Likoma Island, PADI Diving and Dr Kumpulotta the Witch Doctor

5 days left and counting. We are just back from a Visa run to Likoma Island in Malawi; we took a few days and had a break.

I did a PADI Open water Scuba Diving course, wish I had done it 30 years ago! It is so cool, floating underwater. We did theory and shallow dives near the beach to familiarise and then 4 dives from a boat. Backward rolls off the edge, etc, James Bond style. The first one we went straight into a shoal of tiny silver nsipa fish. Amazing! Then later we were swimming along, you stop and look around and there were hundreds of the little black and purple cichlids following us. Curious little blighters!

One of the days we were there was too windy to dive so we hiked across the island to see Dr John William Kumpulotta. He is a famous witch doctor in Malawi and lives on Likoma Island. We went with Joe, a US med student we met at the Mango drift backpacker lodge.

Really interesting, he welcomed us in his “clinic”, a room where a lot of patients and relatives were sitting, done out a bit to look like a church, white cloth with red crosses, a sort of pulpit and a bible. He told us his story, (translated by an assistant) with lots of requests for donations, and the whole event took an hour and a half, pretty amazing, lots of Hallelujahs, and Amen’s. Some of the “audience” told their stories of how they had been cured by the doctor.

Afterwards we walked to Mbamba, the main township and looked around the Likoma “St Peters Cathedral” the largest cathedral in Sub Saharan Africa! Amazing, there was a prayer meeting going on and they nwere all prostrate on the floor chanting and praying , not like a good old Methodist prayer meeting!

All in all a relaxing and interesting break. Then yesterday back to Nkwichi, just like coming home.

This morning I saw a Nyasa Seedbill, very nice, a little bonus in the last week.

It will be strange to leave on Saturday!.................

Time to reflect

I heard this week that we are on the path from Nairobi to Johannesburg, one of the longest FOOTPATHS in Africa. The nearest village is a one hour walk north and two hours south. Tanzania is a 3 day walk! There are no roads or cars here. The nearest town with cars is a 2 hour walk north, and there they have 3 cars. It’s a very different experience from the A14 every day.

My reflection is on what we have done and if we had made a difference in the last 3 months or so?

My answer so far is yes and no.  We have gotten to know quite a few local people, we have interacted with them, shown them some stuff, taught them some stuff. Did it make a difference, well maybe a small one. 3 months is too short a time. I feel that I am only just getting to the stage where I am beginning to understand how we can help in some small way. So coming back will be good!

We met Gerhard yesterday. He has built a house here, near the lodge and comes to stay for a long period twice a year. He is a retired Dutch guy, who has worked for the UN food programme for 35 years in Africa, really interesting. He said “ We used to make a bunch of miserable people a little less miserable”

We are in a remote corner of a country where more than 50% of the population of the whole country earn less than $1 per day. The lodge and farm provide employment for some 60 people and also a market for some produce and crafts. I wonder what people here think when they see us. If I reach any conclusions I will let you know.

They have been digging a new long drop to replace the one that burnt down, and they found this big mother of a scorpion! Mean looking guy!

Also in the office this week was this attractive green insect. Not sure what he is?

As we have been walking on the beach we have seen Egrets closer up, they don’t seem to want to fly off in the heat of the day, and swallows taking time out next to the water line.

Next week I am off to do a PADI deep water course and have a break, we need to check out of Mozambique for a couple of days and then back for visa reasons anyway. More in a while.

Eeeek! I was walking on the beach today on the way to the farm, as I went round this rock there was a BIG snake, I think a Cobra, about 4 feet long and as thick as my arm. Luckily he was in as much of a hurry to get away as I was. When I saw him I was about 3 feet away, but I jumped back and he disappeared between some rocks. The biggest adrenaline burst since I have been here!

The Baobab Knows…

The trees seem to know the rains are coming in about 6 weeks. Many have new leave sprouting, including the big Baobabs’. Everything is bone dry, and burnt to a cinder, but suddenly many tree have started to develop leaves and new shoots, I guess in anticipation of the rains, and spending energy and valuable stored water to get a head start for the coming wet season.

Mango trees have been green all the time and these now have much fruit developing, almost ready. I had picked some green ones to make chutney and left them for 2 days, they had ripened a lot and some of them were edible as fruit. So I took the opportunity to pick some more. We are now waiting for these to be ripe enough to enjoy as mangoes, not chutney.

The monkeys and baboons are also taking full advantage of the developing mangoes. At the lodge the monkeys are really forward now and in the kitchen or on the office table stealing a bread roll or whatever they can find. We keep a good supply of pebbles for the catapult.

How can you have a cold when its sooo hot here! My nose hurts.

