Lofalitsidwa: 18.08.2018
After a short night, today we went on a safari in Liwonde National Park.
We started around 6 o'clock in the open jeep. First, we had to take care of formalities at the main entrance of the park.
Then we drove through the extensive park for about 3 hours. Here in Malawi, there are mainly elephants, hippos, monkeys (baboons), buffalo, gazelles, wild boars, and crocodiles. Lions are currently being reintroduced to the park. I was particularly impressed by the herds of elephants. Yesterday and tonight, they also approached our tents in the dark, sometimes up to 20 meters away. It's a bit eerie when you only hear the cracking and tearing of bushes and then spot an elephant with a flashlight.
Since it was my first safari, I was very impressed and took many photos and videos.
In the afternoon, we observed more animals from the observation platform.
In the late afternoon, we went back to the nearby city of Liwonde for some shopping. We stood out with our shorts. Many Africans, not only men, stared at our white legs and whispered. Apparently, not many tourists come here, and it seemed that Islamic faith is more widespread here.
Africans have no problem with women breastfeeding in public and showing their breasts, but bare legs are suspect to them. Even men show little leg.
During dinner, we met 2 Germans. One was a nutrition scientist who is doing research on the fruits of the baobab trees. They are increasingly used for drinks and sweets in Africa. We are also starting to find baobab fruits in organic stores and they are being processed as superfood.
According to this researcher, the problem is mold in the fruits. The cause is now being investigated.