Majete Wildlife Reserve

Sarah's Mother is staying with us (for three months!) and her sister Annie is out for 10 days so we took them into the bush for the African experience. Majete is only 40 miles down the road and it didn't disappoint. We drove 80 miles around the park over two days and only saw one other car. It is true wilderness down there. The accommodation was rather luxurious, classic bush tents on a solid base with electricity and running water but we did cook all our food on a fire. Anyway, we had some thrilling moments up close with elephants in our own car with no guides to keep us safe. The adrenalin pumps when a six-ton wild animal challenges the Landcruiser to a duel from five paces! We saw loads of other animal too: Hippopotamus, crocodile, waterbuck, bushbuck, impala, warthog, zebra, banded mongoose, nyala, sable antelope etc

Icesave or Icelose?

So, what a year! We move to Malawi with all our belongings, renting our house in London to a banker. It doesn't take long for me to fall off Malosa Mountain and break my jaw, necessitating maxillo-facial surgery in the UK. While I am away, a pub/nightclub opens in the house next door in Blantyre, causing Sarah sleepless nights and untold stress. I then find a lump in my groin and another in my neck, am advised by our caring doctor friends in Malawi that I should see their man at The Royal Marsden in London. Totally unexpectedly (by Sarah and I, anyway!!) I am diagnosed with lymphoma, a cancer of the lymphatic (immune) system. Oh well, at least it's a slow forming cancer at the moment and I feel 100%!! Now, it seems that our life's savings, carefully invested in an Icelandic bank, are no more!! You've got to laugh.............

Lake of Stars Music Festival

We returned from the shores of Lake Malawi yesterday. Senga Bay played host to the fifth Lake of Stars Festival. It is organised by British promoter Will Jameson of Chibuku Shake Shake, a club night in Liverpool and London. All the performers, African, British, German, whatever, perform for free as all the money from ticket sales goes to charities in Malawi. There were about 2,000 tickets sold and the beach at the Livingstonia Hotel was a perfect fit for stage and audience. We headed up on Friday and were Sarah, her sister Annie and our housemate, Claire. We arrived at the festival campsite at lunchtime, didn't fancy being camped 100 metres from the full onslaught of the main stage sound system and headed back round the bay to see what we could find. Our second port of call was Cool Runnings and, after a tiny bit of pleading, Sam found us a lovely grassy pitch for our tents, yards from the lake, and we were set for a fantastic weekend. I was working as one of three voluntary photographers at the festival. I haven't shot gigs before and it was great fun leaping around the stage with the musicians and DJ's. Sarah and Annie were interested in chilling out and early bed and I was given a pink ticket for both Friday and Saturday nights. I managed to use them to the full and danced until dawn on Sunday morning, making lots of new friends along the way.

Back to Blantyre and we found that there had been no water for 36 hours. It's now another 24 hours on and we are HOT and SWEATY. There is no news from the authorities and we are doing the essentials with buckets of water from next door's swimming pool, courtesy of Matemba, our gardener.

I was back in the hospital snapping away again this morning. Next, a visit to the dentist to finish the work on the damage I caused myself when I fell off Malosa Mountain in April. Unfortunately, Frances the dentist found more damage and I have root canal work to look forward to as well as a crown. Mustn't complain though; at least dental work is affordable here. It is for Europeans, at least.

A delightful Weekend in the Country

On Friday, we headed for Mbala tobacco farm, just off the Zomba Road, 40 minutes from Blantyre. I spent the afternoon photographing the Malawi Junior Vaulting Team going through their paces. Vaulting is gymnastics on horseback and I have been involved with the team since we arrived in Malawi. Karen and Tamsin McGowan are managers, coaches, patrons and fundraisers for the team and it is their selfless committment that enabled poor Malawian children to compete on the international stage. After the photo session, sarah and I were invited to stay with Karen, her husband Ewan and daughter Kate at their beautiful hilltop house in the bush. On Saturday morning, Ewan and Karen headed to Lake Malawi for a friend's wedding. We had the house to ourselves. We read, ate, slept and rode our bicycles through the bush. It was an idyllic weekend.
On our return to our lovely house in Blantyre, we were greeted by the mayhem of drunken revellry coming form The Block; a house next door to us that has been converted to a commercial premises, serving food and drink to adults and entertainment to children. Basically, it's a pub in a house and the noise is making our lives a misery. There aren't any environmental controls here and you can't just ring the council! We have been looking for an alternative house for months. Today is the day. We are determined to get away from here.
At least it's sunny and it's the Lake of Stars music festival on Lake Malawi next weekend.

