- Postcards 12
Got back to London in
November just in time to hear Jackson speaking at a Tusk Trust event at the
Royal Geographic Society - hardly got to speak to him as he had a huge fan club
surrounding him. However we made up for that when we met for
walks in Richmond Park and supper – walking in the freezing cold in
thousand-milers and shukas not such a great idea even for a Maasai !
(Thousand-milers being those African sandals made out of old car tyres.)
I
went on a two-day travel writing course the first weekend back – maybe you can
spot the difference !
Christmas in London in
the snow ! We were house-sitting for some friends just by
Richmond Park – so really home from home for us – Robin was looking after their
racing pigeons who live in a very palatial loft ! I had the
easier job of two cats.
Managed to get up to
(and back from) Edinburgh to see Joyce on the two days that the airport was
open but totally unable to move when there because of the heavy snow.
We had intended to drive up but that became a no-no so we booked
ourselves on the same flight that Joyce was taking after her trip around the
Med – a certain surprise on her face when she saw us sitting at the departure
gate !
Had a wonderful
Christmas day with friends Jim and Judy, with the family either side of
that. Lots and lots of shopping (not only for us !) and came
back to Nairobi absolutely laden.
We had to make a dash
to the border the day after we landed as the road tax on the car had expired –
so it was off to Arusha in Tanzania for the night – just a 6 hour drive in each
direction with some very bureaucratic Customs men on the Tanzanian
side. Then we shopped some more in Nairobi – this time for
provisions for our stay back here in Kanga Cottage on the edge of the Maasai
Mara. We were exhausted by the time we got here but managed to stay
awake for the champagne and friends that greeted us.
It
was dry here in the Mara and very, very hot in the afternoons – completely
different to the place we had left 3 months before. The wildebeest had
gone, but the zebras, topi, impala and tommie are still here. We have had
all of them in the garden as well as elephant, giraffe, buffalo and wart
hogs. Plenty of new birds around now as well – we have what
we think is a Rufous Tailed Rock Thrush (photo on the web) – birders amongst
you may tell us otherwise !
Pauline (Mrs Landlord)
and I have been learning Italian with Anna (French lady who manages Kicheche
Camp just behind us) – it has been hilarious – but works ! Pauline
is now in Italy visiting her sister and getting more fluent by the day.
Anna and I have lapsed – I’ve got her speaking French to me now in preparation
for our month in France in May.
Whilst Pauline was
away, Ron (Mr Landlord), Anna, Robin and I took off for the coast.
We were joined at the beginning by Rob and Sarah (Conservancy Managers) at
Delta Dunes at the mouth of the Tana River Delta (Rob’s Dad had built it
originally) and we had a fabulous time. They did forget to tell us that
we would have to climb up 200 steps at least twice a day to get from the beach
up to the rooms/bar/pool ! But the stunning 40km of deserted
beach, mangrove swamps, mud baths, water ski-ing and sand-yachting made it all
worthwhile.
Rob and Sarah came
back to the Conservancy whilst the rest of us went on to the house at Watamu we
stayed in last year. The guys went fishing (delicious fresh tuna) whilst
Anna and I looked after the pool. We feasted on fish, fish, prawns and
fish – and wonderful Italian ice-cream !
A
bit of politicking going on in the Conservancy with a few landowners getting
stroppy and letting their cows graze where they shouldn’t – mostly it all
happened whilst we were away and Rob and Sarah had it all cleared up by the
time we got back.
Have just had about 4 days
with rain showers in the evenings – this made for some great thunder storms and
spectacular skies. The other evening the sky was divided into four very
different quarters – the fires of Mordor to the right of the setting sun,
celestial clouds a la Sistene Chapel to the left, the deep blue of an English
summer behind on one side with a grey haze, tinged purple on the other – yes
all at the same time !
The rain had been
heavier a bit further up country and the roads are all mud and the rivers swollen
– a couple of vehicles had tried to cross and had water up over their bonnets
and in through their windows – but 2 days with no rain and all is beginning to
dry out and rivers subside. Of course this means that the
grass is all green again and the trees are all in bud – temperature is
wonderful and all just like Spring.
