That afternoon,
Bronwyn dropped George off at Unity - a pub on the Berea where he was to meet
Mike Boulle (from Portview days) and spend a few hours ‘chewing the
fat’.
Time had come to leave Strawberry
Fields and head north up the coast. Bronwyn took us to have the morning with Pete and Ruth Smith. After which, she taxied us to Salt Rock for our visit with Kate and John van Rooyen in their brand-new home on the Brettonwood Estate. Kate was out playing Bridge when we arrived…
A home with long views of the valley below and alongside, a bit of natural bush. Gorgeous.
John had invited George on a
quick trip to Bushman’s Nek in the Underberg region, where he had to attend a grievance
meeting on behalf of shareholders in their Fishermen’s cottage. It didn’t take long for John to apprise
George of the situation as interested and affected parties. The whole matter just the sort of thing
George enjoyed getting involved with and, he looked forward to the trip next
day. Lea and Kate had their heads together talking, talking too! Over a delicious curry supper prepared by John,
we caught up on family news.
Before breakfast, George took a
walk into the forest adjoining Kate and John’s home, photographing butterflies he
hadn’t seen in a long time – a Mother of Pearl included. John meanwhile packed the truck ready for the 3 hour
trip to Bushman’s Nek with a stop in Underberg to drop off some flashing and
paint at Mike Brett’s cottage and buy some bread and cheese. Here, a cheese factory
produced 400 tons of Mozzarella cheese and 50 tons of butter each month for a pizza
company! The men arrived at “Ten Peaks” - a farm, John and his
partners had purchased in the Southern Drakensberg as a fishing retreat. They had put in a dam stocked with trout and built
a small cottage that slept eight.
Causing all the problems - directly opposite them, a R12 million
mansion, ‘Lamontville’ arose completely out of context in this beautiful
rural setting. A so-called “farm
manager’s house” according to developers although rumours abounded it was a
proposed wedding venue to add to the attractions of the Bushman’s Nek area!
Ten Peaks
Lamontville
George took a walk around the farm exploring
several of the streams that run through the property feeding into the
iNgwanewane river. Later, over a hardwood fire outside the cottage, the two men
chatted over steak and boerewors dinner with a temperature drop to 5⁰C.
George was only too glad to have Lea’s warm ski jacket and find gloves and
beanie tucked in pockets.
Before the two made their way to Lamontville
for the grievance hearing, George was delighted to meet the neighbouring farmer. John had told George the previous evening how
Fred had stormed into Lamontville, dressed in his pyjamas, to give them
an earful after a firework show there caused his Jersey dairy cows to run riot,
in fright. He was another affected person whose concerns had not been properly addressed.
While the meeting took place with much movement of cars and people, George walked
around Lamontville - A magnificent place in an equally magnificent
setting (Swallow Cliff). John eventually
came away with a copy of the Needs and Desirability report that had been produced for the
developer – something they’d never had access to despite a deadline to respond
by. John and George returned home and began a quick review of the report.
Back in Brettonwood, Kate and Lea
- hadn’t let grass grow under their feet! Plenty to talk about as they walked
through a section of Brettonwood Estate in the morning. In the early afternoon,
Kate took Lea through to the Umhali Golf Estate and dropped her with Jacquie
Westerhof. A fun afternoon was spent with her old colleagues at Northlands
Primary School. Jacs produced a magnificent tea out on the verandah of her new
home. We barely did justice to that as
we were far too happy talking to stop
for even a second. The afternoon passed way too fast …
Veronica Dyson, Jacquie Westerhof, Trish Van der Walt, Lea.
Sam Angel Kerr, Michelle Brown and Jean Gittings.
Next morning Kate took Lea to breakfast in Ballito. The very best breakfast at Toast! We did some shopping together before returning home and enjoying a circular walk on the Estate that took us through the forest, during which time we spotted the men driving up the valley, as they returned home. Three nights had gone in a flash. We awoke to a very windy day, with the prospect of rain coming up from the south. Soon after lunch, Bronwyn plus Yoda the cat, arrived to take us on to Zinkwazi. Bronwyn and Mike have bought a retirement home in a small, gated complex – we had reached ‘Bonny’s’.
Next morning Kate took Lea to breakfast in Ballito. The very best breakfast at Toast! We did some shopping together before returning home and enjoying a circular walk on the Estate that took us through the forest, during which time we spotted the men driving up the valley, as they returned home. Three nights had gone in a flash. We awoke to a very windy day, with the prospect of rain coming up from the south. Soon after lunch, Bronwyn plus Yoda the cat, arrived to take us on to Zinkwazi. Bronwyn and Mike have bought a retirement home in a small, gated complex – we had reached ‘Bonny’s’.
View from Bonny’s Veranda
Being a Friday, Mike arrived late
evening to have the weekend with us, and we immediately set off for dinner in
the Darnall Country Club, an old Sugar town. Before we headed to bed that night
Sister Brett put “oor-druppels” into our ears. It wasn’t much fun having them
syringed out next morning but at least we could all hear better bar George!
Thereafter we
drove further north, up to Mtunzini, to visit Alan & Josh Armstrong over
morning tea with their large family (plus 7 dogs) all spending the weekend in
the eight bedrooms Beach House, Alan had built. A most interesting place that can
sleep 30!
On yet another beautiful Sunday
morning in winter, we strolled down the
hill and onto Zinkwazi Beach for
breakfast at the Mahogany Reef Deep Sea Angling Club and café – a rustic and
delightful place that horrified George as it has been built in the most
extraordinarily hazardous position right on the beach, close to where the mouth
of the Zinkwazi lagoon opens. Despite being undermined and almost washed away
on three separate occasions it continues with business! This made George very uptight as he instigated
a Coastal Zone Management Guideline with both Natal Planning Commission and
local authorities along Natal’s coastline and they have obviously been ignored
here!
Early next morning Bronwyn
disappeared to Pilates. Lazily, we took our time to arise. No sooner was George
up than a terrible wail echoed through the house. Lea thought George had hurt Yoda
the cat! Panic- stricken she rushed out to see how? George looked blankly at
her as he’d not heard anything from the kitchen! Once again, another shocking yowl resounded.
We rushed through to Bronwyn’s room where a cat fight was in progress. We found
a ginger cat intently staring under the bed caterwauling – Lea immediately
picked up a cloth to break the focus and get who she thought was Yoda out of
the bedroom. Unbeknown to us, this was
the enemy, another ginger cat seemingly identical to Yoda! The invader darted down the passage, skidding
on the tiled floor. Only then did it occur to us this was not Yoda moving with
such agility. Nothing open in the rest of the house it took time for George to
get the invader OUT! All the while, Yoda was under the bed, wailing! Deeply
concerned Yoda had been damaged Lea could not even approach the bed without
snarls of fear from Yoda. When George returned, he was able to ascertain Yoda
had a claw stuck in the overhanging bedspread and, she continued to snarl at us
whenever we approached. Not knowing how to comfort her, we left her. She eventually calmed down and disentangled
the claw herself. Peace returned!
George left on a walk through the
township of Zinkwazi and made his way southwards towards Nonoti lagoon. Down on
the beach, he noticed a tremendous amount of animal spoor (what looked like
small cat prints) at the high-water mark. On closer examination it was clear
three different types of animals were involved – water mongoose, genet and,
most surprisingly, clawless otter.
A surprise call from Mike Barter,
ex-Peterhouse and a BSA Co stamp collector, expressed interest in having the
mining postmark document Don Mitchell (now deceased) and George had prepared
years ago, published. George agreed to
contact him at the end of August.
After yesterday’s findings,
George spent most of the next day walking the beach – finding much the same
evidence of small mammals patrolling the high water mark each night in search
of ghost crabs and anything else tasty, washed up by the waves.
For a while he sat at the lagoon
mouth watching a ski-boat being launched using a tractor at the front of which
was a long pole. As soon as the skipper of the boat gave the OK sign, with
outboard engines already running, the tractor would then push the boat into the
surf and quickly withdraw.