The Thieves are Still at Large

So, no information from my stool pigeon's despite the offer of a "Substantial reward". PC Mcdonald (that's his first name) wants me to meet him at the station tomorrow. I have offered him a reward too. That's how things work here. I will have to call the Head of Operations tomorrow.

I was taken down to the southern tea estates capital, Thyolo, this afternoon to shoot a community sensitisation meeting for the Wellcome Trust. Our man failed to show but I got some nice shots of the locals. Some people here are mad for it and others are very aggressive towards photography. I aim to seek approval before I shoot but sometimes the "moment" is just that.

Our quest for a new house (to get away from next door which is a residential house that's changed into a nightclub/boozeden) and met a new freelance agent called Isaac today. Lovely bloke but no idea as to what an Englishman can call his castle. We like old colonial houses with wooden floors and lovely big gardens. Malawians love to cover the parquet with office carpet tiles or marble effect ceramic tiles. Yuk! And chandelier style lighting. There is priority for Guantanamo-style security fencing over characterful houses. Razor wire, electric fences and gates are de rigeur. It's just so safe here that you don't need all that.

Well "The Block" as next door is named, is nice and quiet at the moment. There was an impromptu bank holiday yesterday to mark the end of ramadam. It must be stay at home recovery night tonight. It's HOT HOT HOT!!

Mount Mulanje Cycling Extravaganza

Sarah, twelve others and myself rode 80 miles (120km) around Mount Mulanje two Sundays ago. We were aboard mountain bikes, on dirt roads through the bush and over a mountain pass. All in the blistering African sun. What a day!!

Daylight Robbery!

The malaria season is imminent and I was in search of mosquito netting. The place to go is Lambatt's fabric emporium on Haile Selassie Road, Blantyre. I also had to send a load of mortgage/endowment papers to four companies in the UK, along with my birth certificate. The road to the DHL offices was jammed with cars, so I headed downtown. Having found a parking space outside Lambatt's, the fruit sellers and street vendors descended. They are very friendly and I politely declined as I locked the car strolled into the cool interior of Mr Lambatt's shop. Ten minutes later, back inside my car, I notice that the glove compartments are open, two pairs of snazzy shades and my lovely new iPod are missing AND there is no sign of the letter. You feel so helpless in these situations. I quickly interviewed two parking attendants, some beggars and street vendors ("We are sorry for that" "Malawi is very poor" etc). Nothing. Inside to Mr Lambatt who kindly called four policemen until he found one at work. I headed for the nearby flea market and offered rewards for the return of my stuff. Then back to the scene. Still no police. Mr Lambatt (he's a Wise Guy, it seems) calls the head copper and he promises to come. Major Ben Nkhoma arrives with his Captain and three PC's, one of them a lady and one of them drunk. They promise to trace my belongings and bring the perpetrators to justice (the drunk one is in charge). I drive the three bobbies to their office at the market. It is full of men in handcuffs, all very cheery. I complete my hastily improvised statement and drive two coppers back to the scene. They ask for transport money and I make a donation to the fund. Promises are made and assurances are given. I ring them and hour later and they are hot-footing it to the local township in the back of a mini-bus.

I made many allies in the street and at the market yesterday and I am hoping that, with the offer of a reward, that I will get my belongings back.............I will head back into the melting pot to thank Mr Lambatt and to follow-up many leads...........To be continued.............Photos at http://www.gallerymac.com/lancer10

It's About Time I Wrote Something.............

So, we have been here since January 08 and so much has happened. Sarah has worked incredibly hard to get her HIV/pneumococcal study up and running. She has hired Malawian staff, ordered her raw materials from Liverpool, written her ethics proposals, had them declined, rewritten them and had them accepted. She is now inundated with recently diagnosed HIV patients who have been recruited for the study. It's high-level stuff!
I, on the other hand, have been living the dream. I spent a month running Zomba Plateau Stables and taking punters on treks around the mountain, I fell off Malosa Mountain and spent a month in the UK having my jaw reconstructed with six titanium plates, I have done jobs in Cape Town, Shanghai and Guangxi Province, London and Malawi with more jobs lined-up for Malawi.
We spend every weekend in the bush, either with elephants and other beautiful animals in game parks, or with friends on Zomba mountain or on tobacco/tea plantations, riding horses and bicycles. There's so much to write that I should stop now and start writing regularly.
LOADS of photos at http://gallery.mac.com/lancer10