So from an African
Spring to and English one – we will be home in a couple of weeks – going to
France for May – back to London until late June when we shall come back for the
Migration.
We already have
visitors booked for the end of July, end of August and mid September – but
still space up until mid-November for any of you brave enough !
Hopefully see many of
you whilst we are home – but keep the news coming.
Lots of love
Tricia and Robin xxxx
Some new pics on the
website www.tricia-robin.com – go to photo album Postcard 12
- Postcard 11
Awoke this
morning to most glorious, flamboyant sunrise outside our little house on the
edge of the Maasai Mara Reserve. Kanga Cottage is about as
close to our dream home as we could get. We always wanted a comfortable
house in a wildlife area – and here it is !
When we
arrived in mid-August the annual migration was in full swing – there were thousands
of wildebeest and zebra around – every morning we would wake up with the garden
full of animals.
To be woken in
the night by the lions roaring around and see a zebra leaning against your
bedroom window ! Have morning coffee and watch the
elephants feeding. Have breakfast and the giraffe will parade past. We just didn’t need to drive into
the Reserve – we had a constant wildlife documentary rolling right in front of
us !
We did however
go into the Reserve proper when my nephew Martin and his girlfriend came to
stay – we had 5 amazing days of full-on safari – saw everything – river
crossings, lions a-plenty – cheetahs with cubs hunting - everything except
rhino and leopard. We
even had one day with Jackson guiding us – he took us over to the far side of
the Reserve where the massive herds had congregated – quite phenomenal to see
so many beasts in one place. We
saw 27 lions with him that day – including the two young males who are starring
in the new Disney film – see them on the website !
The following
week (sadly after our visitors had left) those herds all moved over to this
side of the Reserve and stayed for weeks. One morning I sat in bed with my
coffee and hundreds of wildebeest were running in front of the cottage to the
west, they ran past the window at the end of the house and back past the window
on the back to the east – it was like sitting in the middle of the Pallio – or
a shoal of herring whizzing round – bizarre !
A lot of
activity happens in the night when we are safely tucked up – we often find lion
and hyena prints – we currently have a hippo visiting – and a porcupine ate the
pot plants on our verandah !
The wildebeest
have moved on now – mostly back to Tanzania but a few of the northern (Loita)
migration are still here. The topi and impala are foaling – there
are babies everywhere and as I write the zebra are grazing in front.
Once a month
we need to make the 5-hour trip back to Nairobi for supplies. Apart from a few local vegetables
nothing is available here – but with good freezers and Robin’s ever growing
wine cellar we cope !
Our landlord,
Ron Beaton, was the instigator of the Olare Orok Conservancy and is very
involved with
the OOC Trust. It
has been fascinating to see the work being done to build schools, install clean
water to those primary schools so that the children don’t have to walk 6Km a
day to fetch it; and the micro-finance projects for the women which give them a
source of income – beehives, solar lights, beading, soon a water
purification project and to meet the people involved. See more about that on www.oocmara.com
We brought a
tellie down with us as Robin didn’t think he could cope with two months and
only me to talk to – we had to travel nearly 2 hours to fetch the installer –
but even that was a good journey and we came across an albino baboon
! However,
as well as Ron and Pauline we do have a few neighbours – so not completely
isolated – in fact quite a thriving social life !
In mid-October
we drove down to the coast - crossing through Tsavo East National Park where we
stopped overnight at a lodge called Satao – we stopped counting the elephants
at the waterhole at 47 …. all at the same time …. In the morning there were
millions of quelia – a tiny bird which moves in huge flocks – they perched in
two bare-branched trees giving the impression that the trees were in full
leaf. When
they swooped down to the waterhole to drink, the elephants took off in fright
at this great black swarm. Another amazing display by mother
nature.
Our house at
Watamu was in a wonderful position – perched just above the beach with a
glorious pool – lots of fresh seafood – great walks – company from our French
friend Anna - the perfect holiday from our usual holiday in the bush.
Then a mad
dash through Tanzania to get all our permits renewed.