Meanwhile Bronwyn, a remarkably
talented seamstress with a passion for quilting; was busy making Lea two pairs
of shorts. Caravan uniform usually created by Ruth Smith. She also surprised George by fitting a pocket
into a shirt to house his glasses. Lea enjoyed quiet hours of reading or
sorting out our luggage in preparation for Mozambique. We needed to take a
smaller case with absolute essential to the bush and leave everything else for
Bronwyn to deliver to our final Kwa Zulu Natal address and await our return at
the end of July.
George so enjoyed “morning constitutionals” - this day he walked towards the Tugela, with hundreds of
ghost crabs scuttling around on the beach. He followed a track through the coastal forest and walked back along the edge of
an abandoned sugar cane field (overgrown with Chromolaena) where there was
evidence of porcupines; down to the ‘boiling pot’ where six Indians were
fishing; before heading home in time for
lunch.
Mid-week, Kate & John van
Rooyen arrived for an evening braai with us. Kate had never been to Zinkwazi
and John had last been here over twenty years ago. A good time to go walking
and show them around this most pleasant holiday town without any commercialism. We finished down at the Angling Club with a
drink. Lucky enough to share in the
excitement of a young lad who’d caught a
huge salmon out at sea. We’d watched the
ski-boat come through the surf , heard the delighted yells as everyone drew
close to see his catch.
Drinks with van Rooyens
On our last day, Bronwyn had
arranged for a well-known local, Cliff Hat, to take George a walk through the
Lala Forest on the south side of Zinkwazi.
A fellow of similar age to George and a member of the Zinkwazi Beach
Conservancy. The trail took them into a deep depression (an ancient dune slump
that must have formed after heavy rainfall caused a landslide) on the floor of
which was a Crowned Eagle nest, the 7-8-month-old chick still present and perched
on some branches above the nest. They presumed its sibling had been ousted from
the nest, as cainism is not unknown.
Apparently, the site constitutes
one of the many being studied by a New Zealander (PhD student) that uses a drone
to monitor them. There was evidence of bushbuck and bush-pigs in the forest,
and Cliff told him bush-babies (Galago) also occur. Cliff’s leg was giving him trouble so after
an hour or so he returned the way we’d come, leaving George to walk on to the Nonoti
Lagoon, but in discussion he mentioned Jasper Pons (Horse Davies’ relative), a
well-known naturalist, who lives in Zinkwazi.
Cliff also mentioned Gareth Roberts who had lived in Zinkwazi while
doing surveys of the local estuaries and lagoons … The very same youngster we
had befriended with his mother, at Chimfunshi with the chimpanzees. Gareth's interest in butterfly collecting had led George to give him his butterfly
books before leaving for Australia. Cliff told George another interesting thing
… 7-8 years ago he’d photographed a hippo in the surf near the Nonoti lagoon.
The animal eventually made its way down to the Mdloti, where it was shot on the
pretext it had attacked an Indian fisherman, the corpse of which had been found
in the bush. Others believed the hippo had had nothing to do with it … the guy
had been murdered.
Late that afternoon we walked
through the Zinkwazi Forest Lodge and caravan park; then down to the Angling
Club to have a drink and order a pizza for dinner. We were off to bed early -
the Zinkwazi Beach leg of our journey almost over.
Friday 12 July we were up and away at the unearthly hour of 4.00 am.
Exactly an hour later, Bronwyn had us at the King Shaka International Airport,
to catch our flight to Jo’burg and thereafter on to Pemba in Mozambique.
Mozambique
Our flight to Mozambique on a
small Air Link plane left on schedule and three hours later we landed in Pemba; cleared customs (a very slow process with a couple of novices on the
job, involving finger prints and photos) and were much relieved to find
Columbia, Keith’s trusty taxi man, waiting for us. George was able to draw ‘metacais’ (the local
currency) from the airport ATM before Columbia took us along the all familiar,
bumpy, dirt road (Rue de Marginal)
that led past Peter’s Place. We’d stayed there seven years ago beneath a huge 1
000 year old baobab. On we went to “Russell’s Place” as everyone who travels the coast of
Africa knows it, rather than its proper title - Pemba Magic Lodge.
Russell was there to greet us and show us to
the room he’d reserved – very comfy with all mod-cons (shower / toilet, big
double bed surrounded by a mosquito net, overhead fan and all) – nestling in
the shade of an enormous cashew nut tree. The roof thatched with coconut fronds
and walls of an adjacent room made from empty bottles. All very Mozambican! We first came here with Keith and Colleen in
2004 - Then it was a very basic campground surrounding a central thatched
bar and kitchen with toilets. We
had three nights ahead of us - our son Keith due to arrive with a Professional
Guide Sunday evening. We’d make the return trip to Niassa with him on the 15th.
We were only too glad to stretch
legs after sitting on planes. The beach was perfect to walk as it
was low tide and we could walk over the exposed sand banks covered in ripple
marks. George took Lea to find the ‘dinosaur rock’ he’d found in 2004 while
awaiting a flight into Niassa with Jamie – a hunter. George been lucky enough to photograph his
dinosaur shaped rock with its “eye” illuminated brightly by the setting
sun. Not quite right this time round!
On our return we joined the
social hub of Black Foot and over a cold beer watched the semi-finals at
Wimbledon (Federer vs Nadal). When hunger overtook us, we ordered our fresh
tuna dinner and stayed with the match.
Friday night is a Live Music night at Russell’s We waited for the
Mozambican band to begin playing, especially as the drummer, playing on hand
carved bongos, was blind. A problem with the sound system delayed the night
getting off to a good start and we eventually gave up and headed for bed after
our very long day. No sooner were we asleep than the band got going and we were to doze in and out of sleep
to the strains of a Mozambican singer, and later a girl singing to the
accompaniment of guitars. All very pleasant- which was just as well as the little
cabins are not noise proof at all.
Following a lazy breakfast we
strolled along the beach towards Pemba, practicing the greeting “bon dia”
to all and sundry, watching people mend nets or sail offshore in the small
canoes fitted with outriggers; stopped
to see why an old man was digging up the beach in a long line. He showed us the small
bivalves (cockles) he was finding in the beach sand; admired a handmade
spear-gun of another and watched people snorkelling in the inshore area – all activities associated with mankind’s ceaseless search for food. Something that did stand out were the numbers
of hunched over figures sitting out on rocks, widely separated. They turned out to be youngsters, all shading
their mobile phones from the glare of the sun! A couple of men called out to us from their
palm leaf shaded position on the beach. They were making nylon bangles with
cowrie shells attached. Although pressured by their determination to sell us one,
George was fascinated by the colours and sheen of the small cowrie shells they
had collected – some pitch black, others spotted or banded. The most unusual
was a pencil like shell they called “ocean seeds”. We explained we came from Australia and could
not return with anything made from natural materials…
As the day heated up, we returned
to Russell’s along the sandy, taking care not to be run over by the assortment
of 4WD vehicles and scooters heading back and forth along the route. We set
ourselves up most comfortably for the Women’s final at Wimbledon and followed
up the afternoon with another stroll on the beach at sunset. Mozambican dinner of frango and chips
followed. Russell is an Australian and plans to return one day. With the
imminent expansion of the offshore oil / gas industry in Northern Mozambique, accommodation,
as provided by Russell, is in high demand. He runs a slick ship and his open-air
bar/restaurant is a very popular, sociable venue. Next morning, Russell took us on his shopping
trip into Pemba – the very new Shoprite Centre – well stocked with South African
goods; the Spar shop for far better priced potatoes; to pick up charcoal and
bread, and dropping off a rim for the tyre to be fitted … It all
made for a change of scene and gave an idea of the development that has taken place
in the last 7 years.
