The alarm went off at ten to six AM. We got dressed and drank a quick cup of coffee before we went on the game drive.

going on a game drive

We started our game drive with the hunt for lions and rhinos. These animals are very shy so it is a real challenge to see them. After almost two hours trying we had to accept we would not see them in Majete. We did see several other animals, like Zebra’s, Impala’s, Nyala’s, Whrathogs and of course Baboons. We ended with a drive along the riverside. There we saw what I hoped for, an elephant family. There was also a very tiny one.

little elephant

This elephant came very close to our car.

This elephant came very close to our car.
During our lunch we learned that again our boot trip was overbooked. Jimmy, the ranger, advised us a night game drive. Remco and I had already discussed that but we were afraid we could not see anything. He told us to give it a try, so we did.
At 5 o’clock we were ready for Continue reading →

We had a good sleep, although Remco woke me in the middle of the night because he thought he saw an Elephant standing in front of our tent…. By daylight it turned out to be a tree!

view from our tent

When we arrived in the restaurant for breakfast Mark, the host, encountered us with ‘News to use or to loose’ : Malawi had a new president! The court decided the elections to be correct. After a wonderful breakfast we spend the rest of the morning relaxing in and around our tent.

We red some books about the wildlife in Africa and we were surprised to find this one!

Scatalog, guide to animal droppings

Continue reading →

I saw several mails have been sent concerning busted/wrong callsigns
and/or requests/skeds. Yes, I make mistakes! ; -)

Please send these mails to Alex PA1AW at malawihf@pa1aw.nl or qsl@pa1aw.nl
He offered to summarize them in one mail so I can check.
In case of doubt: almost the whole operation is recorded.

We have limited internet access here and are half way through our
data bundle (especially updating this site uses a lot of data).

Now… we are heading for a ‘night game drive’ to DX for wild animals!

73, Remco 7QNL

Veronica drying Nsima

We stayed the night at Veronica’s and woke up at 7 to see Gift and his two daughters leave for work and school. During breakfast (coffee with plain bread) we discovered that Veronica’s cousin was the founder of MACRA (Malawian Telecommunications Agency). Veronica phoned him and he asked Remco to meet him. This will most probably happen on Monday when we pass through Blantyre on our way back to Zomba. When we left the house of Veronica she was drying the maize in the sun to make Nsima. This is the traditional food in Malawi. We tried it, could not detect any taste but it sure fills your stomach.

After driving for 1 1/2 hours we arrived at the main gate of Majete Wildlife Reserve. They gave us a map how to drive to the lodge with the instructions not to leave the car under any circumstances. On our way there we saw already Impala’s, Baboons and Waterbucks. We were welcomed by Mark with a fresh drink and he explained the rules again and especially what NOT to do because the animals walk around freely. In the dark on our way back to the ‘tent’ we should be escorted by an armed ranger.

Our tent

We arrived before lunch and were offered a tasty quiche in the coseyrestaurant looking at the water where lots of animals come to drink. Continue reading →

Remco posted some information and pictures on DX-World. Check it out !!!