The Warm Heart of Africa "Sir, the natives are revolting!" "You don't have to tell me, I can smell them from here!" Unlike the lines from that old British classic comedy, Carry on Up the Khyber", (NB I may have that attributed to the wrong film, Alan, so apologies if I have) the natives of Malawi are neither belligerent or smelly! In fact, like the Zambians, they are incredibly friendly and curious people, willing to talk to you withou...

Rivers of Zambia "Don't worry, you'll each have a River Guide in your canoe" The words of Jenny, the manager of Mvuu Lodge and campsite were intended to re-assure Angela, who was having second thoughts about the previous night's bravado of deciding to do a sunset canoe trip on the Zambezi River. As we paddled downstream it struck me that the only value of the river guide who sat in the rear of my Canadian canoe was (a) he was doing most of the paddli...

Zambia? You must be Kwachas! "Why don't we just stand here and hand money out?" Angela's somewhat sarcastic comment to the Zambian Customs official fortunately didn't register! It was an understandable reaction to a two-hour frenzy of form filling and wallet emptying in a ramshackle collection of buildings that pass as the Shesheke border crossing from Namibia to Zambia. In two hours we parted with £138 to get ourselves and our car in to Zambia for ...

Lions and Leaf Springs It was a morning so still, so silent, so perfect that I felt embarrassed to have intruded on it by stumbling out of the tent to put the kettle on. A quick glance around our trailer and shade tree revealed the usual birds on their morning chores. Sociable Weavers, Familiar Chats (so Familiar they cr*pped on our tent roof every morning!) a Glossy Starling grubbing for ants, a lioness sniffing the gas cylinder in the neighbour's campsite, a ...

Lions and Leaf Springs It was a morning so still, so silent, so perfect that I felt embarrassed to have intruded on it by stumbling out of the tent to put the kettle on. A quick glance around our trailer and shade tree revealed the usual birds on their morning chores. Sociable Weavers, Familiar Chats (so Familiar they cr*pped on our tent roof every morning!) a Glossy Starling grubbing for ants, a lioness sniffing the gas cylinder in the neighbour's campsite...