We are back at
Kanga Cottage now, sad to be leaving next week – but glad because we are coming
back to the UK for two months, for Christmas, and will hopefully catch up with
you at some point.
However, we
already have plans to come back here for February and March and then again from
mid-July to October/November – so lots of opportunity for you to visit !
New photos on
the website now – www.tricia-robin.com – remember to click on Photo
Album (not Photos) and then on Postcard 11.
Let us have
your news too.
Lots of love
Tricia and
Robin xxx
P.S. Jackson is giving an interview at
a Tusk Trust event at the Royal Geographic Centre in London on 18th November (we will be there !) and
will be appearing on the Kate Silverton breakfast show on a date around then.
- Postcard 10
Hello again,
We have had such adventures!
Judy and Jim arrived at Topi House in
the Masai Mara at the beginning of June as did Jackson and the whole
entourage. We had fantastic game viewing – leopard in a
tree with its kill – but hey – there were also two male lions in a bush just to
the left.
We saw three male cheetahs drinking at a
waterhole – who then went off on a hunt – eventually brought down a warthog –
only to have it stolen by a hyena ! We then saw those same three
males again in the evening but now they had a girl
along! She became so annoyed at being harassed by them
that she jumped up onto our vehicle! Sat right up there on the back
hood – frightened the life out of Judy as she had been standing up in that spot
admiring her ! She (the cat) then moved onto another vehicle behind
us …. as it got dark the males became emboldened and two of them joined her on
top of that car !
That was the wildlife highlight – of
course there were all the usual suspects, lions, elephants and even a few
wildebeest and zebras – the very beginning of the
migration.
Another fantastic day was spent at the
graduation ceremony of the Guide School – set up to train Masai to a certain
standard for guiding not only in the Masai Mara but now all over
Kenya. This was attended by all the local dignitaries and families
of the students – the Masai children danced superbly and Jackson made an
impassioned speech urging the parents to allow their girls to attend the school
as well.
As we had to take our obligatory break
from being in Kenya we decided to go to Uganda – somewhere new for
us. It is difficult to put into words how different this
country is – the change is palpable as you cross the border – everything is
softer – lusher – cleaner – smilier. There is always a slight edge in
Kenya – you lock your car doors, hold tight to your bag – that was missing in
Uganda – I have never felt safer.
All of the people were doing things –
growing, making, learning – I have never seen so many schools and there were
streams of children going to and from them at each end of the day – all in
their smart school uniforms – so you would get a stream of blue robed kids
walking for miles in front of you – then you would reach the school and a
stream of identical kids were coming towards you – suddenly they would change
to pink and be heading away again then they would change to green – but there
hardly ever seemed to be a break in the line.
It is a country of many landscapes and
we saw them all …. Started in Kampala which, like Rome, is built on 7 hills and
which overlooks Lake Victoria. The Nile starts its journey from
Lake Victoria at Jinja and our next stop at Murchison Falls National Park
follows it to where it flows into Lake Albert as the Victoria Nile and comes
out as the White Nile all the way to the Mediterranean.
At Murchison Falls this great river
squeezes through a very narrow gap, producing a magnificent
waterfall. Here we started our hunt for the elusive
Shoebill Stork - a very rare and very strange bird – standing about 4ft
tall with a clog for a beak ….. harder to see as it lives in swamps …. We
checked from boats and took Brian into some very squishy bits but failed.
On our way back South we stopped in the
Budongo Forest where I set off looking for chimpanzees – just me and a lady
ranger – had a great walk but only had a fleeting glimpse of one male chimp.
Then to Fort Portal, the main hub in the
West – sits at the edge of the Ruwenzori Mountains – the legendary Mountains of
the Moon. Met some lovely people – became honorary Dutchmen
for the World Cup as the guesthouse we were in was owned by
same. Stayed at Ndali Lodge which sits perched on a ridge
between two crater lakes – stunning views all round. This
whole area is so fertile I am sure that if you stuck a stick in the ground you
would have a tree within a fortnight !
