Malawi to Zambia: In Quest of Elephants

My friend wanted to see giraffes. Me, I just wanted to see elephants. So much so that in my list of things to do while in Africa, on top was "see elephants". I did not care for lions, not leopards--just elephants. In my mind, these huge, majestic creatures would either be reaching up with their trunks on some branch or just slowly walking along the riverbank.

Well, as it turns out it is not as easy as it sounds. Not as cheap either. Imagine this, our students at the college who are born and raised in Malawi haven't even seen one. It's not for lack of want to see one. It is just expensive. Sad but it is reality. You see, the animals are in the national parks or game reserves. One has to spend to visit these places--the travel, the park entrance fee, the game drive--these all add up.

It took me two years, two countries, three national parks and 2 game reserves before I finally got to see one. No doubt, there were elephants in the places I've been to. Thing is, I just did not research and plan enough.  It was mostly a case of being in the right place at the wrong time but once, I caught a glimpse of these animals, it was really worth it and just as I had imagined.

Yep, that is an elephant reaching up with its trunks for a tree branch. Just as I have imagined. (photo taken at Victoria Falls National Park, Livingstone, Zambia)

Nkhotakota Wildlife Reserve

My journey in quest of elephants started in Nkhotakota Wildlife Reserve. Considered to be the largest game reserve in Malawi, it is located in the central region, north of Lilongwe.

I took a solo trip during my first Easter holiday in the country and booked myself at the Bua River Lodge. Since it is the largest game reserve, I just assumed that elephants abound and they would just be wandering around. So naive of me. In short, I saw  no elephants.Two reasons for this apparently. First, vegetation is thick because of the rainy season. This makes it difficult for the elephants to be seen. Second, water was abundant everywhere so there was no need for the elephants to go to the river.

I did go on an excellent walking safari the next day and saw monkeys and baboons but that was about it.

For all it's worth, I had for myself some me-time, more like a retreat really since I was also the only guest at the lodge.

That is the park ranger who escorted me on my walking safari. We were standing by the banks of Bua River when I took this photo.

Nyala Game Park

Behold the nyala from whom the game park is named from!

Nyala Game Reserve is not really the place to go to see elephants. First, it is just a small game park located within a sugar plantation which is located in the southern part of Malawi. The area is too small to support elephants but it was big enough for other wildlife. I consider my visit to this place as time and money well spent.

My friends and I just happened to visit the park because it was more convenient for driving and it was a cheaper option. It was another spur of the moment decision motivated by our desire to see and do as much as we can while we had the chance. Our purpose to the city was a workshop for our project but since it was our first time to be in Blantyre,we decided might as well maximize our visit and resources before heading back to Lilongwe. Our friends based in the city volunteered to drive us around and since they have been to the place before, they thought that the experience would be something for us. How right they were!

During our game drive, we were able to see a number of giraffes, zebras, kudus, bushbacks, impalas and several others whose names elude me at the moment. Compared with my Nkhotakota experience, this was really something. Game was just everywhere. I was like a child on a day out.

As for elephants, there were two options here in the south to see them. There is  Lengwe National Park  and the other is Majete Wildlife Reserve.

Lengwe has a good number of them. Management even have to try controlling the numbers.  Last I read,some have been relocated to Nkhotakota Game reserve.

On the other hand, the more popular Majete Wildlife Reserve boasts of having the Big Five- elephant, lion, buffalo, the leopard and the rhinoceros. Not all are endemic to Malawi so some have to be flown in from neighboring countries.

I intended to visit Majete before leaving the country but unfortunately, I no longer had the time nor the resources to do so.

Kasungu National Park

They look rather small..but those are hippos sunning themselves from across the river.

Kasungu National Park is Malawi's second largest national park. The time I was in Nkhotakota, my friends were here and they saw a herd of elephants crossing the road. A neighbor, who also visited the place, took a video of a bull casually walking past the camp.

Myself, I visited the place in June, which is the start of the winter season.  My flatmate wanted to try her luck in finding leopards so I joined the trip. I thought I would be much luckier than her. Really, we had more chances of seeing elephants than the elusive leopards. Well, we were both disappointed.

Upon entry to the park, I had my hopes up. There were so many signs of elephant existence. Broken branches. Gigantic piles of dung. Elephant footprints. So that night, we signed up for a game drive. We drove around for like two hours--nothing. Not even a bushback. Just a lonely rabbit scampering on the side of the road. My flatmate remarked that it seems the animals decided to have a party somewhere and did not invite us. Seemed to be case.

Slept with the grunts of the hippos echoing from across the river.

Next day was not so lucky either but we had a view of the magnificent sunrise up on a big black rock. Now, I know what tequila sunrise looks like.

My friend and I on the peak of the big rock overlooking the vast expanse of Kasungu National Park.

The descent from the big rock with our trusted park ranger.

 Liwonde National Park

There is the elephant..from a distance.

Located along the Shire river in the southern region of Malawi, this seems to be the popular destination. It is easier to access and has more options in terms of accommodation. More budget friendly as compared to Majete and one has more chances of seeing the animals.

Definitely, there are elephants here. I saw them but from a distance while standing at the viewdeck, so it does not really count. Problem is we arrived at midday and the elephants were already gone from the watering hole.

Since we were just passing by on our way from Zomba to Lilongwe, we only managed to have one game drive. Saw several other animals though, including a fish eagle.

Warthogs..

Fisheagle..

Victoria National Park, Zambia

Finally, after two years, I got to see elephants. Such a gift to see them that close. I've got one word to describe the moment--awed.

