Day 34: Majete

Those of us that didn't leave for Lake Malawi (2 guys and one ortho resident) made the drive to Majete. We went to the park where there were animals. The guys weren't with us when we went to Kruger, so this was their first wildlife experience. If we could have done Majete differently, we would have brought with us a car that had 4-wheel drive. Before we knew it we were deep in the woods driving along a "path" that looked as if no one had driven on it in months. There were times when we would bottom out and feel the rocks hitting the liner of the car under our feet. Laughing, we would have to get out while a driver drove through the harder parts (this park you are allowed to walk, as their are no lions or things that will go after you...unless you count water buffalo)

I'm amazed that car made it up some of those hills and over those rocks. Of course with the noises the car made being gunned up the terrain, it is no wonder how scarce the animals were. Except the insects that managed to find their way into the car. I was kept amused by the girlish screams given by my male companions when a grasshopper jumped on them or a particularly large spider. If one of those enormous spiders had jumped on me, I'm sure I would have shrieked as well. Anyways it was an experience.

We still managed to see a water buck, some impala, hippos and water buffalo. Just as we had given up (after driving through the park for the full 5 hour loop), there was an elephant waiting for us at the exit gate. Of course.

On the drive back we were worried about breaking down, as we were nearly out of gas. The first gas station we saw driving out of Majete was a BP station. They informed us that they had been out of petrol for 2 weeks. So we continued driving and miraculously made it to a gas station in Blantyre that had fuel even during the shortage.



Day 35: Wood

The guys headed to another mountain in Blantyre, while I stayed back to rest, read and go to the open market. Got some fabric. When the guys came back we went to the wood market. Being the last customers of the day, we were ambushed. There were too many sellers around me that I just started saying no because I couldn't think straight. A couple followed us out and I was able to barter them down and got some wooden elephants and a safari theme on silkscreen. Even after so many weeks here, I still am not used to bartering. It will be different to go back to the States and just walk into a store and pay the price on the sticker.