An exhausted and very hungry
three arrived safely early afternoon at Russell’s. As soon as Keith had introduced
Fraser Gear (professional guide) and his fiancée Sandra he went off to fulfil the shopping list
before shops closed. Also scheduled was an interview with a prospective driver;
required to personally and very responsibly look after the new Hilux, while
collecting or delivering officials and guests to different towns around
Mozambique. While Keith
was away, we chatted to Fraser and Sandra as they hungrily tucked into some
food. Both were “over the moon” about their Niassa experience - wild dog
sightings; elephant; lion; leopard kills; canoe trips; birding (skimmers) and
the food – fresh campango included! Fraser Gear a top and very experienced
guide has worked throughout Africa in Congo, Selous, Ruaha, Tanzania, Zimbabwe,
Zambia and Madagascar. Sandra, had lived and run an eco-tourism venture in
Madagascar, was very well informed and capable. Whilst at Mariri she had been
engaged to teach the staff to cook and serve the meals prospective clients
would expect. These two charming people had just completed their first two
tours with small party clients from overseas.
Keith was delighted with the income
realised for their business partners in Mbamba and success of the first Mpopo
eco-tourism venture. When Fraser and
Sandra went off for a much-needed nap – focus turned to the television… Men’s final at Wimbledon and Cricket World
Finals – split between two sets of followers… Tennis went on for 5 exciting sets;
the last set going to 12 games each, before Federer – much to our
disappointment, lost. So too was the Cricket’s
incredibly exciting game between New Zealand and England. Russell ably kept the
peace despite the noisy demands of a large crowd having congregated at the
lodge.
Mariri lay ahead of us. A two-day
journey away – 600km to cover. Sounded simple! We
collected Keith’s newly appointed driver, Luis and he took the driver’s seat.
Quite daunting with 3 of us watching every move. A good part of the day
disappeared with Keith’s chores- a visit to the bank; the cargo department at
airport to collect Land Rover spares; and finally collect large cylinders of oxygen
before we were underway.
We stopped for a late lunch at
Montepeuz. Keith advised it would be our last meal for well over 24 hours! The first
section of road inland had been on tar, not too bad except for the inevitable potholes. The next
200 km leg to Marrupa was under construction. This N14 - national road, was a
shocker of a track! A rough, dusty
deviation – not made easy to endure, as we bounced, swaying from side to side
with only the seat belt preventing us from flying about. Not knowing she was
now taking coals to Newcastle; Lea had bought a big greenish papaya in Pemba
and we took turns holding it tenderly to prevent bruising. We were fighting a
losing battle with all the crashing about – despite Luis taking the road very gently. We’d criss-crossed sections of road obviously settling - before being surfaced. It seemed ludicrous to suffer the appalling deviations
while cyclists and villagers – even a funeral procession carrying the shrouded
body for burial, walked the far better road. Come nightfall, we were still a long way from
Marrupa, and the track had us feeling edgy in the dark. Owls seen in the glare
of the headlights began to seem disquieting; the occasional bike or oncoming
truck on such a narrow awful track added to our qualms… Accidently, we’d find
ourselves on a hardened surface of the new road as there was just no signage or
direction to see… Luis would gather a bit of speed and suddenly a huge donga
awaiting a culvert construction would appear across the road. Unseen by us in the
back, the sudden stop caused fear to catch Lea’s breath, more than once. Either we’d
return to find another track, or we’d slowly edge our way down the steep slope
on either side of road depending on whether we could see a track out in the
bush or below us. Huge articulated trucks fell prey to these nasty,
unidentified problems that constantly arose along the N14! Eventually we arrived at a provincial control
gate, not far from Nunga. Here, the road turned to tar - and people; and bikes;
and goods made for congestion! We reached Marrupa feeling frazzled. Filled up with diesel and
headed for a motel Keith had discovered two nights previously. Luis had performed very well for his first day
under scrutiny over many long hours and very demanding conditions. We were all ready for bed – very basic but
clean rooms. However, a mob of dogs fought and barked on and off throughout the
night on the neighbouring property, which Lea found very disturbing.
An early start put us on the road
to Mecula. The low-lying areas around Marrupa were filled with mist giving an
ethereal appearance; local villagers warmed themselves beside small fires, and
the first of Mozambique’s inselbergs appeared.
By 9.30 with the Ngolonge Mountain
range evident in the distance we crossed the Lugenda River and parked in a
lay-by in the centre of the bridge to have a break and a naartjie to eat.
The river was flowing strongly, and,
on the banks, small stands of tobacco were being grown. Voices calling “Good
Morning, how are you” rang out unexpectedly. Young lads on a sand island in the
river were filling watering cans for tobacco plants. They’d noticed us visitors
upon the bridge and decided to practice their English! Lea happily responded
but conversation was unable to continue much beyond greetings.
At Musoma Keith stopped to buy
some bread rolls for us to eat. Much of the road so far had been in
surprisingly good shape – although goats, chickens, pigs and motorbikes would
risk life and limb at the oddest moments. At the control gate into the Niassa Reserve
we awaited apathetic and rather surly staff to come open the gate for us. By
the time we reached Mecula the next 80 km of our journey proved painfully slow
and rough due to a “road” being in a very bad state; we could but wonder what went
through Luis’ mind. What had he let himself in for – little knowing he’d repeat
this trip in two days’ time! Honestly, there
were many times you’d believe you were lost out on a shockingly eroded path in
the middle of Africa. We were thoroughly shaken about yet still nursing our rather
scarred pawpaw. A measure of relief came when we branched off the road, after the village of Macalange, onto
the so called ‘wet-weather’ road that Wim on the neighbouring concession to
Keith, had put through his Chuilexi Conservancy; Wim and Keith have established
a control gate to help monitor movement through their two leases. We looked forward to travelling this new route
into Mariri as George had helped select and clear it 7 years previously; he excitedly
recognised the different and all too familiar landmarks, not to mention the old blaze
marks on trees.
Swarms of tsetse flies followed us;
Keith had never seen so many in his 18 years here. Were they attracted to the
white colour of the Hilux? Each time we stopped to pull a fallen tree off the track
or open a window - flies would get into the cab and precipitate much slapping
by the inmates to prevent being bitten. Nonetheless, after 9 hours of driving
and lurching around, we finally reached Mariri Environmental Centre. We could
not believe the transformation since George first cleared virgin land seven
years ago.
Reception / admin office
George's bench with the best view, has new legs after a termite attack.
On the verandah of the main
office block George could not resist feeling the panga-panga poles he’d cut and
dragged back to the site. We were delighted to meet all the staff that flooded
out to greet us, not least was Pedro (aka Babu) who came running, shouting
GOGO, Gogo, gogo! And gave Lea a big hug. Following the network of paths that
led around the centre, we were over-awed by everything -from the many buildings
and facilities, to the water tower, the elephant skull memorial, to the
visitor’s accommodation where George’s little tent once stood – the old bench he’d
made (now with new legs) still overlooked the beautiful, ever peaceful Lugenda
River.
Down at the massive workshop area
we met Ken Harman, a bearded old bush mechanic who does a superb job helping
Keith and Colleen keep the battered fleet of vehicles (Land Rovers, DAF trucks,
tractors, motorbikes and more) at Mariri on the road. In due course, Luis was shown his new accommodation
and we set off to Nakatopi – zebra, ground hornbills, flocks of guineafowl,
impala and kudu watched us go across the plains. At one-point Keith nearly ran
over a puffadder. We watched it slither safely off the road. Excitement mounted
as we passed familiar baobabs and drew ever closer to our destination and much-loved
camp.
And there were the family waiting
for us below the sausage tree at Nakatopi, with Hortensio, his wife and baby
along with a new Pedro, all waiting to welcome us. Colleen showed us to out
tent, located in a very different spot overlooking a recently flowing
back-channel of the Lugenda River. Life
immediately began to change tack as we gathered around have early dinner
followed by a chat around the campfire before tumbling into bed with moonlight
streaming in through the door and air vent in the apex.
We were back in the Niassa Reserve and ready to absorb, by osmosis, its
beautiful surrounds.