Then onto Queen Elizabeth National Park
where we camped for the first time – we hadn’t exactly been roughing it up till
now …… we were all of 1 Km away from the border with the Democratic
Republic of Congo. We tried again for the Shoebill without success
– tried also for the famous tree-climbing lions – again without success ….
until …. as we left and drove down the road bordering the Park we spotted one –
we snuck back into the Park (our permit was still valid !) drove round the
tree, snapped her from all angles and popped back onto the road to resume our
journey !
On a whim we then drove up into the
Ruwenzori to the Bwindi Impenetrable Forest – home to the mountain
gorillas. I formed a queue of one in the morning at the Park
entrance and was rewarded with a cancelled tracking permit – still cost $500 –
but what luck ! The luck held and after walking for
about 15 minutes up the main track into the forest and then 5 minutes off track
up a hill – there they were ! Spent an hour with 13 gorillas
– including the silverback and an 18 month old baby …. Just magic
! Did sort of feel one should have worked harder for
the experience but as I am incredibly unfit I was very, very grateful that it
didn’t take 5 hours.
Robin couldn’t believe that I was back
so soon – neither could the villagers – I had to walk right through and they
all thought I had given up and come back early – but I was able to show my
Certificate ! The shortest trek ever !
As it was only 11.30 we packed up the
car and left Bohema to drive through the Forest to Ruheja – this was a truly
stunning drive through virgin forest – up and down mountains – the road varying
from brilliant to horrendous – we climbed to over 8200ft – at one point it took
us 2 hours to cover 17 miles. The scenery was astounding and the
trees and foliage amazing.
The next day brought us to another
scenic spectacle – Lake Bunyoni – in a cleft of the mountains just north of the
border with Rwanda the lake is scattered with little islands – each inhabited –
most with a red-roofed church on it’s summit – something very Italian about
it.
An overnight stop in Lake Mburo Park
then back to Kampala - one more try for the Shoebill the next morning in the
Mbamba Swamp and at last success !!!! Not one – but two
!! We got very close to one by virtue of the boatman getting
out of the canoe and pushing us through the lily pads. It really is
one of the weirdest creatures !
We found a haven of peace on the shores
of Lake Victoria in Andrews Farm – a gem of a place, usually reached by boat
but we needed to take the car – the last part of the road was really just up a
goat track ! But there we were – just us with our own
flock of pied kingfishers (about 12) as well as open bill storks, crowned
cranes, a pair of resident fish eagles and the lake shore. Heaven !
Now we are back in Nairobi, in our
little cottage in the grounds of Ian’s restaurant Talisman – it’s very nice
having a wine bar and jazz club on your doorstep ! We are
madly shopping and getting prepared for our two months at Kanga Cottage on the
edge of the Masai Mara. We still have space for
visitors should you like to join us – we are there until 10 October – just let
us know !
Take care all,
Lots of love
Tricia and Robin xxxxx
- Postcard 9
Such a lot has happened since Postcard 8
!
In mid-February we went off to Tanzania,
arrived in Arusha in a mega-downpour – the road was literally a river – met up
with Sue - a friend of my brother. You
couldn’t hope to find someone with so many contacts and such determination to
sort us out – within a day she had found us a house to live in, introduced us
to half of Arusha, had us round for dinner and continued to find all sorts of
houses we could have long term ! A veritable
whirlwind.
Had our first theft here – whilst
driving slowly in traffic and over speed bumps through the centre of town some
young boy ran up my side of the car and snatched the glass out of the wing
mirror ! It cost us
$50 for a replacement – he probably got $1 for it - I would have given him $10
to leave it alone. We now have
tape around the edges of the mirrors…..
Got to watch the Six Nations Rugby
in various places – tried at the local sports club – had big competition from
South Africans wanting to watch the Super 14s – so they set up a screen outside
for the rest of us – problem was it was raining and the wind kept blowing the
screen over ! Determined to
see the last day we checked in to a proper hotel, with guaranteed satellite TV
and a back-up generator to cover any
power cuts (frequent in Arusha) – also had great curries from room service – so
$200 well spent
!
