Today I met up with members of the Society of Malawi at Mandala House in Blantyre. By 8.30am there were five 4x4s carrying Society members as we headed off south-west towards the Lower Shire valley. We were going to visit some missionary graves from the time of Livingstone's expedition (in this case 1862/63).
The assembled throng was an eclectic mix of old-school colonials (been here for donkeys' years, etc.), and people from Malawi and Mozambique. There was a wealth of knowledge about the history of the places we visited that really brought the places and the events to life.
We finished off at a new Lodge that has been built by a Dutch couple right by the rapids on the River Shire (the ones that Livingstone failed to navigate in his original steam ship, and had to skirt by carrying his boat around them. It was a wonderful location; the Lodge doesn't formally open until 1st July, but the Society had arranged with Gerhard (mine host) to get in some Carlsberg Green so that we could quench our thirst at the end of a hard morning's grave exploration.
All in all it was a great trip out, and thanks to Mike Bamford for driving me around, and to Tawanda Madovi for his extensive knowledge and erudite exposition of the tales of Livingstone's expedition.
I've taken loads of photos today, and a selection is
posted on Flickr. Don't forget to select "Show Info" to view the titles, etc.
Highlight of the day - getting into an argument with a policeman for taking a photograph at a roadblock. Silly thing, I know, and I immediately erased the photo, but my fellow car passengers tore into the cop big time, much to my embarrassment and concern. However, all ended happily enough.
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