George was up at sparrows to join the family
at the fire for their traditional cup of tea / coffee and rusk before another
day began … it was no mean task for Keith and Colleen. Keith was scheduled to fly to them both to Mbatimila
(15 minutes by air) for a meeting with the warden. Ella and Finn were writing
the last of their mid-year exams. Coll had
emails to attend to. With professional staff running the education and
community liaison programmes; a fleet of vehicles to maintain; 104 personnel
employed; dozens of seasonal staff cutting firebreaks and helping prevent scrub
encroachment alongside over 250 km of roads; 50 scouts on patrol involved in
law enforcement and anti-poaching matters; and ongoing construction at Mariri .
“From
a tiny seed a baobab will grow” written on a sign at the Centre is so true…
Finn’s ducklings, Sherlock Holmes and Mr
Poirot.
Ella and Finn checked the fishing gear for George
– only to find no hooks, the most essential item of all! The four of us took a
walk along the sandbanks of the river, searching for tracks. Butterflies were
flitting around the base of a high bank. George and Ella dashed over to
photograph – as Lea and Finn watched on. Finn's sharp eyes noticed an elephant looking down at the photographers from the bank above them.
Later, George had great fun with Ella and Finn learning to
use the survival tool (magnesium based) we’d brought for Finn to light fires
with.
How far Hortensio has come. He began
working in the Nculi team - 7 years ago.
Lea taught him how to clean tents and make beds. Now he was Camp Cook and a
Leader - serving up his freshly baked beautiful rolls for lunch. Another of the
original team members arrived on a John Deere tractor drawing a trailer load of
logs. Oscar was as jovial as ever. George
delightedly teased him for wearing white shoes for dancing, not working in the
bush! Before bed, George took a walk along the sandbanks of the river searching
for any signs of crocodiles and saw none. He found the absence of small crocs puzzling
as there had been plenty back in November 2004.
We had a bad night! Tiny black
ants crawling about the tops of our bed; over our arms and faces and giving us
a nip throughout the night. Nothing like the mass of ‘formigo’ we’d experienced
many nightmarish times on previous stays … they literally swept silently into our tent
covering every surface and biting hell out of us until they had driven us out
into a dark night to find refuge elsewhere.
These tiny ants were purely irritating as they kept disrupting our
sleep. Such is life in this extraordinary
place…
Keith, took us both to Mariri
after breakfast, following a few back roads in search of wild dogs. A drive up
the bed of the Lipumbulu river where a new den had been set up found two lying up
on the bank, ignoring us. At Mariri Environmental Centre Keith gave us a guided
tour – The communications centre where the radios are manned around the clock
(24/7). Sibana the GIS operator with the
aid of a computer, keeps track of Scout team movements, enabling their exact
position to be pin pointed at any one time. Every water hole, road, gold mining activities,
location of elephants poached, fires purposely lit by the scouts is marked; the
movements of every vehicle in the fleet monitored. We were able to see how far Luis had travelled
after leaving camp at 5.00 am that morning, en route to Lichinga to collect
three Government officials and bring them back. It was a case of “Big Brother”
is watching everything related to management of the concession in real time … We
were amazed!
More amazement came meeting Tomas, a
permaculture expert, with the most extraordinary interest in plants and
animals. He has developed a vegetable garden, contrary to everyone else’s
belief, upon which the entire Environmental Centre relies upon – producing
paw-paws, chillies, lettuce, beans, tomatoes, all sorts of herbs even
strawberries and Cape gooseberries! By trenching and using a compost made from
ash (from the kitchen fires) elephant and buffalo droppings as well as bat
guano; inter-planting with trees and crops that add nitrogen to the soil, he
has vastly improved the poorly drained, clay soils of Mariri. Plenty of water, available
from the river, has met all their needs.
More importantly, Tomas has been able to show the villagers how to do
the same thing – community development and upliftment. Mariri buys any excess the villagers can
produce. Not surprisingly, the health of the staff at the Centre has improved two-fold
since vegetables were added to their diet.
Using chilli and tobacco, Tomas makes
his own “pesticide” to spray on plants under insect attack. Guards are employed to keep monkeys and
baboons out of the garden and an electric fence helps keep elephant out.
Interestingly, when in Zimbabwe, Hilary had mentioned that during a stay on her
brother’s banana farm protected with an electric fence. They would hear the
elephants ‘screaming’ as they pushed down the fence – determined to enter and
eat bananas!
Back in Australia, two months later we heard from Keith that one indomitable elephant has learnt to push down the poles supporting the fence and gain entry. As a result, Tomas has had a deep trench dug out around the garden to further elephant proof it!
Back in Australia, two months later we heard from Keith that one indomitable elephant has learnt to push down the poles supporting the fence and gain entry. As a result, Tomas has had a deep trench dug out around the garden to further elephant proof it!
Elephant Anti-deterrent!
Tomas had also developed an
indigenous tree nursery. Each of the workers at the Centre obliged to plant
an indigenous tree at Mariri. Keith,
Coll, Ella and Finn all have trees they have planted at Mariri, thriving.
We arrived back at the workshop
in time to see the inauguration of a new incinerator, Ken created from 44-gallon
drums to burn all the rubbish which has gradually built up at Mariri. It took
the form of a chimney on legs and worked perfectly burning cardboard and plastic
as fast as it could be thrown in. Ken has a daughter in Roleystone, Western
Australia which is a neighbour suburb in the Hills – where our daughter
lives! Six months ago, he’d gone to visit her only to land up in the Royal
Perth hospital undergoing a gall bladder operation that went horribly wrong.
Keith showed us an early
prototype cabin, built overlooking the river and now houses the Honey-guide
research team. Another cabin on stilts
was in the throes of being built for a National Geographic team due shortly to
do an article on Northern Mozambique. The researchers and film Crews pay for their accommodation
giving them access to all the other facilities at the Centre (food, vehicle
maintenance, communications etc) and the money goes straight into the ever-growing
Conservancy fund administered by the village elders at Mbamba. The research conducted
use Mbamba people as assistants, creating further employment. The benefits
derived from Conservation, the Environmental Centre and Mpopo Wilderness Trails
have taken on an entirely new meaning for Community coffers.
River front houses for visiting researchers and their view...
The lunch gong sounded out and we
strolled over to the beautiful “mess hall” overlooking another view of the
Lugenda river and the distinctive - distant Ngolonge Mountains. Nsima (maize meal) and fish stew was on the
menu. Lea’s belly did a loop or three at the sight of whole fish but that settled
as soon as Keith told her there were tins of sardine to go with my sadza – as I
know maize meal, on our table. Over lunch
the renovation of the kitchen was discussed.
The original kitchen is very dark and filled with soot from the open fires
which makes it very unhygienic for food preparation. Our son-in-law Daniel once
gave George a lesson on tiling walls and since he was the only one with any
basic knowledge, he was delegated to teach someone during the two weeks he was
here. George is a ‘yesterday man’ and he
promptly jumped to the task. To this
end, Ken allowed George to cut wooden
spacers on the band-saw at the workshops; helped him test whether tiles could be cut with an angle
grinder and undertook to make an instrument in which to pock mark the surface of the walls to
ensure proper adhesion of the tiles.
In the Gallery, Keith showed us the
artworks being made by the Kushirika group in Mbamba. Ella acts as their
marketing manager using her language abilities!). Beautifully crafted baskets,
hats, bedspreads and animals from waste products particularly the rubber
slops/thongs such as slops – all products so unique that the Norwegian visitors,
recently here, almost bought out everything along with bottles of pure bush
honey. All translated to a viable alternative lifestyle for the people of
Mbamba.
To complete the day of overwhelming pride in our Bush family for all they achieve – Keith took his father on a long-awaited flight in the Husky. Watching his son dressed in his “flying suit” (overalls), hauling out his beloved plane from the hangar, refuelling and doing all the pre-flight checks before they zoomed off into the air … left George in awe, and inwardly prouder than any father could possibly be.
