Travel from Mtunthama to Liwonde via the Dedza Pottery.
We broke up our 8 hour journey with a stop at the picturesque Dedza pottery.
It takes 10 days to produce the clay used to make the pots illustrated in the photos below. Mixing, soaking, settling etc. Only 8 hours to fire the clay in the kiln which is sealed off with bricks and fired using a continuous supply of sawdust from a local sawmill. One man demonstrated how to throw a pot and turn it into a jug in a total of 2 minutes. Another man had spent the day building an intricate clay safari jeep filled with people and animals.
Purchases: sugar bowl and a handleless mug. I had to visit 3 people to purchase these items. One to write the invoice, one to make the payment and one the wrap the items and stamp the receipt. We saw this rubber stamping of receipts all over Malawi.
Lunch at Dedza Pottery: veggie lasagne and salad. Sprite.
We arrived at Liwonde Safari Camp where we were greeted by the night team Henry and Bella and 3 other men on patrol. Strict instructions not to wander out of camp owing to lions and elephants. Showers and toilets were open to the stars.
My favourite toilet had a wooden carved scorpion handle, a straw roof and a frog that joined my every night we were there. I had a large grasshopper on my bed and leaf-like butterfly on our tent front steps. There were beautiful poisonous pink flowers on leafless shrub plants around camp. I also saw a whistling beetle and a white spider whose eyes glowed in my torchlight on the paths at night.
Dinner at Liwonde Safari Camp: Chicken, chips and vegetables. Water.