Game Count, Liwonde National Park

When I think of Africa I think of elephants. Giant creatures, which are rumored to be the only mammal that can’t jump but move with grace, trunks swaying and feeling for tasty treats. There is something about their nature that is extremely intriguing and has resulted in my being my favorite animal…next to bunnies, of course.

Ever since being a child I have wanted to see elephants. Okay, nix that...I wanted to ride one. I thought I would go to India, hop on the back of one, and have a grand adventure waving to people in the streets while wearing the colorful traditional wear. This was before realizing that there were two different kinds of elephants but even then it didn’t matter where it happened. I played my cards right and was able to spend a day with Asian elephants during a trip to Chiang Mai, Thailand. It was one of those days where I could imagine nothing better happening in my life...one of those days you think “I am completely content!”

At the beginning of my Peace Corps service I signed up for the yearly Game Count in Liwonde National Park. It is located south east of my site, Bwanje, and thus an easy day trip away. As days and weeks inched closer I became more and more excited, butterflies in my tummy in anticipation of laying eyes on “my” African elephant. Just prior to that I had IST (In Service Training) in Dedza which was good but hardly worth a blog ;)

The day came for travel to Liwonde for the weekend for my “job.” Ha, I love that I can have fun and call it work; you can’t get much better than that! After a seamless hitch straight to Ulongwe to meet free transport into the park, I relaxed while eating some eggs made at a local market…a manner in which my mother would be horrified, but it was absolutely delicious. We were then driven up to the Shire River while trying to keep our bearings over the pot holed road. I love these rides, actually, because it makes me feel like I’m on that Indian Jones ride at Disneyland. Just wait for more Disney references to come

Our group of 10+ loaded our bodies and belongings into a wooden boat preparing to cross the Shire River. Now, before you Lord of the Rings fans get too excited (okay, maybe I’m just talking to myself here…), it’s pronounced “Shiri.” At first I couldn’t believe I’d made it to the Shire River in Hobbiton :p Anyways, we were briefed by a guide to “keep all body parts inside the boat, as we all want to arrive safely to the other side” speech. Upon peering around I could see hippos in the water and possibly crocodiles, and realized quickly that he probably knew what he was doing.

All of us arrived safely and I managed to keep my fingers and toes inside the boat, despite a burning desire to test the water to really see if the crocs were out. I figured my run in with the mamba was enough excitement for my service…at this point. When we were lead to the area we were camping I immediately eyed the warthogs. Remember Pumba from The Lion King? Well, I’ll tell you, Disney has it spot on. I half expected one of them to stand up, call over Timon, and start belting out Hakuna Matata. They even crouch to their knees when grazing which is absolutely funny.

Shortly after rigging up my tent a group of us spotted some animals that began coming out of the forested area. Feeling like trackers, we quietly and quickly crept closer to where they were but kept a safe distance. Amongst the sable, impala, and warthogs beheld the elephants. My elephants. The mysteriously beautiful creatures I’ve admired since being a child, I was looking straight at them. I assure you I had a permanent grin on my face. With borrowed binoculars I peered out and admired what I was seeing. I’d made it! To Africa, no less, but to see the animals I, for so long have admired

At one point I sat crouched under a tree atop a dirt mound. I’d brought along a container of home brewed papaya wine and sipped while I looked on. In that moment I felt at peace. A moment I had waited all my life until now had arrived and I could do nothing else than sit in the excitement of watching them graze. I could even hear the ripping of the trees as I saw them pull food off the branches. In this moment I could die happy.

And with that I may have spoken too soon. I absentmindedly chose a spot for my tent that was away from the buildings and cooking area. By day we watched as warthogs bathed in the small mud holes, and by night I listened as elephants grazed off of the acacia tree no more than 15 meters from my tent. A fellow PCV came in my tent during the first night horrified that we would be trampled by the elephants. My response? “Move, I want to see them!”

The following two days we were split into small groups with scouts to perform our transect walks, counting animals and recording them as we walked. Day 1 was a 12k trek during which I was grateful to have really good hiking boots (but cursed the rats that managed to find their way to them and chew out parts of the soles). We saw dozens of warthogs and impala but no rhinos or elephants. Palibe vuto, since the previous day I was able to see the elephants.

When we were leaving camp for our Day 2 walk, the elephants were just outside the compound enjoying their breakfast. They were so close and happened to have a striking resemblance to the elephants found on the safari ride at Disneyland (I’m telling you, they know how to do it!). Once we jumped out of the truck for our shorter 5k walk we spotted a water buffalo not too far off. We stopped for our photo op, of course, but were quickly rushed along by the scout since we were receiving a proper stare-down from the beast.

No rhinos on this trip but we were stopped by a herd of elephants and had to take a 30+ minute detour so that we could go around them. It was a successful trek and a pleasure that it was significantly shorter than the one before (being that it’s hot season it heats up by 8am and, well, you just don’t want to be exerting yourself much later than that).

I could have stayed in the park for much longer, but alas my work in Bwanje called me back. I was yearning to see my three “boys” and get back to the simplicity of village life. But the whole weekend got me excited to begin a Wildlife Club with the students at Kalikhoka, the private secondary school in Bwanje. It also got me contemplating the possibility of signing on for a third year with Peace Corps. I would love to do work with animals and might have the possibility of doing rhino tracking and research if it worked out. But I do have to continually remind myself that I have to sanely complete my two year commitment to Peace Corps. Who knows, by then I may be yearning for a fresh plate of sushi and cupcakes. Knowing it is an option and possibly an opportunity keeps me excited for the work I’m doing now. But until then I’ll teach the students about the animals here in Malawi while organizing a trip to visit Liwonde next year. Until then, my dogs will have to be my wild animals.

Indiana Jones ride!

I'm having trouble uploading more photos to my blog page here, so visit my facebook photos to see some more of Liwonde.