They flew for two hours over much
of the L5 concession seeing four large herds of elephants, hundreds of buffalo,
sable, zebra and hartebeest; flew over the fires burning in the area; over and
in between inselbergs; followed the Ncuti and Mbamba rivers inland; flew over
Nakatopi camp and, at 200ft above the ground, flew along the Lugenda river
waving at fishermen, over the broken rock strewn channels of the cataract
region, over the Mpopo hippo pool and the Environmental Centre. As the sun set
it threw beautiful arcs of light from behind Mariri Mt. - George was spellbound
by the whole experience.
As Keith put his plane away George was amused to learn the hangar has a cat on duty to catch rats. Furthermore, the tail of the Husky must be suspended off the floor to prevent rats getting in and chewing the wires. Evidence of rats stowed away in the wings have been seen when the plane is serviced in Nelspruit, South Africa. Lea, meanwhile, had patiently waited at Mariri for their return from the airfield. We drove back to Nakatopi picking up impala and kudu in the headlights, as well as an elephant shrew. It had been an unforgettable day.
The following week Lea was given a turn to go fly the sky, with her son. Nerves jangled with the sheer exuberance this incredible experience brought her.
George and Finn had climbed Mantintano to capture photos of Husky in the air. We spotted them as we flew over the mountain, swooped and circled giving opportunity to capture optimal shots.
Lea took a photo of George and Finn while Finn and George pestered by mopane bees, took their photos of Husky.
“The plane flew so low over our heads - we had to duck!”
Down on the dusty tracks below we forget the extent of surrounding bush. The birds eye view is stunning especially when we came across the massive herds of buffalo. On the ground they can be so elusive - we may see an old dagga boy – or a small herd, unaware there are far more in the dense bush. The beautiful Lugenda has ever changing faces along its water route – picturesque and seemingly far apart on the ground yet covered in startling time from the air.
Down on the dusty tracks below we forget the extent of surrounding bush. The birds eye view is stunning especially when we came across the massive herds of buffalo. On the ground they can be so elusive - we may see an old dagga boy – or a small herd, unaware there are far more in the dense bush. The beautiful Lugenda has ever changing faces along its water route – picturesque and seemingly far apart on the ground yet covered in startling time from the air.
On one of the journeys between Nakatopi
and Mariri we saw a bateleur eagle and a palm nut vulture fly up. Keith suspected
they may have been feeding on the remains of a wild dog kill. Down in the
Lipumbule river we found 11 dogs lying in the riverbed, all being bothered by
flies and flicking their ears and tails, totally unperturbed by our presence.
A visit to the showpiece of
Wilderness Adventure in Niassa - Mpopo Island – four beautifully built
Robinson-Crusoe style structures tucked away in riverine forest overlooking a
well populated hippo pool. The price per night seemed hefty until we realised
the price included a complete Wilderness experience –
accommodation at Mpopo, dug-out canoe trips, visits to fishing camps on
the river, game drives, single nights in
unusual yet equally spectacular wilderness camps, visits to the Centre and Mbamba village to meet the Kushirika
group, outings (if desired) with researchers studying honey guides, time with
Keith and Colleen and the opportunity to sample the range of locally sourced
foodstuffs available, cooked by local people. It is an experience not to be
found anywhere else in Mozambique.
Access to the island is by canoe,
crossing below the Mpopo rapids. Before any visitors arrive a chonde-chonde ceremony is held by the
village elders beneath a sacred tree; no wastes of any kind remain on the
island – wastes from the toilets are retained in 44 gallon drums, and removed;
ash from the fireplaces used to sprinkle
inside the toilets; bottled water is not provided, all the drinking water drawn
and filtered from the river; guards walk visitors to their cabins at night and
there is tented accommodation at the end of the island for the professional
guide (e.g. Fraser Gear). Candle-lit dinners are held on a beach beside the
rapids. There is a limited period over which the cabins on Mpopo Island are
available. They are hired out for a one-week period only – preferably a party
of 4-6 never more than 8 at a time. These visitors are assured they have it to
themselves. Eight bookings a year – makes this beautiful place uniquely
valuable.
This is an “investor free”
development, with a return of 56%, the Mpopo cabins / wilderness package
grossly exceeds any other normal eco-tourism venture. Eco Lodges on the other side of the river and
elsewhere, not only run at a loss they provide nothing tangible in terms of
financial benefits to local communities.
Not even the Kruger National Park, which attracts millions of tourists
and has been in operation for decades, runs at a profit and offers anything
like the same benefits. Here, we found a
“low impact, high value” model. The NCP involves everyone from
researcher to the elders, womenfolk and children in the village. All are
participants in the project, the whole thing represents a substantial amount of
employment for them and is beginning to bring in unheard-of amount of money
direct to the community while remaining highly specialised, small group tours. This demonstration project is not just of
local significance, it is likely to receive acclaim further afield.
George began experimenting and polishing up
his tiling skills with Finn as his assistant / translator. In time Farouk, the
builder, arrived to watch. George had him
mix and spread the tile adhesive; cut tiles with an angle grinder and, after
completing seven rows of tiles on a section of blackened kitchen wall, George
showed him how to apply the grouting. By the end of the day the Centre had a
tiler capable of turning the kitchen into a clinically clean and brighter place
once the planned extensions and renovations to the kitchen block was over.
There is an interesting tale attached to Farouk - once an
ivory poacher! Through skills development here, he has embraced a new
life. Earlier this year he was a new scout
camp when he heard the tell-tale shots of poachers not far away; he promptly
dropped everything and, despite being unarmed, set off in hot pursuit with some
scouts. Despite being fired upon by the poachers (using AK47’s) one scout hit
in the leg; Farouk tackled a poacher carrying a bundle of tusks and retrieved
all seven.
A ‘tonic’ for George - long
starved of walking the bundu of Africa, is not for Lea. Her heart must steel itself when her husband
goes walking alone… The yarns that
follow only serve to raise her adrenalin and be relieved he is safely home. One day, he walked straight into four hippos
having their own stroll through the bush!
His greatest pleasures come from walking
along elephant paths, recognising familiar landmarks trees and water courses;
popping down to the river’s edge at regular intervals to rest in the shade and
observe a large croc slip off the riverbank. He looks forward to coming across
the baboon troop, he once habituated and is disappointment when there is no
sign of them. On another walk, through dense riverine palm forests, downstream
of camp, the short sight distances, the evocative smell of elephants and signs
of their droppings everywhere, caused his adrenalin to flow a little faster as he took a more cautious approach. Down, opposite
the Luambezi river overlooking the Lugenda gliding by he found happiness in his
solitude, as he watched a pair of skimmers flying downstream and, in defence of
what was presumed to be their nest, a pair of white-crowned plovers/ lapwings
attacked a hadeda. On another occasion, while some repairs to Keith’s Land
Rover were being undertaken George took a walk into the forested area
immediately downstream of the Environment Centre and came face to face, rather
unexpectedly, with a young bull elephant that drove him scurrying backwards
after it made a few half-hearted rushes in his direction with trunk raised and
ears out.
George discovered a small muddy
pan not far off from camp. He waited awhile
to see whether animals were attracted here – never expecting elephants to
arrive and start sloshing about in the mud until they caught his scent and took
off. He saw impala, ground hornbills, kudu, waterbuck and warthogs in the
vicinity and realised the significance of this pan as a game viewing spot had
been underestimated.
In coming days George spent many
marvellous hours watching and photographing animals there. Two elephant arrived
to have a mud bath; while impala, buck, warthog, ground hornbills and even a
group of bush pigs continued to stream in. The experience reinforced his view -
this was the perfect spot for a hide. He discussed the idea with Keith, the
moment he was back in camp for lunch. No time like the present – they
immediately set off for a site inspection taking the builder Julio with them.