We tried to see as much of Northern
Tanzania as the weather would allow - went to Olivers Camp in Tarangire and
another serious downpour meant we couldn’t get out the next day but we only got
stuck in the mud once the following day ! Day
trip to Lake Manyara – lovely. Two night
trip to Ngorongoro Crater and Serengeti – disaster struck when we were on the floor
of the Crater – we discovered a crack in our front axle and were leaking oil
badly – had to limp up the crater wall (very steep, hair pin bends etc) –
called into Ngorongoro Crater Lodge where we knew they had a workshop – of
course it has to be the most expensive lodge in the Park – but absolutely
fabulous ! We got a special rate because of our circumstances
(and the fact it was end of season and they were not full …) where they welded
us back together. However we
never made it to the Serengeti – so will have to go back for that/
Visited Dutch veg grower Yoka’s huge
farm on the slopes of Mount Kilimanjaro with three 1950s houses in need of
refurbishment, called my Mother to wish her happy Mothers Day from there –
quite surreal to be standing looking at the volcano and using a mobile to speak
to England !
Wonderful exhibition by Pam Carr – a
Zambian artist – bought a picture of wild dogs – embroidery on silk ….. I know,
we don’t have a house to put it in – but it isn’t very big so we thought we could
hang it in our tent or from our front mirror ! Now
of course it is in a container back home – we’ll get to see it one day
! Also tempted by some alleged
originals by a Tanzanian artist TingaTinga – but Robin questioned their
provenance and drew the line at those !
We were due to fly home on the first day
of the BA strike and were able to change our tickets to a week later so we
headed off to the coast – first to stay in Capricorn Beach Cottages at Pangani
– lovely place but not a great beach – here we bumped into a Swiss couple –
Karl and Edith who teach at the University in Moshi – and whom we had met
earlier at Yoka’s farm ! Then we went across the creek back to
the Tides which has a wonderous beach with a local village next door – amazing
to see the children walking to school and back every day along the shore.
Back to Nairobi to leave our stuff with
Ian and Sharly (they really do put up with so much from us !) and the car in
storage next door where it would also be re-welded to make sure all is secure.
Home to London – home for the last time
– as we were really packing up the house and selling it to Susy …… 32 years of
accumulated treasures …… very hard to dump so much – but so liberating now the
deed is done ! The ‘house’
is now in a 20ft container near Salisbury, the Mercedes is in a store near
Swindon with two suitcases in it – one winter, one summer european clothes and
everything else is in a Landcruiser in Africa ….. that’s us, proper gypsies now
!
Had a disastrous week in the Cotswolds –
weather was appalling (May Bank holiday – remember that -
4 degrees and a north wind ?!) and the accommodation was not as expected which
didn’t go well in our stressed out state.
Hopped up to Scotland via Viv in
Cheshire (lovely to see you and meet the children) – the intention was to have
10 days with Joyce in Edinburgh and travel around … then BA announced another
series of strikes – our return flight fell right in the middle of it and as we
had to be back here within 3 days of our potentially cancelled flight – we once
again changed our dates – this time to leave before the strike
started. So we
callously abandoned Joyce and our other plans, dashed back to London to stay in
Patrick and Dietmar’s ‘granny flat’ – gorgeously just outside the gates of
Richmond Park – so a home from home. The
Isabella Plantation in the Park was at it’s finest, bluebells, azaleas,
camellias – the lot !
Arrived back in Nairobi on 17th May
without a plan other than to go to the Masai Mara on 3rd June. They
have had very heavy rains this season and it is still raining (Robin found a
frog in his shoe one morning !) Thought we
might go North to Mount Kenya or West to Uganda – but the heavy rains had
turned all those areas to mud – could have rented places but not have been able
to go anywhere – the rains had just started at the coast so also not a good
idea – so we went to Thailand for a week – like you do !!
Stayed in fabulous pool villas at Evason
Phuket and Hideaway Yao Noi (thank you John) – glorious luxury – this was just
the R&R we needed – I know you all think we are permanently on holiday –
but we really did need a holiday from our holiday and this was perfect !