More elephants...

Wildebeest

A family of warthogs...

A day at the US embassy

(More like... from the outside looking in)

So what does one do while waiting for someone to finish his interview at the US embassy? Here are some ideas:
1. read a book
2. do some crosswords
3. chat with those sitting beside you
4. watch people pass by and observe humanity as they go on with their lives
5. check out Facebook
6. check your text messages
7. plan for things to do at work
8. check emails and get updated with things at work
9. stare blankly into space
10. walk around a bit

Well, you get the drift. I did all of those stuff but mostly I just sat there and let my mind take in the conversations happening around me.

I was appointed by the family to assist my uncle while he processes his migration papers to the US. It is as simple as accompanying him to wherever he has to be, cross checking his requirements (which is a lot) with the checklist provided, and just being there just in case something else crops up that needs attention. Truth is, I just needed to be there for moral support. That's all.

It has been a long wait for my uncle. The petition for him to migrate was filed a decade or so ago and it is only  now that it is starting to progress.  Apparently it is the case for most petitions for siblings even for families. Entering Uncle Sam's land of milk and honey as an immigrant is not that easy. I heard lots of stories from petitioners who were there with me waiting for their parents and siblings to finish their medical examination.

So what happens after an immigrant visa case is scheduled for an interview?

1. The applicant has to get medical clearance at the St. Luke's Medical Extension Clinic at Bocobo St., Ermita, Manila. (Originally, we were all set to go to St. Luke's at E.Rodriguez in Cubao. A good thing I mentioned it to a friend and she asked me to double check the address.)

The process takes at least two days. The first day is for the physical examination. The second day is reserved for vaccinations. Luckily for my uncle, he only needed two days. We arrived at the clinic at around six o'clock in the morning thinking that we were there early. We were wrong. He joined the queue and already there were 181 applicants ahead of him. Well, to be fair, the clinic also processes applicants for Australia, New Zealand and Canada.

Companions are not allowed inside the clinic since there is not enough space. I just stayed outside and chatted with others who are also doing the same. One was a petitioner whose wife has to take DOTS for TB. Another was an applicant. He was telling us that they were migrating as a family but his sister was not given medical clearance so the process for the whole family was delayed.

I was listening to all these stories and I just hoped to the high heavens that it would not be the same for my uncle. By 10:30, he was done and was instructed to return the next day for his vaccinations. We did not know it then but since that was the only instruction given, it meant that his medical examination did not reveal any ailment, no other procedures were requested. The second day was just breeze. After another four hours, he was done with his vaccinations and was given a sealed envelope to bring with him during his interview and a CD (of his medical check up) to bring with him to the US.

2. The applicant has to prepare all the necessary documents which are usually emailed and can also be found in the embassy website. Instructions are very straightforward. They just look intimidating at first.

3. Register for a courier delivery address in the US embassy website. The address provided will be where the visa and passport will be delivered by the chosen US embassy provider. In the case of the Philippines, the US embassy uses 2Go. I had difficulty registering my uncle at first but after several attempts, I managed to get it right.

How about the interview?

1. Since the interview time is provided, there is no need to arrive at the embassy very early unlike in the case of the medical examination. My uncle was scheduled at 10:10. We arrived there at 9:55. He was instructed to go straight to the table reserved for immigrants. After signing in, he was allowed to enter the embassy.

2. Security is strict at the embassy. Have you seen the place? It is like a fortress--concrete fence, CCTVs everywhere, floodlights, security guards, barbed wires in some areas. They've got the works. I am sure there are K9s somewhere.

No cellphones are allowed inside. Neither are big bags.

There is a waiting area a few meters away from the entrance. It is not really a waiting area but you know Filipinos. They sort of made it into one. At first I thought it was really THE waiting area since there are chairs scattered around which I took advantage of. It was only after I sat down that I was approached by a lady collecting my payment of thirty pesos for using the chair. Well, it seems some enterprising Filipinos saw a business opportunity and grabbed it--people need to sit, provide the chairs and collect payment.

For the next four hours, I sat there and observed. It is an organized enterprise. The lady who approached me is in charge of the chairs. Others sell pens (only ordinary black pens are allowed--not sign pens, not gel pens). They even keep phones and bags safe. The ladies have ziplock bags with numbers. If you give your phones to them, they give you a  claim tag which you return to them later. Same for bags. The rate for the safekeeping of phones is 50 pesos. It costs more for bags which is understable. They have to carry it around with them. (With what I have seen, they are trustworthy and have been there for some time. They can explain to you the procedures and they have lots of stories to tell if you manage to talk to them and they do not get distracted by newly arrived applicants)

By noon, it started raining... out came the umbrellas that they are also peddling. It is pretty impressive. They cover everything applicants need. I am pretty sure that they also sell cellphone credits.

Anyway, I sat there together with others under the rain waiting. My uncle's interview took hours. There seems to be some problems with the birth certificates. He was required to present a request form to the Philippines Statistics Authority (PSA) main office in Pasay. Since it was only two o'clock in the afternoon, we decided to make a run for the PSA office. Thanks to the LRT, we managed to make it before the offices closed for the day. We again filled in the application for the necessary documents, got interviewed, paid 350 pesos for each birth certificate we were requesting for and were instructed to wait for further instructions from the embassy. They explained to us that it would be the embassy personnel who would pick up the documents requested and we just have to wait for communication from them.

Once again, we have to wait. That is the only thing we can do.  Wait and hope for the best. We'll see.