It took no time at all to decide where to build the hide, taking the prevailing
wind direction and available cover into account, and decided to incorporate a
sleeping platform in case people wanted to stay overnight. Meanwhile, George would go back and forth
with Ella and Finn. Colleen and Ella also popped down to the pan and came back
with stunning shots of bush pigs that arrived for a drink / wallow. Looking at his
photos taken using Pete Ryan’s old Nikon DS40, George was again so very
disappointed - potentially rich scenes looked washed out and not even in focus.
The photos he’d taken of Finn in the soft evening light with the river behind,
all hopeless – in comparison to the photos taken by Col, Ella and Finn on their
cameras. George decided not to use the camera again. Such was Finn’s sympathy for
his Bumpa – he lent him his camera. A
vast improvement. Using Finn’s camera (a
compact little Nikon ‘Coolpix’ B500 with 40 times zoom) George spent more hours
beside the pan hoping for a repeat performance but the variable nature of the
westerly wind blowing, and the alarm barks of impala was problematic – alerting
everything to his presence. Nonetheless, shots of warthog, bush-pig, ground
hornbill and even a little squirrel arrived to swear at him with its tail
flicking in defiance. Also, a small lizard crawled through the leaves and perched
on his leg for a while, possibly considering it to be a strange new vantage
point from which to peruse its territory?
Among the many particular moments
of pleasure that arose during our stay. One, was definitely Ella demonstrating
her driving skills, taking her Bumpa and Gogo on a game drive. Her calm and
confident manner without showing off was a wonderful example of her
togetherness.
Another was watching our ‘Rock
Spiders’! Over the last Christmas break,
back in the Cape, Keith had shown his children the film Solo. This had inspired them to try rock climbing
and they were booked in for rock-climbing lessons in Cape Town. We’d brought a new climbing rope, Keith had
ordered and sent to us while in Durban. This was immediately put into practise
climbing and abseiling the sausage tree in camp. One Saturday afternoon we all
set off as a family for Mantintano, to enable Ella and Finn to climb and abseil
on a rock face there, using the new 60 m long climbing rope. After ascending the winding pathway Tomas had
put into the top of the mountain, Ella and Finn strapped on their climbing gear
while their father secured the ropes. George went down below the cliff to
photograph them, fascinated by all they had learnt- tying knots, fastening
clips and belaying with what is called a GRI-GRI!
Ella climbed first with her
brother belaying below.
Once she reached the top and her father, she abseiled back down.When it came to Finn’s turn, he was clearly agitated enough to back down … A wise decision in his Bumpa’s view, even if it meant losing face. At ten, it is important to know your strengths and limitations. We gathered at the top of Mantintano as the sun began to set behind Mariri Mountains and enjoyed a cold shandy overlooking the Lugenda. Magical. We returned down the steep path at last light with Ella chattering away to her Gogo about Greek mythology – her favourite subject! She is an extraordinary girl.
Once she reached the top and her father, she abseiled back down.When it came to Finn’s turn, he was clearly agitated enough to back down … A wise decision in his Bumpa’s view, even if it meant losing face. At ten, it is important to know your strengths and limitations. We gathered at the top of Mantintano as the sun began to set behind Mariri Mountains and enjoyed a cold shandy overlooking the Lugenda. Magical. We returned down the steep path at last light with Ella chattering away to her Gogo about Greek mythology – her favourite subject! She is an extraordinary girl.
Keith suggested we take a landy
and go game viewing in the early morning. Being a poor sleeper, Lea is not
normally an ‘early bird’ at all. However,
afraid of missing out and knowing
our time here was short – and the relative safely of a vehicle made it
worthwhile to ‘leap out of bed’. Thus, we were both away before first light to
see what we could see. First morning, as George struggled to find the
headlights on leaving camp – Lea gulped to see an elephant shambling out of the
narrow riverbed as we dipped in… the large ghostly creature merely turned his head
gave us a look and continued on, ahead
of us. A nervous wife had George hold back momentarily, before revving out to follow...
only to find the big fellow had vanished. Thereafter, there was little out on the
plains, not even any baboons! After crossing the Mpopo we took a newly formed
track to Mshaa and Ntambalale, closely following the Lugenda river – we saw a sable
and a group of kudus. Mshaa is a
huge pool with several pods of hippo in it. A basic campsite laid out and used
by 4X4 enthusiasts that occasionally make their way to Mariri.
The second morning, we reversed
out of camp in the dark for our game drive, Ella and Finn jumped up to join us.
We rapidly concluded - it was just as well they did! Their sharp young eyes
were far better equipped at spotting game than ours. Within seconds- Finn pointed
out two wild dogs, some buffalo and zebra in the bush; while Ella was first to
spot a small herd of elephant. Regretfully we realised we’d have missed them
all as we drove towards Mapili (an inselberg) and along a rough track following
the Msangesi River.
Rock sills impound the river at
certain points
Lovely views of Nkopola, another
inselberg in the east highlighted by a rising sun. And, as we neared the
plains, huge herds of waterbuck moved about in a variety of groupings - all unconcerned
at our presence. Happy hours spent
together with our grandchildren - we returned to camp for much needed
breakfast.
Our last dawn viewing we did without our
grandchildren. Driving towards the Msangesi in the hopes of finding the buffalo
reported there. Instead, we came across a large flock of 30+ crested guineafowl.
We slowly back across the plains and watched
baboons sun-bathing / warming up in the sun when suddenly we saw a wild dog
stopped in the middle of the road, looking back in the direction he’d seemingly
come from - behind him. We hovered
waiting for what… Turned out this was
the lead dog awaiting the coming of the Lipumbulu pack of wild dogs, running
one behind each other across the plain, scaring the living daylights out of a
warthog in the process as they circled the edge of the plain and
disappeared. An enthralling sight to
behold over a good 10 minutes or more.
Returning from one of our dawn drives,
we found a big work force steadily dismantling the Family’s sleeping platforms.
All the ant-eaten poles and semi-rotten
bamboo flooring were to be replaced. A massive job. In the process they came across a snake
beneath the dressing room tents.
The main uprights for the new platform were put in place, but until such time as the deck is replaced, everyone temporarily slept in their tents on the ground. Next the hardwood cross members of the sleeping platform were fixed in position, with a generator running to enable Julio, the builder, to drill. The drill – a self-sharpened reinforcing rod literally burned its way into the wood; each cross member being secured with long re-bar nails, bent over at the last stage. A novel self-developed construction technique indeed.
Within days the bamboo deck on
the two new chilundu, side by side, had been completed. Each piece carefully
bound and secured to the next using rubberized nylon stripped from old car
tyres – the whole thing as solid as a rock.
Snake did not move off despite
the disruption, noise and movement around camp. George found the same purplish
coloured snake a few days later lying under another piece of canvas. After
taking a few photos of it he picked it up by the tail and threw it in the bush.
George found its squirming behaviour when alarmed, very unusual. He had no idea
what sort of snake it was.
Tomas was excited over a new wilderness
camp site he’d discovered and was keen to take us all to see. Such was his enthusiasm;
he’d started preparing it immediately. We all met up with him at Mariri and
followed Tomas, Ken, Ella and Finn in his vehicle. The route took us along the
base of Mariri Mountain, through a large panga-panga forest to the NaShatu
range. After much winding and bumping around, trying to keep up with Tomas
while still admiring incredible granite outlooks and Mountain faces; we finally
reached ‘the place’ perched on top of a rocky ridge with spectacular views across
the bush. While uplifting the slabs of rock required to clear the site Tomas
reported finding many large scorpions. It was a glorious spot with wonderful
panoramic views that we were able to enjoy for a short while.
The sun was starting to set and
with an hour-long drive back to Mariri we travelled back arriving home well
after dark. [An email from Judy, George’s sister-in-law arrived
to say that after a stroke, John was hemi-plegic i.e. one half of his body was
half paralysed. Anxiety hangs over George – will he get to see his brother in
early August.]