Back in Kenya now, went
down to Lake Magadi on Monday for the ‘Rhino Charge’ – a rally to raise money
for a rhino fence around the Aberdare Mountains – it was incredibly hot –
several of the competitors had broken down and one or two spectators had got
stuck in the lake as they just couldn’t resist driving over the salt crust !
We drove down to the Masai Mara
yesterday, met up with Jackson who led us to Topi House where we stayed in
February with Joyce and Audrey (see it on the web) and where I am now writing
this whilst being heavily distracted by the view and Robin informing me that he
can see an elephant. Jim and Judy are joining us on Sunday for a week –
but that will be a whole new story !
And after that ….?? Well,
we don’t have a plan yet – but I expect we’ll make one over the next couple of
weeks.
Do write and let us have your news – we
really, really to want to hear from you !
Lots of love
Tricia and Robin xx
- Postcard 8
It has been a very
long time since Postcard No 7!
We went back to London in November with the intention of sorting out the house
for letting - but in a mad moment (later considered
properly) we decided to sell it! We
are selling to a friend so we know it will be well looked after - the process
is underway as I write.
The winter in the UK was fabulous - real snow and freezing cold. Wonderful walks in Richmond Park, the
country at a standstill -
although we only had about 6" at most both of our families did get snowed
in. We had great
trips to Edinburgh and to Paris.
When we came back to Kenya at the beginning of February it was all rush rush to
get Brian back on the road. She had been serviced
whilst we were away but was in need of new tyres - we had so many punctures in
two of them that they were not repairable. So we bit
the bullet and spent a fortune on 6 all singing, all dancing new tyres - yup -
we have new wheels on our wagon!
Our dear friends from Scotland, Joyce and Audrey (82 and younger) came out to
join us for a safari. We
flew down to the Masai Mara where we
were met by Jackson (of Big 9at Diary fame) who cosseted us for 3 days in Topi House (check it out on
the web).
Within 10 minutes of landing we had found a leopard on the ground - after a
while she very obligingly climbed a tree where the remains of
her kill were stashed. This
was Olive - one of the 'Jackson 5'. Towards
the end of our stay we came across a new leopard - one Jackson
hadn't seen before - we named her Joyce!
As always in the Mara there was something new and fabulous at every
turn. The ladies were
overwhelmed and it was good for us to be with
people who found such wonder and excitement in everything as it is so easy to
become blasé about the game.
We then dragged them off to a house overlooking Lake Naivasha - beautiful,
comfortable place called Karuru Tuu - with views across the
lake. We relaxed here
- they needed it - two old ladies out of frozen Scotland travelling to Nairobi
over 2 days via Dubai and
catapulted into the burning sun and straight into the safari routine of up at 6 - back at noon - out at 4 -
back at 7 ! We were
tired -
they were exhausted!
So we relaxed with just one day trip to Nakuru National Park where we saw their
famous flamingos as well as white rhino.
They then left to continue their holiday in South Africa while we packed up all
of our stuff and are now in Arusha in northern Tanzania.
We are busy checking out what's what and have a very good contact who knows
everybody! In a
few days we plan to head off to the
Serengeti to see the migration from this side.
On 27 March we'll be back in London for a month to (hopefully) finalise the
sale of the house and pack up and store our stuff (over
30 years of accumulated stuff!). Then
we'll be homeless - and free - to go wherever the mood takes and so see what
mischief we can get up
to!
Have a look at the new photos on the website www.tricia-robin.com - the
leopards and other game and even people!
Let us have your news.
Take care
Lots of love
Tricia and Robin xxx
- Postcard 7
Sorry it’s been so
long – but we have covered an enormous
amount of ground since the last postcard …….
We didn’t get the
‘lunar rainbow’ over Victoria Falls as it was thick cloud and showers – any
anyway there was no water in the Zambian side of the Falls – you could actually
walk across the rim !
