Hello there! I do hope that you are well and have had a wonderful weekend. Here in the Luangwa, it’s been a constant barrage on wildlife sightings making its way through camp but similarly out on game drives. This week we are however crossing the border to the relaxing shores of Lake Malawi, as we hear news from Conrad who is currently at Pumulani. Conrad over to you:
“In this corner of the continent, September usually ushers in hot & dry weather. But a cold front that recently moved up through South Africa meant winter was extended by a few days. Mkulumadzi and Kuthengo both experienced misty mornings.
At Pumulani all you needed to do was dip a toe in the lake to feel the effects of winter’s last hoorah. From now until November, however, cloudless skies make the weatherman’s report quite predictable. While the lush green hills that rise out of the 700m deep lake have turned brown, they are by no means boring as the migratory birds start arriving from afar. Flowers and seeds of all shapes, sizes and colours have already popped up out of nothing.
Speaking of colours, the maintenance team is currently assigned an office with a view. Villa 5, nestled high above the lake shore, is where they currently find themselves sanding down window frames and painting walls. Villas 5 offers arguably the best and most comfortable view to be found anywhere on Lake Malawi. From the bed to the bath, the view is ever-present and everchanging. Not a bad place to work for a week or two.
When painting a wall, the results are instant. But there is so much that the safari industry does for which you wait years to see results. Small things, like paying someone’s school fees, can be very rewarding. That is why we were so excited to receive a letter from Frank Millopa recently, who grew up close to Pumulani and attended the local secondary school. He writes “I write to express my thanks and deepest appreciation for your contribution in providing financial support for my school fees. I lost my father when I was ten and my mother could not manage to pay my school fees.” Due to Frank’s hard work at school, he was selected to attend an Agriculture college in Kasungu where, in his own words, “I performed pretty good and emerged as the best overall student in 2017.” That opened more doors for him and he is currently pursuing a Bachelor of Science degree at Lilongwe University. We’re glad that a small contribution toward school fees could set this young man on his way to build a better future for himself, his family and for Malawi. Well done Frank – you are an inspiration!”
What a heart warming story, thank you so much for sharing this with us Conrad.
I just have to finish off with some sightings from Nkwali as it’s been simply incredible… with the guests seeing all manner of fabulous sightings, from plenty of zebras all clustered together really making sure that we understood why the collective noun is a dazzle.
To lion and leopard at apparently every corner. Although one group of guests did have a wonderful weekend with us ensuring that they were able to really rub it in with Kiki when one of them spotted the leopard before he did – he claims he was busy looking at some birds but as you can all imagine, none of us let him live that one down.
As always, it’s not just been the wildlife in the park that has kept the guests busy, with plenty of elephants in camp and even the occasional slithery friend wanting to join for a shower, it has been a nonstop safari experience.
As I write this, I hear the lions calling from opposite Nkwali bar, so I am sure that the guests will be lucky enough to find them this morning. Then there is the constant background noise of the Cape Turtle Dove. So on that note, I shall bid you a very fond farewell and hope that you have the most wonderful week ahead with plenty of smiles and laughter and don’t forget to look after one another.