Kiki’s impending arrival created
much excitement in camp especially the joy of unexpectedly having 3 nights and
two days with our granddaughter flying out alone from the UK. Keith took off
early in the Husky for Pemba in order to do a quick shop before her flight
landed in Pemba.
While Lea, Coll and Ella went off
to Mariri, Finn and George returned to their favourite spot, The Pan, and had
some extraordinarily good viewing what with six species of mammals congregating
at the same time – baboons (± 25); bush pigs (5); both male and
female bush buck (4); warthogs (2); impala and samango monkeys (drinking). The wind was in a perfect direction, although
the baboons and impala could see them, they could not smell nor hear us,
especially with all the rustling of the branches of the trees they sat under. George
suspects that when baboons are at ease, it reassures all the other animals. The Pan was so “busy” George and Finn could
scarcely keep track of what was happening where.
The impala busily gathered the fallen
fruits from the tree in which the baboons were feeding, while thickets on the
anthills around the pan were clearly the preferred cover sought by the bush
buck. They stood there, stock still, for long periods of time, scarcely visible
except for the flicking of their tails. Having always enjoyed the arm twitching
/ head bobbing behaviour of baboons when they are anxious about something, George
could not resist doing the same thing when a couple of them came closer to have
a better look at him and Finn. His behaviour seemed to make the baboons more anxious than ever. On
returning to camp, Finn downloaded a selection of photos he’d taken onto a
memory stick for his Bumpa.
We both take great delight
listening to Ella and Finn laughing and talking away in the local dialect Jao,
to Pedro and Juileta. They are so fluent and swop from English to Portuguese or
Swahili and back to Jao with such ease. Finn has always been a quiet, reserved
little guy. This time he had more assurance and no doubt when his sister Ella
goes off to Senior School next year as a boarder – it will increase. It is very
special to see the affinity they have with the camp staff and the mirth that
emanates when they are all playing UNO. As for the delightful baby – Elde. She is much
loved in camp especially by Ella, who is
always ready to look after her while Mama is cooking or down at the river.
A most disappointing message arrived - Kiki had missed her connecting flight to Pemba. The flight
from London had been delayed by 2 hours at take-off. Poor girl had to sit in an Oliver Tambo
Airport lounge for the rest of the day and overnight in the airport before the next flight to Pemba. It sadly
reduced our time with Kiki and Keith and, altered weekend plans.
Colleen joined us to take the ducklings down
to the river for a swim. They were looking incredibly grubby. Colleen always has her camera in hand and
while Lea, Ella and Finn oversaw the safety of Sherlock and Poirot – Col
clicked! Suddenly she noticed strange
movement over on the island opposite us. Lea and Ella crossed the river
channels to see if they could get a closer look at what Colleen was seeing
through her camera view finder. It appeared to be a bush buck stuck in mud.
Finn rushed back to camp to request Pedro and Hortensio bring the canoe. They
paddled over the river and again we could see the panicked movements of the
buck – head and front legs straining to ‘get out of mud’ behind rocks was all
we could suppose, from a distance. The men drew close and discovered the
bushbuck had been paralysed. To go any
closer could result in an injury. We had to leave nature to run its
course. Very sad and awful! We could
only presume the creature had escaped a crocodile attack with this serious
injury.
Our last Saturday - feeling
disorientated by Kiki’s non
arrival – Coll made an unexpected suggestion that George go out with Samuwel -Zebio’s
counterpart in the lion tracking team and search for a pride of eight that frequent the
Mapili region. George leapt at this opportunity. Unfortunately they ended up spending a couple
of hours at Mariri fixing a puncture and the tail gate of the Land Rover before
the morning really got underway. First,
a climb up Mpopo Mountain to get bearings on the lion whereabouts, before they headed
across to Mapili. There, Sam ran up the inselberg carrying his radio tracking
antenna. He returned to say the lions were three miles away, north of the
mountain.
Thereafter, they literally “took to the bush”, crashed through
the scrub, knocking down small trees and clawed their way across deep gullies
in a remarkable bit of off-road driving ( it reminded George of seeking honey
badgers, with Keith at the wheel). Stopped now and again to check the signal
strength and direction; the Land Rover regularly refused to start, George’s door
unable to open, diesel dripping from the tank, leaves and broken branches
piling up against the windscreen; George was not surprised that the vehicles being
used for this purpose are in such a beat-up / battered condition, yet no other
vehicle (Land Cruisers included!) could take the punishment meted out. Let alone
perform as well. In due course, there
the lions were, peacefully asleep in the shade of a thorn bush. – Andrew, the
pride male (collared); three lionesses (collared), and four young lions – all
completely unconcerned by our noisy intrusion into their domain.
After taking lots of photos and
the co-ordinates of their location, they noisily crashed off through the bush
once again until intersecting a road that took them past the base of Nkopola and
across the Msangesi river. They encountered a herd of elephants as they neared
Nakatopi. All in all, a marvellous excursion, in very capable hands, for George.
George recalled the story of four staff
members, Keith and Colleen had sent to Lichinga to obtain their driving
licences. All on full pay, board and lodging for six months – yet, when they
returned with licences in hand, they could scarcely drive out of the parking
area at Mariri. Apparently, they only gain driving experience once they have had a
few crashes in the reserve. Sam was in a different league.
Back in camp, we watched the hours
to the day tick pass with no news coming in from Kiki. Eventually the Johannesburg Air Link landed
in Pemba. Keith waited for her to clear Immigration and Customs - Eventually he had to put on his flying overalls to access the unauthorised area and see
what the problem was. Kiki had a difficult time clearing immigration as no
English spoken, the finger printing machine to the computer had a break down
and she was a minor. Keith was able to intervene and help clear Kiki through
Immigration only to find no luggage. It had been left in South Africa. All time-consuming when this young girl now
had to fly from Pemba to Mariri with her Uncle. Yes, she had been to Africa
before - Cape Town. This was the face of Wilderness Africa where everything
is different. As evening approached the
Husky came into sight and we dashed to the sandbank to excitedly wave to the
pilot and Kiki. Another hour before the sound of the landy engine purred across
the plains and we rushed from all parts of camp to greet the new arrival. We all fell into her arms- Very emotional with plenty of tears and never wanting to let go! Thereafter, she was as quiet as a mouse!
Overwhelmed by the whole experience, the flight in Keith’s plane and her
surrounds; the strange black people who emerged from the darkness to greet her;
the dark tangle of vines in the tree above her where she was expected to sleep;
the long-drop toilet and warning not to venture out beyond the fence. This was the Africa she’d longed to visit
without fully realising what we all take for granted! Most importantly Kiki was
here, dinner was ready and bed followed closely after. We had not seen her for over two years, we had
just tomorrow with her.
George found Kiki sitting beside
the breakfast fire, as is the custom, dressed in some of Ella’s clothes and
somewhat displaced. She was not the Kiki he recognised and took her to see
where our tent was and to have a walk along the sandbanks of the Lugenda.
He showed her the spoor of the
animals that had come down during the night, explaining what they were and the
significance of the large acacia and fig trees that grow on the banks of the
river. She seemed disinterested … where
was the Kiki that had shown such interest in ecology, in drawing and dissecting
insects with George and longing to visit Africa? Time would tell, only we would not be here to see.
Keith and Col had taken an early morning flight to attend an important meeting. Well into the morning, Kiki popped over to her granny whispered a request to please escort her to the thunder box. Her first visit! Had sheer nerves frozen her? The two slipped away and had a little laugh together as Lea lowered her down onto the wooden throne, assuring Kiki she would not fall in. Not long after elephants arrived at the toilet, with one turning to give us all a long look - a timely reminder saying ‘This is our Africa’! We could only hope that Kiki would fully appreciate the deep pleasure we all gain from these up close visits.