Yesterday we had just finished lunch when there was a call, Moto in Mzungu Village! Fire in the Expat village. Everyone grabbed a watering can and ran to the beach and then into the site. There was a big fire, the long drop hut was well on fire and a hut roof was going up in flames. And the bush was well alight! 15 minutes later the panic was over, the hut roof fire was out, the bush fire was out and the long drop hut was just the hole in the ground. It seems that the fire for heating the water for the shower had been left with a long stick burning, which somehow moved and set fire to the bush. It was a scary few minutes, if we hadn’t been so fast or if there had been a wind we could have lost all the huts and some chalets as well. Fire inside the firebreak is BAD news!!!

Been doing some work at the farm but am a bit out of order with a bad cold, sore throat and chest. So I’m not pushing it.

We will welcome the wet season.

I cant imagine how we will feel when we see the UK, cold I think, night time here is about 24 degrees, daytime is 34 in the shade at least. While we feel the heat the sunsets are spectacular and the evenings relaxed and refreshing.

Peggy is getting on relaly well with her teaching, all the staff love it, even those who thin k that they speak well love the reading lessons and the varied topics. They feel encouraged to read more and learn about the world away from the lake.

More soon.

Wasps like Helicopter Gunships

It’s warming up nicely now, 34 degrees in the shade. The daily swim is a real PLEASURE!

There seems to be more birds and general wildlife activity, I saw a Paradise Flycatcher yesterday, a Black Faced Bulbul and a Black Sunbird today, as well as fire finches and Blue Waxbills and some of the others we have seen before.

Baboons and Vervet Monkeys are in the mango and fig trees which are quite plentiful in the bush here. I have another batch of Green Mangoes and plan to make more Achar today.

I think the mangoes will be ready soon for consumption as fruit. The last lot I picked were kept 3 or 4 days and they were almost sweet enough to eat as fruit.

There are lots of insects as well. There are big wasps, some blue and some grey brown. They hover around now and then. They are big and look just like helicopter gunships, hovering and moving around in the sleepy air.

There are fires on the mountainside beyond the villages to the south, amazing that they have been burning 3 nights. It seems that the hillsides are burnt to get rid of old grass and scrub and make room for new growth. It’s amazing to see the line of the fire moving slowly across the hillside in the dark.

We have had local villagers here today, with more than 100 Kilos of tomatoes. Once trained the lodge promises to buy the tomatoes, so we end up with a glut it seems.

The lake has been wild and lots of white foam the last week or so, then yesterday, it became still like a mirror. Yesterday evening, as the sun went down it turned into a pool of molten metal, copper and fiery red. Today is flat calm as well and a beautiful blue colour, I feel there may be some snorkelling later today.

We had new guests arrive yesterday and they came from South Luangwa reserve with amazing stories about the wild life, that’s where we will be in four weeks from now, so we start to feel some anticipation. Elephant, Lion Hippo, Wildebeest, it will be very special and different.

We just had lunch and there we saw the sunbird that has its nest by the office, we have seen Mrs Sunbird, a dull brown colour but now we saw Mr, he’s a white bellied sunbird, all purple and green.

Now the fire is approaching the area of the lodge, the firebreak will be tested, this afternoon I will go to the firebreak with the team of builders and carpenters to make sure the fire doesn’t jump the firebreak. And it’s hot out there, man it’s hot, so I will be melting today! Moto, Kwam Bili, means fire, very much in Chi Nyanja! No Achar made this afternoon.

The internet is down; we suspect the fire smoke is interfering with the satellite signals? Not sure that can happen but clouds and rain do interfere so it seems reasonable. Hopefully it’ll be back tomorrow so I can post this.

Now its Friday, on Tuesday night we slept and at 3 am I woke and heard crackling of a fire.

I got up and looked around outside, nothing, then when I tried to sleep I heard it again. Up again and looked out the other side of the hut. There was the fire, up high and crackling loudly. Panic, up and dressed both me and Peggy, we dashed over to where the night watchman stayed. He was there, nothing g to worry about the fire is outside the firebreak, and is being watched and controlled. So off to bed again feeling sheepish, but it is REALLY hard to go to sleep in a grass hut when you can hear a fire burning!

Time is passing, the internet is intermittent, not sure why. I saw some new birds this week, a Chinspot Batis, Isabelline Wheatear. At night now we hear a nightjar, sounds like a French ambulance. You don’t see them though. And the Bush babies, so called because they sound like a baby crying in the night. They found one drowned in one of the chalet water tanks yesterday, nice shower!

Monkeys with Blue Balls and Red Arses

We have discovered the local gin, Lord Gin. It comes in 500 ml cartons, like a milk carton. We bought some when we were in Cobue last week.

It’s actually rather OK, and at £1.50 it’s a snip. We usually have a G&T in the evening at 5:30 on our veranda! It’s the perfect way to recoup the day and watch the sun go down.

We were there yesterday evening and a monkey came and sat in a tree about 20 feet away having a snack on the leaves. He pondered us a while ate a bit more and then wandered off, with his blue balls and red arse shining in the sun!

