolutely beautiful , but the sand swept across the beach in gusts with the gale-force winds and we felt like we were being sandblasted. Under the neutral cover of the grass, we admired the beautiful sunset. From our vantage the sun was dropping into the ocean. It’s hard to believe  that in the late Fifteenth century, sailors took this  route to the “end of the world” to the East Indies and used Cape Town as a stopping point, seeing the same natural marvel. After snapping some wonderful photos  (a few of which I’ll post, but the rest will be available upon safe return of my bad!), we headed to a beachside restaurant, which had pretty substandard service, despite its upscale appointments and hearty menu.

After dinner, I was pretty wiped out, but we headed in search of an ATM that’d work properly for Erica and ended up on an impromptu tour of the city and its many (awesome) roundabouts. Tomorrow should be another exciting adventure. We’re hoping to check out the Western Cape, winelands, and a different hostel. It’s the last since we leave around 5:30 AM on Wednesday.