Keith and Col had taken an early morning flight to attend an important meeting. Well into the morning, Kiki popped over to her granny whispered a request to please escort her to the thunder box. Her first visit! Had sheer nerves frozen her? The two slipped away and had a little laugh together as Lea lowered her down onto the wooden throne, assuring Kiki she would not fall in. Not long after elephants arrived at the toilet, with one turning to give us all a long look - a timely reminder saying ‘This is our Africa’! We could only hope that Kiki would fully appreciate the deep pleasure we all gain from these up close visits.
Finn replicated his Bumpa’s party
trick and made a fridge cake for dinner.
It had been scheduled we’d spend
our last weekend in the luxury of Mpopo Island as a farewell to us and a
welcome for Kiki. Fate decreed otherwise and we were treated to a superb last
afternoon and night there. Consequently,
our bag was packed and loaded onto a landy in preparation for our departure from
Mariri next day. Farewells were made to the Nakatopi camp staff and with the
ducklings, George drove Lea and the grandchildren to Mpopo after lunch. Kiki had fallen in love with the ducklings!
There, we were ferried across the
river
Leaving George to fish, with a
rough rod he had manufactured earlier in the day after Keith had returned from
Pemba with much needed hooks. Using
compressed dough George caught a small barbel and a “majojo” which he used for
bait. Several good bites from fish soon broke the short, 2-3m length of line,
itself well beyond its “sell by” date.
From the other side of the hippo pool we had the odd conniption when George
balanced himself on a rock that seemed all too close to a croc we could see drifting nearby. We’d all been warned that several crocs had arrived for a share of
a large baboon taken by a croc yesterday!
Kiki relaxes with the ducklings
Kiki and Finn cool off in the side channel rapids well away from crocs and hippos!
Kiki relaxes with the ducklings
Kiki and Finn cool off in the side channel rapids well away from crocs and hippos!
The Husky flew overhead towards
evening. Keith and Colleen returning to the airstrip. They arrived in a traditional Game Viewing
vehicle – used to transport Environmental Centre children on game-drives. All
the bells and whistles were out for us.
Keith, Col and George joined the rest of the family in the most
comfortable central hub of Mpopo with open views over the hippo pool. A young hippo calf kept us entertained and it
soon became clear, one hippo had a dentition problem! A tusk protruded through
the upper jaw. Crocodiles floated elsewhere, it was a most idyllic spot to spend
our last night.
Keith cooked steak and boerewors over
our evening fire and Hortensio, served up dinner at a beautifully laid table with
wine glasses and serviettes. We have had many memorable meals during visits to Niassa
- never in such fine style as this. Such attention to detail in the middle of
wilderness was amazing. AMAZING has been the word that constantly rose to mind, many times during this stay!
After dinner came the
Night-Drive. We re-crossed the river by canoe in the dark. Crocs were
plentiful in the rapids and they added a terrifying element to the night! The
gentle hum of the landy, the spotlights operated by Ella and Finn flashed on
either side seeking out eyes in the bush. We saw civets, white tailed mongoose, side
striped jackal, impala, a herd of buffalo and some hippo. The greatest find was
an aardvark, something we had not seen before.
Our last hour arrived… The last time
we may ever soak-in Niassa. Seven years
ago, we thought the same thing. Nevertheless, we were filled with a deep
sadness.
On our way to Mariri, Keith took
a detour and unbelievably the Landy ran out of petrol! How lucky it had not
done so last night. We didn’t even have
a radio on us - Keith had to walk back to Mpopo to radio for help. In time, the
well-known team of ‘Babu’ Pedro and Francisco came to our rescue, full of
nonsense and banter directed at Keith for landing in this predicament. Luckily
it was lack of fuel … and we were soon on our way with imminent farewells
giving rise to huge lumps in throats.
With the worst over - Luis drove
us away. Sibana, the GIS operator
travelled with us, on his way to Maputo). We “hit the road” … the eight hour bone
jarring journey for this day lay ahead of us.
With each lurch of the vehicle – as we made the long haul through to
Mecula, over the Lugenda river and finally on to Marrupa, as night fell Lea
could only think positively! According
to Carmen, our niece, this 'shake up' was good therapy for our lymph systems…
The men stopped at a restaurant to check how
much longer it would remain open – George and Lea decided they would prefer to
get to their room for the night. Keith had given us a packet of peanuts, a tin of tuna and two bread rolls for the road -
these washed down with the little bottled water we had left would see us
through the night. A much quieter night
followed than on the previous occasion- no aggression from the dogs! The shower in our room, with scalding hot
water ran out inside a minute, much to George’s chagrin. Lea was just comforted
to be still!
We were away as dawn broke –
another 8-hour journey to look forward to on the “N14” to Montepeux. Although its condition was just as bad as
before, at least it wasn’t dark! Much of the track, a deviation alongside the
tract of land in which the future road, presently under construction, will lie.
Earth-moving machinery, heavy trucks and dust all part of the experience
together with bumps and depressions that throw one around, especially in a
vehicle like the Hilux that bucks like a bronco because of the purposely raised
suspension. George’s head would bang against the head rest, knocking his glasses
off, and a murderous look would cross his face. Lea had to contain her hidden
mirth. Anyone can put up with a good
shake for an hour. It becomes exhausting after 4 hours. It was a great relief
to take a break in Montepeux. Luis and
Sibana tucked into lunch while the thought of eating despite a very frugal
dinner the night before had no appeal to George and Lea. A cold coke was
all we required. Dinner at Russell’s would be all the more appreciated.
From here on, the next 200km
would not be too bad. Once again it was hard going on the driver- hours of
concentration – could so easily create safety issues. People and vehicles added to the mixture as
we drew in to Pemba. Our first job was to call into the airport and collect Kiki’s
luggage. A process that may have taken
half an hour took far longer and yielded nothing. Her bag may arrive tomorrow –
four days after it should have been sent. Luis would have to meet the plane we
were scheduled to fly out on! Lea’s
phone battery was low – and we knew we could not recharge at Russell’s. We sent
a whatsapp to Keith to cancel our collection by Columbo next day and
fortunately before battery was dead – heard back that our flight out had been
brought forward. Our safe arrival at Russell’s Place brought
enormous relief. A good shower, a couple of Manicas and another of Russell’s
fine meals – we felt human again!
The six, overweight South African
campers who’d driven two vehicles and trailers all the way to Niassa from Port
Elizabeth, were in the chilundu we’d had previously. Lea recognised them as she
had spoken to one at Mariri Environmental Centre. They had required another
night to recover from the roads and Russell had placed us next door. Their loud
jabbering voices disturbed us well into the night and again, before dawn, as
they packed their trucks for departure.
Luis collected us early for the airport. The Air Link Attendant not only
assured us he’d would bring Kiki’s
luggage to us at the Departure Gate as soon as the flight had off-loaded it;
our own luggage would be sent straight through to Durban … No matter that Lea queried Johannesburg as the
entry point and was bothered… This misinformation set off another nightmarish luggage problem. Air link arrived in Pemba an hour late and we were hustled aboard to prevent any further delays … Never saw Kiki’s
luggage as a result. Thankfully it had arrived…
Behind in our flight schedule
from Pemba followed by an earlier connection in place to Durban – we dashed
through to the Domestic Airport only to find our Boarding passes issued in
Pemba were not able to be read … We had to return to Mango and have new gate
passes issued. Lea requested they check the whereabouts of our luggage … still
with Air Link. A litany of problems
unravelled… We should have collected our
luggage on arrival in Johannesburg. Air
Link were requested to send it through and they agreed but closed office for
the night and went home instead. Mango said we could not fly without our luggage
and side-lined us…. Change of heart - we flew into Durban an hour earlier than our original schedule the
Rogers, had. We were glad to have extra time to chase
up our luggage. On reporting our lost
luggage we received such a surly response… Lea kept her cool and in turn, the
man was very helpful and caring thereafter. Flat mobile – no phone numbers in
her head. He took her to the exit and there patiently awaiting our arrival -
George-Anne and Raymond.
And so ended July - we were in their safe hands!
And so ended July - we were in their safe hands!
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