But whilst in
Livingstone we did find ‘probably’ the best pizza in Africa – in a restaurant
called Olgas – it’s run by an Italian NGO and has a real stone oven – and a
real Italian pizza chef ! However Guiseppe is more than that – they
run a wonderful project training orphans and disadvantaged youths – they have
an enormous school taking 140 16-22 year olds – training in catering, plumbing,
carpentry, tailoring, brick laying etc – all the staff at the restaurant have
come through the school (a bit Jamie Oliver) and all the profits from there go
to the school. In
the two weeks we were there we probably had pizza for lunch on 10 days
! (It had the
added attraction of free wifi – which mostly worked !).
The road to the Lower
Zambezi was interesting – it took 2 days and the track we were faithfully following
on our ‘Tracks 4 Africa’ GPS map suddenly wasn’t there any more – it had fallen
into the river ! The
camp at Chiawa was beautiful – we were thoroughly spoiled and given the best
room (thank you Chris for putting in a word !) The game was fantastic including a
porcupine in broad daylight – sadly the tsetse flies were also plentiful !
We took the lesser
known route out of the park to the Mandara Gate – it took 6 hours to do 85
miles of very steep climbs and descents and we met the one other vehicle on the
road on the very worst of these ! Robin drove all that bit – it only
took me 1 ½ hours to do the next 100 miles on the tar road !
Two
days later we arrived in the South Luangwa National Park – our intention was to
camp at Flatdogs – but they were not allowing camping until November …. their
offer of a large Meru tent with en-suite (outside) bathroom pitched right on
the river bank was accepted with alacrity despite costing US$100 a night rather
than the $10 we had expected to pay – it also had an electric fan which
clinched the deal as it was over 40 degrees in the afternoon. The tent was shaded
by a sausage tree – the fruit of which is the favourite snack of hippos – who
could be heard all through the night chomping outside and watched in the dawn
as they sauntered back to the river.
This is one of the
nicest parks to drive yourself around – they do have the best guides in the
area and I am sure we didn’t see half of what was there – but the joy of
finding your own pride of lions, finding elephants sleeping in the afternoon
and a young teenager being thoroughly scolded by a couple of bulls …… we also spent a couple of hours
watching a pride of lions who were strung out along the main road – other
vehicles came and went – but we were the only ones who knew that all 9 of them
had disappeared into one bush – and were still there when we came back in the
evening !
We had a very nice
evening with Kate and David Wilson of Kapani Lodge together with Adrian and Gid
Carr – Adrian is the son of the legendry Norman Carr who pretty much founded
the South Luangwa National Park. We were late getting there as there
were elephants in the road …… not
an excuse you can use in Putney !
We crossed into Malawi
on 19 October – probably the easiest border crossing of all time – except I got
into trouble for opening the border gate to allow Robin to drive through – well
it was half open anyway – lots of people were walking backwards and forwards
through it – I thought the Customs man had said ‘someone’ would come to open
the gate and as there was no-one there I did it – what he had actually said was
that ‘he’ would come to open the gate – I did suggest that Robin reversed back
through to the Zambian side and that he could then open the gate for us …… I
was thoroughly chastened and threatened with a fine.
Malawi
is a tiny country that has just about every kind of landscape you can imagine
…. stunning
lake shore – white sand and turquoise water one day – grey waves with ‘white
horses’ and spray the next ! Mountains with seriously twisty
roads and the top of the Nyika Plateau could be Scotland with pine trees and
wind swept hills and glens. In between fertile, fertile
ground growing coffee, tobacco, bananas and mango trees with fruits hanging
like bunches of grapes. Absolutely
awesome. It
is also full of people – hardly anywhere along the road is there not some form
of habitation.
We met up with Simon
Cousins in the capital Lilongwe – he had guided us many times in the South
Luangwa – so got good local information from him. We also met a young British family
with four tiny children at the lakeside – he is a doctor working in Malawi – we
met them again in more serious circumstances – the wheel had come off their car
high on the Nyika Plateau - bolts just sheared straight through – fortunately
there was a truck passing and the helpful African road gang changed the wheel
for them but had to share out the bolts from their other wheels to put the
spare on – we then followed them to the lodge in case any further mishap
occurred.
