Scotland in Malawi

We are busy with everything, except with plenty of time to leave. We get up early, it's not because of that. Heavy clouds discharged all their water above us last night. The roof tent is soaking wet, the washing is not yet dry. Fortunately the warm sun appears, we give it time to do its work. We are finally on the road. Looking for good diesel in Mzuzu. The last refueling in Malawi yielded a shaky engine that barely lifted the car over the mountain tops. The employees of the fuel pumps have no idea what quality diesel they are selling. Total's manager either. After several phone calls she knows; "50ppm". She waits anxiously, is that the right answer? That is it. The car runs smoothly again. It has now been 12 hour. Certainly 5 hour drive to the Nyika National Park.

Wood oven
Sometimes you cause unexpected happiness. We do that today. Again we will arrive in the dark. Of course the road condition is disappointing. The average speed too low. We pay attention to the rapidly sinking sun and the large holes in the sandy path. Almost no eye for the leopard that crosses the road for us. The beautiful predator likes to walk around in the twilight. Set the camera too late to put this present on a photo and share it on this site. Shortly thereafter we arrive at the 2200 meter high Chelinda Camp in Nyika National Park where we are warmly welcomed by the employees. We rent a room with a fireplace. We don't think camp in the dark is tempting. Moreover, it is quite fresh, partly due to the strong wind. Food is no longer served. The kitchen of the restaurant is made available to us. A burning wood oven with blackened pans is ready. Kok Onno gets to work. An employee makes cracking golden yellow flames in the room welcome us when we go to sleep. What a luxury.

Water supplier
The rolling green mountain and hilly landscape on the plateau is reminiscent of the Scottish Highlands and Alpine pastures. The size is many times larger. Nyika NP is an important supplier for drinking water in Malawi. With this aim and foresight, the stone plateau in 1965 has been designated a protected park. The name Nyika means 'where the water comes from'. Nail upside down. The leopards dominate in the park, with recent competition from a lion. The king of animal Africa is welcomed with much euphoria. His arrival is seen as the ultimate proof that the park is in a healthy state. The park is well maintained. Frequently burned down per hill carefully. Cut down the conifers with policy. The English apparently found the cool climate in the park suitable for creating forests with imported conifers. The trees spread like weeds, displacing the native trees. Plenty of firewood still available for the coming years. The meat-hungry inhabitants of the surrounding villages are not yet under control. The purpose of park management is to make them a partner in business.

All senses
The Nyika park is indescribably beautiful. The many hills have different vegetation that provides a painter's palette of green hues. A big contrast with the savannah landscape, which dominated our view in recent months. Man-sized ferns. Malawian men's height. Low fresh green grass. Dor yellow-green grass, on the nomination for burning off. Trees in the seams of the hills, where soil has accumulated after millions of years and gives support to the roots. The rainy season has started, the clouds in the sky in all shapes and shades of gray. The wind blows air through the dense vegetation at different speeds, resulting in a mystical melody. During a morning walk, the guide lets the medicinal plants smell and taste. Even the honey from this area tastes spicy. All the senses are provocatively stimulated.

Serval
The wild animals remind us that we are in Africa and not in Europe. Weeks ago we stopped photographing zebras. Because of the unique backgrounds, we photograph the striped equidae with passion again. The leopard can no longer be seen. Also during our evening game drive the animal does not light up in the spotlight. To our surprise, a Serval turns up. The first copy that we see in person. This dotted predator is two domestic cats in size. He disappears quickly in the tall grass.

Package night
On December 5 we arrive at a campsite of a Belgian near Livingstonia. The Belgians also honor Sinterklaas with gingerbread cookies. A hint of Saint-Nicholas tradition should work tonight. In the Netherlands we attach little importance to the party. As long as and so far away from home, this day suddenly gets value abroad. Unfortunately the owner is staying in the capital. His replacement is a young lady from Switzerland. Fortunately, Switzerland celebrates the birthday of the good saint, who carries a donkey in their mountains. With sweets instead of presents. Hot chocolate is the corresponding habit in both of our countries. Due to a lack of chocolate bars, Mars is melted in warm milk. The Dutch guests in the Lodge are happy to drink with us.

livingstonia
The east side of the Nyika park was the refuge of the Free Church of Scotland missionaries in the 1894 in an attempt to escape the Malaria mosquito. The name has been chosen as a tribute to countryman and explorer; Livingstonia. The missionaries focus on training with the motto 'I will try'. That's pretty successful. The school in the hamlet has made it the highest attainable education; the University of Livingstonia. However, the status of neighborhood has not outgrown with mainly students as residents. The most impressive is a letter from David Livingstone in the local museum. A handwritten message in which he tells his son that his mother died of Malaria. That was how it went at that time, with a delay of weeks. No longer imaginable with our modern communication.

Trade spirit
The morning before we go to our last place to stay in Malawi, we visit the highest waterfall in the country. A young guide shows us the way through deep abysses, to end up behind the waterfall. This was a place where people used to hide from the notorious slave traders. A good and beautiful location with a sad history. Upon return we give the boy a market-conform tip. He begs for more. He wants to buy sugar. The human hunters are happily gone, but their trade spirit has lingered. The man drips after the wise words that he must now communicate a higher price in advance and not afterwards.

From the campsite we drive down the mountain to Lake Malawi via an unpaved road with countless hairpin bends. We are back again. Tomorrow the last day, we drive to Tanzania. Let's see what this country has to offer.