I woke up refreshed. Probably the best sleep I have had so far on my adventure in Africa. The day started nicely (early yes but still good). Breakfast was at 7am and our boat safari (last safari) started at 7:45am. At first, we weren’t seeing anything new on the boat safari. Yet the guide was very knowledgeable about the wildlife and shared folk stories with us. For instance, the reason the hippo opens his mouth wide is because God made the hippo to be a land animal but the hippo pleaded that the hot sun was too much for its delicate skin. Thus the hippo asked to be able to live in the water too. The Lord said, “But you are such a large animal and you will eat all my fish!” The hippo replied I will not eat your fish but rather eat plants and whenever you want proof that I have not eaten your fish, I shall open my mouth up showing you that there are no fish. With that the Lord made the hippo both a land and water creature. The real reason hippos open their mouths as they do is as a defense mechanism or when they feel threatened (he didn’t mention anything like the wiggling of the ears like they tell you at Disneyland…..mmmm I miss Dland)
Toward the end of the safari, we finally saw some amazing things. We came across a HUGE crocodile which was just sunbathing. After some time gazing at this huge reptile, we moved on to the end of our tour when I saw some elephants to my left. We got really close and could kind of see them. We went back to where the crocodile was to see if we could see them on the other side of the lagoon. Unfortunately not! Yet once we returned to where we initially saw them, they were closer to the lake bed and I got some amazing pictures and videos! Let’s just say I have a ton of Elephant pictures and I hope at least one turns out to be great! It was so amazing to be that close to these majestic animals. They are so peaceful and strong; yet can become very powerful and threatening too. They were amazing to watch. We thought the fun was had as we finished the tour when we came upon a male elephant directly on the beach area! Needless to say, we had an amazing time and got to see a good assortment of animals. Unfortunately no big cats! I would love to see them! But they aren’t really in Malawi! Another trip to Africa then sometime in my lifetime to see BIG CATS!
As we left paradise, which it definitely was in a way (it was joked that we were at a therapy camp because it was so serene), the boat ride was very reflective for me. I sat absorbing the beauty that was surrounding me and drank in the moment! I love the sky and I love the water. All I have to say is both were magnificent! The sky was brilliant and blue with great billowing clouds of white. The water was tranquil and as smooth as glass even though we were cutting through it with our boat. It was so clear that when you looked at the water you saw a pristine view of the sky. If my words are failing me and you are not able to picture this, I did capture a shot that I hope to be able to show you at some point! The boat operator was nice enough to drop us off closer to the bus station and we got on our bus back to Lilongwe. I wish this was where the story ended, but it is not!
DID YOU KNOW?? The hippo lives to 35-40years and grows to its size and stops. They live in families which are very seclusive!
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