Crossing into Tanzania
brought further surprises scenery wise – more beautiful mountain passes – more
fertile abundance – glorious. We
camped on a coffee plantation just outside Mbeya - we were the only people
there except for the local gospel singers who were filming a video – lots of
swaying hips, tapping toes and deep voices !
It took us an hour to
drive through Mbeya in the morning – mad coach drivers, huge lorries –
completely crazy. Then
we had to pull right off the highway because the President and his cavalcade
were coming down the road – at least 20 Landcruisers came along, 3 abreast,
some with mounted guns !!
There
were serious roadworks along this stretch of the TanZam Highway – several times
we had to stop and wait half an hour for the convoy coming from the other
direction – but this meant lots of fun with the local vendors trying to sell
fruit, water and all sorts to us, the busses and the lorry
drivers. One section, the road up to the
town of Iringa, was particularly scary – a very twisty steep incline with no
barriers and no road surface …..
We stopped at the
stone age site of Isimila where (apparently) more stone age tools have been
found than any other site in Africa (possibly the world…) – the guide said it
would take about 40 minutes to walk the site and through the mini ‘Arizona’ –
one and a half hours later we were, puffing, sweating and very red from walking
in the sandy riverbed in the late morning sun …
Stopped for a couple
of nights in the Mikumi National Park – the highway goes straight through it –
our lodge was only 1Km from the road. Very good game around the waterhole,
pesky tsetse flies everywhere else ! Had a nasty puncture at around 6.30
with the sunset – in the game park – had no choice but to change the tyre – but
it gave us our first opportunity to use the air-jack !
Another all-day drive
took us to the coast at Pangani – we were now back at the Indian Ocean where we
started (in the Maldives) in January ….. or Lamu in February if you
prefer. On the drive here we were stopped for speeding
…. Yes, Brian was speeding ! Well, going over 30Km ….. we paid up but Robin made the
policeman fill out all the forms before giving them the money. We were also stopped twice more by the
police on this stretch of road and it was suggested that money changed
hands. In the whole
of our journey to date we had never been asked for a bribe ….. and nor have we been since – obviously
a local custom.
The
road from Pangani up to Tanga and the Kenya border was really bad – dirt in
most places
– as soon as we crossed into Kenya the road was tarred – the whole place more
prosperous and suddenly everything was available again – including the
Blackberry signal !
After a few days at
Diani – staying in a cottage at Forest Dream – which has the most magnificent
swimming pool – and eating glorious seafood - we went off up the coast to
Kilifi to visit Sam and Zak whom we had met in Lamu in February – we had a very
relaxing time playing trains and splashing in the pool (Zak is only 4 !).
Drove through the
Tsavo West Game Park – found ourselves on a road that was closed from the
bottom end (but not the top) so got the chance to practice some very off road
manoeuvres in order to get back onto the main
route. Had
an interesting moment when crossing the lava flow – I could hear the front tyre
‘puffing’ so got out to look and one of our plug repairs had come out – so I
pressed both thumbs over the hole and yelled for Robin to get another plug –
this took a while as he had to undo all of the back to get at the repair kit
and it was very, very hot out there – we got it fixed and only lost about 2lb
tyre pressure – which was just as well as the compressor had packed up that
morning !
On to Amboseli where
we stayed at a not-yet-open lodge called Tawi – beautiful place, wonderful
cottages with a view of Kilimanjaro with your morning coffee, very clever
waterhole and swamp which attracts all of the game. There has been no rain in this area
for about 3 years – it is a dustbowl and what animals remain are very, very
thin – one day there was rain all around us but not on us ….. it will come…. hopefully soon.
After
20,000 miles we arrived in Nairobi, emptied Brian – filled up every corner of
Ian and Sharley’s house with our stuff – put car in storage – flew home
- and here we are until beginning of February !!
New pics on the
website www.tricia-robin.com but look in ‘Photo Album’ rather than
Photos just to get the new ones.
Send news – by phone
or email – hope to see many of you whilst we are here.
Lots of love,
Tricia and Robin
xxxxxxx
Postcards
