15th August:
I woke up early to do the Shire river boat Safari with the people at Liwonde Safari Camp.
Before we even set off down the river we saw a big group of hippos about 15 metres away from us! Little did I know that we would see TONS more over the next few hours. Every hundred metres or so there would be a group of hippos or crocodiles, or both! I didn't have a camera on me, only my phone, so sorry that the pics aren't the best quality or zoom.
I was also shocked by the huge abundance and diversity of birds, from stalks and kingfishers to pelicans and even a few Fish Eagles (bottom pic)! At one point we saw an elephant plodding along the riverbank, and another time we saw a warthog and our guide kept saying "Pumba!" Haha!
I was also shocked by the huge abundance and diversity of birds, from stalks and kingfishers to pelicans and even a few Fish Eagles (bottom pic)! At one point we saw an elephant plodding along the riverbank, and another time we saw a warthog and our guide kept saying "Pumba!" Haha!
There were loads of fishermen in their canoes and suddenly we stopped seeing them after a couple minutes of driving up the river. Apparently this is because they're not allowed to fish in the national park, if they're caught they get 5 years in jail! So they were all practically lined up at the boundary but no one went past the imaginary line, it looked bizarre!
When we got back I grabbed my book and sat reading in a swing chair in the outskirts of the camp, monkeys everywhere. Heaven.
Going back to Liwonde Town I got a lift in a jeep, then got straight into a minibus to Zomba. When I got out I started walking with a friend I'd made on the journey who claimed to know where I was supposed to be going. But I had studied the map of Zomba in my beloved travel guide (aka my bible!) and sensed he was leading me the wrong so I said goodbye and started off the other direction.
After a short 20 min walk I arrived at Pakachere backpackers, with its gorgeous garden with a volleyball net and shaded seating areas. I dumps my stuff in the dorm and ordered dinner. The place had been taken over by a large group of Incredibly loud obnoxious Italians who made no effort to welcome or befriend me despite my attempts. Then one of them spilt my drink over and didn't say sorry or offer to help me clean it up, he just keep chatting to the person next to him... Not exactly the welcome I was expecting from a popular, well-reviewed backpackers!
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