Monday 11th October

The following morning we were woken by a strange noise which, on peeking through the curtains, turned out to be an actual herd of elephants. The closest was about 2 metres from our window, and all it’s friends were busily ripping down branches from nearby trees and generally huffing, puffing and snorting their way around. We were supposed to be meeting in reception at 5.30 for our early morning game drive, but with so many animals we hung around for a while waiting for the guards to come an get us.

The night before we had been given the option of the ‘regular’ game drive through the park or a visit to the fenced off 20 sq km sanctuary where the endangered animals were kept – the draw being to get a chance to see the elusive and rare Black Rhino – they have about 10 altogether, having started with a breeding pair called Justerini and Brooks (as they were sponsored by…). As we had seen so many animals along the river during the evening river game drive, we decided to take the chance on the Black Rhino.

Our trusty built-up Landrover – needed for all the gullies and rough roads.

On the game drive we saw loads of animals including: Sable (as Mike put it: ‘a Sable is a just a good-looking Antelope’), Haartbeast, Zebra, more Elephants, Impala, Kudu and lots and lots of Warthogs, including very cute teeny baby ones, running and running as fast as their little legs would carry them to keep up with mum and dad!

George the guide pointed out the places where Elephants had broken down the electrified fence so they could get at the trees and bushes inside the sanctuary – apparently they knock down trees that bash the fence down and break the electric part so that they can get in – very smart.

George and our driver were *very* keen that we got to see the rhino, so although the drive was only supposed to last for between 90 mins and 2 hours, we were out for almost three hours and missed breakfast (luckily they saved us some, or there would have been trouble!). BUT!!! Finally, we spotted a Black Rhino running through the trees parallel to the road but about 20 metres away. Wow – it was absolutely enormous! Eventually we lost sight of it in the trees, then briefly caught another glimpse, so not sure whether we saw the same one twice or two different ones…it was all very exciting.

Mission accomplished, we headed back to the lodge, via a couple of minor incidents involving the deep deep gullies that form in the paths, presumably in the rainy season, then dry out into hard-packed and steep dips in the road…still our trusty Landrover did the business and we were back for (late!) breakfast, a brief shower, then back on the road before we knew it.

As our bags were still in Zomba, Mike offered to drop us at a hotel on the river so we could chill out while he drove back to collect our things and the food, before collecting us and all heading up to Cape McClear. This seemed like a good plan so the three of us sat in the gardens of Hippo View Lodge – a conference hotel on the Shire river – watching the river and generally enjoying the peaceful surroundings for a couple of hours and a couple of beers. Mike arrived back a couple of hours later with a funny story of having been stopped for speeding, but gettigng away with it by indicating his flushed and sweaty forehead (it was HOT!) and desperately asking for the nearest hospital as he was having a bout of malaria…he was waved on with a ‘Go! Go! That way!’. The only problem was that we now had to pass through the same road block again going the other way, so we had to hope that the police wouldn’t recognise the car…

As well as our luggage the car was full of supplies and a huge cool box to keep us supplied for the days at the Cape as there wasn’t much in the way of food shopping opportunities there apparently. Even so, we headed past the turn off the sealed road to Cape McClear in order to head to Monkey Bay for additional supplies…water and most importantly oil for the speedboat! With all that loaded into the car it was back down the road, turning off onto a very rough and bumpy track that wound between hills on either side with no sign of the lake until we were very close and one of the ‘hills’ actually turned out to be Chamwe island, about 800 metres off the lakeside from our cottage:

Manica Cottage is one of a row of ‘cottages’ – small compounds really – that line the beach at Cape McClear with a section of beach, lawns, a couple of buildings for living, then additional buildings for the servants who act as combined security, cooks, cleaners etc. Manica was one main building with a kitchen, a living / dining area with a couple of single beds in an attached ‘porch’ then another double bedroom with attached bathroom – we bagzied this one immediately when I noticed it had aircon! Then there was  a separate little house with a double, two singles and attached bath. I suppose it was built for a family, with our room as mum and dad’s room and the separate house for the kids, but Mike and I whiled away a couple of beers discussing how we would change the layout if we owned it.

After dumping our bags and heading down to the beach we all jumped in the car and headed to ‘Geckos’ the nearby back-packer-type bar for a couple of ‘sundowners’:

Despite Mike compaining that it was too quiet and nothing was happening/nobody was there, and that the next nights would be ‘better’ as Geckos would be hosting the ‘official’ pre-parties for Lake of Stars, I rather like the laid-back atmosphere, watching the sun set over the lake and listinging to the children playing and generally making noise on the beach below. We met a couple (name escapes!) who were lovely but sadly weren’t staying for the festival. Next it was home for fish pie and a few more beers before crashing out fairly early (well we had got up at 5!).