There are a lot of monkeys and baboons around now, it’s getting hotter and the lake is getting lower.

Just now the sun is directly in front of me as it dips below the trees, glowing like hot copper in a deepening purple sky.

We are planning to come back in January, we have just gotten to the stage where we feel we are beginning to make a difference, we are accepted, Peggy’s lesson are going well, in the Monday meetings most staff are now more confident and willing to speak up in English.

Tomorrow the company who installed the new accounts system is coming and will finalise all the issues and training, Peggy will be the expert, she will be the one who has used it most.

For myself, I am getting there on the farm; we have a plan in preparation for new crop types, more vegetables, rather than just green salad type crops and herbs. Also we will expand the Banana and Passion fruit plants.

Another day today. Yesterday was cloudy so there was very little electricity (solar powered here) and therefore I wasn’t online. It actually rained a little for about 5 minutes, what joy standing out in a shower!

Walking to the farm this morning, there were four big baboons hanging out on the roof of our hut. I picked up a stone to throw and they just got down behind the ridge and peeped over, cheeky blighters.

First of October today, time is moving on, the mangoes are getting there, on the tree by the farm they are fist sizes and firm, so I picked about 7 and brought them back. Made some green mango pickle, with chilli! First you have to chop the Mangoes, then salt them and leave for 30 minutes. At this stage even the pickle is tasty. Then I fried species, chilli and onion in some oil, and when onions soft, mixed the whole thing, Delicious!

Rock Hyrax and some Luxury

Last weekend was quiet and we were able to have a chalet for 2 nights. How the other half live. Large spacious rooms and what are in effect four poster beds with a square mosquito net. Outdoor bathroom and shower with a lake view. We were however very happy to return to our home in the volunteer village.

In the chalet we stayed in there are Rock Hyrax living in the rocky surroundings. Rock Hyrax are apparently related to Elephant, but look rodent like. Like a BIG rat, with bleached eyebrows!

I have been seeing more and more bird species, Pied Kingfisher, Trumpeter Hornbill, Scarlet breasted sunbird. Yesterday on the way from the farm there was a large troop of baboons in a fig tree having a feast, (about 20 or more) What a scatter when they saw me! In a second they were gone, completely invisible in the bush. I also saw a snake in a tree sapling by the side of the path. It was a pale iridescent green and purple colour, pencil thin and looped over a couple of branches. Needless to say I didn’t get too close.

The weather is getting hotter, it 32 in the shade, (42 in direct sun) during the afternoon. We try to get in the lake for a while mid afternoon. It starts to cool from 4 and is nice at 6 and then we have a welcome “sundowner” at 6:30 before dinner on the beach.

We are considering the next steps now, we leave on the 2^nd November and are going to the South Luangwa Valley game park in Zambia for a 5 day safari, and then travelling to Livingstone to visit the “Smoke that Thunders” (Victoria Falls). The travel will be on local buses and shared taxis, so we expect plenty of adventure.

We are also aiming to come back here in January for the Emerald(wet) season. Has to be done to see the amazing contrast to the dry weather now.

Peggy is enjoying the teaching and her pupils have a great time, plenty of fun in the lessons and they are improving markedly in their confidence in speaking.

I am planning the farm crops for 2010 season, we need more bananas and passion fruits and these have to be started in the wet season, taking 8 months to produce first crops.

We have been repairing the farm boat and that will be finished tomorrow, with a final coat of paint inside. Then it will be the grand launch. Not sure if you need a guest to launch a rowing boat.

More later……..

Electricity reaches Volunteer Village

This week there have been big developments, we have had low wattage LED lights installed in our hut. These are run by a battery, which is charged during the day using solar panels. So now we can read in the evening and don’t have to rely on wind up torches and lamps.

I have been working on the farm continuing to replace the bamboo edging to the paths and then bringing more white pebbles from the beach to make the paths look clean and tidy.

The weather in getting hotter and by midday it is very hot, so a swim every day before lunch and maybe again after 5 is welcome, the lake looks like a sea so when you dive in and its clean fresh water, then it’s always a surprise.

I continue to add new birds to the list, crowned hornbill, fire finches, blue waxbills and some others I haven’t found names for yet, still looking in the bird book.

Every night the fishing boats are out, with their lamps, attracting fish. They come to the lodge in the day and sell Chambo and Kampango, (Catfish) Both are delicious. The catfish is not muddy in taste but very clean and fresh tasting just like the water here.

It’s now Saturday lunchtime, we will tidy our hut today, sweep out the sand from the floor and rearrange some stuff. How little we need to get on and enjoy our lives. Tomorrow we may canoe, or if we get up early, walk to Mala for church at 8.00 and then go visit some of the staff there for “tea”.

We heart this week that a Lion has been seen on the road from Cobue to Metangula, maybe 3 hours from here but still exciting since it means that game is returning to the area.