Malawi MisAdventures of Tess and Jim

Leopards, Killer Ants, and Antelopes on the Nyika Plateau

Not 5 mins later we came upon what would be a nice swimming pool if it wasn't the road. We saw that people had gone through the ditch before and up and around. Following their lead we proceeded to back up and enter only to start to spin, when i tried to back down for another run, the back hitch dug in and we were officially stuck in the middle of absolutely nowhere in the middle of the night in leopard and hyena territory. Not Cool. All of us jumped out to assess the situation except Alex was scaried and spent the next 1o mins scrounging in the back of the truck for his pepper ("leopard") spray. The next hour was spent digging the car out with our hands and using the planks and rocks to get it moving. Upon successful pushing high fives and hugs were given all around.
After some rain, fog, more pools, really sketchy roads and some Hail Marys we actually arrived. In our relief of arriving we pulled up to the lodge where our friend was waiting in the cozy cabins with a big log fire on. Standing at the back of the truck contemplating if we hadn't made it and had to sleep in the truck and yada yada how relieved we were to be there..... tess swears (literally) that something bit her leg. Then Alex starts screaming like a girl that he is getting bit and we all run into the cabin. Tess ran to the bathroom swearing like a trucker and alex was still screaming like a girl. I went into the bathroom to find tess giving new meaning to "ants in your pants". There were tons of Saifu ants crawling all over her and biting.
For those who don't know what Siafu ants are, below is the Wikipedia Definition:

The characteristic long columns of ants will fiercely defend against
anything that encounters them. Their bite is severely painful, each soldier
ant leaving two puncture wounds when removed. Removal is difficult, however,
as their jaws are extremely strong, and one can pull a soldier ant in two without it releasing its hold. Large numbers of ants can kill small or immobilized animals and eat the flesh.......There have been reported cases of people - usually the young,
infirm, or otherwise debilitated who could not escape - being killed and eventually consumed by them, often dying of asphyxiation.

We explored the plateau on first day in the car and then by foot. The landscape and climate are unique for Malawi, and unusual for Africa. There is a vast range of rolling hills, covered in montane grass, heather ferns, and a pocket of dense pine forest, and it gets cool up here at around 2000m. The little cabins in pine forest with the hills gave it a sense being in a mix of Canada and Scotland except for the zebras. The first day was pretty tame chasing Roan Antelope and bush bucks on foot. And stopping to pester Saifu ants with sticks when we saw them.
Above: Roan antelope

The next day we bit the bullet and went horseback riding. On horse back you can get closer to the animals. We saw roan antelope, buchbuck, elands, zebras and bunch of other deer like things with horns. My horse was called "tiyeni" which means "lets go". A small boy at the stable told me they called him that because he was lazy. Although i didn't mind as i was the only one to get a whip, which i could use to giddy up Tiyeni or other passing horses.

The horse ride was entertaining just to watch Alex try to tame his horse while holding the reins at as loose as possible. We were able to ride and chase bushbuck, elands and zebras. The next day saw us venture the roads back to lilongwe.

posted by Tess and Jim O @ 3:38 PM