Ahem
Rain and colder weather in southern England dominated the first few days of the month before I flew to Malawi with my sister-in-law to spend three weeks at Toleza Farm. There had been an unexpectedly dry period in Malawi from the New Year onwards, which had threatened the planting season, but the sky soon fell into line when we arrived. Grumpy storm clouds massed, mingled, grumbled, became angry about something in the air, then exploded with relentless, splodging rain as we were driving from the airport in Lilongwe to the farm. It then rained for a an hour or more every day until we left, which was very good news for the farm and the sowing process, but it stopped us from indulging in sundowners on the open field, which during the last visit was a quotidian occurrence.
I was the principal shopper in the markets and nearby stores for basic provisions, and we stuck to local fruit and veg. Papaws, lush and perfumed, were in season, as were avocados and bananas. We rediscovered a delicious fruit, the custard apple, which at this time decorates at least three trees in the garden. We visited friends Andrea and Tamara at their restaurant/hotel the Arthouse, and I spent time on the finishing touches to the draft of my future best-selling novel, which has so far unaccountably been spurned by most of those to whom I sent the first three chapters and summary. I will persist.
We spent one weekend in Liwonde, staying at The Water’s Edge hotel, with a boat trip in the afternoon and a car tour the next morning, both of which were dedicated to seeing wildlife in the Liwonde National Park. The boat trip was more of a voyage through the vast and wide scenery of the area with its different layers of colour and depth from the nearby palm trees–bright green lights in a line, to the ethereal turquoise of distant mountains fading into the horizon. We saw many hippos, which breed like giant rabbits in the massive Shire River, but of elephants, gazelles, crocodiles, and others rumoured to be just of out sight, we saw none. It was of no matter. As it is, after a first hour in which the sun was bright and warm, the sky then darkened quickly, preparing to break as we hove round for home. Just after we disembarked and were safely back in the hotel, the remorseless daily rain cycle started with a hammering on the rooves, kerracking thunder, and disco-drill lightning.
On the next day we drove to the gate of the National Park and picked up a guide who conducted us on a DIY safari around the park. We saw plenty of wild animals in their unfettered leisure: predominantly the many cousins of the deer (impala, kudu, waterbuck, eland); birds (Egyptian goose, African fish eagle, osprey, hammerhead, Livingston’s fly-catcher, Lilian’s lovebird, bee-eater, hornbill); and warthog, yellow baboon, monitor lizard, and buffalo. But still no elephants. Nor any sight of the reported 30 available lions, 12 tigers, and 24 cheetahs, Again, it made no difference to my considerable enjoyment of the experience. The professional advice had been to take the tour from 05.30 am for the best result. We arrived somewhat later. Before leaving for Toleza we had an unexpectedly good lunch of lentil stew and chapati in the off-season space of the garish Hippo Lodge in Liwonde.
The rain held off in the last few days and I was invited to the very fine country estate of Andrea and Tamara for a lunch and a tour of their self-built domain, their place of calm and creativity, created from a patch of forest several years ago and now a little piece of paradise. We were also able to manage a single sundowner on one of our last nights before going back to Lilongwe for a night’s stay at the eccentric Burley House Hotel and the flight back to London via Addis.
Zikomo Zikomo
Lionel